Is anyone besides PG Classic/BE&A reproducing console hardware? RED FLAG!!!

[bull]

Just wondering. I've heard there are some new reproduction top plates out there that were not made by PG Classic/BE&A but can't verify it. Anyone else heard this bit of info?

[bull]

So I'm looking at Ebay the other day and I see a four speed console top plate listed as new, which I assume either someone is selling as an independent distributor of the PG Classic/BE&A part or more likely that they bought it from PG Classic/BE&A for their own project and now they have to dump it.

Naturally I email the seller with some questions regarding the production and he tells me it's neither a PG Classic or a BE&A part but it is new. HUH? So I email the seller back asking who makes it if not PG Classic/BE&A and he tells me "I have a private manufacturer that makes these plates." HUH? So I email him a third time to ask even more questions such as where is it made (USA or offshore), do you use the same pot metal manufacturing/materials process as Chrysler originally did back in 66-68 (the auction says just like original), do you make the rest of the console hardware, etc. I just asked the third round of questions a few minutes ago so no response yet but I have to say I'm very surprised there's now some competition in this category.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/66-68-MOPAR-ROADRUNNER-CHARGER-GTX-4-SP-CONSOLE-PLATE_W0QQitemZ230364669673QQcmdZViewItemQQptZMotors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories?hash=item35a2cde6e9&_trksid=p3911.c0.m14

[68r/t]

It would be nice for some competition with alot of the PG parts, I bought the whole console kit and it is nice but the price is steep, The price of the one listed above is only $6 cheaper than PGs.

[gtx6970]

Just how curious are you ?
sounds like theres one way to find out


http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/66-68-MOPAR-ROADRUNNER-CHARGER-GTX-4-SP-CONSOLE-PLATE_W0QQitemZ330355694538QQihZ014QQcategoryZ34208QQcmdZViewItem

[bull]

Just how curious are you ?
sounds like theres one way to find out


http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/66-68-MOPAR-ROADRUNNER-CHARGER-GTX-4-SP-CONSOLE-PLATE_W0QQitemZ330355694538QQihZ014QQcategoryZ34208QQcmdZViewItem

Right. Did you happen to read my second post?

[Brock Lee]

You may not get an answer as to where they are made. They are probably being "backdoored" by the actual manufacturer that is making them for PG Classics. This happened years ago with the console bodies. The manufacturer backdoored to anyone that inquired and word spread. The people that paid for the tooling and setup ended up having to compete with their own product.

[bull]

If so he's backdooring a whole lot of stuff: http://motors.shop.ebay.com/merchant/jiema8_W0QQ_nkwZQQ_armrsZ1QQ_fromZQQ_ipgZ

[Belgium R/T -68]

Please explain backdooring.

Per

[mauve66]

don't buy this console top plate, he stated that all the plates he had were just like the one i got for $235, it was bent, he said he couldn't send me a new one due to all of his being made the same way
see links on this

pics of bent console
http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,58972.0.html

got my money back finally
http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,59602.0.html

[mauve66]

i found a post several weeks ago by someone from B&E (i think) that was saying someone was out their selling out of spec plates, i assume it was this seller
still hoping i can find a well used one like the one i gave up before this fiasco happened

[bull]

There's probably no real hurry is there? Why not just save up the extra $200?

[maxwellwedge]

You may not get an answer as to where they are made. They are probably being "backdoored" by the actual manufacturer that is making them for PG Classics. This happened years ago with the console bodies. The manufacturer backdoored to anyone that inquired and word spread. The people that paid for the tooling and setup ended up having to compete with their own product.

The Chinese do this to everyone, on any kind of product you can think of. I know people that go there for months patrolling factories to see what they are making off of other peoples tooling. If they see product they like, they will start importing it as well.

[mauve66]

There's probably no real hurry is there? Why not just save up the extra $200?

well yeah, i have to now...................... seems like all the well used console tops people want over $200 for, thats what i get for giving away the one i got for $75

[bull]

There's probably no real hurry is there? Why not just save up the extra $200?

well yeah, i have to now...................... seems like all the well used console tops people want over $200 for, thats what i get for giving away the one i got for $75

I'm not getting rid of anything until I've purchased and at least test fit everything I'm going to need.

[bull]

Now that I have my money back I'm ready to unload.

