Current State of Restoration Parts

I am wanting to build another project, I like the process of building one. I have this 70 Sattelite in mind that would make a nice resto mod car.
What I'm afraid of is the availability of parts. For instance I went on AMD and all the body parts for this car is back ordered, I'm afraid it could be a long time if ever.
For those who are in the process of how are you finding the wait times. I hear Legendary Interiors is almost a year wait and you must pay now.
Wanting your comments or experience. Like I said I am not sure too many people are starting a new project nowadays, which makes me wonder if these companies will ever get a new batch of parts.

Even if you do not need a part right now- you MUST purchase it if they have it because the reality is - once that item is sold there will be no restocking. Adds pressure to your build.

Since many Satellite parts are the same as a Road Runner would definitely be a plus on the aftermarket stuff. As mentioned above, the time to buy parts is when you see them.

I bought my Sport Satellite and then collected the parts, for next 10 years, before starting the restoration (this was 2002??) . . . was amazed back then, coming from C body world, that you could get anything for a B body !!! . . . not sure what things are like now, as others have said, if you can find parts you would need, get them while you can.

Don't forget, 1970 was 53 years ago !! . . . how many cars are left out there to be restored ?? Or, what about - heaven forbid, restored car gets hit ?? Are there parts to repair it ?? Or is it just going to be written off due to lack of parts . . . so perhaps even "stocking up" on things like fenders, doors, etc, "just in case"???

Interesting to hear what everyone is looking at . . .

Mark

Make a physical backorder personally, on AMDs website direct from them, and when the part is available you'll get it and will eat the expensive shipping too.

If you don't do that, then you can:

1. Backorder through a dealer, who may or may not enter your order when you give it to them

2. Wait until someone has it in stock and buy at that time

I chose the first option back in '20, I ordered the parts months before I actually was ready for them, I paid way too much for shipping but I got my parts and it worked out well.
First order was one quarter and the dutchman, second order was the other quarter and the roof skin. The wheelhouses, trunk floor and extensions were mixed in there.

Certain other things like the door skins were different. I found a blem on Jeg's site for a good price that needed 5 minutes with a hammer and dolly to make it perfect again, and found the other side
locally at Roseville Moparts, and it was on sale too.

Good rule of thumb is the right quarter panel always sells more than the left. Very common to find left ones in stock and right ones a couple months away.

I've stopped building project cars because the cost is super high, parts are hard to find and most important, a LOT of reproduction parts are useless garbage.

I just got sick of paying top dollar and waiting for weeks for parts that were total garbage when they showed up. I'd say that roughly 90% of the reproduction stuff made in China is garbage. On my last project I threw a lot of parts straight in the trash rather than even trying to put it on the car.

I am starting to lean towards the same conclusion. I hear others complaining on other sites also. I was comparing some parts I had bought in my last resto which was about 6 yrs ago, some were out of stock, and prices were up 30-40%.
I think I'm going to think about this a little before I jump in, I also find the cost of projects rediculously high. With the amount of out of stock parts at AMD you got to wonder if they will ever make some of those again on spec

I have shelves and shelves of 'new parts' that are not usable that have accumulated over the last 20 years or so. Between the lack of (quality) parts, lack of solid cars worthy of the time and money, and (dare I say it?) my age, I don't guess there are any more projects in my future either.

Now I have to figure out what to do with this stash of parts. The Cuda shouldn't be a problem when it's time comes.

Geez: if it comes to having to stock/have many spare parts, better just to have a 2nd one on hand.
If the hobby comes to that: you won't be seeing people driving their cars anymore. Sad

For decades my motto has been "one on the car, one on the shelf". You never know when some 20 year old texting her BFF is going to rear end you. I'm tired of walking the face of the earth for parts, I want to go back to my stash and just pull a part out.

i have a quantity of parts backordered from ledgendary, needed in a restoration of a 1973 dodge dart sport. time out is roughly 8 months plus.
these are door panels and seat covers.
the headliner was a 4 month [or so] wait from acme, as they are the only one who reproduces the cardboard headliner, and it isn't even cardboard, rather ABS plastic. [and i will NEVER do another one of these ! ]

i'm also one who likes to have spares on the shelf for my charger. [especially tin.]
i kind'a go by the "if i have it, i won't need it" ASSumption.......................

