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History / OriginalityGot a question about 1982-1992 Camaro or Firebird history? Have a question about original parts, options, RPO codes, when something was available, or how to document your car? Those questions, answers, and much more!
I spoke to Bruce Hawkins from Hawk's today. We had a long and productive conversation about reproduction parts and what we expect from them. We covered various aspects of that business, including the costs and difficulties of bringing a part to market and the volumes required to make them financially viable.
Anyways, Bruce wants us all to know that he does care about the quality of the reproduction parts he produces and sells. And to prove it, he asked me to be the guy who examines parts destined for production and sale to see how accurate I feel they are and if they can be improved upon before release.
Well I figure, it's not going to be just me, it's going to be us. All of us.
I spoke to Bruce Hawkins from Hawk's today. We had a long and productive conversation about reproduction parts and what we expect from them. We covered various aspects of that business, including the costs and difficulties to bring a part to market and the volumes required to make them financially viable.
Anyways, Bruce wants us all to know that he does care about the quality of the reproduction parts he produces and sells. And to prove it, he asked me to be the guy who examines parts destined for production and sale to see how accurate I feel they are and if they can be improved upon before release.
Well I figure, it's not going to be just me, it's going to be us. All of us.
And yes......we talked about Gatorbacks.
Wow, very cool, happy to hear this.....
Sounds like a great opportunity, hope to hear more about this in the near future, nice work
If you're our Camaro parts expert, who is going to be our Firebird parts expert?......I have a couple guys in mind
Charlie, as I previously told you, I think this is great news. I think it should be taken as a compliment that they discussed this with you. You have the history with these cars. I'm glad to also hear that you're including the community to further the goal.
Bruce also has a long history in these cars and, as an owner of ThirdGens himself, I think he would have an interest to listen to you and the community to further the business.
Originally Posted by chazman
I spoke to Bruce Hawkins from Hawk's today. We had a long and productive conversation about reproduction parts and what we expect from them. We covered various aspects of that business, including the costs and difficulties to bring a part to market and the volumes required to make them financially viable.
Anyways, Bruce wants us all to know that he does care about the quality of the reproduction parts he produces and sells. And to prove it, he asked me to be the guy who examines parts destined for production and sale to see how accurate I feel they are and if they can be improved upon before release.
Well I figure, it's not going to be just me, it's going to be us. All of us.
Awesome! Can’t wait to see what comes of this.
Please get Hawks to make repro hatch pop & defrost dash switches for 82-84 Firebirds. I have to imagine there’d be a ton of buyers as all the original switches are faded & the lettering wore off.
HECK YEAH BUDDY! This is AWESOME news!! I assume the glossy grilles was a topic of discussion as well?
It's super awesome especially when you have super low mile, mint, untouched original IROC'S of both styles sitting in your garage to make first hand comparisons to. And, you're FUSSY. Like most of us. We care, and we care A LOT about the quality and original appearance of aftermarket parts.
SMART move on Bruce's part!! I give him major props for this!!
That's well beyond close enough for Government work tolerances. I don't know the OP's level of paint and body experience. I've just removed 4 of these lower GFX and it wasn't rocket science to do and wouldn't be to put them on either. OP looks like he put them on as right as he could with what he had to work with.
FWIW, I bought one of those for the driver's side on my old 1991 Trans Am, and it fit PERFECTLY.
This is exciting to hear! Hopefully my tires can last long enough for Gatorbacks...we could also use proper and high quality GTA badge emblems, especially the front bumper piece with correct curve would be great. I have had good luck with some of the hawks reproductions like seatbelt sleeves, the aerowing spoiler, and fuel tank vent valve to mention a few.
This thread feels like something Spongebob would do after being told the secret to the Crabby Patty formula.
I don't know, I guess I've been heavily trained to be tight lipped when it comes to business plans and product development.
I had to have my granddaughter explain the SpongeBob reference.
As for product development, IIRC GM released version 1 of the 700R4 and relied on the warranty claims to further refine the product. Nothing like a couple million folks involved in R&D!
