Here it is!!! Our new Charger 69 center grille reproduction!

[69charger440]

thats looking better already!! When will the full grill be ready, don't really want to purchase a part of the grill. Would rather get the Whole grill complete, and how about a price on the whole grill when completed

[Troy]

Just my random thoughts on this... I've seen complete NOS grills for around $5,000 (and they aren't selling). You'd have to beat that price by a large margin I'd think before you'll see brisk sales on a reproduction part. By the time someone ships (imports) and paints this one they'll have close to or more than $1,000 in it. In various talks with other people I've seen estimates of $700-900 for the entire grill (without trim - 5 pieces for 69 and 7 pieces for 68). Of course, if you're dealing with limited quantities/special orders you probably can't come close to that price. I'd certainly pay around $1,500 for a complete grill (which may be higher than others are willing to pay) but anything more than that and I can just have mine repaired. I have spares though - many people don't.

I'm glad someone finally took the initiative. I hope you are successful.

Troy

[bobfist]

Thanks guys for all the posts and questions.
Its a mess to set the right price on the parts, our currency (kronan) are much higher than the dollar so the production cost are higher here.
Thats the hard thing to beat then we want to sell for a "ok" price to you guys in the US.
We are talking about to set a even lower price just to get these grills sold so we can make the grille corners.
We also restore some cars so we dont have that much money to spend from our private accounts.

[Nassau1969]

I think $5000 K is high for a complete 69 NOS grille maybe $3500 $4000 grand, for $5000 you better have everything the actuators head lights hoses the whole bingo deal including shipping and insurance.  I have a complete NOS grille for a 69, I had allot of offers on it.  I have the 3 sections with head light doors and all the trim in NOS, I bought it about over 10 yrs ago its in perfect condition. The guy I bought it from was not heavily into mopars he bought I believe it was a Challenger and didn't even look in the trunk until sometime later and it was sitting in there the whole grille with no trim waiting to be found. I bought the entire trim set about 12 yrs ago.

[NorwayCharger]

Yep, as it goes "You can please some of the people all of the time, you can please all of the people some of the time, but you can't please all of the people all of the time."

You are doing a heck of a job so far, just trying to be encouraging.

 

[tan top]

like i already said in my previous post !!  you have done an awesome job !! with this  

like everything  its the cost !  not trying to stir any thing or turn this thread in how much    this much    no way rip off    etc etc ,   thats too expensive    !! are chebby parts that much ?? nope !   look at how much  some mopar parts are selling for on ebay   its a joke , what is used up shit in reality ,   but you read their ads & its like WOW you don't find them like this any more wow  just needs  this & that , two hours max to fix !!   look at pictures of said part !! ?? & its  shrapnel   & it needs throwing in the rubbish bin  ,     ( just look at what prices are being asked from rotted out mopars also  its a joke  ))) !!  price them fair & you will sell thousands , even to  the general lee charger mob converting their 68 & 70s !!!       think $495.00 US  is more than enough people would want to pay for a centre section !(just sell them in a raw state no paint or anything )  ,  any more can only see you selling a 10th of what you could to the money no object restos being done for collectors !!! ((no offence meant to anyone)) even  forgo making the corners  at this time just do a 68 centre section (((also & maybe the 70 grill ! although no offece to the 70 charger mob they were, not sold in the numbers & market is quite limited !)),  the corners are easier to repair & interchange both years !  think i'm going to get flamed now  but there is too much profiteering  from making & selling mopar parts , (((yes i know the cost of getting parts into the production stage & every business has to make a proffet to survive !!  no offence ment  )))
compared to the brand X parts  
 *****this is tantops own personal views & are not of www.dodgecharger.com ****

[440]

As expensive as Mopars are I think that's what helps keep them at the top of muscle car reputation.... They're not a dime a dozen..

Seeing a Mopar is like WOW !!
Seeing twice as many Brand X is like ehhh...

[tan top]

As expensive as Mopars are I think that's what helps keep them at the top of muscle car reputation.... They're not a dime a dozen..

