Restore the old or buy new parts? Something to consider carefully.

[Lugnutz65]

I did a search and found nothing along this topic. This will likely get a variety of responses from "purists" and "customizers" and everyone in between.

Before you respond to this post, please read the question AND the points made below.

Here's my question: Is it better to use restored OEM parts or use new repop parts?

My question has multiple factors for you to consider before you answer.
1. OEM parts fit better (usually).
2. OEM parts usually take a long time to restore (remove rust, patch holes, sand, prime, body filler, prime again, paint.)
3. OEM parts that are in good shape are harder to find (usually)
4. OEM parts might have a short life span because they are already "old".
5. Repop parts don't require as much preparation before they are ready to install. (A huge time saver).
6. Repop parts are readily available. This saves a lot of time "searching" for parts.
7. Repop parts are "NEW" and should last a long time.
8. People who don't make reasonable progress on their build often become discouraged and quit.

Here's why I even bothered to ask the question. My 65 C10 was in really decent shape when I bought it and a perfect candidate for a full restoration. However, I think it had been hit more times than a hockey player. I find myself spending a tremendous amount of time removing scale rust, stripping paint, and rust proofing metal. It is very time consuming and the supplies are not always cheap either. After 2 years and countless hours of hard work, I'm starting to envy the folks who have trucks with parts that are too far gone to use and then buy new (repop) parts. New doors, fenders, trailing arms, engines, etc.

I'm jealous (in a good way) of the beautiful trucks I see at shows and on this forum. Their owners are out driving and enjoying their nice trucks. But you might say, "New parts are not cheap!" - but neither is my time (even though I really enjoy working on my truck).

Case in point - I've stripped, sandblasted, applied rust-proof coating to my original 1965 radiator core support. It's in perfect shape and needs no structural repairs whatsoever. Still, by the time I finish with primer and paint, I will probably have 20 hours in it, plus $20 - $30 in supplies. Compare that to a new piece from your favorite vendor = around $130 plus shipping. Which is better? I know which one is cheaper - but is it really? I might spend an extra 2 years restoring my rusty parts when I could have been having fun driving it if I'd bought new repop parts.

Food for discussion. There! Now I feel better after my small tantrum! Hahaha!

[Clyde65]

After the parts I have seen that are aftermarket, fenders, bed repair panels , inner fenders etc etc. I'm glad I repaired my own parts. Like you, it took me longer, more of my time or money but they are the better parts and will last along time compared.

Case in point, I bought a chrome grill five years ago from a vendor, I put it on after massaging it a heap just to fit, three years ago I took it off to upgrade lights and harness and guess what I found? Yep rust under the chrome, a lot of it. I think I spent $300 or so on it. I took my old steel grill, spent three or four days cleaning and scraping years of yuk off it and paid $300 for chrome.....it looks brand new today and it doesn't have rust anywhere.
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[vinco]

I've just begun coming to a similar realization myself. Basically, I need to quit messing around with all the basket cases I seem to end up with. I need to patch together all of them that I have now, sell them all, and save the money. With what I have wrapped up in half-a-dozen basket cases around the shop that I never get to drive, I could buy one or maybe even 2 pretty decent cars or trucks that are already driveable and in pretty good shape and just do maintenance projects as needed rather than full-on resto just to be able to ever drive the dam thing.

Although I do really have a soft spot for my '63 Long Stepper basket case project

[AcampoDave]

I have also rebuilt my truck with original parts. For me, it was part economics and part desire to keep it all Chevy. I decided to forgo making the parts "good as new" and went instead for "good enough" this saved a lot of time and money striving for pefection, and provided for a solid finished job that should last for the rest of my driving lifetime. To quote an elderly man I once knew," There comes a time in life when paying all the extra money for a 40 year roof just doesn't make sense." We're talking trucks here, but the point has some validity all the same. If it lasts 2/3 as long as it did the first time around, then all is well for me.

[gofastnut]

I'm trying to remember the member who bought new: inner and outer fenders, radiator support and a few other parts.
He spent A LOT of time documenting how bad the parts were in fit and finish, or lack thereof. I remember he used a lot of green masking tape with notes.
I thing that the stuff you buy now is pretty cheaply made, just not cheap. I've heard from many members on this board saying how much better it is to repair your own original metal. Stuff like patch panels, and the like are OK to use, but if you look at the post of guys doing them, they always have to be massaged in one way or another to fit and look like original.
I agree with you on spending A LOT of time to fix something like a radiator support, but I think you're better off in the long run.

