It's a good day for the Gbody community

[tobyp]

I imagine getting GM to sell you a licence for reproductions must have been expensive but it's cheaper than a lawsuit. How difficult was it to get GM to let you manufacture reproductions?

You do not need a license to reproduce parts. You do need a license to advertise a GM Restoration Certified item. Does Moog, Pronto, Monroe, Worldpac, Autozone, Advance hold licenses to reproduce hard parts? Of course not, it is the same for crash and restoration items. We settled on a lawsuit from Ford Motor Company a few years back on their patented items covering the Mustang, F150, and other applications, so we are well versed in this arena. Guess what, we and USAP are the only companies allowed to distruibute Patented Ford Reproduced items.

http://www.keepautopartsaffordable.org/ ... heets.html

read here to learn

 

[pontiacgp]

Really?...I wonder why GM keeps winning their cases against companies who reproduce reproduction parts who are not licensed to reproduce trademarks owned by GM. You really need to talk to a trademark and patent lawyer who can explain to you what you can and can't do when it comes to trademarks and patents. I don' t think your pockets are as deep as GM's

http://jalopnik.com/5498989/gm-sues-rep ... ette-maker

GM Sues Replica Corvette Maker

and it's not only GM..

http://news.pickuptrucks.com/2011/02/fo ... -name.html

Ford Sues Ferrari Over F150 Name

 

[tobyp]

Really?...I wonder why GM keeps winning their cases against companies who reproduce reproduction parts who are not licensed to reproduce trademarks owned by GM. You really need to talk to a trademark and patent lawyer who can explain to you what you can and can't do when it comes to trademarks and patents. I don' t think your pockets are as deep as GM's

http://jalopnik.com/5498989/gm-sues-rep ... ette-maker

GM Sues Replica Corvette Maker

and it's not only GM..

http://news.pickuptrucks.com/2011/02/fo ... -name.html

Ford Sues Ferrari Over F150 Name

Point understood but when the MFG is created sometimes out of the same factories it becomes quite difficult to control. As in LKQ against FORD there is a patent existing that we LKQ are able to purchase and reproduce and sell. If it were to come down to it we would do the same thing with the other MFG. All the MFG wants is a piece of the profit. Will GM go back and patent every single part of a car that has been discontinued for decades, doubtful. But we will be ready if/when it happens as we were with Ford.

And yes, we have pretty deep pockets.

 

[oldsofb]

Back to my Cutlass Rear Wheel Wells. Any chance of those parts getting made, or knowledge of a MFG that makes them already? Actually, anything from the rear quarters back would be a good idea. The G-Body cars I see in the yards on the east coast look like the rear ends were all dipped in the ocean.

 

[Bweavy]

Back to my Cutlass Rear Wheel Wells. Any chance of those parts getting made, or knowledge of a MFG that makes them already? Actually, anything from the rear quarters back would be a good idea. The G-Body cars I see in the yards on the east coast look like the rear ends were all dipped in the ocean.

When ever any after market rear quarter is reproduced the outer wheel well housings are done as well. When the Monte's were done so were the outer. The inners are in the process for the montes currently. The Oldsmobile is the one Gbody that is famous for rot by the rear outer seat belts. Not sure why the other Gbody's do not rot like the Olds does. Being an Olds owner as well I think that the inners are a necessity on any Gbody. Same as the trunk pans. We had to cut a trunk pan out last week for a customer in PA.

pontiacgp the spare is a seperate piece & pretty generic on a Gbody. I think if they produce the trunk pan This would be a given part. Alot of those were removed in racing applications over the years. I have seen cars sell for $17,000 + that had a dented spare tire housing. Makes you wonder why that wasn't addressed before the sale.
What does that tri 5 sell for that you put the picture up of? I can't imagine it being a hi dollar part.

 

[pontiacgp]

ABS sells that spare tire wheel well for $89. There is none I can find for the G body and I only mentioned the wheel well is not part of the trunk floor due to a post mentioning to refab a trunk floor would be difficult with the spare tire well. It would be nice if the trunk floor was reproduced since 4 body mount locations are located in the trunk floor and it's easier to install a complete trunk floor than to rebuilt the channels and the body mount locations. Thy have trunk floors for A body and models before that so I guess in a few years they'll work their way up to include G bodies. Until then we fabricate what we need.

 

[Bweavy]

ABS sells that spare tire wheel well for $89. There is none I can find for the G body and I only mentioned the wheel well is not part of the trunk floor due to a post mentioning to refab a trunk floor would be difficult with the spare tire well. It would be nice if the trunk floor was reproduced since 4 body mount locations are located in the trunk floor and it's easier to install a complete trunk floor than to rebuilt the channels and the body mount locations. Thy have trunk floors for A body and models before that so I guess in a few years they'll work their way up to include G bodies. Until then we fabricate what we need.

I completely agree with you 100%. You have to understand Toby knows a lot about these cars but I do this for a living. That is why he contacted me. It isn't really ignorance on his part but unceratinty on some of his answer like the trunk pieces. We are able to compliment each other to get positive results. He knows what is required to get the parts built. I have the data on what we sell.

My grand thinking is one day I would like to have you drive up & pick out anything you can think of for your Grand Prix. In a few years I would like you to be able to stop by & watch a New Gbody being built ground up off of an old Shell.

The reality is we have to build parts like the t-top roof that will be huge seller so his company will see profits & want to continue building these items.

I have a pretty good Idea after 15 years of what is needed most & what guys can still get readily. I also know the customer base. In other words I know a price point at which items will sell. Trust me I have items that are over priced but due to manufacturing costs it is what it is.
This is what I really need from every one on here. Lets say you look at my site & you see what is available. You don't see what your looking for so you do not ask. That is why Toby started that thread if you could have anything for your car what would it be? There may be a huge demand for 81-87 GP quarters. But if they do not see it on the site they will not ask. We are trying to gear the parts with the needs. I get a request for 81- 87 Regal quarter panels weekly. They see SS quarter panels & a lot of other Regal parts. They assume they missed or didn't see it.

GP after market is terrible.This is why your input as a Gbody owner is so important.

 

[pontiacgp]

To be honest I'm not that interested since the parts will be made offshore. I willingly pay more for parts made in the US or Canada since my money is helping out the guy who lives down the street.

 

[tobyp]

To be honest I'm not that interested since the parts will be made offshore. I willingly pay more for parts made in the US or Canada since my money is helping out the guy who lives down the street.

Correct and agree 50% Ill give you the ingredients to the parts made and what jobs they create since we are in a global economy.

The paint is PPG, made in the USA
The cartons are virgin cardboard, made in the USA
The persons with the product management , in the USA
The tractor trailer driver used to take the parts to port, employed in the USA
Container loader USA employed
Distribution, all USA employed


America is filled with people from all over the world, we would be fools to think that a global economy would not eventually take place. Maybe you are more fortunate to afford parts made here and created here and distributed here. I know that many are less fortunate, or price conscious.

 

[pontiacgp]

Manufacturing is not going to be brought back here by sending more offshore. We did it to ourselves looking for cheap prices and it's up to us to turn that around. It's not that we can't afford the products make here, we can't afford to keep buying the same cheap crap.