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Steve's Musclecars & Parts Closing #2579249
11/16/18 05:37 PM
11/16/18 05:37 PM
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 2,205
NW Arkansas
challengersteve Offline OP
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challengersteve  Offline OP
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Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 2,205
NW Arkansas
Hello Everyone, like the title says I am closing up the vintage Mopar parts sales business after 15 years and moving full time back into my vintage Mopar repair, service and restoration business. Those that know me know I have been a professional restoration tech and ASE master tech and paint/bodyman for my entire life and have built multiple cars that appeared on covers of magazines. The used parts business is just taking up too much time for the return and frankly, I see the used parts business dying as the reproduction parts have just destroyed the market for most items. We are cleaning up the property, selling or crushing 70 or so A B E C Body parts cars selling the property next spring and moving to a different part of the country to set up a restoration and repair shop. I will be selling CHEAP CHEAP CHEAP and have 5 buildings full of parts to get sold. I really do not want to crush or scrap anything but will have to if the parts cars are not gone by January. I have included a couple pictures so you can see what I have to get moved.

This is an idea on some of the work I do. The 70 Challenger RT SE came to me as a bare painted shell and I have painted on the tail stripe, detailed the under side with the correct undercoat, completely rebuilt the rear end (including installing new gears and rebuilding the sure grip unit), painting all the interior floors and firewall, installing a new lower radiator support and blending the paint at the front rails, repairing a little rust pitting on the one rail and blending everything to match.

The 67 Dodge Monaco has been a long term project but is finally ready to reassemble. I just finished paint on Monday and it turned out excellent. I have over 300 hours in getting the car painted (this is after the metalwork) and the results are truly high end showcar. It was super hard to get these 9 foot long quarters dead straight and it took 6 prime and block sessions alone to get this done. The car was also a color change so that was very intense also.
Thanks to all the great customers I have had the privilege of helping with parts and I look forward to working on and restoring Mopar Muscle Cars for years to come.

IMG_2264.JPGIMG_2248 (1).JPG
Re: Steve's Musclecars & Parts Closing [Re: challengersteve] #2579250
11/16/18 05:38 PM
11/16/18 05:38 PM
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 2,205
NW Arkansas
challengersteve Offline OP
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challengersteve  Offline OP
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Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 2,205
NW Arkansas
pictures of the 67 Monaco and yes that hood took a lot of sanding and blocking to get that straight

IMG_2423.JPGIMG_2425.JPG
Re: Steve's Musclecars & Parts Closing [Re: challengersteve] #2579252
11/16/18 05:39 PM
11/16/18 05:39 PM
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 2,205
NW Arkansas
challengersteve Offline OP
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challengersteve  Offline OP
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Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 2,205
NW Arkansas
70 Challenger pictures

IMG_2473.JPGIMG_2469.JPGIMG_2472.JPGIMG_2471.JPG
Re: Steve's Musclecars & Parts Closing [Re: challengersteve] #2579321
11/16/18 09:18 PM
11/16/18 09:18 PM

S
Superfreak
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Superfreak
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Good luck with the new endeavour.

Re: Steve's Musclecars & Parts Closing [Re: challengersteve] #2579323
11/16/18 09:20 PM
11/16/18 09:20 PM
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 3,518
Lansing, MI
70gtx440dana Offline
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70gtx440dana  Offline
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Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 3,518
Lansing, MI
Steve - good luck in your transition! I too am getting out of the parts sales side of the hobby. Too much effort for very little return these days.


70 Road Runner 383-4 4 speed FJ5 & black guts
70 Charger R/T 440-4 4 speed FJ5 & white guts
Re: Steve's Musclecars & Parts Closing [Re: challengersteve] #2579348
11/16/18 10:19 PM
11/16/18 10:19 PM
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 9,550
Sacramento CA
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Morty426 Offline
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Joined: Mar 2008
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Sacramento CA
Best of luck

There are plenty of people who do not want to use repo parts

Re: Steve's Musclecars & Parts Closing [Re: challengersteve] #2579351
11/16/18 10:24 PM
11/16/18 10:24 PM
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 2,205
NW Arkansas
challengersteve Offline OP
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challengersteve  Offline OP
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Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 2,205
NW Arkansas
Hello Morty, I am one who would rather recondition an original too.
Thanks, Steve

Re: Steve's Musclecars & Parts Closing [Re: challengersteve] #2579392
11/17/18 12:38 AM
11/17/18 12:38 AM
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 4,103
Horsham, Pa.
Finoke Offline
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Finoke  Offline
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 4,103
Horsham, Pa.
Thanks for all the parts over the years Steve and good to know you do resto!

Re: Steve's Musclecars & Parts Closing [Re: challengersteve] #2579613
11/17/18 05:16 PM
11/17/18 05:16 PM
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 403
Pittsburgh, PA
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Slotts Offline
mopar
Slotts  Offline
mopar
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Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 403
Pittsburgh, PA
Hey Steve,

Wow! It’s with mixed emotions I have after reading your post. The good news is you are closing a chapter and opening another that will give you the opportunity to pursue activities that you want to do for yourself. That had to be a hard decision to make, but good for you taking the steps to move on. I have always enjoyed our business dealings together.

I do understand with the onslaught of re-popped parts and the effect that currently range from sort of ok to just poor quality compared to real Mopar parts. With Mike at BE/A moving on, who offered licensed Mopar reproduction parts with part numbers, the focus now is being on making money instead of reproducing quality parts.

I hope the best for your transition. Once finished, I am sure that Monaco is going to give you that C body float ride down the road. Always like the looks of that model year.

Thank you for your years of service to the Mopar community. You will be missed.

Jim

Re: Steve's Musclecars & Parts Closing [Re: Slotts] #2580338
11/19/18 09:13 PM
11/19/18 09:13 PM
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 601
Wausau Wi
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Convertcuda Offline
mopar
Convertcuda  Offline
mopar
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Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 601
Wausau Wi
Steve thanks for all the cool parts over the years. Your a great person to work with.

Ken

Re: Steve's Musclecars & Parts Closing [Re: Convertcuda] #2580370
11/19/18 10:50 PM
11/19/18 10:50 PM
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 43,458
Round Lake Beach, Illinoisy
Rhinodart Offline
Rhinotruck
Rhinodart  Offline
Rhinotruck

Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 43,458
Round Lake Beach, Illinoisy
Sorry to hear you are closing the business, but it sounds like you know what you want to focus on, so good luck! I wish I had more time when I was down there to go through your yard, maybe I can make it down before the end of the year, I will be in Arkansas over Christmas, so maybe then. What part of the country are you moving to?


The funny thing about science is that if you change one miniscule parameter you change the entire outcome to the way you want it.

JB Rhinehart, Realist

A-Body's RULE!






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