I am getting ready to make a large order to Year one or Classic Industries. I noticed that classic Industries is cheaper then year one and they give you 15% off on all orders if you use their Credit Card. I have also received a 10% off card from year one for the next ten day.

My question is which one is better and if the same quality should I use Classic Industries??

Steve

Don't just look at the percents. I always find the CI discounts to be tempting despite my experiences with them so I just checked a number of parts against Ames and even with the discount, Ames is a better deal on almost everything. Hard to believe but true. I don't have any experience with YO but have sent quite a bit of wrong stuff back to CI.

I received a card from CI yesterday offering 20% off any purchase by 9/30.

I got the same card too.
I agree with Banshee. CI is the way to go because they do use the same vendors and offer better discounts. However the S&H is pretty high.
Year One; overpriced for the same stuff(for the most part). I also had to "modify" certain parts from them. Thats not saying that CI was perfect either, just a better deal.

just my .02

Ames has always been good. Some of the others give you a generic part for a Firebird, or any Pontiac

I have used CI several times in the past 3 years, and have no complaints. Ames is also a good source, have bought from with good results. Was looking for a fuel sending unit with limited results till I went to these guys Early Birds I have found their prices very competitive and great guys to talk to.

Kel

you get what you pay for. cheap gets cheap. I learn that the hard way.

I've ordered from Classic Industries and Year one. Overall, I liked CI better. Usually if you have a big order with CI they waive shipping too. Customer service is about 80%. I called about a TA hood (fiberglass w/steel frame) and the CS rep was kind of a jerk. The only problem I have with Ames is their catalog isn't as nice as the CI one. Year ones leaves a lot to be desired too. Basically, flip a coin.

Ames is best, if they have it (I have bought about 35-40% of my stuff from them) price is good ,parts are good, ...Classic is pretty good too, I have probably bought more from them than any other vendor, just be careful on items ,sometimes they sell Camaro only parts, but if you do your homework its no problem, they are also good about returns,...
Year One has good parts ,but tend to be more $ for same parts than others, but if they are the only one with that part ,use them...
I have had good luck with Paddock too, very little experience with NPD....Chicago Muscle cars have good used ,some new parts....if youre looking for used parts , try Terry Ritter(954) 721-1459 and FriebirdBill EarlyBrds@aol.com

I’ve had mixed experiences with most of the vendors.. But I guess it depends on what you’re looking for and how much you are willing to spend.

Year one I don’t do business with anymore. It’s a long story but to make it short ,when I first started restoring my bird 2 years ago I found an error in the yearone website and catalog where they had 3 parts descriptions, part numbers and pictures mixed up. I called the tech support a few times to explain it because I received the wrong part again!. The tech support wanted me to order one of each part, then label them as to the application year they fit. Keep the ones I need and send the others back …LOL I don’t think so.. I guess they finally figured it out as they do have it fixed now.

So for generic f body parts, ricks firstgen in GA hands down is the best! They have awesome tech support. (yearone tech support sent me to ricks)I got the correct part 1st time..and the quality can’t be beat.. The parts I order from Ricks Just fits! Not a lot of “making it fit” I may have to tweak it but I don’t have to reform the entire panel to make it fit.

For bird specific parts classic industries so far to me is tops in most respects. Everything I have ordered from there seems to be top quality also.

I live within driving distance from AMES and won’t buy there anymore unless I absolutely have to, as I think many of the sheet metal body panels they carry are poor quality and fit. I have about $750.00 of useless sheetmetal in may garage to prove it..

I guess in the end as the old phrase goes , Ya get what ya pay for! If the price is cheap , the part probably will be also.. The whole is the sum of its parts. Or something like that..

Bob

Pci_Raid - what body panels from Ames are you referring to and when did you purchase them? I have a 69 conv quarter panel skin and outer wheelhouse from them waiting for installation. They are from Goodmark - Ames doesn't make them. What's the problem? I think Ames is the best IMO - they are honest up front about the quality of the part. The stainless trim, door handles, emblems, and mirrors, etc I just got look real nice. And since I live "close" I always get the part the next day or so.

pci-raid, I agree with you on Ricks , forgot about them....

still think Ames is good, of course I never bought sheet metal from them...but Goddmark is Goodmark, think they all sell that brand? and Goodmark has good parts ,some bad ones as far as I`ve heard....hoods are good, 69 fenders at least were not, maybe are now...

I have the inner and outer wheel wells from them, they don’t even fit together. If you look at the two pieces they have a compound curve between them where they fit together. The archs or curves don’t meet up at all, I mean they were way off! I called tech support about it thinking maybe I just got a bad one. After discussing it for a bit ,he went out to the warehouse and tried to fit a few pairs together and they wouldn’t mate correctly either. His response was “hmm ,,I wonder why nobody else has complained?” “well everybody else seems to make them fit..”
The other issue was the inner wells were all from the 67 and 68 models (and said so on the sticker) which is actually a little different than the 69 inners. The 69 inners are trimmed different where they meet the trunk shock support. So you need to alter the panel to look correct.
That was another time I called Ricks firstgen ordered a “pair” they fit like a glove and looked correct for 69, no major tweaking , making it fit,,ect,ect..! Sometimes I’m a slow learner…LOL

The ¼ skins seem to be OK, but I’m not using them I ordered full ¼’s from classic industries.

