Aftermarket Parts...fake or restored?

What a great car…wow.

I guess if you think about it, if you get an organ transplant or blood transfusion? Are you still you? Start with the genuine article, then customize to your heart’s content.

Love the Chevelle! I think watches are very similar to cars…mint originals command the highest prices…but there is certainly a market for everything else (repaired with patina, modded etc etc).

Definitely

💯

The quality of the parts replaced is important. If they are of equal or better quality than the original it isn't so bad. The parts that get replaced the most are crystals and bezels, and with top quality replacements it is completely acceptable IHMO.

Your car is awesome! I'm green with envy!

As a fan of Russian watches (and a person who kept an aircooled Beetle on the road more than a quarter of a century) sometimes aftermarket restoration parts are all you going to get. On the other hand if they don’t look and feel like the original parts, you’re just wasting your time.

I agree with you. And in the end I DONT SELL My timepieces —nor do I consider them “financial investments “ and I hate looking at dogshit dials - so I prefer redone and refurbished and restored!! Because it’s ONESELF we’re trying to please. Well said brother!! A watch has to 1) run good and has to 2) look good and it has to 3) make me feel good.

Thank you

I also don't mind patina on watches and cars. Tropical dials, faded bezels etc. But there is a difference between surface patina and cancer. And some of these watches went to far with the damage/patina to where they look like 💩

Affirmative Houston

Both are badass. What go-fast goodies are in the Chevelle?

As authentic as it can be. Bringing beautiful things back to life is an act of love.

I'm not going to do a tome on survivor bias or the ship of Theseus. I don't have magical associations with material goods and/or their provenance. If one wants to debate about whether an item is of better or worse tangible quality, fine. Which Sampo cranked something out and when is of no importance on its own.

I think of the survivor cars of Cuba. They are bodged together in all manner of necessity, but it is more important that they run and exist than that they be some authentic inoperable pile somewhere.

For me, a restored watch is not a fake, as long as the person buying it is aware of which parts are original, which parts are OEM (new or old-stock), and which are third-party manufactured. I believe these third-party parts should be licensed from the original manufacturer (if required by them) if they are made to be identical to the original (e.g. dial, hands, date wheel), but not if the parts are generic and can be used across multiple brands like, for example, a sapphire glass of a determinate diameter.

Of course, there is value in those third-party parts that allow us to keep enjoying these timepieces, as long as the person paying for them knows they are not original or OEM.

Thanks bro. LS2 AFR Heads and crower cam, TKX 5 speed, 12 bolt, full UMI/Aldan American/ SC&C/Hellwig suspension, tall ball joints, 10:1 steering box, 18x11/18x10 American Racing Wheels, Wilwood brakes,Falken 660 tires.

Well said

About 99% of aftermarket car parts are not licensed by the manufacturer for my chevelle for instance. And they still say Chevrolet, Chevelle or GM.

Nice setup! What gears are you running in the 12-bolt? 4:10's? I'm guessing it's something tall, given the rest of your mods.

I'm running 3.73 for my particular transmission and 25.5" diameter rear tire. The TKX has about 3 options for gears for a GM. My combination is best for what I have. It's on the street 90% of the time.

I just sighed because I miss those days.

I had a '94 Caprice with a Jasper LT1 (357c.i.), underdrive pulleys, Hooker Headers, an Eaton LSD (burned out my Auburn), 4.11 gears (I had 4.56 and it would grab third) and a 4L60E (not the best choice but I had to go with what I had) with a modified shift kit, red Alto clutches, Kolene steels, Raptor sunshell and other goodies. Brakes were drilled rotors and ceramics. It was a fun ride, lowered just a smidge too. Here's me at Virginia Motorsports Park:

How did you like your Jasper? They been around forever. I had my 700r4 rebuilt my with red alto clutches, kolene steels, beast sunsheel, 500 boost valve, Kevlar band, transgo shift kit, HD Sprag etc. I had it on my old carbureted LS1. I liked it but to hot on the road course. I blew my 4l70 on the infield of Fontana Speedway. On a 20 min track session, all could get is maybe 6-10min then it got to hot. Especially in the summer. Now the with the manual, I can stay as long as I want.

The Jasper served me well. No complaints, it was a solidly rebuilt engine.

I'm not as much in to modding as I once was, sliding under cars isn't as easy anymore. Now I tend to just buy my performance already baked into the car. 💸

I used some of the money from selling off my classic cars to fund some of my watches. The respective enthusiast communities seem very different with the watch enthusiasts outside of WC frequently coming off as whinier. more judgemental and less live and let live. I never saw car guys standing around say a Pinto at a car show talking about how much they hate that car and that the owner should've bought a Pacer for the same money. So many car guys here in L.A. took me under the wing and helped me find parts and helped me work on my cars in return for, at the most, pizza and beer. I do appreciate that it's easier to sneak a watch into my sock drawer then another car into the driveway and the few crunchers I've met in person have been awesome but there is no substitute for the positivity found at a California car show.

I dont blame you. It's also the headache, time etc. And sometimes, we don't always get what we put into the car. So we as a buyer can sometimes come up on a deal. I hear all these people say built not bought, but it's been 4 years and it's never been on the street. Or, it brakes every other month so they have to baby it. I've had a 64 falcon, 64 el Camino, 75 c10, 73 camaro, 72 chevelle and 72 cutlass as well. I tell people just to buy something done now. Depending on the quality of the build

Well I don't know many watch guys but I do know an army of car guys here in LA. But I will be honest, I do see some builds that I'm not a fan of but i dont base it off price. I see garage builds that i like better than some SEMA builds.

I do see a lot of watch snobs that bas things off price and exclusivity.

By buying my performance, I was referring to a car by a major manufacturer, as opposed to a "built" car. 😉

You've had some fun rides. Did you chop the C10?

No. It was a stock 75 shortbed. I put a used 6.2 LS, cam and 6L80E. The 6l80e was a huge mistake and I should have went with a 4l80e. I couldn't get anyone to tune the 6l right. Had front Tubular Control Arms, coilovers, vintage air, Dakota Digital Gauges, custom aluminum wheels etc.

Man, that's sweet. That LS with a cam probably put you in the 500hp range. How do you maintain traction with that light rear end? My brother had that same year truck (actually it's the one he was driving in a fatal crash) so whenever I see one like it I immediately think of him, but not in a negative way, just a reminder that I miss him. He had the straight six in his though, it was a low-end model. Your choice of color is spot-on, same with the wheels!😎

Came here for the watches, stayed for the car pics 👍