For those Restoring! Have you noticed.......

[yote1234]

Have any of you noticed that all the NOS, "new old stock" GM parts have evaporated to almost nothing! The restoration im in the middle of right now has been so hard to find nos parts, And when i do i had to pay through the roof! Example. on a auction site i seen a nos windshield gasket starting bid 599.00. Another problem is most of the parts are usually incomplete, as in one door handle, or one arm rest. ect. I even noticed there are people here that are doing searches in parts area,finding old adds, some years old! and asking if the part is still availble. I bet this one will cost me 1/3 more in parts than the last! I know some of you would say "buy aftermarket". sorry! NO CAN DO! anyway, as i continue to empty my wallet i have decided this will be my last restoration. now on a good note "suppy and demand" might drive up the value of a quality built truck.
.............. well..just venting!!!

[c20pickup]

nos is hard to come by, and once they are bought, installed, and used, they are no longer "nos" and at that point it drops the value to almost nothing. When you go to a car show, very people look at vehicles that are all "nos" restored, however when one comes along it is usually done very nicely not arguing with that point at all. but the average joe who goes to a show looks for a shiny paint job and new wheels, it is unfortunatye but thats the truth. I think the fact that "once the part is used it is no longer nos" is why the availability is getting very small. and the average joe cant tell the difference anyways, for example, i purchased nos rocker panels to put on my 70, and once they are installed, they are no longer nos, and nobody can tell the difference anyways. why did i buy them? i ask myself that everyday i, probably just so i can say that i have nos panels. sure nos parts probably ft better and may last a little longer, but with the availability of paftermarket parts that are increasing in quality, its just not in the cards to buy nos parts, for me atleast. sure i can do a nos restoration, but it will cost me 50,000 and very few will appreciate the originality anyways. i feel your pain...

[yote1234]

i agree the value of a used nos part drops once used, . but you really cant sell a nos rocker after installed... i have seen nos parts go up in value faster than the stock market... guess why i buy nos is not for popularity at a car show but for the quality of the part.

[Lee H]

I hear ya, I collected NOS parts for years and stored them for my frame off. I ended up with multiple sets of bright work, lenses, sport mirrors, interior and exterior door handles, vents, moldings, arm rests, etc. When I got ready to use the bright work, mainly emblems & moldings, I was not happy with the finish most of these parts had due to normal shelf life. I bought a few GM restoration parts from Trim Parts and OER. They were far superior in both fit and finish to the NOS stuff, even the parts that were very nice. I completed my build with Trim Parts, OER stuff, and moldings from Mar-K. In the end I only used the NOS sport mirrors, and door handles, and a few lenses. All my NOS stuff is fine for a driver, maybe even a repaint but not for a frame off restoration, IMHO. I still have enough stuff for at least two more trucks. I thinking my next build will be an original paint truck will all this stuff, full restore except for the paint.

A word of caution, I did run into several repops in original boxes when I was buying.

[yote1234]

yes! good warning!!! i also pd high dollar for a used part in a nos gm box! good point. i bought a nos steering wheel in nos box only to find out its lightly used!

[Joesjunk]

I have been collecting NOS parts for years. I would probably be shocked at the value of everything today

[In The Ten Ring]

Welcome to the world bro! I buy NOS when I can find and afford it but I don't stress over it.

My truck will never be 100% original seeing as it was heavily rusted and my dad did some modifying to it as he went along.

[SuperC10Tex]

So, I guess I should take inventory and start selling now is what you are saying.....

[yote1234]

Originally Posted by SuperC10Tex

So, I guess I should take inventory and start selling now is what you are saying.....

hehehehehe! nice stash!!

