puma1552

iTrader: (1)

Should we?

I sit here thinking about all this crap I want/will to do to my car, and then I start thinking about all the piddly crap that will need to be or should be replaced on the car in due time, say when I do get to restore the body/interior.

Crap like fresh coolant/washer fluid reservoirs/caps, wiper arms with properly working nozzles, lights/lenses, dash/console plastics, inner front fender liners, grilles, emblems, weatherstripping, dash vents, hood insulation caps, plastic interior screws, etc. Basically all the "detail" crap that separates, say, a freshly painted car from a freshly painted show car (or you could use this analogy for the interior, under hood, or whatever).

For example I just found NOS side mirror glass on ebay. Little stuff like that that once it's gone, it's gone forever. FWIW there is also a NOS GM flat Camaro hood on there atm for anyone interested.

Given the pathetic aftermarket reproductions currently in existence for what few things are being reproduced, it seems that we are so many years off from real quality repro parts for restorations it's not funny.

Unfortunately though, none of this NOS stuff is cheap. While a lot of it may not be that bad, it adds up--very, very quickly. Two rocker emblems and a rear bumper emblem? $200. One piece of T-top weatherstripping? $150. Wiper arms? $37 each, which gets close to another hundo out the door shipped with tax.

So it's like I'm sitting here looking at all this fun stuff I want to do, but then I look and realize that I should probably instead be putting that stuff off since it will always be there and hoard what I can in terms of NOS parts (for myself, not to resell later) just so that I can partly reduce the big expenditures later (like buying weatherstripping piece by piece now so that it's $500 or whatever less I have to spend when the paint comes), and partly just so I can actually make sure to get proper parts, as opposed to being the poor souls looking for lousy seat cover reproductions that aren't more or less terrible (I am one of those souls actually). I feel like if a NOS 85-90 chin spoiler fell out of the sky onto ebay today for a grand (which it won't), I'd snap it up in a heartbeat seeing as everyone's spoiler sags badly and I didn't notice it until I saw someone in a thread here with a fresh one he got from the dealer a few years back and just had mounted/sprayed which was easily twice as pointed as anyone else's.

I guess for me the biggies of what's left are new lights all around, emblems, console plastics (just in case), dash vents (the dreaded "swing down" in the middle vents), wiper arms, and weatherstripping. Also feel I should definitely jump on a couple reservoir bottles while I'm there. Hell a new bumper cover for the front couldn't hurt. Mine's fine, but I bet in comparison to a factory new one it wouldn't be as nice.

I don't know, on one hand I'm frustrated that there are no good repro parts, and perhaps more so nothing really looming on the horizon, and on the other hand I'm frustrated that there is a very short timeline left on a lot of the NOS parts I see online now. I feel like if I don't get stuff NOW, it won't be there in a year. But then again, the average thirdgen guy doesn't really seem to want to pay for parts so I'm not sure the parts are really moving quickly, either.

Thoughts?

Drew

iTrader: (58)

The parts available now don't even represent a fraction of what could be had from the dealer ten years ago. If you want it, and it's still available, you better get it. Prices aren't going to get cheaper.

RPOZ28

Actually,this is a good thoughtful question! You have answered your own question if you think about it. These parts are not going to get easier to find in the coming years. As money permits,I have been scrounging parts for my Z. Save the aftermarket stuff for later,those parts will always be there,NOS stuff will not. Someday I will have my stash of parts waiting for when I can finish my car!.............BILL

Drew

iTrader: (58)

Anyone who has been around for a while can tell you the aftermarket parts go away too. Case in point, SLP, Accel, and others have discontinued parts for our cars in the last few years because they don't sell well.

puma1552

iTrader: (1)

True but at least with those, there's a lot more hope for better stuff to come out later by anyone.

I think it's time to put the other stuff on hold (ugh), and get what I can while the gettin's good.

Drew

iTrader: (58)

I'd almost agree... But I think TPI has had it's 15 minutes of fame. I doubt many companies will spend the R&D bucks to release new parts for our obsolete technology. What I would expect is that more companies will continue dropping TPI parts. The number of LSx swaps, and the virtually non-existent market for TPI stuff is a clear indicator of the trend.

puma1552

iTrader: (1)

I'll admit I haven't stayed up on TPI stuff since my car is TBI, though the 350 shortblock I have is/was destined for TPI...not going carb. Last I checked I was going to go with the Accel Superram or miniram or whatever it was, the big squarish aluminum plenum setup.