Actually do you need any other panels cheap?
I have both sides of the floor, left and right ¼ skins, and full trunk center section. Left and right drop offs.. ect..

I get turned off very quickly with bad tech support or quality of service or parts..
If I know for sure that the part that company X is carrying is the same as company Y , and its less expensive, then yes I will order it from the less expensive company. Case in point I just ordered complete frame rails from a company on ebay as they are all made by dynacorn and that company had them in stock for $50 less per side than anybody else I deal with.

Ricks has never ever steered me wrong. Even though I told them I own a bird..LOL .They have proven to ME to be very knowledgeable about the products the carry, the cars they support and eager to help out with information or why a part may or may not work for me and why.

To me when a company says it fits, it better FIT! I don’t want to have to recreate the part I just spent good money on. Some are just vague ya it’s a direct replacement, but they don’t say well ya have to tweak here , bend this , reform that.

BTW How close to Manchester are you?

Bob

Sorry i forgot , i bought this all about 2 years ago. I had my wife pick it all up in our van.. I did save alot on shipping..LOL

I don't think the stuff is good mark either.

Bob

Sorry 19TA69 - didn't mean to steal the thread Pci_raid - I guess there used to be an issue with the panels you mention. What I got recently says Goodmark on the bag that they're sealed in. Hopefully they will fit better! I'm not doing the work, though. I may need to take you up on some of that sheet metal. Car is being stripped down to bare metal as we speak. I know for sure after they took out the interior the floor pan and rocker area behind driver's seat was rusted out. Driver's outer wheelhouse rusted, as well as quarter panel wheel opening. Weird how it's all on the driver's side. Crossing my fingers as to what else they'll find...

Grew up during the 70's in Bedford. Now about an hour or so from Manchester depending on traffic.

10 years ago I relied heavily on Year One for most of the parts I needed to restore my 1980 Trans Am. I ran into a lot of those "Firebird" parts that are for Camaros only. Classic Industries was my back-up in case YO didn't have the parts. As my restoration progressed, I ended up going to Classic 1st because of the better selection.

Since then, I have found Ames and Rick's 1st Generation. I really appreciate the fact that Ames comments on the quality of the parts in their catalog and most of the time their parts are the least expensive. I again use Classic as the back-up. Rick's 1st Gen has been awesome for carrying parts that NONE of the other vendors have.

I just don't need YO anymore and I don't really miss them.

Ya , I was suprised all my rust is on drivers side also. usually the passengers side is the rotted one.

I didn't mean to steal your thread either,, Just wanted to add my 2 cents..

Just be careful on what u order and ask alot of questions..

Bob

I also vote for Rick's. If you're confident that you're getting the right part, order from CI but they have a lot of stuff mismarked in their catalogue. Unfortunately, they would rather have you buy it and send it back rather than check the part out for you before you purchase it. I never had to send a wrong part back to Rick's or Ames. You can pay a little more up front or take your chances and pay for return shipping and lost time after the purchase.

John

I would agree with the positive comments on Rick's, Ames and Performance Years! Another option would be finding a local restoration shop to develop a relationship with. Since you are in Indy, you may want to give Restoration World in Dayton, OH a call. They gave me some very good prices, you can pick up, no delivery, and pay over the phone out of state, no sales tax! They are an authorized Goodmark dealer, along with all the same parts you get everywhere else, carpets, etc.

I've also spent over 20K with CI for the bird and a truck I'm dealing with and so far I've been quite happy with them. Of coarse my kids live around the corner from them so I pick everything thing up and the counter guys are the best. I have gone to NPD out here but I just didn't like there service as well and I had to wait for a few things they said they had but didn't when I got there.

I have ordered from all three but mostly from CI, but I prefere Ames all the way. I have delt with CI customer service and they are very good to deal with. I have had a few problems with a couple orders not being right like my oil filter adapter for my long branch manifolds. That caused me some headacks since it was for a full sized car. The rubber hood bumpers were not complete since they are camaro pieces.
I called customer service to talk to them about my front springs and they said they would take them back even though they are 4 years old. So they are nice to deal with but at the same time it can be a pain in the @ss to have to re-ship.
Ames says it best in their catalog that some products have more then one vendor and they figure out wich one is the best/most original and thats all they sell. I very much like the fact that they rate the quality of many of their products. In the beginning I was only buying from CI to get that discount and free shipping but like it was mentioned above it depends on what your getting.
You may want to read the fine print on those 20% off cards they don't apply to kits and some items say there is no further discount. My last order didn't have much of anything that the 20% applied to.

Ames, Performance Years, & Classic Industries are the three that I use. Once in awhile I use Frank's Pontiac Parts for items not being repo'd. all offer good prices & quality parts.

Steve