Toby's cowl hood, fresh out of the box.

[xitabl442]

I didn't intend for this thread to go this direction at all, and I'll apologize to anyone that was offended. I just wanted to offer mine up for viewing, that's why I tried the video. I can take some profile pics of my car as well, but it's incomplete.
I did try to make my own hood, a W-25 style set of bolt on scoops. https://gbodyforum.com/threads/w-25-bolt-on-scoops-for-sale.52073/ I spent several months and a few hundred bucks on them only to throw them in the dumpster. They turned out exactly like I thought I wanted, but in the end I didn't like the way they looked on the car. Plus, because of some mistakes I made in building them, they were unstable in heat and collapsed in the middle after they were painted. I was even planning on changing them, but didn't want to spend anymore time that I didn't have on something that I wasn't sure I'd like. I'm glad I tried, because know I know I wouldn't like them.
Personally I didn't get the impression here that Toby was patting himself on the back, just saying that he had the experience in bringing these parts to production. I would love to have "Made in the USA" stamped on this hood, but if nobody here wanted to manufacture it, this is the only option.

 

[xitabl442]

There was too much stuff packed around my car to get much further away.

 

[88hurstolds]

Follows the lines of the car nicely, looks good!

 

[oldsofb]

I didn't intend for this thread to go this direction at all, and I'll apologize to anyone that was offended. I just wanted to offer mine up for viewing, that's why I tried the video.

I wasn't going to comment, but here I am.

Don't feel bad for the sh*t storm that broke out. This same line of off shore complaint happens every time an aftermarket part is discussed. I for one am happy that you posted this. It gives everyone an opportunity to see a "real world" out of the box part go on a car and to see how the fit and finish is. Anyone that isn't happy about where it's made can't complain about the quality, that's for sure.

I will say that it's getting old to constantly see the same posts every time about "Chinese crap". WE GET IT! It's not made here we know! Do we have to see it every time? Enough already! Someone wrote "It's the internet, get thicker skin". What does the form of communication have to do with treating each other civilly?

If you're at a car show and standing in front of someone who poured their love into an AMC Pacer, would you call him an *ss hat for picking such a crap car, or would you say cool, and walk away? If the stranger at the car show can be treated with respect, then why not the guy six states away on the computer?

This poor guy posts pics of his project and the newest part he snagged (thank you by the way, keep the pics coming) and for his effort he gets 2 pages of flames and ends up apologizing.....For His Own Post!! Sad.

Burn me if you want. That's what I think.

Hutch

 

[tobyp]

Hutch, You hit the head of the nail there! I think I am bitter after all the sh*t I have to put up with everyone flaming when a new product comes out. and not made here. It hit me in the right spot and the wrong time. I am very glad this hood is a hit. As for me representing. I am not paid to do so. I have also not been any part of the restoration line that my company offers for a year now. I have moved onto the entire crash market since the program is finished. So yes, I did have alot of responsibility in creating the part, the style, the design...which you all have worked on a deciding factor as well. I traveled overseas to monitor, fix, customize, make it functional, etc. So yes...I personally did these things on my own, with my company paying for the travel. The MFG paid for the tool. So, thank Yeou Wei for making the part. That is the factory. They have made a very famous MFG of step bars, and step bumpers for the past 30 years. Good factory. Gbodyparts did most if not all the test fitting. He also took a huge amount of the MOQ

 

[tobyp]

I would like to see the ridge down the middle eliminated or the hood more closely designed to look more like the FE3X Oldsmobile engineered hood rather than Chevrolet.
But in the end It's a nice hood, I commend GOODMARK for their development efforts.
I would like to see more products offered by GOODMARK for the G-body community.

There are about 80 tools that were created over the last 3 years of my doing the project so there are plenty to keep the car from being scorned at because of the lack of parts. It is a good start.

Especially lightweight aluminum weight savings products such as hoods and decklids

Alum products are too expensive to create since they take a different tool than steel. Brian at Gbody is trying to get the cowl hood mfg to make the deck lid


and rust repair products such as inner rocker panels

They have been available and out for those to buy for 6 months now


and fenders or collision products such as urethane bumper covers, header panels

Fenders may be a possibllity not now. Urethane bumper covers are an issue. I tested the Monte Carlo SS cover with a factory and the result was not good. If the market would accept modern day materials we could make flexible bumper cover style covers, but they would not be urethane. More of a TPO material

and bumpers.

Bumpers have been out for quite some time now, as well as bumperettes. Bumpers in black and chrome are readily available.

It would also be nice to see Cutlass console buckets and dash .

Too expensive to make them correct, rather not make something that is not right. Dash is 575,000$ tooling cost.

Not trying to start something here, just commenting on what's already been said and implied as far as Toby as a Goodmark rep...
I too find it very odd... I've never seen another rep for any company conduct themselves as he has regarding the line between their job and their personal life.

I am not a rep, I am a product development manager. I do not pay to advertise here, I usually do not even promote anything about the family of products I develop. I was given all the product developed and was tested on my car on my time. So this is where you get the "ownership" of the product, because honestly....I did do a crazy amount of it, alone with Brian at Gbodyparts.

