Key Parts Vs. Counterpart

[vanceman]

I have been looking at some path panels and I have found Key parts from Top Banana and Counter Parts from TruckandCarShop to be similar on price on most things I need. My Question, is the Quality of these parts the same, as in the fit and material thickness? I bought some rockers from LMC about 5 years ago and the quality of the parts SUCKED and the material thickness was 22 gauge. I just don't want to get burned again. Thanks

[Rat Bastid]

im unhappy with counterparts as far as doors go,seems one door is from one vendor and the other didnt even begin to fit in the frame,matter of fact if i was you contact WES he a vendor here that im confidant in and knows much more about these companies than I,Personally he will get most my business from this point on.....but there are a lot of vendors on this site,but great question........good luck

[trucks72]

Key Parts by far!!!!!

[special-K]

Counterpart sells Key Parts that they don't produce to fill out their line.Those boxes will be marked as Counterpart.I buy Counterpart products that key parts don't make to know what I get.

[Lee H]

I'm disappointed in counterparts quality. Will try to stay away from if given the choice.

[C20-67_N_MO]

So LMC Truck you guys in general think their quality is that bad?

Vanceman you said you bought from them like 5 years ago. Is it possible they have improved on their quality or is it the same old stuff?

[barry h.]

I buy my sheet metal from kenny's truck in tulsa,ok good stuff

[Sinister]

I have a Counterpart fender and I'm not so happy with the fit. I'd go with one of the Board vendors, they generally have nice stuff.

[stich626]

I've had luck with goodmark , but that was 70 chevelle,
good luck

[STOCKISH]

I just bought all my stuff from GMCPauls. COuldnt be any nicer product! Great customer service too!

[1956cameo]

I try to use as little aftermarket metal as possible. However if I cant find a donor patch I will buy aftermarket patch panels. I have bought quite a bit from CounterPart and the only complaint I have had up until now is the rocker box bolts (blazer only part) dont have good threads. I also bought a couple of blazer patch panels from GMC Pauls and had to do a little modifying to get them to work, but it was nothing that I thought was a big problem.

[dwcsr]

After market panels are all thinner than originals. As far as I can see its usually the closest MM under the gauge of the original panel. That doesn't add to much on a pillar panel or cab corner but its a lot on a rear fender or door or bed side. Doors are always a problem no matter who you buy from. Each production run can have its own issues and fit problems.
I know Key which sells Tri-plus is usually 18 gauge or thicker depending on the panel. Don't know about Counter Parts.

[vanceman]

Originally Posted by C20-67_N_MO

So LMC Truck you guys in general think their quality is that bad?

Vanceman you said you bought from them like 5 years ago. Is it possible they have improved on their quality or is it the same old stuff?

I bought rockers and they were 22 gauge material, The door handle I bought worked about 5 times then broke, and the floor pans were bent to hell( I guess so they would fit in the box) I will never buy from them again, you never get a second chance to make a first impression. I like Top Banana Parts because they tell you who makes the part while most don't. I don't want it to be crap shoot of whos part I get. I have heard good things about key parts, but had not heard much on counterparts so I appreciate all of youre comments. Keep them coming.

[vanceman]

Originally Posted by special-K

Counterpart sells Key Parts that they don't produce to fill out their line.Those boxes will be marked as Counterpart.I buy Counterpart products that key parts don't make to know what I get.

Don't really understand what you are saying here.

[special-K]

I'm saying that both counterpart and Key Parts are parts producers,as in manufacturers of the parts.Counterpart makes a lot of parts,not just sheetmetal.Of the sheet metal they sell,there are items they don't produce themselves.Some of those parts are produced by Key Parts.Counterpart has their name put on these packages,a common business practice these days.

One myth I see here is that aftermarket sheet metal is a lighter gauge.I know for a fact that Key Parts are at least as heavy of a gauge.I believe others are as well,just don't know for a fact.

There are very few manufacturers of aftermarket sheet metal.None make the full line of parts.Vendors sell parts from a mix of manufacturers to offer a complete line.The cost of developing and producing most parts limits feasibility of more than one company to offer it.Only the most common parts are made by more than one maker.

I see a lot of vendors mentioned,not manufacturers.This includes Goodmark and LMC.LMC is big enough to have parts produces exclusively for them,but are not involved in manufacturing.