Not sure how I feel about being another LSX swap. Truthfully I know very little about the gen. 3 engines to begin with compared to the gen. 1, and don't really care to do a lot of custom/permanent fabrication; I'd like to keep my car such that it could be restored to 100% stock. That would be a real shame if we were forced into it.

I think LSX swaps best fit the 91-92 cars. I feel like with these cars you can go two ways:

1) Make it as modern as you can--huge rims, LSX/T56, true HIDs, IRS, 4th gen interior, slammed to the ground, shaved antenna, deep tint, aftermarket lights all around, etc etc.

or

2) Keep it somewhat true to its era, retaining the stock look for the most part (maybe some 17-18s are ok and maybe lowered a tad), bone stock interior, and a nice TPI setup on a nice gen 1 engine, something that can be reversed.

I guess personally I lean towards 2. I think 1 works really, really well for 91-92 cars, and 2 works much better for the older cars.

That said I've seen sick setups for the older cars too (Spike-Z etc).

puma1552

iTrader: (1)

How would you say things have changed in terms of what's available compared to 3-4 years ago? I guess when I moved overseas the Camaro took a bit of a backseat when it went into storage (out of sight out of mind) so I guess I didn't really pay attention to the depletion of parts.

What are some examples of some major/key things that were easily available just a few years ago that are non-existent now?

dust3r

iTrader: (1)

Some parts that i can think of are arm rests, camaro horn button (non-air bag wheel), fenders, some emblems, side mirrors, emergency brake handle, power window and hatch switches, and fender liners.

puma1552

iTrader: (1)

Ah yes, fender liners...wouldn't mind a new pair of those.

In any respect, today was a happy day...another member pointed me towards a NOS third brake light lens/full housing on ebay. Seller wanted $390 for it, I offered $330 and he accepted.

It's the only one I've ever seen for sale, never thought I'd find one.

puma1552

iTrader: (1)

Well I just hoarded a mother lode through moderndaymuscle (all NOS):

--IROC grid tail lenses (freaking finally, been talking about 'em forever)
--Tri-tone gray rocker emblems
--Tri-tone gray rear bumper emblem
--Bowtie grille
--RS grille (can't decide which grille to use, also have the CAMARO grille somewhere back home that I can sell because I originally ordered the bowtie grille from GM years ago and they gave me the wrong one and I never got around to exchanging it)
--Parking lenses
--Sidemarker lenses
--Windshield outer rubber trim/seal
--Coolant reservoir
--Coolant reservoir cap
--Washer fluid reservoir cap
--Driver's side dash vent (ever since I bought the car 12 years ago the fins were missing, just never got around to getting a new one, bout freaking time)
--Both center dash vents (I have the dreaded "swing down" problem from the pins being worn)
--Radio trim surround (idiot at Best Buy overtightened a torx in the top right corner when they put in my stereo and now it has a depression where the torx is)
--Gas cap
--Dome light lens (why not)
--Seatbelt button replacement kit (all pink and cruddy looking)
--Antenna base nut
--Antenna base spacer
--Door lock gaskets (why not)
--12 hood insulator clips (how many are on the car total?)
--Radiator/washer fluid mounting hardware
--8 threaded inserts for the rear hatch panel retainer screws (insurance)

Since I bought so much crap I got 10% off which was nice, and no sales tax. Shipping on all that halfway across the country only ran $30, much to my surprise.

Still trying to source:

--Wiper arms with washer nozzles (MDM has wiper arms but I need to find out which ones I have and which ones they have before ordering since there were a couple different styles)
--Washer fluid reservoir
--Flood lamp
--Tail fill panels (license plate light holders to the inside of the tail lights)
--Fuse panel cover for a 90-92 car
--Door lock cylinder caps
--Tail lens retainer clips
--Tail lens "plastic rivets"
--Black interior hatch trim screws)
--Nose emblem (black bottom with silver bowtie, the only one MDM doesn't carry)

I've seen a few of these parts on www.gmclassicparts.com, but what I've read leaves me a little concerned about ordering from them.

Either way I feel pretty good about getting most of the stuff I need though. Not a lot else that the car needs to be flawless.

spr250

By "hoarding" you are aslos taking away parts from cars that may honeslty need those parts but you want them for just in case. Kinda screwing your other people over. Camaros have been getting collector status slowly but surely so parts will come again once the demand is up but hoarding and screwing others over, wow. Im just ashamed by this just for reading it. Nothing like greed to set the mood.

puma1552

iTrader: (1)

What?

