Original v's N.O.S. v's Repo

[jennie285]

generally Rodney reckons original new old stock first, good second hand 2nd, as these always fit better, thirdly repro do appear to be some varying grades of quality, and rares are not the only people who do reproduce things.

It comes down to good advice from the forum...

[wbute]

All depends on how good original is and if you can find NOS at a good price. And some things just have to be repro like door trims.

[Blocker]

Great thread agr071!

I prefer Repo - cause you take what someone else has done all the work oh you meant Repro

[abncraig]

it all comes down to cost... think you got to research your product and work out what you want to do for your rebuild. I know I want a car that looks good and 90% correct but I won't be spending a fortune on NOS if good repro stuff is available,

[1BadVan]

Excellent thread. I prefer original even if it is not as high a quality as new old stock. For the following reasons money and I like my cars to retain some of their personality/originality, part of the fun for me in restoring a car is making the old look new again (I reallly enjoy this aspect and looking for that ellusive part that I can bring back to life again) and I don't want to be to scared to drive it.

[Absinth]

For me...... Nos if I can get it at a reasonable price...... good original if I can find it..... repair and re-furbish original parts. I always do rust repairs with good original metal hacked from a wrecked car or donor car.

Reproduction parts are an absolute last resort for me unless they are superb quality reproductions like the stuff Mick does, or those beautiful HQ GTS fascias Gregs mate has done.

[Rolla]

generally Rodney reckons original new old stock first, good second hand 2nd, as these always fit better, thirdly do appear to be some varying grades of quality, and rares are not the only people who do reproduce things.

It comes down to good advice from the forum...

I agree with Jennie. I generally go with new old stock first followed by good original second hand parts. Hmm i tend to steer clear from repo. Just isn't me. I guess you could say I'm a bit anal...

[HK1837]

NOS is good, but a lot of NOS stuff coming onto the market in the last 10 years was junk as it was GMH rejects that someone bought by the container load and dumped on Ebay. It all comes down to price.

[ozbox]

cost in buying quality should never be a factor because in the long run it WILL cost you more unless you can repair the second hand stuff that needs work which 90% of car restorers cannot..
ill take nos first ..
then good quality reproduction second..
and then original second hand..
even some of the not so good reproduction is better than chasing your arse across the country looking for elusive second hand ..
when it comes down to it the repro has a slight difference that most people will not know unless they get in your car and examine it with a magnifying glass..
most peoples perception of reproduction...[heres that 90% again]...is not from first hand experience,it is from what they have read on internet forums about non fitment or quality..
the 90%ers generally are good at pulling shit apart and never put them back together..
the 90%ers are also the people that for some reason influence there friends with there mechanical wisdom and this is generally where the misconception of reproduction parts being crap come from...END RANT...

--- Updated ---

Reproduction is at the bottom of my list unless it is Australian made, then I will give it a higher consideration if I can't find nice used.
The problem is knowing what is made here and what is not.

My van was mostly made in Australia, I would like to keep it that way as much as I can.

i would dearly love to buy oz made products but its NOT possible..

if a reproduction product is contracted to be made by an australian for an australian market with quality in mind then its going to be better than its comparable original item and it will be affordable ...in the end it doesnt matter where its made as long as its good and affordable..

btw...if you really research your vans oem parts you may be very surprised to discover that more of it is offshore production than you think..

[wbute]

Repro is great if its close to correct, like the 4 speed console insert and gts mirrors and exellant door trims and hood linings, not to mention brilliant stickers etc. Its stuff like poor gts steering wheels that sort of dont really work. Then there are things like ball joints that should not even be sold due to safety issues but what choice do you have really.
Things like second hand gts steering wheels are really no drama in my opinion. I enjoy repainting one and then using it. It may be worn smooth but isnt that what you are meant to do with one? Drive it and not touch the steering wheel is a bit out of my ability.
If you are doing a full on proper resto and are only intending to show the car then I can see the point in using all NOS stuff, but I will never do that cause I only have one lifetime and it may take most of it to finnish one plain old rebuild. I dont care if it takes me 20 years to do it cause I enjoy collecting all the bits as much as anything really. Its a hoby after all.