[Classic Heartbeat]

There are 5 different manufacturers of sheetmetal for these trucks. Tri-Plus, Dynacorn, & Gordon are the only 3 of the 5 who's names I can remember and are the main 3 that you will see offered up here. I know that a company by the name of keystone buys what is known in the trade as "crash parts". What this means is a good bodyman can make them fit, but if you look closely you can see that the fit actually is not great and some body lines are missing. A bodyshop's customer is usually happy with this, but have no way of knowing what the weight or gauge of the steel is and because the vehicle was crashed, it looks great in comparison to what it did when it came in. By far Tri-Plus has the thickest steel, best fit, and finish. However Tri-Plus doesn't make everything so that is why (at least myself) we have to purchase parts from the other manufacturers. With our experience we have figured out who has the best parts and that is what we buy and supply.
Not all catalog companies are concerned about the best quality, and their prices will reflect that. It's whatever is cheaper. We discovered this by talking to different retailers about purchasing Classic Heartbeat's Exclusive parts. Our exclusive parts are high quality and not as cheap as the imported parts that are already out on the market. We were told by more than one catalog company that unless we could get more competitive with the price, they would continue to purchase from their existing suppliers. They deal with the problems that the lesser quality parts have by just replacing it with another and that usually satisfies the customer. Problem is the new part has the same problem and the customer just figures it doesn't get any better than that. WES

[vanceman]

Originally Posted by Classic Heartbeat

There are 5 different manufacturers of sheetmetal for these trucks. Tri-Plus, Dynacorn, & Gordon are the only 3 of the 5 who's names I can remember and are the main 3 that you will see offered up here. I know that a company by the name of keystone buys what is known in the trade as "crash parts". What this means is a good bodyman can make them fit, but if you look closely you can see that the fit actually is not great and some body lines are missing. A bodyshop's customer is usually happy with this, but have no way of knowing what the weight or gauge of the steel is and because the vehicle was crashed, it looks great in comparison to what it did when it came in. By far Tri-Plus has the thickest steel, best fit, and finish. However Tri-Plus doesn't make everything so that is why (at least myself) we have to purchase parts from the other manufacturers. With our experience we have figured out who has the best parts and that is what we buy and supply.
Not all catalog companies are concerned about the best quality, and their prices will reflect that. It's whatever is cheaper. We discovered this by talking to different retailers about purchasing Classic Heartbeat's Exclusive parts. Our exclusive parts are high quality and not as cheap as the imported parts that are already out on the market. We were told by more than one catalog company that unless we could get more competitive with the price, they would continue to purchase from their existing suppliers. They deal with the problems that the lesser quality parts have by just replacing it with another and that usually satisfies the customer. Problem is the new part has the same problem and the customer just figures it doesn't get any better than that. WES

So who makes Key Parts?

[Musclerodz]

Originally Posted by vanceman

So who makes Key Parts?

key parts make the tri-plus line

[special-K]

Sorry for the confusion.Key Parts = Tri-Plus.also,sorry for leaving out guys like Wes and others who are responsible for bringing parts to the market that none of the "biggies" bothered with.It's hard to lay it all out,but basically,some parts are only made by one source and some are made by a few.Many of the board vendors,and others that aren't mega companies,put together very helpful parts/components for our benefit.The best thing to do when buying sheet metal is to ask who makes a particular part,then come on here and ask for other's experience...or go with a vendor who has a reputation for only selling what they know is the best on the market.

[vanceman]

Ordered my parts from Top Banana today, they are supposed to be Key parts. Thanks for everyones input.

[Gene]

Originally Posted by barry h.

I buy my sheet metal from kenny's truck in tulsa,ok good stuff

Just about everything I have bought from Kenny's is counterpart. All looks to be pretty good quallity.

[C20-67_N_MO]

Does anyone have a source for Suburban parts?

Seems as the trucks have much more repo parts out there than these do.

[special-K]

Originally Posted by C20-67_N_MO

Does anyone have a source for Suburban parts?

Seems as the trucks have much more repo parts out there than these do.

Check with Classic Heartbeat.

[C20-67_N_MO]

Thanks for the idea.

They have a good selection of sheetmetal for the 'burbs.

Originally Posted by special-K

Check with Classic Heartbeat.

[dwcsr]

Originally Posted by vanceman

So who makes Key Parts?

Tri-plus is a major supplier to Key Parts Inc, To the best of my knowledge Key does not make any parts. They are an importer only