I bought parts I *need*. These are the parts the car *needs* to be flawless. The taillights are something I want (shoot me), and the grille I don't use will be sold, just like the CAMARO one I have sitting in storage somewhere. IMO it's pointless to spray a car and then reuse all the same crappy lights/emblems etc. When I do the exterior, I'm doing the *whole* exterior. I've already seen the difference new parking light lenses make, because I've done it once before in 2006--1000% improvement in appearance. By the time I get around to replacing them again, the ones in the car won't look pretty.

--Every interior part I bought I need
--Every exterior part wears and I will be damned if I put crappy emblems/lights back on the car when I spray it (most of what I've seen suggests the emblems' mounting tabs get broken off during removal due to being brittle cheap plastic that's 20+ years old)
--Reservoirs are all yellowed out after 20 years, coolant cap is actually being held on with a rubber band because the threads melted in a bad overheat
--Windshield trim has contracted around the top corners of the windshield from so many freeze/thaw cycles, exposing the inside of the A-pillar where water can get in when I wash it
--All dash vents are needed, fins missing in driver side vent, middle vents don't stay where you place them
--Radio trim I already explained
--My gas cap is an incorrect locking aftermarket piece (I want the right one)
--Antenna base/nut are faded
--A couple hood insulator clips are missing/weak/worn
--Several of the interior threaded nuts for the hatch retainer screws are stripped and don't hold the screw, sorry for buying an extra 3-4 for insurance for later
--My dome light lens is a bit yellowed out

I guess where you could really get me though is the $0.59 door lock gaskets.

Stop taking the word "hoard" so literally. I plan to use each and every piece I bought, I just won't be able to use them today or tomorrow since I live overseas and have a wedding and buying a house ahead of me when I do return. By the time I can do anything, none of these parts will be around. So no, I'm not "hoarding", I'm buying with full intent to use at a later date, I'm not buying them just to sit on and do nothing with. Sorry, I have better crap to do with my money and time than buy parts I have zero plan to use. Sue me for pulling out the credit card and being prudent--you can do the same.

Don't forget, my car's 20 years old too. Just because it looks nearly mint doesn't mean it doesn't need a few things too. Replacing these things is proper upkeep of the car, and once you let these things slide, the rest of the car starts to slide and then it just becomes another beater.

If you want these parts too, go buy them. Nobody's stopping you. It's not like I got the only ones around.

spr250

Im not saying don't don't buy parts that you need, but some of the posts above were on the verge of buy them just because. If work is going on with the car go ahead do your stuff but to buy fenders or what not just to sit on for a couple of yrs why? If a total rebuild is going on, yes get everything you need but don't get stuff that you may never use just because you want spares. My idea is, if a group of people have the know how, for example, get a few pieces of plastic and whatnot and reproduce them for the hard to find parts. From some of the cars I've seen, some people can re fab some of these items. Also, you can also petition for more aftermarket parts. I have never bought anything that I couldn't fix or wasn't gonna be needed within three months-usually to wait for no snow.

puma1552

iTrader: (1)

As for the remaining things on my list, yes I *need* those too--

--Washer nozzles are just totally screwed and don't work
--Flood lamp tab broke and it was hanging down from the dash pad (didn't know it was there til it popped out, unclipped it for now)
--Fuse panel cover drops down while driving and gets in the way of my foot due to a broken tab
--Door lock cylinder caps, may as well replace em with nice new black ones
--Hatch interior trim screws, I need a few and yes maybe a couple extra for insurance
--Tail lens hardware, those crappy clips are probably gonna break when I separate the lens from the housing to install the new lenses--remember, they are 20 years old
--Nose emblem, again the emblem is slightly cruddy up close, may as well get a new one when I'm doing the rest of the car

Sorry but if I wanted to hoard NOS parts, I certainly wouldn't do it with 3rd gen Fbody parts.

puma1552

iTrader: (1)

No there weren't, which ones?

Which parts were these again? Just because I can't use them today doesn't mean I shouldn't buy them today while they are still available; that's just being smart. Yeah I'd rather buy the AFR 195s to go on my 350 shortblock, but the fun stuff has to wait while I scoop up the NOS parts that I need and that are still available.

