OPG has a Corvair catalog coming soon

[Am-Iron]

Dave Most of us have several, I have a 61 lakewood, 65 Corsa Convertible, 61 Greenbrier Sport Van, 65 Corsa Coupe, a 64 Rampside, and last but not least a 65 Mid engine V8 Vintage Race car project. It is great news that OPGI is taking an interest in the Corvair.

[SyntheticBlnkerFluid]

I'm glad to see this. I have used products from OPGI in the past and think it's great that the Corvair is being taken into consideration for once by someone.

For those who are worried about other vendors, I think that most of them have enough of an established customer base, that no one needs to worry about them disappearing.

Realize that OPGI has the means to reproduce stuff that even the current vendors can't reproduce.


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[dave t]

66varguy, I have already identified all the weatherstrips for all the corvair's. I will check tomorrow to see if the felts (fuzzies) have a stainless bead. Others from that manufacturer have 'em. However, if stock they do not,.most.likely these don't.

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[Roelof]

Dave at OPG - Would you folks consider making the door beltline window felts with a stainless bead (like all the other Chevys used) instead of the stock (and cheap looking) black painted metal felt units. At one time somebody made them in stainless steel for the Corvair, but no longer.

I bought a shiny set for my '66 last year from Rafee. He might still stock them.
Roelof

[66vairguy]

Dave at OPG - Would you folks consider making the door beltline window felts with a stainless bead (like all the other Chevys used) instead of the stock (and cheap looking) black painted metal felt units. At one time somebody made them in stainless steel for the Corvair, but no longer.

I bought a shiny set for my '66 last year from Rafee. He might still stock them.
Roelof

Roelof - Thanks for the Rafee info.

Dave - I see OPG use fuzzies from REPOP and some are stainless, some are chromed. For obvious reasons I would prefer a stainless bead.

[notched]

I can say that it would be nice to have another parts choice. One of the things I have noticed that has been getting difficult to source are replacement body panels. Clark's has had a lot of patch panels made, but finding full 1/4's, fenders, door skins for late models has been getting increasingly difficult.

[toytron]

One thing some of us need to realize is that some of our vendors request that we indicate an interest for certain parts that they currently do not have. Once there is enough interest then they would invest in the reproduction of those parts.
Reproduction panels are not cheap to make because you don't just buy the material, you also buy the stamping molds. Molds also wear out so then you repair or replace them. Volume is the only way to make a profit on them so let Clark's know. Clark's and others have a true passion for these cars it is not just a business to them.

Ed Stevenson

[bbodie52]

Clark's "true passion" for Corvairs can be seen by viewing the Clark's Corvair Parts tour videos at the link below...

CLARK'S CORVAIR PARTS TOUR — VIDEOS
viewtopic.php?f=81&t=6004&p=41108#p41108

[66vairguy]

One thing some of us need to realize is that some of our vendors request that we indicate an interest for certain parts that they currently do not have. Once there is enough interest then they would invest in the reproduction of those parts.
Reproduction panels are not cheap to make because you don't just buy the material, you also buy the stamping molds. Molds also wear out so then you repair or replace them. Volume is the only way to make a profit on them so let Clark's know. Clark's and others have a true passion for these cars it is not just a business to them.

Ed Stevenson

Ed, a good point about want vs. demand. Clark's has made items that they invested heavily in and then it took years to sell off the stock. They do warn folks that an item is running out of stock, and due to the slow demand and high cost of inventory they are NOT going to restock an item. At one time Clark's sold reproduction LM headlight bezels and then sold out. I called them to see when they would be back in stock and was told "The demand just wasn't there and we don't plan on restocking at this time". Same with Seth Emerson - he spent a few years getting making an adapter to fit the wood steering wheel to the special 64-66 steering shaft. He got a lot of encouragement to make it and he invested in tooling. After he had them produced he said it took a long time to sell enough just to break even.

[toytron]

Yes, when I work for a toy inventing firm the rule of thumb was that we would try and make a toy that cost the manufacturer $3.00 to make and they would sell it to places like Toys-R-Us for $15.00 who would then sell it to the public for $20.00 so there was not as much profit in the retailer as people would think. They would try and recoup on volume. The manufacturer would/should be the one making the profit but they are also the ones who invest in the tooling and engineering.

Ed Stevenson

[SyntheticBlnkerFluid]

The problem that I'm seeing here and on other forms of social media with the Corvair groups, is that people are already starting to naysay OPGI.

I know for a fact that Clark's does listen to what we request, but somethings just are not feasible to produce from both a financial standpoint and a sales standpoint. A place like OPGI can produce reproduction parts because they have the financial backing from all the other car makes that they make money with.

It seems people forget and I have to sound like a broken record, but Clark's is not the end-all be-all. There are other Corvair specific vendors out there, but Clark's is the one that has invested the most time and money into having a very selective inventory. However, they cannot make everything because they don't have unlimited resources.

This is a good reason to have another distributor of parts. Nobody's going to be taking away business from Clark's, I imagine everyone will still be buying parts for them years from now.

Why don't we just give OPGI a chance and not hate on them before we even get to see what type of inventory they are going to have for us.


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[County98]

Well said. I like having options!

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[rfw66]

I'm on the list for their catalogue. It will be interesting to not only see what they have offer but to compare prices with the other vendors!
Many of us have wished for such a vendor, with a glossy, color catalogue for years!
I have to agree that this will put our beloved little car in front of the auto enthusiast that have overlooked it for decades. It may turn out that, in a few short years, we may not be able to afford the luxury of multiple Corvairs in our "barns", that we now tout as "The Affordable Collectible"!
However, I'm happy that another vendor is willing to support our small part of the aftermarket automotive hobby!


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[tommy44432]

I for one applaud the entry of another supplier for Corvair parts. A little competition helps the consumer in so many ways. Mostly in money savings. As pointed out Chevrolet used many of the same parts across multiple lines and I always compare prices at numerous Chevy suppliers if the part is available and absolutely will buy from the cheapest supplier. I understand loyalty to Clark's but I also know that being the major supplier I feel they take advantage of that situation. Sorry if that offends some but it's true in almost any situation when one supplier or business has a lock on the marketplace. They can charge pretty much what they want.

[dave t]

I have been working very hard for the last few months on the OPGI Corvair catalog. It is a daunting task. I am building the parts list as if I was the customer. I am one. I daily drive a 64 greenbrier. We have a list of repro parts not available now that we are working on. Some may not get into the first issue of the catalog. Please know, we will continue to add parts as they become available. The catalog will always be a work in progress. As for the positive feedback, thanks and I am also listening to the negative too. I consider this catalog to be a reflection of my personal reparation along with OPGI's. I'm working hard for you.
Dave T

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[Scott H]

It's a sign of the Corvair brand gaining momentum. It will have good and bad implications but I think mostly good.