Can you build a whole car from aftermarket repop parts?

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Steve69Fish

Steve69Fish

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I found myself staring at my office wall today and started thinking to myself about all the research and parts trolling I've been doing. So I got to wondering if, since so many parts of our cars are available as aftermarket repop parts, whether a full car could be built entirely out of those parts. Seems that I can do an entire body and frame from AMD alone, for instance.

Just one of those things that make you go hmmmm. But I think it's actually doable. 2016 A-body anyone?

Thoughts? What parts can't be found being remanufactured now?
 
Yes. If you buy a Chevy.
 
Or a Speedway motors 1927 Track T roadster....

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Read in a car magazine a couple years ago that you could build a '57 Chevy hardtop from aftermarket parts. No matter which Mopar you want, it's nowhere near possible, and only a very few 60s and 70s models have parts available There are almost no aftermarket parts for older Chrysler products. I'm doing a '56 Plymouth, and except for a few exterior patch panels left over in the system, l have had to make most of my sheet metal from scratch.
 
Sure you can, if you want an all Chinese car that something wears out or breaks on every time you take it out. :D
 
Add up a toyota corolla in factory replacment parts and itll cost you about 60,000 bucks. Add up a 67 Mustang fastback made of repops, probably close to that. Many parts are non wearing parts with no repops. I had an old boss that used to manage a dealership and said the majority of the profit was labor and spare parts.
 
Not with an A-body. But with an E-body, it's getting pretty close. AMD sells everything on the outside, fenders, quarters, roof skin, front and rear frame rails, crossmembers, upper and lower cowl, rockers, all of it and then some. The inner roof structure, inner quarter structure, and inner door frames (they sell the skins) would be all that you needed. And although I haven't seen these in person, if they are what they're advertised as you could do it. You'd still need to find some stuff, trim pieces that aren't made, gauge panels etc, but you could create the entire shell and then some.
New DII Inner Quarter/Door Frame Assembly - LH Left Driver, D-6099WT
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Hey everyone, Just wanted to say no, they do not make any A-body complete shell's just yet, but maybe someday if were lucky! But.... there is a company that is called DYNACORN BODIES, and they do reproduce the complete body shell of a 70 Challenger and 70 Chally Conv with the conv top frame too. They also are doing the 70-71 Cuda too, that I recall. These bodies are all sheetmetal complete, and include the doors, and the trunklid is also hung on the body. These are not cheap.... the last time I checked, think it was like 9k and up for the body. You would have way more in a rusted hull getting it professionally repaired. I 'm sure they are built here in the USA. If that is the case, American craftsmen don't work for pennies, to do top notch work! You can go to google to check on every body shell they make.
 
More and more parts are being remanufactured each year, so it seems like you'll be able to do it in the not too far future, granted, for a pretty hefty cost. But interesting to consider.
 
Many many years ago they did an article on building a Chevy Impala, I think it was a 71 or 72 I'm not sure. But they wanted to know what it would cost building a complete car buying every single part over the counter. If I remember it was like $111,000.00 !
 
A few years ago 69 Camaros were built from aftermarket parts, almost. I think this was a Year One project. 2 parts not reproduced at that time were windshield frame and park brake foot set mechanism. Funny thing to me is, The Chinese cant, or haven't yet produced a car that passes US DOT requirements. Glass, plastics, etc.., all failed.
These cars that are built of Chinese parts should wear a Chinese badge in my opinion. Who can translate "Bogus" to mandarin script ?
And I can speak to cost factor also. Just try to stay true to American made and/or OEM parts. What I paid for NOS OEM red 67 arm rest pads would buy 2 sets of "made in china" reproductions. That's only 1 example.
If I ever did put this 67 vert together I could proudly claim, not 1 "Wong" piece.
 
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I love AMD product. But given the opportunity to use some of their parts on a factory produced car, vs buying a complete new car based on their parts - I'll take the factory repaired every time. I fully expect the sheet metal these products are stamped from to be full of imperfections. over time, and a much shorter time than OEM, these flaws in the metal will cause the parts and cars to self destruct even with the best and most careful storage that few of us actually do. Nevermind the fact that the best parts for Mopars are still needing a lot of work just to fit, never mind appearing and performing as designed.
 
There is a company repopping 1970 dart bodies, I think they are called Dart bodies as a matter of fact. I think the 69 Camaro was the first repop body that Ive seen years ago. I know that a lot is available for my 70 dart that wasn't before. I am hoping that they repop the 70 Dart grille at some point.
 
RustyRatRod said:
Sorry but if somebody doesn't like that, there's somethin wrong with them. lol
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Right?!? When I first saw that thing come up for sale, I took a hard look at my "Buy Me A Mopar" fund and wondered if I should turn it into a "Buy Me Another Chevette" fund. Smarts eventually kicked in...but damn that thing is awesome and would be hilarious to drive around in.
 
^^ Man, I had a Chevette back in the day. Good on gas for an old carbureted car. Rear wheel drive too fun car.
 
I remember checking prices on a crate 5.7 Hemi in 2003 when they came out and figured it would be less expensive to just buy a stripper new 2wd 5.7 Ram for $15,000 after rebates, take the motor, and sell off all the parts as new takeoffs. Probably would have ended up with almost a free motor.
 
RustyRatRod said:
Sorry but if somebody doesn't like that, there's somethin wrong with them. lol
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If you like small cars with huge engines you'd get a kick out of some of the stuff around here. There's more than one guy stuffing blown big blocks into tiny cars. We have the "100 foot dash" here. Basically our version of drag race since we don't got a track here. Guy stuck a blown big block in a vega and did this one year:


There was a crash a few years before that if I recall. A chevette/acadian or some sorta hatchback car. Same idea, huge blown engine. Guy launched hard and only one tire really grabbed. Spun itself onto its roof. Everyone got quite the kick outta that.

As for building a car completely from repop. I imagine it's more than possible in some models. Like some others mentioned. I think Hi-boy/roadster would be pretty easy. Not sure how you would register it though. I think you have to have at least a frame to match a vin to for registration here. Or else you have to register it as a kit car, which has tons of restrictions. But I could be wrong.
 
Dartswinger70 said:
There is a company repopping 1970 dart bodies, I think they are called Dart bodies as a matter of fact. I think the 69 Camaro was the first repop body that Ive seen years ago. I know that a lot is available for my 70 dart that wasn't before. I am hoping that they repop the 70 Dart grille at some point.
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ME TOO!!!

I've been wishing they would do an aftermarket 1971 Dart grille forever!
 
Brookline, etc. have kits that let you build a Deuce, or a Model A, or a Model T pretty much from scratch
 
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