I have NOS spare parts for '79 Power Wagon and '89 Diplomat Police. I always knew nothing beats NOS but that's become more true than ever lately.

I wonder if COVID is still slowing the flow of parts? Manufacturers and shippers still unable to reach full staffing? Slackers enjoying unemployment or working only part time? Even if things ramped back up the quality of repro parts is pathetic.

i don't know how it is around you Larry, but the outfit i retired from [it was Rockwell International when i started there in 1973] after 45 years as a master machinist and shift supervisor, is, and has been begging for workers in all positions and shifts for years, and can't get workers.
even after raising starting wages to $15.50 per hour ! it took me 15 years to get to that wage, and when i retired, i was only making $19.90 per hour !
my position pays $38.60 per hour now, after the latest company buy out. [] i asked my old boss for a company t-shirt, and he told me i don't work there anymore, so i was SOL.

You mention the word "hobby" in your reply and that is fine but the whole BJ/Mecum auction crap has turned a hobby into a greedy scam that has ruined the "hobby" for the most of us

Gus

I think the internet has too. Feebay and such.

Same around here. Signs everywhere advertising for employees needed. Many are low paying laborer jobs but I see them all over! What's really frustrating is that I see panhandlers at major 4-way intersections standing in the heat for hours with their signs while two businesses at opposing corners have "Help Wanted" on their signs.

Restoration parts? Hell, what about service parts? And I'm not talkin' our 50 yr old cars, I mean anything built in the last 10-15 yrs. And if you do find it, its crap.

absolutely !
just look at MOOG, the suspension go to we all used for everything for every year and model vehicle, classic or every day driver, as [at one time, now in the DISTANT past] they were the BEST bar none. now, they are junk and who does one go to now ?

It would appear that Parts Suppliers, like Car Makers, don't want to be bothered with stocking stuff past 10 years or so.
If it wasn't for the reproduction market these days, really doubt any cars past 20-25 years could be restored.
Use to be able to buy at least used parts for these older cars, but that's even drying up recently.
More people restoring certain cars these days, which would have been parts-cars some years ago.

So true. So many company's products that you never had to second guess for quality are no longer quality. Moog is one for sure and I've been hearing negative about Milodon and Felpro now too. Non-automotive is Sony.

As far as a replacement for Moog; I've been hearing good stuff about Mivotech suspension parts. Have not had opportunity to try them myself but next time I do front end on my '89 Diplomat that's what I'm going to try if I can't find NOS.

I was on Rock Auto, looking for parts for my 2011 Ram, their dropdown list shows my year of Ram as the last year. Does this mean in a year from now they are going to drop 2011?
Its true car companies don't want to stock parts anymore, they rely on aftermarket.

It's either a conspiracy to prevent the world from servicing old cars and to prevent anyone from making any money on the parts......

...... or....

..... 2011 was the first year for the RAM brand as opposed to the Dodge brand, RAM model.

Take your pick, but the first choice would follow traditional Moparts "Logic".

Personally, I love the access to reproduction parts that I do have, but I figure the day I stop being a parts scrounger is the day I stop being a Mopar guy.
The two go hand in hand and always have. But that's me and I'm nobody.

I still have pretty good luck with Oreilly's locally on hard parts. They are usually in town or a day away. All of the others including Napa, Advance etc

your old boss sounds like a roll of cheap but wipe 💩

I laughed way too hard at this comment.

*sigh*

Wall Street Journal newspaper had a fairly long article a few days ago about companies that have recently switched to concentrating their hiring on OLDER WORKERS only, because their “work ethic” advantage outweighed their “aches & pains” physical limitations.

Is the best compromise to have
a 65+ age worker
directing a new robot that can lift 2000 lbs with one arm
but whose robot fingers have the dexterity to thread a needle?

Read this as well. Talked about employers frustration with needy younger workers, and their lack of work ethic, focusing on their phones instead of work, and their overall concern with "me" over everything else while the older worker was ultra reliable, always on time and had far greater work ethic.

For trucks older than 2011 you have to choose "Dodge" instead of "Ram."

Unless you have the most popular versions of whatever vehicle you work on, you're SOL. That's why I'm about to bite the bullet and convert to an E-body HVAC system, Harley-Davidson secondary lights to replace my clouded and scratched marker light lenses, etc. And I'm really hosed if I have to re-do the sending unit in my fuel tank again. At least I can find hard parts (suspension, axles, brakes, engine) easily enough.

