[sockalaminski]

From my personal experiences with aftermarket products, it really depends on the quality, engineering and material selection of the manufacturer. For example, my son has a '72 C10 and purchased replacement regulators, (the $30 ones), and within 3 months, both sides had she window crank shaft sheer off at the beginning of the splines. They were made of mild steel. This would not have happened if the shafts were made of the correct material as the OEM units were. He found a set of regulators produced by another company that were produced in the US. They were not exactly like the OEM units but performed flawlessly for the past six years. They were also $170 apiece.

We see this problem with a lot of different repops like hood hinges. The factory hood hinge steel is very rigid and strong and lasted 4+ decades but the aftermarket ones just a couple years and tend to be weak and flemsy although they are made of the same gauge of steel. This is because they are using the wrong alloy of sheet steel. The correct alloy would work harden during the stamping process and produce a much stronger part. It all comes down to the almighty buck.

There are some good repop companies out there but you never know what you are going to get until it arrives at the door.

I've found it's best to either rebuild the OEM stuff as long as it is still in good shape, IE, not rusty to the point of damage and or bent. Rivets can be drilled out, bronze bushings can be replaced and good rollers can be sourced. It will probably cost more between time and parts to rebuild the old stuff, but at least it'll last.