Well where do I start................. I was called by your company awhile back about me supplying some parts to you. I directed you to my website and told you to make a list of what you were interested and then I never heard back to you. What you are doing for us????? Dont hurt yourself patting your own back. We need parts not cutthroat business's taking hard earned parts and coping them for financial gain. Howabout I send you guys a bill for all the R&D I did for these ?????????????????????? Then I see on ebay my part, YES MY PART!!! The one I took the time to make so it was an easy install. The one I took over a year testing out on several different supports to make sure it wass compatible. The hell do you think that I wouldnt notice ????? I have spent every extra $$$ I have had for over 5 years now making parts and storing them for the REAL Buick people. I dont mind selling them to vendors but when they order 3 or 4 at a time, I dont discount that much if you would have presented me with your proposal we could have negotiated a price sutible for me to sell these to you. BUT NO I find them on ebay and by your own admission you told me they were a knock off of my part. What am I supposed to do wait for you to steal my next project after 2 years of R&D???? I am PISSED yes I am not thru with this deal. I have been a Buick guy for over 25 years I have been making parts for over 15 years and I have never stepped on anyones toes when it comes to making my parts. If someone is making them I back off. Just as I expect others to do the same thing. I want to make it clear I have been making these with my own talent not by taking the part someone else makes and just having it copied. You sir are not going to make customers by doing that. Now lets talk other parts DID you ever checkj to see that someone else wasnt making a part before you started yours NO you didnt and now there is another person who has dropped a load of cash out on building a die for the 71 grill and you are planning to have yours out available sooner so you will have the market and the other person will be sucking air. Whats up with building parts that arent made yet??? Why go after parts that someone else has done ALL of the leg work on and you go in a slap them in the face by stealing it. Call it business all you want but you will find that the Buick community is alot closer buddy system than any other group. A group I PROUDLY stand in with my GS (or 3 or 4) One more thing YES your business is doing alot of positive things now but build parts that noone is doing. My parts are nickle and dime to the parts people want. Look around build some doors, hoods, inner 1/4s, etc etc. You have the resources why take away from the guy who has worked on these little parts for so long. Just answer that PLEASE>>>>>>>>>>>
I personally don't have a Buick as of yet,but just from what I have read over the last few days,when I do get my Buick,I will NOT be dealing with The Parts Place.I like to deal with companies and people who have morals and ethics,not some company who like to rip off the true hard workers just to make a buck.Besides,do any of you guys actually own Buicks,or could you not really care less about this brand except to make a few bucks?
AWWWWW But you have and thats toooooo bad. While the parts that we need and want are difficult to find yes. Stealing from a guy that has made them before you is flat out wrong through the eyes of ANY HONEST man on the planet. IF this is fact, and that is what I am questioning now, JUST EXACTLY how many BUICKS does this "owner" have ??? I assume that he is interested in the grille here because he HAS/OWNS a 71' . IF NOT then he is in it for the money and is greedy. Like padding your wallets at the expense of others. Congrats, that is positive for you. I am sure that any profit made will be dumped into further Buick parts correct ???? I THINK NOT !!!!!!! It will pay to pop some other brand part that is higher on your totem pole. So as to continue the fattening of your wallet. I replied to the post about yall stealing Mike Garrisons panels, read it if you will. In that post I mentioned blanketing the web about this instance. I have checked my favorites list, and I have started forwarding MY OPINION, of which I am entitled BY GOD himself, to all 30 some sites I have bookmarked in my computer. The Buick family is small. We talk about the crooks out there, and we talk about the honest vendors that are trying to help us. I wonder.......... after the discussions are finished...........just which catagory yall will fall under ??????? LETS GO TO THE WEB WORLD AND FIND OUT !!!!!!!!!!!!! Shall we ???????????? *EDIT* Thank you for the web link to you.
