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Apr 26th, 2026 | | AD Chevy Trucks  Over 6,000 pictures Brad Allen has an awesome collection of Chevrolet factory pictures that he has set up from film strips. Check them out!
Lots of work on Brad's part ... pure enjoyment (and references) for you!
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For helping keep this great
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| | | | Joined: May 2003 Posts: 77 Member | | Member Joined: May 2003 Posts: 77 | Has anyone else had problems with reproduction rubber parts? Over the last several years I have seen a real drop-off in quality of certain rubber parts, such as tie rod/ball joint boots, plus other thin rubber seals. My most recent experience was on a gas tank filler neck seal on the 71 C-10 I restored. I installed the new seal three months ago and just as I was about to sell this truck to my wife's uncle, I noticed that it was all weather cracked and looked as bad or worse than the old one I took off! :mad: The truck has been in my shop the whole time and only seen the light of day on a couple of test drive occasions! I bought and installed another new one, but fear it will deteriorate rapidly, in the Florida sun (where this truck went)!
I buy most of my truck parts from Chevy Duty. Has anyone else had similar problems with their parts? Is there a better source? I fairness, they are not the only vendor I've gotten poor quality rubber parts from! Any solutions? :mad: & :confused:
Just trying to avoid the potholes on the road of life!
49 Chevy COE
55 Chevy pickup
+ way too many other project vehicles!
| | | | | Joined: Jun 2004 Posts: 8,597 Riding in the Passing Lane | | Riding in the Passing Lane Joined: Jun 2004 Posts: 8,597 | I,ve used Chevy Duty for most of my parts & havn,t had a problem. They all get um from the same places. Maybe a rubber specialty place like Steel might be a better source.
They say money can't buy happiness. It can buy old Chevy trucks though. Same thing. 1972 Chevy c10 Cheyenne SuperIn the Gallery Forum | | | | | Joined: Nov 2004 Posts: 328 Member | | Member Joined: Nov 2004 Posts: 328 | Don't buy from LMC. I used to be a dealer for them, and their rubber parts suck. | | | | | Joined: Jul 2003 Posts: 586 Shop Shark | | Shop Shark Joined: Jul 2003 Posts: 586 | I have bought a lot of items from both Chevy Duty and Jim Carter. Jim Carter tends to be a little more money, but I believe their quality if also a little better. Not all the time though, sometime the manufacture is identical. I'm just saying overall Jim Carter is a little better quality wise and you might give them a try. Cecil........ | | | | | Joined: May 2004 Posts: 204 Member | | Member Joined: May 2004 Posts: 204 | I've bought from Chevy Duty and others and so far every darn thing I've bought for my '63 sucks, it's poor quality,made in Taiwan junk! The only real good quality item I've purchased so far is a set of Aluminum headlight bezels from Golden State. They were high but they were also perfect! I don't know about the rest of their products. I also wrote and complained to Chevy Duty on the quality of their parts and they never responded at all. Their customer service sucks too! | | | | | Joined: Jun 2004 Posts: 100 Wrench Fetcher | | Wrench Fetcher Joined: Jun 2004 Posts: 100 | Cecil, I just took a few minutes and looked through your album... You did an amazing job on your Jimmy! I'm curious, in the first part of the photos there is some sort of mount on the driver's side of the bed... But I didn't see it in the later photos. What was that for?
Andy
A man is like an old truck... He will rust out before he wears out...
| | | | | Joined: Dec 2003 Posts: 2,953 'Bolter | | 'Bolter Joined: Dec 2003 Posts: 2,953 | Three words on quality rubber: STEELE, STEELE, STEELE. Compared them all. | | | | | Joined: Feb 2002 Posts: 12,029 Cruising in the Passing Lane | | Cruising in the Passing Lane Joined: Feb 2002 Posts: 12,029 | I'll agree w/ them that like Steele - some of the repop shops distribute for Steele, who make their own rubber, w/ good UV inhibiters [and have a 'library' of originals they made the molds from] some use other suppliers whose parts are shopped out to the lowest bid 'off-shore' makers - IMO Soff'Seal is one of the 'others', and they supply a number of the repop places - never had anything from them that was 100%, never had anything from Steele that wasn't
Bill | | |
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