Maybe I should've built a Duster instead.

These exact reasons are why I scout ebay, craigslist and sites like this one and even if I don't need it "right now today" if it fits one of my vehicles and especially if it's something I've had to replace on one of my like vehicles in the past or expendable part's like brake, suspension, tune up, and it's a reputable brand from " back then" and it looks like it's in packaging from "back then" I buy it. I have enough old stock niehoff ignition parts for instance to fit /6 and small blocks to last me a lifetime. All the old stock moog I can find that fits my junk, same thing with the stories I hear about their current lineup all the time....
For HVAC parts I look for new but old Murray and 4 seasons stuff.

the correct spelling is BUTT wipe.

when i was working, the ONLY time i was off was during vacation days, holidays [sometimes not even then !], and in the last couple of years before retirement, the very last day of inventory time when ALL of the paperwork was collected from the inventory and sorted. i still had to deal with the paperwork afterward, but at least i didn't have to climb all over it and the racks it was stored on, to retrieve the paperwork. the other time i unexpectedly took off, was when i contracted pneumonia. i was off for a little over three weeks that time. i probably should have been off more, but as there was no "paid sick days", i had to get back to work to pay the bills.
after one vicious snow storm in which we got several [3+] feet of snow, i mounted up an unmatched but same size [within an inch or so ] set of new 14" [real] winter tires [bias ply at that] i had laying around for years, and installed them on my old '74 newyorker 2dr. i was running as my daily driver at the time. i did, however, leave the skirts off, in case i got REALLY stuck. off to work i went.......[remember, i worked midnight's !]
so on to the interstate i went, 18miles on it, then 3 miles to the parking lot at work. the interstate had been plowed before, but there was still a foot or more of snow on it, and the front bumper was "plowing" as i went, allowing those "real" winter tires to work, with a lot of help from the sure-grip rear with the 2.94 gears. i had to be real easy with the loud pedal, as just the tiniest bit too much, and the old 440 [with a ton of miles on it, but i don't remember just how many] would smoke them, er, break them loose in the snow.........
no traffic at all [no surprise there] and both truck stops [one each east and west bound] i passed were jammed with rigs, including many parked on both sides of the entrance an exit ramps, as well as on the berms leading to and coming from those stops for at least 1/2 mile.
i finally make it to work, on time no less, and early[er as i would normally be as well] ! not being surprised, i see no cars in the unplowed parking lot.
as i had keys to the building, unlocked the doors, fired up the compressor, started the coffee pot [the MOST important job of all ! ] and turned on all the equipment and machines to warm up getting ready for the shift's normal run time.
after 20 minutes or so, none of my guys showed and i got no phone call offs, so i started the show without them. that kept me humpin' all night to [at least try to] keep production up so the day shift could work !
my boss showed up about 6:30am, [he is usually here by 5:30-5:45] and as usual, i had HIS coffee on ! it's BETTER than the big pot i HAVE to get going for the REGULAR day shift guys............
anyway, he asks me what i'm doing there ? my shift was CALLED OFF.
HUH ????????????????? I DIDN'T GET ANY CALL...............
he said i "should have known better" [???????]..........but thanks [in a kind of underhanded way] for showing up and getting "something" for day shift "to do"......... [thanks.......BOSS........ ]
well, that ended up as water under the bridge, and after a few company buy-outs, i'm retired, he is still there [i think] and still has a few [10 maybe ?] years to go........... and did i mention my [former] position currently pays $38.60 and i didn't even "receive the shirt" ?

Oh you and your King's English

HAHAHAHAHA !!!!!!!!!!!!!

And where do you think Oreilly's gets those parts to sell??
They don't make them.
When their source(s) are dried up, so will they.
YearOne did the same years ago, when they were selling NOS OEM parts.
But not so much these days.

I was afraid it would get censored or I might get another no warning lockout 💩🙄😳

A memory you might enjoy...I know I enjoyed the look back:

Grow up with a Mother who was a substitute English teacher.

This right here is why I am buying the nicest car I could find. It was not cheap but it was a LOT cheaper than messing around with another project. I am picking up the car the first week of May, will post pics then.