Well I don't know about how they treat suppliers (looks like that needs work!) but if they make a 71 grille for a reasonable amount I will buying one....I don't see anyone else stepping up to do these and 71/72 taillights and the other parts we have all waited YEARS for???? Business is business.....if guys are all planning on making the same part there must be some way to get everyone together and help the situation out instead of butting in and cutting each other off?? How are they supposed to know joe somebody is doing the same thing privately, seems everyone keeps their projects secret until they are ready to go??? I don't think anyone makes parts for any car unless they can make their money back. Don't think the small guys don't get burned too..I have four sets of used marker lights here that are effectively not worth anything anymore because now you can buy NEW sets...same thing for my NOS 72 taillights....but hey thats ok because in the long run having these parts avaialble to buy anytime can only help the Buick end of the hobby. I worry about the Buicks going away, so the more parts we can get made the better. Just my opinion. Later Tim
For the most part it sounds like a lot of these parts are trying to be reproduced on a low budget tooling. For instance reading the posts on the other 71 GS grille it sounds like it is going be a low quality reproduction. Stating that because it is so low quality that they would only accept $300 for them when they make them available. Saying they are having problem pouring the plastic into the mold and having to paint them because they come out clear. Now take this into consideration, if you can buy a high quality reproduction 71 GS grille for $300-$600 or a low quality reproduction for $300. Which would you buy? Would you want something that looks good only from 10ft. or more; or would you want a grille you could look at with a magnifying glass and tell no difference from an original GM. To do a grille of that quality you would need a steel die the size of a refrigerator. To make a tool of that caliber, it unfortunately doesnt happen over night. We have been working on it for over 3 years. If we start telling people every time we start a project we unfortunately get phone calls wondering if it is out yet. Just for the little bit of news out here on the grilles we have had numerous phone calls and people wanting to be on the list and we havent even officially advertised it yet. I let one guy that was here last night, that is Buick guy and it has already come down to this and how do you know for sure what other parts we have up our sleeve that are getting close to being released. We usually dont release the information about new parts until a final sample is approved, like this 71 GS grille. We would think that you guys would be happy that a bigger name company was starting to reproduce parts for this over looked GM line. Think about how nice it would be if the Buick had as many new parts available as the Chevelle has. More and more Buicks are popping up from all over and the demand for these parts is getting greater and greater. As for checking to see who else is making parts and ripping off other peoples parts: It is impossible to know for sure who is reproducing what, when it will be available and who has it in the works most companies keep it a secret until it is just about to be released. Mike, as to reproducing the 68-69 or 70-72 core support repair kit we had no choice but to make it, due to the volume of kits we need and the pricing people were willing to pay to keep things competitive. $10 off $99 retail on the kits was not enough off to pay shipping on top of and then sell them. We would be out money to be able to keep a competitive price and they would still be sitting on the shelf. Mike if you have a problem why dont you give us a call. Face it, these cars are expensive to restore, and any time we can save some money for these guys it helps in their restoration. You should know making tools is not a cheap venture; we are not getting rich selling parts, we make a living and usually have fun doing it.
Parts Suppliers who reproduce Buick resto parts are badly needed by the buick community so I commend anyone who makes a part for our cars.The Buick market is wide open because until just recently almost no Buick only parts were being reproed and even now only a handful are being made.That said I think it is in poor taste and unethical business practice to have done Mike the way the Parts place has.Mike offered a part for our cars that was needed and not over priced.There was no need for the parts place to repro a part already being made when there are plently of items they can make and be the only supplier on.
Look You are full of crap!! I told you on the phone that if you buy the onesy twosy order I would give you the same 25% discount I do all the suppilers. I also said as I say to ALL of the suppliers more you buy at one time the cheaper I can sell them. Thanks for trying to put this on me ........IT DIDNT WORK. Why dont you call me??? You have my number do it. I was ready to do as many as you wanted I told you that. I also said, just as I have already stated, to send me a list of what you want and we can talk. DID YOU ???? NOPE! Im here, I have been here for the Buick guys from the beginning. I have HUGE NAME restorers buying parts from me. I need to sell more parts just like you. I however have an adgenda yes I do its to take the money from one part and invest it into the next. I have an on going list of things that could be made, did you bother to check it out NOPE! Look it takes all of this for you to come to the very best buick website in the world to stand up for your actions. If you REALLY CARED you would have been checking this all out for years to see what people want and who's doing what. That way you dont put yourself into these things. You have not only undermined your reputation here but made others reconcider whether they want to directly send you money. I am here, I have been here, email me for my number if you need it again, just remember you never came to me to talk and the $10 off thing is a joke and you know it. I can list all of those guys if you wish who buy from me that can atest I give a better price in quanity than that. Your turn the balls in your court again.