Again, not happening. Sure I want spare clips/hardware/screws, because they are ultra cheap and crappy and can easily be lost. It's not like I'm sitting on IROC hood louvers or door skins.

Go for it, sounds good to me. I don't have the mechanical ability, or the group of people, so I'll buy the genuine parts since I have no other means. If you can reproduce the parts and have resources/knowhow to do so, then that's great and you should do that--that leaves more parts for people like me who just don't have the fortunate knowhow/ability to make such parts.

In a perfect world neither would I, but NOS parts are on a timeline, you know that. This isn't the best time to buy for me personally, but it's time to "sh*t or get off the pot" I decided.

Get my parts now while they are available, use them when my life has calmed down enough to do it; it only makes my future plans cheaper by absorbing some of the price hit now.

Drew

iTrader: (58)

Have you tried you local GM dealers? Almost everything on your list has been available recently from dealers. Typically when you buy them from a reseller you pay more money.

Go ahead and buy all you want... If the parts don't sell, GM will just purge the inventory anyway. When they do that the parts are destroyed. Better for them to be on shelves, in attics, or closets, then cut in half and tossed out as scrap.

puma1552

iTrader: (1)

No, being here in Japan it's easier for me to just go through online resellers where I can see the parts I'm buying; I need the Camaro White Book/Shop Manuals or whatever that have all the part numbers listed, then it would be a lot easier to call up dealers with actual PNs (would make using Vintage Parts's site actually possible too). AFAIK a couple things on the list like the parking lenses are still actually in production. Just figured they can't be in production for much longer, just like the front bumper covers.

The third brake light was the icing on the cake for me today, I have to say. Never thought I'd get one.

The list of remaining stuff is pretty short now, mainly just the wiper arms, the washer fluid reservoir (classic industries has it but it's "out of stock" on backorder which probably means never), the nose emblem (classic has a repro, gmclassicparts claims to have a NOS one), and the fuse panel cover. The other stuff is piddly and should be readily available in junkyards for a long time to come, I just don't have any JYs here in Japan and even ten years ago when I did go to a couple that were left in Minnesota, pickings were very, very slim for F-bodies in general.

I've found moderndaymuscle to have the best prices by far amongst resellers.

spr250

Its not so much of what your doing, this post just got me started is all. I've just known to many people who hoard parts for years stating well I can use that in ten yrs or so in the meanwhile the parts get damaged from sitting there. I agree if you honestly need the parts go get em, or if your doing a rebuild get all the parts ready, my statements were meant to be more general. clips and fasteners, for sure get extras, crips half of break just trying to install em. I know a guy who has a 79 Camaro sitting in his garage while he collects parts for a car he'll never finish. Seriously he has double to triplicate of everything because he he is a true hoarder "because" he can use that in 20 yrs.

irock88

puma1552

iTrader: (1)

No doubt, it's all good...I agree with you. I definitely am planning to use all these parts, just that living overseas, awaiting delivery of an engagement ring, doing the immigration dance/nightmare, trying to get a job, buy a house, support another person as she adjusts to the States, etc. definitely means that it'll be awhile before I can use them...or even spend the money on 'em once I'm locked down if you catch my drift.

The taillights have had me worried the most in terms of NOS stuff; I know those will dry up quickly, lighting components usually do. MDM told me in Sept. they had roughly 50 sets available, that made me feel pretty good but still it becomes a question of, "How long do you want to gamble that this part will still be around?" Sure 50 sets of IROC tails may take 3-5 years to sell, but who really knows; if they could send me an email every time they get down to the last three of something then sure no worries, just wait til the very end and ****** up one of the last ones, but I just don't want to find out the hard way that the 50 sets that would surely be there for a long time are no longer there the day I go to order them finally. Just figure that even though I'm kinda like, "Damn I just spent $1300 on parts I won't even lay eyes on 'til September, and use who knows when," at least I know now that I do got 'em and that when they are finally on the car I'll be damn glad I jumped on 'em when I still could.

It may be a different story if there were many/high quality repros out for our cars, but repro stuff seems to still be lagging in its infancy, with very limited selection/quality, and we all lose on this. So for now I want to just get what I can that's left from GM, and in the meantime join the other poor souls looking for quality seat foams/upholstery and hope someone makes good ones and not 'good enough' ones.

spr250

I hear what your saying, been deployed 3 times in 6 yrs kid, married and divorced by the time I finished my second tour, and engaged with a new soon to be step son my the time I finished my third. So I do know what your going through LOL.

