The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Paint and Body Shop Liposuction....

Heh-heh-heh.....got your attention. I notice several, if not most parts dealers for old Chevys sell reproduction sheetmetal, like patch panels, etc. I have also noticed something of a range of pricing for the SAME parts from DIFFERENT suppliers...

My question is, are there different levels of quality to these aftermarket parts, or are they all offshore sweatshop junk, with some places pricing their stuff more expensive and hoping we won't shop around? Just curious, thanks for any replies from those who've "been there, done that."

Wannabe

The answer to your guestion is yes, there are different levels of quality in patch panels. But, price is not a always a sure indicator of quality differences. A lot of dealers sell good quality patch panels from Goodmark Industries but charge different prices for the same panels. It basically depends on how much they markup the panels from their dealer price. For instance, I recently bought some trim pieces from an on-line dealer for about 15% less than I could get them direct from Goodmark, but the trim was shipped directly from the Goodmark plant -- the dealer bought them from Goodmark at a dealer's price and passed along the savings to me.

Before you buy panels from a dealer, call them and ask who manufactured them. If they won't say, then shop somewhere else. The dealers that carry the good stuff will be glad to tell you. Then, check out the price of the item at the manufacture's web site (if they have one) and compare the price. A lot of the time, the dealer's price will be less than you can buy it direct from the manufacturer.

Thanks, Johnny P-a nice, simple straightforward reply to a relatively straightforward question.

Your time is much appreciated!
Wannabe

Thanks x2 Johnny P! Just browsed that Goodmark link you posted-not only are the prices competitive, but their Ontario Canada distributor is Cross Canada autobody repair parts...just so happens that my body shop at work buys through them! Good thing to know when the time comes!

Thanks again.
Wannabe

Sounds like you found a good source. One more thing, there are some new patch panels from Taiwan out there that are far better than the old ones. Jeff at Bowtie Bits deserves the credit for them, the had an immaculate 3 window cab shipped to Taiwan to use for patterns.