uncommon, common knowdlege for everyone

[7gmc2]

before i joined this forum i used to come here alot to read. i found out alot of things , both good and bad. the one thing that i have seen is that most everyone assumes that everyone else is at about the same level. maybe that is true, as there is alot of smart people here. what i mean is this. i saw a posting about repo tailgates. it was someone wanting to know if they were as good as oem or nos. well i had fallen into the belief that they were. i didn't realise that they aren't. i thought this was an excellent question to ask. if you have been fooling around with these trucks for along time then you know. bottom line all questions no matter how simple they seem on the onset, are very important to everyone! please ask about anything. you might hit on something that turns into a gold nugget!

[lux hauler]

Originally Posted by 7gmc2

before i joined this forum i used to come here alot to read. i found out alot of things , both good and bad. the one thing that i have seen is that most everyone assumes that everyone else is at about the same level. maybe that is true, as there is alot of smart people here. what i mean is this. i saw a posting about repo tailgates. it was someone wanting to know if they were as good as oem or nos. well i had fallen into the belief that they were. i didn't realise that they aren't. i thought this was an excellent question to ask. if you have been fooling around with these trucks for along time then you know. bottom line all questions no matter how simple they seem on the onset, are very important to everyone! please ask about anything. you might hit on something that turns into a gold nugget!

Did you see something wrong with the answers that were given? I read the whole thread. I thought the question was answered as well as it could have been......
I agree about the "asking questions" thing. I will be the first to admit that I know next to nothing.......I've asked some pretty dumb questions here but, for the most part, was happy with the answers I got.

[406_SBC]

I also also agree about the "questions" part. At first when I joined on this forum I use to love all the pictures and that, don't get me wrong there still awsome. However totaly the best thing is all the good questions people ask on here, I love reading and learning more about these trucks!! There's no such thing as a dumb question in my opinion

[krazy_texan]

growing up i was always taught that you wont learn anything new unless you ask quistions and do your studying

[junkyardjohn]

I THINK YOU'LL FIND THAT MOST ALL OF THE PEOPLE HERE WILL ANSWER JUST ABOUT ANY QUESTION IMAGINABLE, & ARE WILLING TO HELP IN ANY WAY THEY CAN. JOHN

[7gmc2]

you guys hit it right on the head. my whole point is that that same question may be common knowledge to alot of people, and may have been asked by someone along time ago. the answer may or may not be the same now as it was before, due to better or newer parts being made now ver. then. that question about the tailgates leads me to wonder if the repo doors are not as good as used or nos? anybody got thoughts on that?

[Tx Firefighter]

No repro part that I've ever seen or heard of is as good as factory GM stuff.

That's why I always check at the dealer first before I buy aftermarket.

[Tx Firefighter]

Also, that tailgate thing, there is offshore junk tailgates. I can buy them for about 80 bucks new from my local aftermarket crash parts distributor. They are the bad ones. Then, there are the tri-plus or Goodmark ones. They cost about 300 and they are the cat'sazz. Not junk.

[ChevLoRay]

Goodmark sells body parts that General Motors has "blessed" with their Restoration Parts logo. I don't honestly know if that means that the parts are "equal to or better than OEM", or if they are simply allowing Goodmark to use the GM logo in reference to the parts.

Different posts have been made, and responses given, to the quality of aftermarket parts. I don't know if all Goodmark body parts are made in Taiwan, or if some are made elsewhere.

I bought a tailgate for another vehicle ('83 Ford F-100) that was made in Taiwan. I transferred all of the parts from an old tailgate and it fit and worked like I thought it should.

I think we have expectations that any new body part we purchase, will fit, i.e., all the holes will line up and the seams will be "perfect", based on what we have come to expect in new vehicles we buy....propagated by the Japanese quality that we see in body fit and finish. It just doesn't happen like that. The fit has to be tweaked and shimmed and adjusted until it is like we want it to be. I am guessing that aggravates some people and colors their opinion of the aftermarket parts.

I was stationed on the Island of Taiwan, in '68-69. I had a 90cc Honda that I had modified. All of the plastic that was standard on the bike, was remade in steel. I had new fenders made for it. The tank was newly made as was the seat. When it was finished, it looked a lot like a cafe racer, which was a bit different back then. The point in saying this, is that the Taiwanese had the talent to remake all those parts out of steel, and that includes the speedometer/headlight housing, that had been made of plastic. I added weight to the bike, in doing that, but they sure looked nice in chrome!

[7gmc2]

the goodmark parts don't sound to bad. do you know if they are made here or overseas as well? that is another thing that bugs me. why are there so many parts for americian trucks being made in a country that has been lucky to have even seen one in the first place? if it is the cost of labor alone then that stinks! i think that if we could get good quality aftermarket parts made here by people that can see the fit, and finish on actual production cars and truck then we would be willing to pay more for them! have we forgot how to make parts here that aren't plastic? sorry for venting! feel better though......

[lux hauler]

Originally Posted by 7gmc2

the goodmark parts don't sound to bad. do you know if they are made here or overseas as well? that is another thing that bugs me. why are there so many parts for americian trucks being made in a country that has been lucky to have even seen one in the first place? if it is the cost of labor alone then that stinks! i think that if we could get good quality aftermarket parts made here by people that can see the fit, and finish on actual production cars and truck then we would be willing to pay more for them! have we forgot how to make parts here that aren't plastic? sorry for venting! feel better though......

I doubt that you'll find any steel repop parts that are made state side......as far as I know, they're all from overseas.

[slam33]

I would still take a good used body part like a fender over a repro new part anyday. I'm doing the whole truck, cab and all in fresh sheet metal and so far no repro parts.

[gr8scott51]

It seems that the edges are sharper on original parts, like the stamping forms have all been worn, than on the reproduction parts. I used repro parts for rockerpanels, floorboards, and inner fenders. I repaired the doors and cab to maintain the fit, anything that shows.

[69 Short Fleet]

One thing to keep in mind is, that the industry standards back in when our trucks were made was in the ballpark of + - 1/4'' as far as body panel placement was concerned (as I understand it) as they were buit as "Trucks" an intended for the mostpart to be used as "Trucks". Combine that with the fact of poor quality control on the parts made in "Twina" and you could be in for a real can of worms to make the thing work. But there is also the fact that I like supporting the Canada & the USA strongly not to mention the quality is good to exellent (IMO), Doug

[72C203503ONTHETREE]

I bought a steel cowl induction hood for my 83 El Camino from Goodmark. It fir as well as or better than the original flat hood. Bolted up exactly the same, didnt have to modify bolt holes or anything. Had the thing aligned within a few tries after it was painted. I dont know where they had it made at but whomever made it did a great job and they must have used new tooling for it, the edges were sharp and straight.

[7gmc2]

anybody done any goodmark doors? i am starting to belive in goodmark a little more.

[weasel29gm]

I work at a stamping plant, most of the time the dies are the same. It takes alot of use to wear a die. I suspect that the repo industry is not hi volume. Ex. 3000+ of part a shift. To 500 doors, 600 tailgates, 700 hoods etc. Quality of the part could be the steele that is there. We've got other steele that wasn't up to par. This could be the reason my t-gate is great and yours isn't for example. OEM is better most of the time. But do want to pay $300 + for a gate or $150 for a repro? And most of the repro for 67-72's hasn't been out long, 5 yrs or so. So most of the tooling is still bein' tweaked.