Drew

iTrader: (58)

You can look up parts on Compnine.com. Anything that's still available should have a part number, and there are a few parts listed there that aren't available.

puma1552

iTrader: (1)

Wow, modern day muscle has already packaged up my parts and shipped them and provided me with tracking and insurance.

Everything is in stock and shipped in full, sans the black louvered grille which they are getting from their supplier.

Wow, that was fast.

87IROC-DAN61

Hello All!!

NOS parts are fine if, if you want to pay the price!!

Sometimes it pays to look elsewheres!!

The local junk yard, or one that is not so local, but within a short drive, can sometimes yield a ton of treasured 3rd gen parts!!

If you have the gm part #, try looking at www.vpartsinc.com use the search function on thier web site, you'd be amazed at what you can find NOS there!!

Don't forget, some parts are generic, and are used on lots of other vehicles!!



P.S. When you go to your local dealer and he tells you he can't get a part, because it's discontinued, make sure he's not feeding you a line because he's too lazy to make a call to VPI to get your part!!

If the dealer's computer tells him to call VPI, make sure he does!!

paulo57509

I found one of these on ebay a few years ago. While it's something that I wouldn't consider hoarding, the price was right so I don't mind it sitting on the shelf. I paid $80 for it.



Maybe someday I'll install it, but looking at the contents, it's an electrician's worst nightmare.

Another thing I'm always on the look out for are special Kent-Moore tools.

puma1552

iTrader: (1)

interesting, what car was that originally for?

92GTA

iTrader: (11)

I think in the past 24 months I have spent about $10K on NOS parts.

Gotta pay to play

Of course I sold most after wrecking my GTA but now that I've fixed it, I have to re-buy again

skinny z

Personally I don't see anything wrong with collecting parts. If you find NOS door skins, fenders or anything for that matter and your intention is to keep the car and drive it, then it only makes sense to keep an inventory of spares.
I smacked my 2nd Camaro into the side of Jeep years ago and while the parts I used for repair weren't NOS parts, it sure was handy to have a fender, hood and bumper cover on the shelf and ready to go.

87IROC-DAN61

Hello All!!

I do believe that puma1552's use of the word, hoarding, mostly got the wrong response from the board members here!!

Aquiring some spare parts for an up coming rebuild/restoration using NOS parts is all fine and dandy, but buying 7 (NOS $$$$) fenders because you can, with really no use for them now or in the future is wrong!!



Buying NOS parts to resell at a later date at over inflated prices is your business, however, your not helping anything by doing that, other than making it harder for someone else to get any!!

paulo57509

The keyless entry is supposed to fit most GM cars/Trucks from the 80's and 90's. This one was listed on ebay under "Chevy Lumina".

I found it for sale on another web site that listed 82-92 Camaro among other cars.

http://www.giterdoneauto.com/servlet...2344680/Detail

Carlos773

iTrader: (3)

Gotta love junkyards and some luck. I found everything I needed this summer for probably under $500

puma1552

iTrader: (1)

This relates to buying NOS parts how...?

KMK454

There are really three routes for restoring/maintaining:

1. NOS parts
2. Pick and pull parts and restore them
3. Reproduction parts

It seems 1 and 2 are the only real choices for us right now. I have a 78 Silverado, though, and it has so many repro parts available I could build a whole new truck from one catalog.

GTA50

I have a small inventory of NOS parts and it pains me to rip open that GM pouch to take the part out as I have lost a small part of history.

The other side of the equation is the lack of aftermarket parts. It has been said many many times over, but we as a group are cheap!!!! and that is why there are few aftermarket parts.

With that in mind, yes, T-top seals and door seals are in the range of $147 to $225 from GM, but that is the price. That's the cost of the game. Don't come crying because your temporary, low cost fix didn't hold up.

So, if you have a single or multiple car collection and want to preserve, then yes, as the buget allows, get what you need.

Krik

iTrader: (4)

No body should buy anymore NOS parts. Buy only cheap junk for your car. Don't waste your money buying 1 more piece of NOS!


(so it will be cheaper, and available, when I need a piece)

Seriously though, I buy NOS parts whenever i find something on my car that I don't like. That Moderndaymuscle site is awwwww-wait for it- sssssome

puma1552

iTrader: (1)

I've bought so much stuff from MDM it's not funny; still have a few goodies I'd like to get though.