On top of The Parts Place pissing alot of people off including me for what they're doing. How much of these parts will be made in the U.S.A., instead of Taiwan or China? I never done business with The Parts Place and I never will as their aren't any ethics practiced by this vendor. I've been burned already and when there's alot of money involved it really hurts.
I have bought parts from The Parts Place a few times. They are very organized and have a knowledgeable staff. The storefront is really interesting with rare used GM parts. I recently placed a phone order for a GS engine harness and was shipped out an excellent quaility part. I have went to there store and bought weatherstrips, gaskets, clips. They had it in stock and you can see what your purchasing. I am lucky to live close by (45 miles) so I can get parts the same day. If The Parts Place sells a good repo part at a reasonable price that is good competition. Competition keeps quality and prices in check. The Parts Place has been in business for years Illinois. I am very satisfied with all of my purchases from them. I'm tired of my 71 GS having a Skylark grill and hope "anyone" repo grills for a 71 GS soon. The Parts Place :TU: Al Darien,Il
Ok, I have stayed quiet on this thread thus far. And I dont show my face here too often, but it pisses me off that he bashes my attempt at repoping the 71 Grille. The grille mentioned in the thread was my first attempt at it, and a test to see if the material I was using would work. Nice of you to hang around our forums silently gaining kowledge...... First off, I dont think they have been working on it for 3 years. Do the math on the man hours etc on a project that has taken 3 years to come to fruition. I hope your order process is much shorter than that. You may sell your grilles, and you may make money, and you may not. However, by showing your presence here, and taking a position of underhandedness with Mikes parts, and then bashing my work you have probably lost 50% of the business you may have gotten on this part, and others. I woudl rather have a 71 Skylark Grille on my car then put up with your crap. -Jon
Well Just because a part is injected, does not mean the quality will be better. And as for cost, Jon has a big edge because he doesn't have a huge investment in a tool. What are were talking about here, maybe $20 worth of plastic? :bglasses:
We did not come on here with the purpose of upsetting more people. Jon, we were not bashing your grille intentionally we were just trying to make a point of the quality issue at hand. While what you are producing in your garage is impressive to say the least, we feel that anyone that spends the money to restore a Buick would like the pieces they use on it to be the best they possibly can, no fault of yours. Im sure if you keep working on you sell it to some people. If we made a product that was so-so you guys would drag us in the mud. We cant win; we are making a high quality grille and you drag us in the mud. We feel that we have been able to reproduce a lot of high quality parts. Just take a look at some of the things we have reproduced; Cutlass, GTO, Monte Carlo inner fender well liners, W-30 intakes, GTO headlamp and tail lamp bezels. We have also have produced a lot of high quality items specifically for Buicks; 70 tail lamp lens, and 71/72 lens are just about done, 70-72 side marker lights, the correct shift cable for 70-72 with the slide bar end, 70-72 u-shaped chrome insert for the shifter and the pull up bar, 70-72 Rally Packs, 70-72 tachs, dash lens, 68-70 washer bottle, 67 GS backup light housing, 64-67 conv. sun visor support brackets, 64-67 conv. rearview mirror mounting bracket. The slide bar block for the shift cable is almost done. That is why we are reproducing these, the demand is high enough out there that this car needs some much needed attention. Who wants to pay $2000 or more for an NOS GM grille? If you asked us 10 years ago if we thought a 71 GS grille would ever be reproduced in this fashion; we would have told you no. But, we get so many calls we had to give in and reproduce it. The more demand a part has the more of a chance it has to be reproduced. We are working on front inner fender wells and rear outer wheel houses, big block exhaust manifolds and even core supports. These are being made in proficient factories in the US and overseas. When will they be ready, we have no idea, but theyre all there. Hell we even have 69 and 70 GS grilles in the works; but with all this huff about the 71 GS grille, we might put an axe to them. The reason it takes 3 years to get something reproduced is that when you go to a manufacturer they dont stop what there working on now to devote time your one item. Then once they decide they can make it, the blue print and prototype stage starts. When you are trying to make high quality parts you keep refusing the prototypes until you are happy with it. Then once you are happy with it, it then gets tested for strength and durability. Once the info checks out, they are put in to production. Once production is done and we know the total cost for the parts and getting them here we can then work out a price and announce their availability. :TU: We see that there is a survey posted on here; lets see how it pans out. Were sure that will shed some light on what needs to be made next. The demand is higher than the availability of good used pieces. More and more people are choosing to restore these rare GM cars. There are less and less donor cars left out there to take the parts off of.