From: *member since 1999, I think - just can't remember my old name, and the big site crash...*
Car: 89 GTA ASC Conv., Prev: 89 GTA 6.3L
Engine: 5.7L L98 TPI
Transmission: 700r4 Automatic
Axle/Gears: 3.27:1 w/ JG1 Options:B2L, N10, U1A
Re: Spoke to Bruce from Hawk's today....
The door wafer for my GTA Door pull (between door panel and handle) don't fit very well at all. Poor gaps, but better than nothing.... I mentioned it to the fella at the Hawks tent at Carlisle. Didn't seem interested, and could not be bothered to look at my car which was about 150' away. But again, I guess it's better than nothing....
......... he asked me to be the guy who examines parts destined for production and sale to see how accurate I feel they are and if they can be improved upon before release.......
Chaz, correct me if I'm wrong but this is not a discussion of what repo parts are needed, its an annoncement you made to say you will be working with Hawks on new parts they will be bringing to market and reviewing those parts for accuracy......is that correct?
Chaz, correct me if I'm wrong but this is not a discussion of what repo parts are needed, its an annoncement you made to say you will be working with Hawks on new parts they will be bringing to market and reviewing those parts for accuracy......is that correct?
I guess both. I told Bruce I would post something.
The Gatorback thread may have been inspired by our talk as well.
Chaz, correct me if I'm wrong but this is not a discussion of what repo parts are needed, its an annoncement you made to say you will be working with Hawks on new parts they will be bringing to market and reviewing those parts for accuracy......is that correct?
while it may warrant it's own thread, we should definitely have a place where the community can voice what parts they would like to see reproduced. a company could take this into consideration when choosing what parts to bring to the market. select the parts with the highest interest to justify the R&D required to remake the parts.
while it may warrant it's own thread, we should definitely have a place where the community can voice what parts they would like to see reproduced. a company could take this into consideration when choosing what parts to bring to the market. select the parts with the highest interest to justify the R&D required to remake the parts.
IMO, this would be a good idea and should have it's own thread
I have bought more than a few items from Hawks since acquiring my 91 TA in December. The only issue I have with quality is the power window switches. The OEM switch has 2 little "tangs" on either end of the switch that install it into, and keep it in the console panel. The Hawks replacement has only 1 larger "tang" at each end, and it is considerably more brittle than the OEM, even after 31 years.
I did not keep the old switches for Bruce to make a comparison if he chooses to, but I'm sure he can find one for comparison if he so chooses.
Well, since you asked, (even though you didn't) how about a reversing switch for the rear hatch motor. I finally gave up and put a manual switch under the license plate, sure don't like that. Nothing available that I could find.
Well, since you asked, (even though you didn't) how about a reversing switch for the rear hatch motor. I finally gave up and put a manual switch under the license plate, sure don't like that. Nothing available that I could find.
Pretty sure Dorman makes it, should be able to buy it at your local auto parts store. I just ran across it on the Dorman website the other day while looking for something else.
Those switches actually don't break as much as people think. Clean the connector terminals with a pencil eraser, and cycle the switch by hand a bunch of times. A lot of times it's just oxidation on the copper because it's 30 years old and not used frequently. You gotta break through that and establish good contacts again. Last week I went through a hatch motor unit that was dead on arrival and it's fine now after a thorough cleaning of all the electrical connections (switch, connectors, relay, motor brushes, motor commutator bars). Only thing I'm missing is a new motor gear housing and I'll bet Dorman makes that too, I just haven't found the part number yet.
That's all well and good, but I'll reserve judgement until I see evidence of change. I find it hard to believe after this long in business they're really interested in improvement rather than a quick bit of free promotion and buzz about their products.
Hawks has good people. They do things that nobody else will do. Most the reproduction stuff (from OER) is the same as what other places sell and I think that's where the quality problems are, and where he maybe wants to make improvements. The things that Hawks develops exclusively for himself generally are extremely high quality, made by premium companies like Tilton, Stainless Works, Forgeline, Ultra-Carbon, and others.. That tends to be on the performance side of the business though. So be careful complaining about "Hawks" quality because the true Hawks parts that you can't buy anywhere else tend to be superb.
