Does anyone know why Bob Drake stopped making the 33 34 Ford running boards. Seams like there is still a market for them. Unused examples going up for sale are bring really good money.
Same reason they never fulfill any of their backorders. They did this before the “supply chain issues”.
If I remember when he was getting set up to produce the 1940 Ford body parts he took a trip overseas to line things up. Maybe supply problems or sales did not equal cost run .
Tou mean the guy with an entire room set up as a call center but never hired more than a couple to answer phones and take orders?
Diminishing need I would imagine. There's only so many cars left that need them. The cost for set-up and manufacturing is likely astronomical and getting worse. That's why him and so many others take deposits and firm commitments before taking the leap. I know a lot of people bash Drake, especially for his back-orders, but if it wasn't for his efforts over the many years, a lot of these Early Fords wouldn't still be around.
I agree, he has been the driving Ford force in many of the parts others would not attempt to do all the leg work required to get them into production, & granted not always the best prices around but does offer sales & shipping if you pay attention. I too wondered why he no longer offers the U.P.I. 32 5w product line of body panels ???
I think that the '40 Ford project and its' ultimate sale to Carpenter probably took a lot out of Mr. Drake. It was a project that he had worked toward for years. Perhaps it was too ambitious, perhaps funding dried up, who knows the whole story, but I commend him for doing something that was truly monumental when you consider all that was involved in bringing the project to fruition.
The boards may come back. When I was looking for a spare 40 standard grille I was told they were not going to be made anymore and they showed back up in Drakes online catalog recently. Maybe the 34/34 boards will do the same??
I suspect Bob may be working toward retirement, like many of us. If that is the case, it doesn't make sense to keep a lot of slow moving inventory on hand.
bob drake's part's were alway's the best quality out there but is business practices leave alot to be desired. i got caught on two of his ventures the catolog subscription and i was on the 34 grille waiting list for over two years
I miss the old V8 shop....I have there boards on my 34 and they have held up well....I think they were the first to repo them...
It costs quite a bit to make those boards, or any other part. I suspect that some companies make a batch, then a batch of something else. Eventually, they'll see a demand enough to warrant making another batch of what you want-or not. How many do you need to run in a batch vs how many people still want them? Diminishing numbers, I suspect.
You should start a Go Fund Me campaign to help Bob with the challenge of keeping everything in stock at all times. Realistically, think of the difficulty of keeping every last widget in stock so it is always available. Being a business man he has to weigh demand against the cost vendors want to produce those parts. Eventually most of his offerings come back, the ones gone forever were the really slow movers.
Not sure about the timeline, but maybe the emergence of Steve's Auto Restorations in the '34 might have had something to do with it? Just a wild guess on my part though. Chris
Right now that same company is probably pressing out lawnmower decks or some other ****, paying a 7 year old .36 cents an hour.
Me and a buddy were complaining about a Sacramento shop that never had anything in stock but "could order it for you". The last time I went I had a shopping list of 20+ different Model A parts and bolt sets and they had 4 of them in stock. My buddy had the same experience. These weren't oddball parts he wanted either, ignition components for a stock Model A and a few other bits to try and get a banger running. Whats the sense of having a brick and mortar warehouse if you don't stock anything? I can order the parts online cheaper but that convenience of local pick up is why you get to ask a premium price.
A lot of the stuff Drake has manufactured, is done in batches. 50 here, 50 there. When they're gone, they're gone until it makes sense to pay for another batch. There isn't a production line that can be fired up to make two running boards and it doesn't make financial sense to have a warehouse full of thousands of sheetmetal parts and hundreds of thousands of dollars tied up in parts that are going to take tens of years (if ever) to sell. We have to face the fact that we're a boutique market and not everything is going to be in stock all the time. You might notice that if one vendor doesn't have a certain item in stock, none of them do. That should give you a hint regarding the manufacturing and distribution process.
A lot of companies are supplied via Dennis Carpenter and they get some of their products in batches . When they are out the trickle down effect goes in motion.
Those Drake catalogs are works of art for sure, I can't imagine what they cost to print, no doubt a quan***y price & cheaper by the gross, almost too neat to ditch.
I recall years ago & yet in this modern day as we call it, the so called catalogs were nothing more than an artists rendition of the parts where as Drake excels in that regard with the real deal photo's to reflect the actual part.
I've 'cussed Bob on occasion, but truth be told, I could not have built the four old Fords I have done in the last 45 years with out him and his great products. So, hang in there Bob and thanks for what you do!
Hit right on the head. When I was looking for a replacement gas tank for my 53 Mainline, everybody I contacted got them thru Bob. Their sales people told me a new batch would be made in the fall, and that fall they were in stock.
Tried to buy a lawnmower? They're selling all they can make. OTOH, why retool to make 50 running boards that will mostly lie waiting.
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