All replacement body parts junk?

[Ace in the hole]

I am fairly new here and have been researching many things on these forums. Man there is a lot of great info here!

One thing that strikes me as odd is that the general consensus seems to be that there are a lot of different replacement parts out there that are junk, take tailgates for example. Why do some of the venders that support this forum and are so highly reguarded continue to sell them if they just plain don't fit right?

I have been thinking of what I need for my truck and how I want to go about repairing it. Sure would be nice to know if I want to sink money into replacement parts that if you buy from xx vendor or xxx vendor you know you will be getting stuff that will fit right the first time or at least have minimal headaches trying to make it fit.

[72CSTC5]

One thing about aftermarket parts is if you want to fuss trying to make them fit or do you want to have experience cutting and welding and doing bodywork to cut out rusted parts on original sheetmetal? You decide which will be less expensive and easier for you to do. These trucks did not fit "perfect" when they were built 35 plus years ago.

[1bad chevy]

i have found making adjustments are required whether it is original or aftermarket

[1bad chevy]

and believe me i have used alot of replacment parts

[jamis]

Replacement panels are a roll of the dice. Whats good today...sucks tommorow. The factory parts are such much better...but you have to deal with the rust. I rather roll the dice with a new peice then have the rust come back after a couple of years.

[Bishops Trucks]

Replacement parts are not perfect but using them does perfect your bodywork and fabrication skills. Anytime you work on an old vehicle with a new part, you will have to work it a little to get it right. It's just part of the game.

[Ace in the hole]

Ya, I hear you. I would not expect perfection and I realize that some minor tweaking should be expected. It's just that with all the negative comments about the (here again I will use the tailgate as an example) junk tailgates, I am surprised to see them still available.

[retodd7711]

i replaced both rocker panels on my 69. left side was perfect fit, right side required cutting,shaping, cussing, straightening, and half a day.
like the man said roll of the dice. but, when you're finished it feels so good

[67 cst swb]

I hear aftermarket doors and tailgates are the worst...

[PanelDeland]

Tailgates are easy.Just look up the price on a N.O.S. one and you will see why people buy them.The reason the BB vendors carry them is that there is no alternative.The ones being built for aftermarket are pretty flimsy but if it's that or nothing what are you going to do?The fenders and rockers seem better but the doors are still a little off.It cost's lots of $$ to have the dies to stamp parts made and most companies are in business to make money not because they want to supply people with quality parts.
The BB vendors here build trucks themselves.They use what they sell.They know parts are cheaper than labor.So they try to carry the best parts available.Unfortunately we are talking 30-40 year old trucks which were used as trucks,the manufacturers did not have near the quality control they do now,and realisticly the average classic vehicle builer today demands much closer tolerances than these rides were ever designed to have.Look at the name builders and you will see that the door gaps etc on what they build are precision fitted by body professionals who have spent years developing the skills to perform this type of work.
The reality is this is what we have to work with and the best looking trucks will be built by the people who take the time to tweak these things and fit them like the pros.

[Billla]

A good read on this is the Year One YOCLASS rating system, link below. Bottom line is that factory tooling was far better than aftermarket tooling - and it shows in the quality of the part. We're lucky; if you're willing to invest some "sweat equity" there are a lot of good used parts out there and the new parts are getting better

http://www.yearone.com/pco/C_0307/0250.asp