You nailed it, especially on the heater core. I had to comb over eBay to find a brass replacement when mine went as I didn’t want to mess with the poor fitting aluminum aftermarket junk.
I hope that's not how they actually fit, I was planning on buying a set before bodywork and paint in the spring
I guess I'd like to know what you think you're seeing in that pic that makes you think they don't fit 🤣
I work at a body shop. The one I installed fit perfectly. The one and only issue is the 2 sided tape that runs along the top edge that adheres to the fender. I actually did replace that after a couple months.
The only thing I didn't like was how light and flimsy it was.
I guess I'd like to know what you think you're seeing in that pic that makes you think they don't fit 🤣
I work at a body shop. The one I installed fit perfectly. The one and only issue is the 2 sided tape that runs along the top edge that adheres to the fender. I actually did replace that after a couple months.
The only thing I didn't like was how light and flimsy it was.
I was referring to the picture posted by Airwolfe not your car Dagwood
Last edited by 91banditt2; Oct 25, 2022 at 01:09 PM.
1. We desperately need a REAL, OE-style heater core. This would benefit the entire 3rdgen community. I was just doing some internet searches tonight, and it occurred to me to bring this up right here. Every aftermarket "aluminum foil" replacement is pathetic, not only in fitment, but also in design. It's hard to believe somebody ever approved such a POS as a proper, industry-wide replacement.
OE replicas CAN still be manufactured. A Vegas shop re-cored mine a couple of years ago. They get the cores from a manufacturer in Mexico. Unfortunately, they botched the job, and rather than redoing it, the owner of the shop, who hadn't been involved until that point, decided it wasn't worth messing with again and gave me back my money and my tanks.
I'm sure Bruce could get new ones reproduced, complete with the tanks, 100% drop-in OE-style replacements. They won't be cheap, unfortunately, so he'd probably worry that they might not be a big seller. And, sadly, it's a valid worry. Regardless, it's probably one of the most important and legitmate NEEDS for 3rdgens.
2. 85-90 base Firebird/Formula owners could use reproduction front and rear "bumperettes." This one's been on my mind for a long time. New ones haven't existed for decades. And most used ones out of old junkyard bumper covers are usually worn, warped, cracked, or broken.
The grills and fillers for 82-84 bumper covers have been reproduced and available for years, but we still have nothing for 85-90. There's nothing complicated about them, no padding, just 1-piece molded vinyl/plastic. I've sold some of my spares, so I know there's a need for them.
Personally, I'd love to see flat blanks that fit exactly like the bumperettes: "bumperette delete panels." They could either be left as is after installation, or they could be filled around the edges, smoothed, and the cover painted, leaving a finished cover that looks like nothing was ever there. I doubt he'd go for that, but hopefully he'd at least feel there's a valid need for the bumperettes.
Do you know what company they got the core from? I have a local place that might do a good job to rebuild mine if I knew where to source parts. This is one nice thing about living in an industrial town is there's a place for doing about anything.
2. 85-90 base Firebird/Formula owners could use reproduction front and rear "bumperettes." This one's been on my mind for a long time. New ones haven't existed for decades. And most used ones out of old junkyard bumper covers are usually worn, warped, cracked, or broken.
The grills and fillers for 82-84 bumper covers have been reproduced and available for years, but we still have nothing for 85-90. There's nothing complicated about them, no padding, just 1-piece molded vinyl/plastic. I've sold some of my spares, so I know there's a need for them.
Personally, I'd love to see flat blanks that fit exactly like the bumperettes: "bumperette delete panels." They could either be left as is after installation, or they could be filled around the edges, smoothed, and the cover painted, leaving a finished cover that looks like nothing was ever there. I doubt he'd go for that, but hopefully he'd at least feel there's a valid need for the bumperettes.
I agree 100%. You know what else is frustrating? Reproduction 85-90 Firebird/Formula front bumpers aren't available. Every other third gen Firebird bumper is available except the most common one! Even 91-92 bumpers are available.