[66 C10 383]

Originally Posted by AcampoDave

I have also rebuilt my truck with original parts. For me, it was part economics and part desire to keep it all Chevy. I decided to forgo making the parts "good as new" and went instead for "good enough" this saved a lot of time and money striving for pefection, and provided for a solid finished job that should last for the rest of my driving lifetime. To quote an elderly man I once knew," There comes a time in life when paying all the extra money for a 40 year roof just doesn't make sense." We're talking trucks here, but the point has some validity all the same. If it lasts 2/3 as long as it did the first time around, then all is well for me.

I am EXACTLY at this point now. My truck will never look perfect since I don't have the time, talent, or money, to get it to that point. The cab has rust-thru over the windshield that needs fixed ... or I can patch it the best I can and drive it till I CAN get it fixed properly.

I'd like to box/brace the frame before I drop in my motor. But it's going to be a daily street driver and will never see the kinds of performance that the mods are made to withstand.

I was thinking on the way to work this morning, just get the thing running and drivable and do what you can, when you can. At least you're driving and enjoying it instead of suffering over making it perfect. I'm 53 years old now, I can't take 5 years to build this truck so someone else can enjoy my toil after I'm too old to drive it ...

[donthekawguy]

I took my truck to a body shop and asked how much to fix the rust on the bottom of the front fenders. The guy said around 500 for both. i asked how much if he ordered new fenders and put them on, he said 1 million. i kinda laughed and he said the new stuff is such junk he only uses it if he has to because it takes longer to fit them right than it does to fix the original fenders. I would rather have to strip and fix the old any day. My time is free, I like the instant gratification and cleaning parts, it's "truck therapy" and I can say I did it myself when I do it myself. Don't fool yourself into thinking your time is money. It's only money when your working not when your playing with your truck unless your flipping it.

[pdxhall]

I have used both new and repop parts on my truck. If it is possible for me to repair it or find a used replacement in better shape, I will. Some things such as floor pans, rockers, and other patch pieces are much easier to buy and tweak a little to make work than to find solid used replacements. How many times have you seen one of our trucks that doesn't have rusty cab corners? Not much.
On the other hand, I will look high and low to find a good fender, or core support, etc. than to buy a repop. Most just don't fit without a lot of work.

I am over 60 and I have been working on mine for a couple of years now and I am really enjoying the patching and fitting of the panels I need to replace. It's good therapy and I get a real sense of accomplishment when I can fix a floor panel or whatever and then look at it and say "I did this myself".
I do miss having the truck to drive while I work on it and for some this can be very discouraging because it is definitely a long term commitment to take the time to do your own rust repair.
The main thing is to just make sure you are having fun whatever direction to choose to go.

[Lugnutz65]

Thanks for all the wisdom. I have heard that the repop stuff is a struggle when trying to get it to fit. I agree with the philosophy that says "Don't let better be the enemy of good enough" - meaning that sometimes, the extra effort needed to make it perfect will not be appreciated by anyone. It just slows down the process. With my novice skills, I will just be happy with a mechanically sound truck that looks good and a certain level of pride and satisfaction that comes from doing it myself. Economics certainly play a part in all this as well.

I'm surprised that someone from the "customize it" group has not explained their view about trashing the "old stuff" and buying the upgrade kit stuff. A set of new spindles and disc brakes sure would have saved me time. That's what I hate about the restoration shows on TV - they have an unlimited budget and often just show how to buy and install new parts rather than restoring what is there.

[1963c-10]

I think it really depends on what your current project is. When it comes to factory options and sheet metal...I like oem. Even if I have to refurbish, repair, repaint...etc. Some things make more sense to me to buy a current part...wiring is a big one in my book. As far as mechanical parts go...I can't say that my GM alternator or fuel pump is any better than whats being sold at Napa or any of the other venders and I usually just purchase the best part that I can afford for the job.

I do agree with a lot of the members about the quality and fit of aftermarket parts being sub-par. And I have issues with throwing good money away to have to put that much effort into a new aftermarket part when I can buy or fabricate a patch panel and have it installed on an OEM panel for less cost.

Just my two cents worth....and pdxhall is correct. Just have fun wit it.

[tincan1966]

Originally Posted by Lugnutz65

Thanks for all the wisdom. I have heard that the repop stuff is a struggle when trying to get it to fit. I agree with the philosophy that says "Don't let better be the enemy of good enough" - meaning that sometimes, the extra effort needed to make it perfect will not be appreciated by anyone. It just slows down the process. With my novice skills, I will just be happy with a mechanically sound truck that looks good and a certain level of pride and satisfaction that comes from doing it myself. Economics certainly play a part in all this as well.

I'm surprised that someone from the "customize it" group has not explained their view about trashing the "old stuff" and buying the upgrade kit stuff. A set of new spindles and disc brakes sure would have saved me time. That's what I hate about the restoration shows on TV - they have an unlimited budget and often just show how to buy and install new parts rather than restoring what is there.