It's cool that Toby likes what he's developing and gets into the products more than any other typical rep would but people get confused as to whom is doing what... he seems to be taking the credit for Goodmarks accomplishments and not presenting the name Goodmark as often as he should or conducting himself professionally enough as a representative of the company.

i am quite passionate. I am quite experienced on why the aftermaket has received such a terrible reputation and we, I whomever always hear the chinese junk crap in threads all the time. I just had enough of the crap.

Heck, the comments made in this thread would deem most company reps terminated from their position with their company since it potentially represents the company's opinions and views.

My supervisors are constantly sent these posts, and the mfg are constantly reading the peoples feedback about the product. I have no fear about putting out there what I have honestly done, because it is the truth and they understand it, know about it, see peoples feedback about overseas product and could care less about me sticking up for the line.

Like 90% of the corporations out there the decision to proceed with this market is made by the directors..

The decision to proceed with this line and the direction it took was up to me with approval from mgmt. After that, it was all my responsibility to make sure it was created, priced, and brought to market correctly at a fair price with a top notch quality factor.

I bet they could hand this project to someone else who gave to sh*ts about G-body's and the same products would result due to the market and financial research done.

Incorrect, anyone can make products for cars, and the product would be crap. I took my experience of the past 15 years being in the aftermarket and coupled the car I was needing parts for (the 81 cutlass) and used it as building blocks to see first hand what a person might need in a restore. As I continued I saw that I needed a car in worse shape, so I purchased the 85 442 which was purposely purchased rotted all to hell to see what is needed first hand, and to make the repairs of the prototype panels as true testament of the product working well years to come. I cannot say that others would have done what i did. You can be rest assured, all the parts that are out there went through two anal persons opinions before they came to market...Brian Weaver and me. I am not going to diss other distributors out there...But I know first hand that there is alot of product coming out for the 78-81 transam that is going to be junk from the practice this company is using to make the products.

a.. They are using used damaged parts to reverse engineer
b. No car on land to compare to for test fit 1
c. I know the company 😉


Also. when I develop a life saving medical device as a product development engineer I don't go publically into the marketplace and make it my own or brag about it being my accomplishment or THREATEN TO SUE PEOPLE with my company's lawyers and censor them if they criticize the product/company (especially after asking for criticism) or myself and my own personal private sales.

THis is a passion, and it was part of my career. It is different and I do not see medical devices as hobby toys for grown ups.

Ill address this politically since me and Mike have had quite a history. Ill answer some of your questions above in underlined italics, you need to double click to see the entire quoted conv.

 

[350-G]

Well like everyone else I have my opinion on this subject also. After visiting taiwan last year to approve a machine for the company I work for. I quickly realized just how good I have it. Ended up spending a week touring around Taipei seeing how people worked, lived and played. From the time I stepped off the plane to the minute before my flight out, I was treated with respect. hell, even when I walked into the new five story mall and looked around and saw that i was the only american in the whole place I never felt out of place. The flight back seemed to take days. When I landed back in Atlanta, the first thing that I said was damm I am glad I live in the USA. The point I want to make here is that everyone in this world is just trying to make a living and provide for their family. And belive me most of them in other countries are doing it for a lot less than we are here. My question to everyone is, what does it matter where a part is made as long as it fits and does what it was made to do and the person that paid for it is happy with it? And as far as being mad in the USA I buy whenever I can. If you get mad every time you here made in china or taiwan, then my suggestion to you would be to never turn on that 50" tv you have hanging on the wall or send a text on your smartphone. What you should be mad about is the person that is getting paid to work but is texting on their phone. Or someone updating their facebook status on the company pc, or trying to keep up with all their friends facebook pages to see who farted in the last five minutes. And if that does not bother you, then you have no right to complain about someone in another country that is willing to work and make products for your car while you sit there and watch the latest video gone viral on youtube.​

 

[oldsofb]

I have also not been any part of the restoration line that my company offers for a year now. I have moved onto the entire crash market since the program is finished.

Toby, thank you for your contribution to the G-Body family. I for one am loving the HUGE amount of parts available compared to a few years ago. It's been a good time to be a G-Body fan, especially where I live. There's 1 Cutlass in a yard in the three counties around me and it's about stripped clean. All the rest have been crushed. If it weren't for aftermarket sheet metal I'd be screwed.

 

[GP403]

Just wanted to throw my $.02 in and also throw a big thanks to Toby for seeing these things through..... With any luck more parts get made (and bought) and we end up with a thriving aftermarket, like what exists for "the classics." Will it be cheap? Hell, no, it won't be. But we didn't get into this hobby because it was cheap, did we?

As for Taiwan and China, hey this is the reality of today, like it or not. I may have my own opinions about that pandora's box, but it is what it is. If they're the only ones who will do it in a way that makes it possible and affordable for the market then that's how it has to be.

I don't think we (no names mentioned) need to go slamming anyone (yes I got the reports) personally because of it. Carry on.

 

[chophead]

I think the hood looks great btw. I myself like the air cleaner recess and the rear opening is better then the wide open area I have on my fiberglass hood. Also after seeing your pics of it fitted to your car it makes me jealous I am not at the body work stage yet. I do have a question or 2.
When you say scuff and shoot does that mean 320 on a da and seal, base the clear? Or red scotch bright? Also are yo7 red scotch brighting the underside or what prep work route do you go with?