A shame that the repros out there currently are not very good.

TxTtopZ

Not to mention, a headliner board and leather wrapped auto shift *****.

This is a bona-fide worry that I have as well. Its hard to say if companies like Classic Industries or Year One will start picking up the repro parts tab for these cars. Most people still controling those places felt the Muscle Car era was over by the time thirdgens came rolling out. That being said I think Hawks (etc) is in a prime spot which is only going to start looking better. Hot Rod Magazine is even messing with a "rubber nosed" Camaro which has the aforementioned LS1 swap.

I am not afraid to do the swap, and the benefits are vast. Without trying to turn this into that arguement I will say that I far more appreciate the TPI looks and enjoy what the car is -or isnt with it.

I guess the bottom line to my statement here is, I think we should start supporting our local help a lot more on this site. Without backing from us, their future may not be so grand. With it, they may decide on how far they want to push the envelope for these cars. I always hate putting sponsors on the spot, but I seriously wonder what future plans they have. Do they plan on scraping used parts until the well is dry? Or are they going to push an expansion for some repro parts?

puma1552

iTrader: (1)

This is a good point; eventually companies like Hawk's will have to start expanding their repro options, and they will have to start producing high quality repros to boot. Not to say everything they or anyone else makes is bad, as I have no first hand experience with repro anything, but let's just say I haven't seen anyone creaming themselves over restoration-grade reproduction parts from anyone.

As an aside, I also find the LS1 to be a very ugly motor between the fenders. The fuel rails, coil packs, and plastic intake just don't look good, no matter how clean you try and make it. Love the performance/drivability though. Only issue I see with it is that eventually LS1 swaps will be old hat as other LSX swaps become more prominent...look at all the LT1 swapped cars now, not very desirable compared to all the LS1 cars now. Not that that should matter, but seeing an LT1 car now is pretty "Ehhh, I'd rather have an LS1 swap". Just my .

Dartht33bagger

What does NOS even mean? I see this term all over the board but I have no idea what it is. Is it a brand?

TxTtopZ

Yes, its a brand name. NOS meaning "Nitrous Oxide" is actually N20. Movies call it "Naws" - which is now the "ghetto/wanna be" name for it. There are tons of other nick names for it like Juice or Squeeze etc. but thats a whole nother topic.

puma1552

iTrader: (1)

^^^Lol.

Darth, NOS means "New Old Stock", which refers to genuine GM parts that have been discontinued, but are still factory sealed in their original GM packaging. Basically old overstock parts, but still brand new--so it's old stock, but it's still new.

An example would be if you found a genuine GM grille for say, a '69 Camaro, brand new, unused, and still in it's original GM packaging from 30-40 years ago. That would be a "NOS '69 Camaro grille".

85 ZXX

iTrader: (1)

I don't have any "NOS" left. Just "UOS" (Used old stock). Its ridiculous how some of the Ebayer's want a small fortune for NOS and UOS. Every once in a while I find a part at a fair price.

puma1552

iTrader: (1)

To put it in perspective though, it could be way worse and will only continue to get worse. I once saw a full NOS grille for a '69 Charger bring five figures. Seems insane, but when you figure people readily spend $1,500-$3,000 just to restore a cracked one, it doesn't seem so bad anymore.

Granted, that's an extreme example because the front grille on a '68-'70 Charger is massive and probably the car's most defining feature, not to mention it's virtually impossible to find one that isn't damaged because of its size/prominence, and it's inflated further still because of how highly sought-after the cars are, but still...$600 for a NOS quarter for our cars doesn't seem so bad (most expensive part I've seen) when compared to NOS parts for some other cars.

Most people scoff at the fact I paid $330 for a NOS 3rd brake light. But take the price out of it entirely, and just think--when was the last time you saw one for sale, and when will the next time be?

I guess for me when it comes to buying NOS stuff, exclusivity and rarity of opportunity trumps price by far. If you see something up for sale, it's kind of a do-or-die situation, because it may be 5-10 years before the next one pops up.