Seeing a Mopar is like WOW !!
Seeing twice as many Brand X is like ehhh...

 valid points ,    agreed !!  

 why are they so expencive ??     only the  aero &  maxweges / superstocks , low production numbers etc etc  should comand high prices  
   the hobby has gone crazy  !!  wonder  how many  would own a mopar if  it was worthless & spend thousands of dollars building it , no offence ment to anyone  


i would  for one   , love the charger its the most beautiful shaped car ever built ! its perfect      not its value & media hype over the years

think i'm wrecking the grill thread, sorry guys  did not set out to , ! feel free to delete this , just got a bit carried away

[Troy]

I think $5000 K is high for a complete 69 NOS grille maybe $3500 $4000 grand, for $5000 you better have everything the actuators head lights hoses the whole bingo deal including shipping and insurance.  I have a complete NOS grille for a 69, I had allot of offers on it.  I have the 3 sections with head light doors and all the trim in NOS, I bought it about over 10 yrs ago its in perfect condition. The guy I bought it from was not heavily into mopars he bought I believe it was a Challenger and didn't even look in the trunk until sometime later and it was sitting in there the whole grille with no trim waiting to be found. I bought the entire trim set about 12 yrs ago.

Right, my point was that NOS isn't selling at that price ($5,000). It may not even be selling at much less than that. However, if the other four pieces were priced in line with this one you're looking at about $4,000 for the reproduction ($6,000 at the first price mentioned) and it still needs paint, trim, a frame, and all the headlight components. The people who can afford NOS will always prefer to buy NOS (if available) but that's a very small portion of the people who own these cars. The rest are hobbyists. I think it might be possible to sell the complete set of plastic for $1,500-2,000 but there would be a whole lot more buyers at $700-1,000. You'd still have about double that in it by the time it's ready to install. I can imagine spending $300 per end and possibly $450 for a center if I desperately needed them but I've also been known to buy stuff at prices that everyone else passed on.

Troy

[Old Moparz]

The grille looks good in the photos, I hope this project works out. 

There are several people on the forum who import & export regularly, maybe they can offer some information as to keep the overseas shipping fees down to make the part more enticing to someone who needs it. My guess is that a bulk order is the way to go, but a sample grille needs to be here so people can see it, touch it, test fit it, maybe even smell it. 

Good luck.   

[bull]

Where can I find more info on 8051 Polyolefin? Does it dissolve in the rain? Does it break when a bumble bee hits it? Does it vibrate in a 70 mph wind? Does it cause birth defects?

The grille looks good in the photos, I hope this project works out. 

There are several people on the forum who import & export regularly, maybe they can offer some information as to keep the overseas shipping fees down to make the part more enticing to someone who needs it. My guess is that a bulk order is the way to go, but a sample grille needs to be here so people can see it, touch it, test fit it, maybe even smell it. 

Good luck.   

What will probably happen (if this part is as good as we hope it is) is that some large vendor will buy the exclusive rights to it, add $300 to the price and sell it through their website. So if bobfist wants $500 per grill, someone like year one will guarantee a run purchase of 100 of them for $300-$400 each and flip them for $800-$1,000 each. Who wouldn't take a guaranteed $30,000-$40,000 payday over nickle and diming it with a bunch of individual customers?

[Old Moparz]

Where can I find more info on 8051 Polyolefin? Does it dissolve in the rain? Does it break when a bumble bee hits it? Does it vibrate in a 70 mph wind? Does it cause birth defects?

The grille looks good in the photos, I hope this project works out. 

There are several people on the forum who import & export regularly, maybe they can offer some information as to keep the overseas shipping fees down to make the part more enticing to someone who needs it. My guess is that a bulk order is the way to go, but a sample grille needs to be here so people can see it, touch it, test fit it, maybe even smell it. 

Good luck.   

What will probably happen (if this part is as good as we hope it is) is that some large vendor will buy the exclusive rights to it, add $300 to the price and sell it through their website. So if bobfist wants $500 per grill, someone like year one will guarantee a run purchase of 100 of them for $300-$400 each and flip them for $800-$1,000 each. Who wouldn't take a guaranteed $30,000-$40,000 payday over nickle and diming it with a bunch of individual customers?

That's a probable result, but if he wants to make more per grille he will sell them himself.

Back in the mid 80's I was at the Mopars at Englishtown show (when it was a huge show) selling used parts. Some guy came in & parked his car across from my space & set up a folding card table. He took out a bunch of reproduction, chromed, plastic armrest bases. This was back when there were almost NO repro parts being made for Mopars, so this guy did pretty well. I ended up talking to him all weekend, gave him some beer, & then he moved his table to my vending space & I was even able to buy a pair from him at his cost. It was great, it increased sales traffic & we both sold a lot of stuff.

