junkyard/o.e.m parts...or..aftermarket???

[redeyewelder]

ive been building cars/hotrods/customs and retros,,for sum years,,,i in no way clame to know everything...but in my years ive come to love oem parts,,,and doner cars,,,,,doing the research to find the one that best fits is the hardst part sometimz,,,,, ive had and heard the horror stories about the fatman susp...and others,,,just a pole to see other opinions....

could be a cool thread and could help the diy builder,,,,,,and my next is weather to keep my stock 51merc susp. or clip it,,,

[studebaker eric]

seeing some of the horror stories on here regarding some of the aftermarket parts has just reinforced my desire to use oem parts even further. I like the fact that the factory spent development time and money on something for both safety, and so they wouldn't have to warranty it out.

[johnybsic]

I used to think everything aftermarket was an "Upgrade"... Not so much anymore.
I like OEM stuff. If you do your homework you can get some great stuff. Junkyards are the best.

[caseyrod]

my high school auto mechanics teacher who was and old hot rodder and ex drag racer all ways said that manufacture parts were engineer much better than most after market.i all ways carried that with me 80% off what i use come from junk yards.when it comes to suspensions kits are my last resort,when possible subframe is my preference.my 2 cents

[squirrel]

The more I work on cars, the more I like old parts.

[Cadzook]

I feel that a lot of the aftermarket stuff is not so much "engineered", but just designed by guys like us. And then built cheaply. There are exceptions, although rare.
When I built my Cadillac vitually everything came from a wrecking yard.
I also attempt to emulate the way things are done by the car manufacturers. A lot of questions on this board concern shakey builds where people don't follow the example of the manufacturer.
A lot of the aftermarket stuff seems to be of the "flavor of the month", where people just have to have a certain brand.
The neat thing about using wrecking yard parts is that there is a great deal of interchangeability over a large span of years and even if the part is not a direct "bolt on" a lot of the elements are the same.
I trust the OEM parts to not leave me stranded and if they do fail are more readily available.

~Alden

[stillrunners]

OEM...it's lasted a loooong time.... how long you been unning that aftermarket?.....metal was alot better back when....just ask a bodyman...

[fordor41]

I use OEM parts because they were designed by engineers to last for years. My experience with aftermarket parts is ill-fitting, under/no engineering, no/little tech support. No one is going to convince me that some billet engine bracket will outlast or perform better than any OEM part plus I can find a part in a day not wait a week for it to arrive . my opinion.

[chubbie]

Good thread, nice to know others think like i do. I remember a TV car show on ESPN, host Ted Jones. He said this car made his top ten pick, "because it had all the RIGHT stuff!" then he started to name all the aftermarket parts and manufactures. didn't say any thing about the car

[spooler41]

You have to remember ,some, if not a great deal, of the parts we use ,are not made in the OEM world. A great many ,such as adapter motor mounts and trans. adapters have no direct replacement from OEM suppliers. When you really think about it's a much bigger list.

...............Jack

[a50merc]

OEM parts all the way unless you can't find them
then you make them your self
and if all else fails, then & only then
buy aftermarket
just my 3.5 cents

[Ned Ludd]

Originally Posted by spooler41

You have to remember ,some, if not a great deal, of the parts we use ,are not made in the OEM world. A great many ,such as adapter motor mounts and trans. adapters have no direct replacement from OEM suppliers. When you really think about it's a much bigger list.

...............Jack

True. Add to that they're not making any more of the OEM parts we want: they're not a renewable resource, to use the current term.

A lot of the OEM parts were designed with the OEMs' level of plant capitalization in mind, and with reason. It keeps the competition out. A direct copy made on a simpler, smaller basis is likely to be of inferior quality for that reason. I'm all for the aftermarket, and truth be told no friend of the OEMs; but the aftermarket should be designing with the techniques of manufacture it can use best in mind, not cut-price versions of large-scale methods.

[38fordpickup]

I am a junkyard scrounger by necessity. I live by the adage that there is a relatively cheap and plentiful junkyard solution to most of the problems that I will ever encounter.

[Dog Dish Deluxe]

Junkyard for sure. Pretty much anything new is junk these days, even the brands that used to stand for quality are mostly just shit now.

[redeyewelder]

just look for the D.O.T number.... if it says "for off road use only" RUN!!!!,,,lol

[dadsdreamcar]

I have never even had a set of aftermarket valve covers the wouldn't leak. Makes me prety leary of the rest of the crap they churn out.

[Cutlassboy68]

Ive just about quit using aftermarket and repop parts, 90% of the time they dont fit and sometimes you cant even modify them to fit... I love junk yard parts and NOS... but NOS is so darn expensive I typically stick to junkyards

[Gman0046]

For me its OEM or nothing. Most after market stuff is from China made by small children. The parts are inferior quality and don't fit. Once ordered Chicom 56 Chevy tail lights that were 1/4 inch shorter then the originals. Used a set of OEM's instead.

[Cutlassboy68]

By the way I forgot to mention my favorite saying about aftermarket and repop parts...

Confucius say, Man who take '56 rick shaw to work knows nothing of a '56 chevy...

[caseyrod]

I subscribe to cadzook philosophy.thats where the true hotrodder roots are at.