The other thing for me is that given the level of restoration I'm going to go into at some point, I may as well make the car as true to factory brand new as I can; given that the car's got 150k miles behind it (and thus likely the majority), anything I do at the restoration point will probably be the only time I have to do it in the car's entire life. For example, if I put in new taillights, emblems, weatherstripping, all this stuff brand new GM at the time of restoration, given the fact the car lives in a garage as a weekend toy, I'll never ever have to worry about the tails delaminating, the emblems getting crusty with road grime, etc. In other words, any future restoration would likely be a simple sand 'n spray. The car is off the road as a summer daily driver as it was used its first 9 years, safe from ever being in a high school parking lot again, and zero chance of ever being driven in winter, so I'll do one big restoration to bring it back to factory new, and treat it like the 10k mile IROCs you see today that look factory fresh twenty years later.

Basically I'll go big or go home once, then anything in the future will pale in comparison. As it sits I have every exterior light (sans headlights, no biggie I have Silverstars anyway) and emblem, as well as a new front grille. The only pieces I don't have NOS for the exterior are the window felts, the license bracket (don't need it), the door handles (probably don't need them), side mirror glass, and tail light fill panels (can only get one side NOS, better off trying to recondition two equally than trying to match one to a NOS one). It truly will be a brand new car on the outside, even got new black door lock cylinder caps.

I do still need a chin spoiler and a front bumper cover though (spider cracking in the bumper cover, pretty sure it's beyond the paint and into the urethane), but the front bumper cover is still in production...the chin spoiler is proving difficult--it isn't cracked, but it's all messed up on the driver's side where it's supposed to wrap under the fender.

Actually, reading what I just wrote I still have a long way to go. But I feel good about what I bought, and don't for a minute feel I've wasted a dime. I do take solace in the fact that I have most of what I need; there aren't a whole lot of other NOS parts the car will need to be a 100 point car. A couple small interior bits, a couple exterior pieces, and some weatherstripping. A washer fluid bottle would be nice but I can't find one for the later cars, that's really it then I'm done.

It'll be worth it to me to know that what's nestled in my garage is 100% GM, or as close to it as possible. I probably wouldn't care so much if we had a wide range of repro parts to choose from, but as has been stated many times, our selection is limited, but worse than that, our prospects moving forward don't look too good at this point.

I know I can build a '68 Charger entirely from restoration-grade, approved reproduction parts; I know I can't build a '90 Camaro that way. That's what it comes down to I guess.

Krik

iTrader: (4)

I don't go often, but when I do go to the salvage yard I allways scour the GM section looking for Camaro parts. If you go during most holidays my local LKQ has a half-price sale.

On a non-thirdgen note, I bought a power leather seat from a 2006 Ford grey-market car for $12.50. I used it to build my race driving simulator to plat GT5 and other racing games.

92GTA

iTrader: (11)

Dude, we still have it soooo good for our cars and you guys are already complaining this much!

I recently bought a '56 Corvette, I've paid more for an air cleaner than most here probably paid for their entire car!

You could probably an entire 3rd with NOS parts for less than $15K in parts (trust me I know) still! Try doing that to any other classic car outside of a VW Bettle!

There will always be people who hoard parts and someday those people will sell. You have to pay to play. Suck it up.

58mark

iTrader: (3)

when my dad bought his 58 in 77, he started going to every swap meet he could, and going to every dealership he could. He bought every part he could find that was meant for his car, some of them for pennies. Back then the 58 impala was just a 19 year old car that was in the large shadow of the tri-five series, and not that desirable.

He's got so many NOS parts he could start a dealership, including pistons, blocks, full suspensions, stainless steel mouldings, clocks, whatever was available he bough,and didn't care how many of them he already had.

why? to resell?

no, to use. He knew he would keep this car the rest of his life, and I'm going to keep it the rest of my life, and if he wants it, one of my kids will keep it. It's a member of the family by now, and we would never part with it

I bet in the coming decades we're going to use many of those parts, but we don't know yet what we will need and what we wont, so it's always better to have it on hand, just in case.

yes, since 1977 some of these parts have started to be repoped, but when possible we'll use the NOS ones.

TxTtopZ

That may be true by comparison, but we have a valid concern. If we dont, then perhaps you can enlighten those of us looking for parts we cant find. You can start by finding me a prestine leather wrapped auto shift ****.

85 ZXX

iTrader: (1)

LOL....Some people forget that when 3rd gens were new, they were considered to be a poor man's Corvette...Some folks have more $$$, credit card line or debt than sense. HOARD AWAY PROFITEERS! LOL!

58mark

iTrader: (3)

I know where there is one... I'll PM you