Can anyone comment about the quality of Carpenter's (and others) new re-pop '55 grille? I'm thinking seriously about springing for one. Thanks, Brodie
Ask the country of origin before you buy,Carpenter has started a lot of outsourcing recently the rubber products are now Chinese or India origin and a lot of reports of inferior quality are showing up,I had vent rubbers fall apart in about 6 months.
Can't help you there, but when I had my five pieces rechromed two years ago (before the re-pops were available), it cost $750. And some recent chroming work I have had done has shown that prices have gone up +. A good core set for rechroming is about $125, plus shipping. The re-pop I saw was about $500, so I would guess it may not be an "A" car restoration quality. The three finish layers might be a little thin. But having experience with Carpenter, I expect they would take it back if you were not happy. Since Carpenter is not to far from you, the shipping should not be to bad if you sent it back. Or maybe you could ask them to bring a set to one of the shows to see: http://dennis-carpenter.com/showdates.aspx
Thanks FF55. I have all sorts of good "core" grill parts, but the cost to re-chrome has gotten stupid.
I had the four pieces under the center of the roof (inside terra) that secure the headliner on my CV rechomed two months ago .... $1,200. I agree - stupid. But I had no choice. Nobody re-pops these pieces (used only on 55/6 CV's, really small original production). I do however understand the high prices. The regulations to protect the workers and public (they use some nasty stuff) have resulted in the cost of operating and insurance going really high and many shops can't afford to comply. So about half have gone out of business over the last decade and those remaining have a high overhead to recover before they can even make a buck. So I can't blame the shops, although with limited compe***ion that is not to say that some don't take advantage. If you see or buy the re-pop, hope you will post your ***essment for the benefit or others.
I bought a Carpenter's grill and I'm quite happy with it. The OG one was wasted from lots of highway miles and it's visually a nice match to all the re-chromed stuff up front. Fit is good, finish is good, and for $500 it was cheaper than repair and re-chrome. That's my 2 cents!
Can someone tell me where's the best place to get replacement parking light socket/plate/wiring ***emblies? My original wiring's fallen apart and the sockets are pretty corroded.
Yutan Flash you should have probably started your own thread as you will get more response but here you go try napa or any like parts store in your area they are common parts.not trying to be an ***
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