On the last day of the weekend, Kramer came over & bought his entire inventory so he never had to take the boxes out of his car to set them up. At least I got the pair I needed.   

[bobfist]

0

[bull]

I could call them but I don't speak Swedish. And I'm sure it might as well be Greek once they start discussing the thermodynamics and tensile strength properties of Polyolefin nanocomposites.

Anyway, where "overseas" will the parts be shipped?

[Old Moparz]

It may be too short of notice, but it would be great if you were able to get one to the Carlisle show for display. If that isn't possible, there's the Mopar Nationals later in the summer. 

[Mike DC]

                  

IMHO charging any more than $500-700 (for all the plastic parts of the entire grille) would kill a lot of sales.  Charging any more than $1000-1200 would kill virtually all of them.  People in the hobby have been trained by 40 years of past experience that they should ALWAYS prefer a used original body part over a reproduction.

[tan top]

IMHO charging any more than $500-700 (for all the plastic parts of the entire grille) would kill a lot of sales.  Charging any more than $1000-1200 would kill virtually all of them.  People in the hobby have been trained by 40 years of past experience that they should ALWAYS prefer a used original body part over a reproduction. 

  very true   

[resq302]

                 

IMHO charging any more than $500-700 (for all the plastic parts of the entire grille) would kill a lot of sales.  Charging any more than $1000-1200 would kill virtually all of them.  People in the hobby have been trained by 40 years of past experience that they should ALWAYS prefer a used original body part over a reproduction.

I kinda have to disagree.  Usually that is the case but, sometimes (and I stress SOMETIMES) there are superior reproduction parts compared to originals.  Excellent example would be the instrument voltage limiter that is now solid state vs. the original points mechanical style.

[440]

$500 - $700 for a set of unfinished main plastic parts is quite reasonable I think.... I'd buy a set for that ...

[tan top]

                   

IMHO charging any more than $500-700 (for all the plastic parts of the entire grille) would kill a lot of sales.  Charging any more than $1000-1200 would kill virtually all of them.  People in the hobby have been trained by 40 years of past experience that they should ALWAYS prefer a used original body part over a reproduction.

I kinda have to disagree.  Usually that is the case but, sometimes (and I stress SOMETIMES) there are superior reproduction parts compared to originals.  Excellent example would be the instrument voltage limiter that is now solid state vs. the original points mechanical style.

yes , thats true 

$500 - $700 for a set of unfinished main plastic parts is quite reasonable I think.... I'd buy a set for that ...

yeah maybe that much for all three pieces  , but how i'm reading , his looking at well over $700 JUST for the center section

[440]

                 
IMHO charging any more than $500-700 (for all the plastic parts of the entire grille) would kill a lot of sales.  Charging any more than $1000-1200 would kill virtually all of them.  People in the hobby have been trained by 40 years of past experience that they should ALWAYS prefer a used original body part over a reproduction.

I was sort of quoting Mike stating that I think he's generally pretty spot on. Personally I'd buy a set if priced around $500 - $700, possibly even $800 if my grill was bad enough, but any more and I'd fix my own. I know it's hard for Bob to be competitive and profitable with a small operation and private money but $700 is a bit steep for me for the center only, but I'm sure there are a few who will probably buy them at that price

[bobfist]

Bull, i talked to the factory today and they produce the plastic parts installed on the new volvos so i guess thats the answer you ask for.
They dont use poor quality plastics and its the same we use

[Ghoste]

Have they done or are you planning to do any hot/cold cycle tests on the part or is it being released as is?  (not asking as a smartass or naysayer or even an engineer, I'm just asking)

[Mike DC]

Correction - with my earlier comments, I didn't mean to imply that reproduction parts are NEVER better than the originals. 

I just mean to say that people in the old car hobby have been trained to assume that the original part will be superior most of the time.  A new part might be better than the original but it has to overcome the stigma of being a new part. 

[Cooter]

I just mean to say that people in the old car hobby have been trained to assume that the original part will be superior most of the time.  A new part might be better than the original but it has to overcome the stigma of being a new part. 

Or broke ass people[Myself included] who just happen to like their '69 Charger's to have a pristine grille....I think IMO, THIS is the sole reason for not many selling at $700.00/center...But, he just might be geared towards the "Well off" to sell to and the rest will inevidably be driving round with cracked plastic just like some are doing right now with original/repaired fenders when $600.00/New fenders are out there.