I for one welcome the Parts Place to the board. They make quality affordable parts for my Firebird and I appreciate it. Guys, we live in a capitalistic society. Everybody is in it to make money. Smarter, faster, cheaper is how to do it. Unforunately, if you can't make the quality and the price, you're not going to survive in our society. Just think Walmart versus all the little guys. I'm not saying its right, I'm just saying its reality. Sometimes I don't understand this board. The members are constantly complaining about the high price of parts, but when somebody steps to the plate to repro them, some guys complain. They should be commended not condemned. If only they could repo Riv parts.
I kept my mouth shut on this one, cause I just figured they beat me to the market. It happens and I accept it. Its life. What chapped my butt was that they used my work as "garage" as it may be as an example of bad quality. I never do that to people. I dont like it when people on here start going on about how crappy someones car looks or how stupid every thing is compared to how great they themselves are. I got past that in the 3rd grade. I respect anyone who is proud of what they have done, because they took an interest in it.
hey parts place ....... any plans for riviera parts o No: uzzled: there's alot of rivieras out their and know body makes parts for them :ball: I need rear quarters and outer wheel housing for my 72 Riv also whats the satatus on the outer wheel housing for the 69 GS I also need trunk drop offs for that car what else do you have in mined for the 69 GS ?????????front wheel wells would be nice..... plastic or steel :Brow: thanks mark
Mark, We mainly sell parts for GM A-body muscle cars, so there are no Riviera parts in the works, as for what else we have in mind for the 69 GS, if we told you the phones would never stop ringing, so for now you will have to keep checking our website. Thanks
Jon, once again we were not meaning to step on your toes. Everyone can see you are giving your all to your project. We weren't trying to put down your work, we just assumed that some of you guys were doing this as a side thing. Believe us there are a lot of us out there that started out that way. We just want to give you Buick guys what you have been asking for. Believe me if we weren't getting the calls on it from people needing it and not wanting to sell there first born to get an NOS grille, we wouldn't have started making it. We are getting calls right now asking about the grille and people wanting to put on the list. Sorry if we stepped on your toes.
I'm glad to see people talking, communications is always key to working things out. It's important that the people here maintain a proper decorum and not send a message that Buick guys are an emotional bunch and hard to deal with, negatively impacting support for more replacement parts from the larger operations that can afford to invest in those with the higher initial start up costs. Frankly, it's easier for some of us to deal with outfits like Year One, The Parts Place, etc. because they have the full range of parts for a project. They should be encouraged to fill out their portfolio. It's tough for the ordinary guy to know who to go to for this, that, and the other thing. That said, it's a competitive world. Usually there is a price curve on new products coming to market that makes it not worthwhile for others to duplicate the development work. That has to be respected and built into the business plan, it's simple business economics. Beyond that, if we see predatory pricing severely undercutting traditional suppliers to put them out of business it's a cause for concern. Pardon the generalizations, I just hope you guys can work something out that improves the current situation, and doesn't impair the introduction of new products to support Buick restorations. Please find some common ground and build on it. Both Mike and The Parts Place are respected in the business, and it's quite surprising to me to see this sort of debate happening in a public forum.
WOW thanks for the reply parts place!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! you have a Impala line..... give a Riviera line a consideration :Brow: a lot of people need Riviera parts :Brow: I looked through your new parts section. very impressive ...........what a GOLD mine I hope there will be 69 GS parts avalible like the GTO and others I saw on your web site...... shortly :Brow: thanks Mark P.S.don't even think about axeing any GS parts projects :spank: uzzled:
I'm suprised to see it here too..... but I have to say that I'm fairly impressed with most of what I'm reading..... Yes, there's plenty of flames, but not nearly as bad as it would be on many other boards, with many other crowds. Hopefully this stays a civilized, adult conversation so things can be worked out. To everyone who has remained calm and civilized -----------> :TU: :beer