[67 cst swb]

The term New Old Stock says it all for me... Old Stock that is still NEW in the package and available. But, once availability gets low... the value goes up. I personally do not stress over NOS parts. I bought 100's of dollars of NOS parts off the shelf of a Chevrolet Dealer that went out of business in Deadwood SD back in either '89-'90. Mostly emblems, small interior pieces and some engine brackets. I sold it all in Texas in the early 90's. I got complaints from people back then, that when they opened the GM package, the quality wasn't what they were expecting.
Also... I bought an NOS (with GM part number sticker) Front driver side '68 fender from a dealership in Onida, SD back in about Summer of '90. That fender didn't fit for crap.
Back in those days, I had a GM Trucks factory parts catalog. I spent days and days looking through that catalog, writing down GM part numbers and calling the local dealer with my list. They would then search for those part numbers and tell me who still had them on the shelf. I spent and made a lot of money back then.
I would rather buy quality used OE stuff than spend my time searching the country for over-priced "NOS" stuff. As soon as it installed... its used OE anyway.
Keep in mind... It's just my opinion.

[SS Tim]

Generally a good OEM line production part is going to be better than a service replacement part. After all anything you buy in a GM box/package is a service replacement part that may or may not be made by the production contractor, tooling or even drawing. Not to mention it may have been made decades after production stopped. Remember they are designed to fit as many applications as possible with function being the priority. A classic example is the 69-70 grill surround with its various post-series production iterations by both GM and the aftermarket.

[John H.]

They are even more costly when you pay for them and the seller does not send them

Thanks Matt Dorsey

[factorystock]

NOS does not mean perfect. Many have unrealistic expectations of a part that has been sitting on a shelf or in poor storage or pulled in and out a box 100 times over the years. Some NOS parts were never even manufactured during the 67 thru 72 era. Packaging, such as original boxes or bags is a clue to when the part was made, but no guarantee, there are many cases when someone pulls a NOS part out an old box and replaces it with a lesser quality NOS part or an early take off. GM was not in the business of building show parts, just good enough to be be acceptable to do the job. Sooner or later original GM parts are bound to dry up and supply and demand economy takes over.

[DeadheadNM]

My K20 was redone with a lot of NOS pieces and it added significantly to the cost. When I couldn't find NOS I refurbished used OEM pieces or tried to locate US made new pieces (Mar-K upper trim comes to mind). For me, it was a personal goal to use as few overseas parts as possible. In general, I've been disappointed with the quality of aftermarket parts. For example, one of my Cheyenne 20 emblems was flaking red paint before it was ever washed or even saw daylight. This was replaced with the only NOS Cheyenne 20 emblem I've been able to find. The emblem on the other fender flaked red paint last week after the trucks first wash and looks like $3!t. In my case, these repro emblems were a total waste of money.

It's fun to see what NOS pieces were selling for here 10 years ago and what these fetch now.

[special-K]

Nothing seems unusual to me. These are parts from over 40 years ago and people have been seeking them for just as long. They are like real estate,they stopped making it. Prices keep climbing on what's left unused because they keep becoming more rare. But,even more so,is people are buying to flip. It's speculators that ruin the hobby for the rest of us. I wish they'd all go back to Wall Street and leave these trucks to us workin' stiffs

[67ctener]

I think the only affordable answer is higher quality reproduction parts. The materials and technology is far more advanced these day so I wouldn't think it'd be a problem. For someone new to a restoration I can not afford to buy nos parts and have to make do with the best of aftermarket available.

[Bennett68C10]

Originally Posted by 67ctener

I think the only affordable answer is higher quality reproduction parts. The materials and technology is far more advanced these day so I wouldn't think it'd be a problem. For someone new to a restoration I can not afford to buy nos parts and have to make do with the best of aftermarket available.

I would have to agree, when I first started my build I knew I would need a lot of sheet metal as most of mine was full of rot. After I started looking at the prices of some NOS parts and heck even the prices of original parts that might need some work or only have "surface rust" I chose to go to the aftermarket. My truck has fenders, core support, hood, door skins, complete bed with tailgate from the aftermarket. Speaking about the quality, the only thing I had to modify to fit correctly was the hood, everything else has fit perfectly so far so I'm happy I chose this route. I have saved a ton of money over NOS or even used parts. With that money I now have a full custom suspension and some nice billet wheels

On a side note yote1234 I do love the build your doing, your truck is looking great.

