Parts vendors, who do you trust?

[slantflat]

Good morning everyone.

This is really the first time I've been seriously hunting MOPAR parts(I usually work on Oldsmobiles) so of course I went to Year One. They have never let me down. What I was looking for this time were battery cables. Correct battery cables for a 68 Valiant were something like 135 apiece! That seems a bit steep. Then I looked at Layson's, and they wanted 85 apiece. Still a bit high. I can't get it out of my head that generic ones at NAPA are like 12 bucks.

So it got me to thinking, who is the accepted best place to deal with, or places, and who should I stay away from? Eventually I'll be moving beyond battery cables and it would be nice to have a couple go-to parts houses and not have to worry about too high of prices or chinesium junk.

Thanks everyone. Have you a good weekend.

 

[Abodybomber]

On the battery cables: A good NAPA or Carquest,should be able to custom make you some .. You didn't state,if you wanted concours quality,or high quality matching,but not OEM... ?

 

[krazykuda]

Go to the parts store and get a 48" red top post cable with one offshoot.

Get 10 gauge wire and use it to wire the offshoot to the starter relay, then the other starter relay terminal to the starter. Take the old grommet off the old cable and use it on the new cable so you can get it in the bracket on the firewall...

Then get another top post cable in black and 24" with an offshoot. The main wire goes to the driver's side front of the head, and then make a 10 gauge wire from the offshoot to the radiator support.

Now you have both battery cables for about $35... They will work as good as a stock one, but look slightly different...

Much better than $89 for a cable....

 

[slantflat]

Thanks guys. I'm working with a car that's sat around, has rust, not going to be completely stock when I'm done.

I still own the first car I bought in high school. Back then I used whatever fit, whatever was handy, whatever would work. Now all these years later I'm trying to undo the mayhem and put it right. So any car I buy nowadays I try to do right the first time because that's what looks and performs best. I don't want things to look cobbled together.

What is it about these exact reproductions that makes them so expensive? I hope I don't run into this with all the parts I need.

 

[STR-14]

Yeah, you will ...............

 

[PST]

What makes exact reproduction expensive is a number of things, but one major thing is the demand. A small run of an item tends to have higher costs. There are a lot of factors that come into play when reproducing originals or even OEM fit. 1) being licencing of the parts( on how accurate you want to be), 2) the cost to have the tooling done and 3)engineering costs. If a given item fits a 10 or 20 year span of vehicles across a multitude of makes and models. Then there is a possibility more potential buyers. The Larger the run the lower the cost.

 

[d5667]

What makes exact reproduction expensive is a number of things, but one major thing is the demand. A small run of an item tends to have higher costs. There are a lot of factors that come into play when reproducing originals or even OEM fit. 1) being licencing of the parts( on how accurate you want to be), 2) the cost to have the tooling done and 3)engineering costs. If a given item fits a 10 or 20 year span of vehicles across a multitude of makes and models. Then there is a possibility more potential buyers. The Larger the run the lower the cost.

And there you have it ladies and gentlemen! In a nutshell!!! Thanks for that analogy

 

[cosgig]

Thanks guys. I'm working with a car that's sat around, has rust, not going to be completely stock when I'm done.

I still own the first car I bought in high school. Back then I used whatever fit, whatever was handy, whatever would work. Now all these years later I'm trying to undo the mayhem and put it right. So any car I buy nowadays I try to do right the first time because that's what looks and performs best. I don't want things to look cobbled together.

What is it about these exact reproductions that makes them so expensive? I hope I don't run into this with all the parts I need.

Usually, if it is correct for a Hemi car, you can add a zero right on the end!! Kinda like Harley and Corvette parts!!!!

 

[diymirage]

Usually, if it is correct for a Hemi car, you can add a zero right on the end!! Kinda like Harley and Corvette parts!!!!

H.D. it stands for hundred dollars, the minimum you can spend on a part