I am one of the "customize it" group. LOL Mainly because mostly what I acquire as a starting point is too far gone to achieve a restoration without spending 3X the money.
That being said, I can and do appreciate the restored trucks and the amount of patience it takes to get there- resourcing parts, meticulously going thru original pieces and bringing them to like new condition.

The biggest battle or decision to make when starting a project like these trucks is a realistic goal of what you want to achieve and how you plan to use the truck. I deal with this all the time with my customers. Many want to "go-big" right out of the gate and about 3-4 months into it and the $$'s start dropping, now all of the sudden a reality check- "this crap costs money!"

If for occasional use and to have some fun, there's nothing wrong with the original brake system, for example,-properly rebuilt and maintained-it'll give you years of faithful service and be safe. If you want to have a daily driver in city commuter traffic, I'd highly recommend a disc upgrade for an added amount of safety.

[Lugnutz65]

Originally Posted by tincan1966

I am one of the "customize it" group. LOL Mainly because mostly what I acquire as a starting point is too far gone to achieve a restoration without spending 3X the money.
That being said, I can and do appreciate the restored trucks and the amount of patience it takes to get there- resourcing parts, meticulously going thru original pieces and bringing them to like new condition.

You seem to grasp what I'm talking about when I say "customize". I see the build threads where everything is stripped off the frame and "NEW" drop member, trailing arms, crate V8 and shocks and brakes are bolted on. It looks fantastic and I like the results. We all know that the new parts cost LOTS of money, but what gets me is that the progress is usually blazing fast and folks are putting a freshly sandblasted cab and doors on the frame in the same time it takes me to finish rebuilding my front suspension to stock drums!

Yeah, I know. I should quit whining! Maybe I should just go sand something. LOL!

[spacedebris]

I think it all depends on the part itself.

Now obviously I have no issues with customization. Hell I'm putting a cummins in mine. LOL. But I think that some things are better OEM or NOS.

Body panels for example. NOS, OEM, or repaired are better IMO. They fit better, they are made of heavier gauge metal, and will last as long or longer than a repop. Repops being of lighter metal are easier to dent and ding requiring more maintenance, IMO again

But on other things, I see no reason not to use repops. Light lenses for example. In most cases these fit as well and are of the same quality as OEM.

I guess it even boils down to what you want and how much effort, time, and money you want to put into it. If using a repop doesnt affect your sensibilities, then go for it.

[cab_01]

I think body panels and such should be reworked if they can for the reasons already mentioned.

However, internal parts that are a good fit to me it is easier to buy and work good. For example: I ordered repop window regulators and most of the other interior door parts. I have compared them side to side with the oem and the look exactly alike. What we need is a list of place to buy part that are a good alternative to reworking the oem parts.

HMM i think I will start a thread on that subject hoping others will list what and where they bought good parts. If there isn't a thread already.

[da_bears_da1]

Just read this thread and have to offer my 2 cents. I have followed Lugnutz build and know that he does good work. My build is not a restoration but instead a resto mod. I am doing the full frame off build but wanted some things changed. My truck came with a 350 motor and TH400 tranny so the mod side was started already. I bought my truck sight unseen off eBay and that was one of the dumbest things I could do.

On a number of my parts I had no choice but to go with repop. I have tried to buy good used OEM and NOS parts, they are sometimes very hard to find and/or very expensive. For example, I was able to find a OEM hood out of Arizona; when I started working on my original I found that the front support braces were completely rotted away. I also drove to Kansas and picked up a set of doors from a fellow forum member, again mine were gone. I have spent a lot of time patching and repairing where I could. I spent 4 months on the cab patching and filling/priming.

On the repop side, I used repop floor pans, inner and outer rockers and cab corners when fixing the cab. (seems the only choice) I tried to find NOS or good front fenders and what I did find was extremely expensive. So I have repop front lower fenders, inner fenders, radiator support and grill support. I will also be buying a whole new bed from Mar K, they have a great reputation and its all made to order in Oklahoma.

I do think we all have to make our own choices based on what we are after. I am jealous of the folks that can find good used parts in the area. Trust me, there is nothing like that in Northern Illinois. If I could find good used parts I would go with that first. If my starting point is not usable, I have and will go with repop. I will be posting on my build thread how the front end came together with all the repop parts. It did work and looks pretty good. Yes there was some cussing and sweating to get them together along with some mods to get them to work.

One other repop part that I did use was a door skin. When I got the used doors from Kansas the driver's side had been hit. I tried patching it but the metal had been stretched from front to back so I went with the repop skin. It surprisingly was the best fit for a repop part. Took 2 days and the door skin was done. I will comment on the other thread about experiences with the different vendors but will start that off with the point that almost all of the repop sellers buy their parts from 2-4 companies in Taiwan.