I am for repairing your original as well. I rather have an original with dents filled and painted over a chrome chinese piece of crap.
I am SOOOOO tired of repro parts! And I keep it to a VERY mininum. Yet nearly every single one gives me fits trying to install or just doens't look right. I will do ANYTHING before I stick a overseas piece of crap on my car or truck.
Just last night while putting a door together on my 1965 Gran Sport the belt moulding seal, junk, a guide left off, wrong length, JUNK. It has these funky plastic "nut" like things that go in the doors where a "nail" device (yes metal and looks just like a roofing nail with the little ridges around it) on the door panel goes into these "nuts". They are oval shaped unlike anything on any other car I have ever seen. Anyway, I go to pop the thing in the hole and it won't go, too big. I put them in some hot water to get them "pliable" (trick that works like magic with plastic parts) and they still won't go, even with a hammer they won't go! My GOD, how friggin hard is it to measure something, test something and make them for sale, HOW HARD IS IT? This isn't rocket science for God's sake!
All I kept thinking of is a friend of mine who after opening a box with a repro part for his 65 Vette said "If they wanted to be honest, instead of saying in the catalog Exact as original they would say SIMILAR to original, can be used if nothing else is available.".
Yet, the little "nuts" I was trying to use, they aren't even "similar" enough to work! I will litterally need to file or sand them smaller to work!
Leave the repro stuff on the ship, I will work with my OEM rusted and bent OEM parts.
Brian
