IT LOOKS LIKE CRAZY JOE FROM THE PARTS PLACE HAS MADE ANOTHER ENEMY.THIS TIME WITH HEARTBEAT CITY.THIS TAIL PANEL IS GOING TO TURN INTO A REAL FIASCO FOR ALL THE VENDERS.I DON'T THINK THERE IS ENOUGH OF A DEMAND FOR THIS TAIL PANEL FOR 2 PEOPLE TO BE REMANUFACTURING IT AND THAT IS WHAT IS HAPPENING
With two products on a narrow customer base, the tooling costs will exceed the returns. This will discourage further tooling investments, like 400 and A/C air dams.
Heartbeat City's repro prices are not any worse than the big catalog houses. Their NOS collection is a different story.
Vikki 1969 Goldenrod Yellow / black 400 convertible numbers matching
Big difference between a restored original show quality part and a new metal stamping.
I can guarantee they would not sell for as much as NOS and more likely comparably to good used. And that's where they are priced, and without the risk of rust or the pain of drilling hundreds of spotwelds.
Vikki 1969 Goldenrod Yellow / black 400 convertible numbers matching
Look at their store. Their "Made in USA" Camaro stampings are close to the same price as the cheap Taiwanese parts sold by NPD, CI, Ames and the others.
In the NOS market, anything goes, someone will pay the price to get it. Even on eBay, over $200 for an NOS gas door emblem?
Have you been in their shop? It's amazing.
Vikki 1969 Goldenrod Yellow / black 400 convertible numbers matching
Look at their store. Their "Made in USA" Camaro stampings are close to the same price as the cheap Taiwanese parts sold by NPD, CI, Ames and the others.
BINGO. The key here is: same price as the cheap Taiwanese parts sold by NPD, CI, Ames and the others. There are others. Without others.......
The market on new product is self-regulating. People won't pay more that they are willing to pay. If they priced them at $1000, they'd probably sell 6, and the tooling costs would never be recovered. They need to sell them at a price expected to sell enough units to pay for tooling costs and to make a reasonable profit. And as only a small number of '69 Firebirds were built, and even fewer remain, and only a handful will need new tailpans, it's quite a gamble.
That's why a lot of parts are not reproduced, especially for '69 Firebird.
Vikki 1969 Goldenrod Yellow / black 400 convertible numbers matching
there is only one way to look at this.anybody that is thinking about spending thousands of dollars tooling up to make a repo part will think twice.i was going to invest thousands in tooling up for some repo parts but i wont take that kind of chance with people like joe from the parts place around.jim at heartbeat city spent alot of money on this tail panel and now crazy joe cuts in with his version.now both will lose.
You would be suprised how cheap (price) tooling is in China/Taiwan...We have been quoting brake component parts in China with very capable vendors, who are as good or better than some US suppliers, all for about 1/10th the cost of american made tooling.
The $349 for a tail panel is very reasonable in my opinion, and they payback for the tooling may not be as bad as you would think.
As an example, we have tooled rubber parts for brake boosters and typically a rear seal may cost 40-50K in the states with a very reputable mold/die maker. The piece price would be around 20 cents in the US comparatively. A tool in China would cost 5K or less. Die life is much less but it's perfect for low volume, and a cost of 8-12 cents or so.
Prototype tooling is even less because it's soft tooling designed for a specific life. The price might be around 500 bucks. Now a tail panel would be quite a bit more, but still relevant compared to the price charged, just scaled up a bit.
It's amazing how cheaply things can be made overseas, and it's not a guarantee that the parts are of lesser quality? It depends very much on the suppliers chosen.
The chinese manufacturers are getting better all the time, and many of the parts we have on our vehicles today, come from overseas.
Heartbeat City is a "Made in America" company. The domestic tooling and labor costs are certainly higher than Taiwanese, Chinese, Korean, or other less expensive markets. So the more cheaply produced parts are more profitable for the seller, but the investment and costs go overseas.
Vikki 1969 Goldenrod Yellow / black 400 convertible numbers matching
This is truely a global economy. We are forced to go overseas for some things, because our customers demand low cost products. It sucks but it's a fact of life. The good news is that many american companies are staying in business AND offering low cost thru partnerships or aquisitions offshore. Balance is the key.
THIS IS NOT A GLOBAL THING.WE GOT ONE GUY IN ILLINOISE AND ANOTHER IN MICHIGAN MAKING THE SAME PRODUCT.IT SOUNDS LIKE CRAZY JOE IS STEPPING ON SOME MORE TOES