[CUSTOM/10]

As time goes on the NOS parts get used and become harder and harder to find, and yes more and more expensive, that's just how it is, there are only so many. Some of the aftermarket parts are pretty damn good, but others are crap, but on the other hand I found some of the NOS parts fit like crap also. I collected as many NOS parts as I could find for my current build. Fenders, inner fenders, rear wheel tubs, emblems, mirrors, complete grill, and much more. I spent the last 5 yrs finding these parts, but when the time came to put this truck together I had no choice but to by some after market pieces. The biggest was SWB fleet bed sides. I did find one NOS bed side but it was going to cost me almost as much as a complete aftermarket bed ???? I'm happy with the quality of the bed sides, and most people wouldn't be able to tell the difference.

This will probably be my last build, but if I do another I won't have 5yrs to waste looking for the elusive NOS parts, and will settle for the best aftermarket pieces I can find !

Gary

[71 super]

Everything said so far have been wonderful points and from my own personal experience I love nos when I can get it. In the beginning it was the hunt and prestige- yes I said it. Point in hand, a 12 year search for nos bumpers in chrome that literally kept me awake some times, I got what I was looking for a pair of front and rear in chrome for my 71. The rear chrome is so rough that a micro fiber cloth hangs on it. Visually it looks great but the chrome is terrible from a final finish perspective. The repop bumper I used on my 68 is smoother as shiney and fits as well as the gm I took out of the bindings and wrapper and it was one I had bought and used on the 71 prior to finding the correct ones. Mind you it never sat out or was used other than show events but the point is the repop is just as nice holds up just as well and has a better finish and other than the occasional freak like me no one gets upset or excited that it is not gm too them it is a shiney bumper - simply one piece of the whole. I have since sold some of the nos I have because of this and the prices they are fetching. Most of the new stuff is equal or better than the old anyway in my opinion.

[CUSTOM/10]

Hey 71 super !

Do you have any pictures of your 72 SWB 4x4 ? Sounds similar to mine !

Gary

[volksworld]

i.have nos rear stepside fenders and the stamping on the bottom edges is really crude and wrinkled....was looking at some repop ones at charlotte auto fair last week and was surprised how much nicer they looked....on the other hand I tried to install Taiwan rockers on my truck 20 yrs ago and the fit and shape weren't even close...thankfully they were still available at the dealer back then...

[special-K]

N.O.S. originally went for higher prices because there was no such thing as reproduction. That could have hurt their value id the repro was as good. Actually some is,just not enough is. On the parts that are good,I'd just assume use those at this point. I am just as happy to have restorable OEM used parts in about all but trim parts. Even much of that can be refurbished. The price of good used parts has also climbed. In fact,some parts you couldn't give away are worth decent money now.

I paid $325 for the N.O.S. steering wheel I have that I bought 23 years ago. I used to go to the parts counter and buy parts at a 30% discount. Deluxe side markers listed for $12,I paid $8,and Golder State sold them for $16. I saw the light and started buying up parts. Look what the markers go for now. I was excited to know I could double my $8 investment! But,I was only buying to assure my future vehicles parts supply because 30 some years ago I knew I would always want to have these trucks...forever. I'm glad there is now aftermarket parts support. It's good to know,no matter what,good or bad,parts will be available.

[factorystock]

The EPA (environmental protection agency) has a lot to do with the reason repop painted and plastic trim parts don't last as long as originals.

[71 super]

Gary so not to hijack I will post some one seperate thread.

[litew8]

Not really satisfied with the repro bedside quality (but have to use), and def wasn't impressed with the repro rear tubs (creases and missing the lip on backside). Returned the repro tubs and found a pair of NOS rear tubs locally (something I don't see 4 sale anywhere). Night and day difference and worth every penny.