These console plates and the person selling them are of low quality! Actually, let me rephrase that. The plates look pretty decent but they don't fit right due to a nasty curvature which apparently means they weren't made right and/or were pulled out of the oven too quickly. Here's a thread about mauve66's experience: http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,58972.0.html Unfortunately I didn't see his thread beforehand and went ahead with the purchase only to find exactly the same problem once mine arrived. I'm actually half-convinced that I was sent the same plate Robert (mauve66) returned.

Anyway, Robert may or may not say anything against the seller, and I'm not trying to drag him into this, but I will make sure my fellow Charger.com members are warned. The Ebay username of the seller is jiema8 and he/she is selling parts they know to be defective and are misrepresenting the condition. I will admit jiema8 was good about handling my return and refund (although communication was lax) but I believe this seller is simply trying to dump this part on someone who's not savvy enough to look very closely at the part prior to the expiration of the 7-day return policy. This seller knows the part is screwed up and is trying to sell it as if it's not. In my book that is deceptive and dishonest. Beware, don't get burned. I'm only out the cost of return shipping; I'd hate to see someone lose much more.

[Dans 68]

There's probably no real hurry is there? Why not just save up the extra $200?

well yeah, i have to now...................... seems like all the well used console tops people want over $200 for, thats what i get for giving away the one i got for $75

I'm not getting rid of anything until I've purchased and at least test fit everything I'm going to need.

If you have the room do not get rid of anything. Words of Wisdom for today....

Dan

[bull]

There's probably no real hurry is there? Why not just save up the extra $200?

well yeah, i have to now...................... seems like all the well used console tops people want over $200 for, thats what i get for giving away the one i got for $75

I'm not getting rid of anything until I've purchased and at least test fit everything I'm going to need.

If you have the room do not get rid of anything. Words of Wisdom for today....

Dan

It might be a bit extreme to say don't get rid of anything because I happily chucked my rotton exhaust system, my cancerous quarter panel, my mangled speaker tray, etc...  But I think I get your drift.

[chargergirl]

Write on freezer baggies come in all sizes and work really well for keeping all those pesky, little, hard to find, impossible to replace, easily lost pieces. We just put up 2 A-body consoles that had all the hardware with them. Little parts in baggie and placed inside console with what they were for written on the baggie. The consoles are  NON Smoking consoles from the factory...wild!

[mauve66]

update, i have now purchased 3 of the 4 spd console top plates from ebay, the original 1 from the same seller as Bull and 2 others from "regular guys" who swear that their plate is perfect, they all looked the same as the original one i bought (just like Bulls, the sides that are normally black on our cars is white on these, almost silver in some pics).
all 3 plates have been bent to some point and the latest one is even a little too narrow to catch the notch on the side of the console base to hold it in place on top
i strongly reccomend that no one ever buy a plate off ebay unless you going through a reliable company
the first one i bought, i got my money back on, i forgot to do the feedback
the 2nd one i bought, i got my money back on, seller had a perfect feedback and admitted they hadn't actually placed it on top of an actual console, haven't seen them try to sell it since, never left feedback
the 3rd one is currently going back to the seller, waiting for refund, seller states it fits his console perfect,
since getting the last one i have borrowed several other top plates and test fitted them to my console again, (just like i did the first time), all plates fit my console perfectly EXCEPT for those chrome and white ones on EBAY

this is the current ad from the original seller who was ALSO the same seller that the 3rd guy's box came from that says it fit his console perfectly

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/66-68-MOPAR-ROADRUNNER-CHARGER-GTX-4-SP-CONSOLE-PLATE_W0QQitemZ230437834717QQcmdZViewItemQQptZMotors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories?hash=item35a72a4fdd

[66FBCharger]

 

[six-tee-nine]

  Hmmmm I think i'll drop the extra cash for the BE&A part.

I'm sorry for the bad experience guys but thanks for sharing and the warning.

[mauve66]

as a slight correction, i have noticed that PG Classics is selling a top plate that has the white edges also and unless someone has had a problem i would guess that theirs is ok, the extra ones on ebay are probably product runs that didnt meet spec, rejected by PG/BEA,  and were sold out the back door of the factory instead of scrapping them

[Belgium R/T -68]

Here is my console from PG/BE&A, perfect fit for a console with that age.

Per