Avaliability of REPRODUCTION Charger bodies??

[nitrousn]

As I said on the Moparts thread, Given the RIDICULOUS amount of time it takes to get the repro patch panels (taiwanese garbage) to fit and line up right, you are only paying about 6-800 dollars more buying the full repro quarters.  That's money I'll gladly spend...especially given the fact that they are the correct gauge.  I won't, however, pay five grand for a set of quarters I can't see and touch first, so unless I see 'em at Carlisle, I won't be going home with 'em.

Thats my feeling exactly. My shop is excited to see and put them on. The sad thing is the company selling them has put the cart in front of the horse at this time.

[Arigmaster]

I am sure the prices they are going for right now have allot to do with off setting the cost of tooling. I am sure they are aware of the limited market demand based on production vs units still out there requiring the parts. Thus it is my opinion that they are looking to do a market study.

I agree. Would you care to donate 4,590.00 to the study? I know i sure would not and i surely wont. A study is one thing but these guys want your money up front.

I agree with Orange on this one too... I'd have to see them in parson before I'd shell out that kind of money...

[Dodge Don]

Felt like airing it out again.

Smells just as bad today....

[Highbanked Hauler]

I am sure the prices they are going for right now have allot to do with off setting the cost of tooling. I am sure they are aware of the limited market demand based on production vs units still out there requiring the parts. Thus it is my opinion that they are looking to do a market study.

I agree. Would you care to donate 4,590.00 to the study? I know i sure would not and i surely wont. A study is one thing but these guys want your money up front.

I agree with Orange on this one too... I'd have to see them in parson before I'd shell out that kind of money...

   I'll take it one step further,  I'd want to see one of these "loose hung" or" laying" on a car ready to weld with no screws or clamps holding it in place, that'll tell how well it fits and where your body lines are.

[Chatt69chgr]

Along these same lines, I saw in a magazine yesterday, a full page ad from Dynacorn for a complete 1967 Mustang Fastback body shell for about $16K.  I think they are the same folks that are selling the 67-69 Camaro body shell.  Those folks are for real.  Too bad they are not the ones offering the 68-70 charger body shell.   But I agree with other folks on here that whats really needed is the rear quarters and front fenders.  Plus a couple of other parts like lower rockers and maybe roofs.  I wonder if there is enough of a market for a complete body shell for the 2nd gen charger.  There are a whole lot of them out there that just need some decent replacement body panels reasonably priced.  It sounds like these guys are just testing the waters as it were.  If they get enough orders then they might tool up. Otherwise, they won't .  They did run a full page ad in one of the Mopar Magazines but the cost to do that is chicken feed compared to what its going to cost them to stamp out a whole body unless the Chinese have got this process down pat now and can do any car quickly.  I never cease to be amazed by the 1:18 scale models they make.  They are incredibly good for the miniscule amount of money they cost.  It could be the Chinese use computer driven machine tools to scan and produce the stamping dies.  If thats the case, all you need is a complete perfect car to start with.  Then let her rip.  It would be interesting if an insider could reveal exactly what process the Chinese are using to produce these body shells.  Personally, I don't need any of these parts right now but I know a lot of guys do.  It will be interesting to see how this all plays out. 

[TripleBlackGator]

Felt like airing it out again.

Smells just as bad today....

[Mike DC]

   
I agree.  We're having discussions about whole reproduction unibodies when we can't even buy a decent set of front fenders yet.
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I've never understood why the repro industry wants to make that kind of jump in the first place (directly from selling panels to selling whole car bodies).
IMHO, they should tool-up replacement sections of these cars' chassis and start selling those first:

Like, imagine buying a whole "rear clip" from Year One or the Paddock:  A huge crate arrives, containing a one-piece rear floor/frame section.  It's made of original-grade metal, the individual floor/subframe sections already welded together in precise alignment just like a Dyancorn Camaro . . . It sure would beat the current process of assembling your own "rear clip" into the rusty car using a collection of cheaper-grade floor sections and re-used junkyard subframe rails. 

They could do this, and it would mean ONE set of tooling would suffice for each platform (B-body, E-body, etc.).  Seems like that would make the cost more reasonable than anything on the outer skin of the car.  And the ONE set of tooling created for each subframe rail and each floor section . . . the same pieces could be sold separately in the catalog OR used for the "subframe" assemblies . . .