Call for better parts support for wagons from vendors
- Thread starter CaliWagon83
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For small pieces. I don’t think it’s really practical/feasible for large stamped pieces like fenders, hoods, etc.
Here’s one company’s machine:
https://markforged.com/metal-x/
I doubt there will be anyone producing wagon specific parts anytime soon. Everyone just has to keep hunting for clean junk yard parts. Theres a lot more sedans out there than wagons and a lot of the interior pieces work. Same with some of the exterior trim. I consider myself VERY lucky that I was able to pick a couple of sedans clean getting all the interior panels that I needed for my car. Same with the NOS headliner clips. I was really starting to worry that I was never going to find them.
Yeah. I'm actually really thankful mine's in such good relative shape. That's why I freaked out so much when I broke the corner bumper filler piece. Thankfully I was able to source a replacement. Seems like for a lot of replacement pieces, they just have to be hand-crafted by a shop, if you can't find decent salvage parts.
Again, it epitomizes hotrodding and being able to improvise when faced with these situations.
I hate to say it but: Too. Bad.
If you want instant gratification buy a Camaro. Some of our wagons are nearing a decade of build time.
Your only near term options are:
1. eBay and pray for NOS or good used parts to pop up (wanted ads here help too);
2. Learn to refurbish stuff;
3. Get creative and adapt things from other makes and models;
4. Build your own from scratch;
5. Buy a complete parts car and strip it for spares; and/or
6. Sell your wagon and run away.
In my case a few things I had to overcome were a rare cracked Pontiac dash as there are no repops - learned how to skin it in fiberglass (failed the first time). Recovering the interior D-pillar panels in vinyl. We bought an entire '81 Lemans sedan for small parts, unmolested fender liners, spare doors, fenders, glass, trim, etc - and the unicorn glass channel runs. Had the drip rail trim and tailgate hardware shipped from New York and Saskatchewan (thanks to the good folks here) - parts sourced from two countries!
I suggested before that when you first got here to settle down and calm your enthusiasm. I'll recommend the same again - start the hunt, make the car a rolling restoration, and enjoy the process. Oh, and read all of the threads in this sub-forum - it has pretty much been covered before in detail.
If you want instant gratification buy a Camaro. Some of our wagons are nearing a decade of build time.
Your only near term options are:
1. eBay and pray for NOS or good used parts to pop up (wanted ads here help too);
2. Learn to refurbish stuff;
3. Get creative and adapt things from other makes and models;
4. Build your own from scratch;
5. Buy a complete parts car and strip it for spares; and/or
6. Sell your wagon and run away.
In my case a few things I had to overcome were a rare cracked Pontiac dash as there are no repops - learned how to skin it in fiberglass (failed the first time). Recovering the interior D-pillar panels in vinyl. We bought an entire '81 Lemans sedan for small parts, unmolested fender liners, spare doors, fenders, glass, trim, etc - and the unicorn glass channel runs. Had the drip rail trim and tailgate hardware shipped from New York and Saskatchewan (thanks to the good folks here) - parts sourced from two countries!
I suggested before that when you first got here to settle down and calm your enthusiasm. I'll recommend the same again - start the hunt, make the car a rolling restoration, and enjoy the process. Oh, and read all of the threads in this sub-forum - it has pretty much been covered before in detail.
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Yep, I've been building and restoring cars since my teens (in my 50s now) and I've had this wagon for a little over a year, spending about 90% of that time fixing or re-engineering stuff that the previous owner screwed up or simply didn't finish.
I feel for you guys who are trying to restore or customize a wagon to make it a REALLY nice car.
That was never my focus and I'm glad I didn't feel the need to make mine that nice. I use it as a year round utility vehicle and winter beater. I agree with the guys who say you need to be resourceful to have one of these. Pretty much everything it needed was able to be handled with what I had on hand. The stuff I didn't have, I was able to get, or I was able to get something close and make it work 'good enough."
The only part that almost became the end of me was the wagon specific fuel tank sending unit. I tried modifying a coupe/sedan unit utilizing pieces from a universal race car fuel cell sending unit and I couldn't get it to work right. I was finally able to find an original Wagon sending unit that I was led to believe was NOS. The guy knew what he had and he bent me over for it too. When it finally arrived, I found that it was used. But still, I HAD TO HAVE IT. It only took me about four months to get a working gas gauge.
I agree with the others that while we're a passionate group, in the grand scheme of the car hobby, we're a minority and the aftermarket parts suppliers aren't going to step up for such a small minority.
I still have my 68 Cougar that was my first car. When I first got it, 1978, my Dad was smart enough to order NOS parts from the dealership. As the years went on, those parts started drying up. They never had the following that Mustangs do which you can buy EVERY SINGLE PART for. Now, there has been a bit of a resurgence thanks to a handful of guys who hoarded the parts when they were plentiful and are now offering them to the public. Yes, a few of those guys know what they have and are charging astronomical prices for the stuff. But the others are just glad to see the stuff going to a good home in order to help even more of the cars get back on the road.
I feel for you guys who are trying to restore or customize a wagon to make it a REALLY nice car.
That was never my focus and I'm glad I didn't feel the need to make mine that nice. I use it as a year round utility vehicle and winter beater. I agree with the guys who say you need to be resourceful to have one of these. Pretty much everything it needed was able to be handled with what I had on hand. The stuff I didn't have, I was able to get, or I was able to get something close and make it work 'good enough."
The only part that almost became the end of me was the wagon specific fuel tank sending unit. I tried modifying a coupe/sedan unit utilizing pieces from a universal race car fuel cell sending unit and I couldn't get it to work right. I was finally able to find an original Wagon sending unit that I was led to believe was NOS. The guy knew what he had and he bent me over for it too. When it finally arrived, I found that it was used. But still, I HAD TO HAVE IT. It only took me about four months to get a working gas gauge.
I agree with the others that while we're a passionate group, in the grand scheme of the car hobby, we're a minority and the aftermarket parts suppliers aren't going to step up for such a small minority.
I still have my 68 Cougar that was my first car. When I first got it, 1978, my Dad was smart enough to order NOS parts from the dealership. As the years went on, those parts started drying up. They never had the following that Mustangs do which you can buy EVERY SINGLE PART for. Now, there has been a bit of a resurgence thanks to a handful of guys who hoarded the parts when they were plentiful and are now offering them to the public. Yes, a few of those guys know what they have and are charging astronomical prices for the stuff. But the others are just glad to see the stuff going to a good home in order to help even more of the cars get back on the road.
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Yeah, I really feel there's kind of a tight-knit fraternity of G-Body enthusiasts, and even more so with the wagons. I've already found and bought some hard-to-find parts from other forum members here. I'm really thankful for that support and network!
Another thing to keep in mind on what gets repoped depends letters & numbers (SS, GNX, 442, etc...) For Montes there are less SS cars than non SS but look for non SS dash & console trim in wood grain, front & rear bumper covers for example.
It really is unfortunate that is so hard to find parts for these. But like most of us, I understand why. I was shocked a few years ago when I first set out to find door panels because my front lowers were toast. That's when the reality hit me. Thankfully a couple of weekends ago I scored some lowers from a 4 door for free. My cousin has had the car for decades rotting into the ground in the woods behind his house. Going to be pulling the windshield out of it too as mine is cracked.
As someone stated, just have to be resourceful. You might not get free parts from a family member but you might find someone who has one that just wants the thing gone. Just gotta keep on keepin on
As someone stated, just have to be resourceful. You might not get free parts from a family member but you might find someone who has one that just wants the thing gone. Just gotta keep on keepin on
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