front wings

[veitchy]

whats the best company to get repro wings from would love genuine ones but not going to pay £400/£500 for them

[Peter-S]

The repro ones are apparently all the same - so find the cheapest, or nearest.
Good s/h come up occasionally but they are fetching good money most of the time so be prepared for a bit of fettling on a pattern part!

[Caprigear]

I shouldn't worry about paying £4-£500 for a genuine wing as you're not likely to get one that cheap.

[pbar]

whats the best company to get repro wings from would love genuine ones but not going to pay £400/£500 for them

As said, a lot seem to have trouble fitting the pattern wings, I have never been entirely convinced that every pattern wing ever available comes from the same pattern, although my experience is limited, so some research into that may help in finding the better ones.

However, have you also considered the fibreglass ones? Not sure what the fit is like on those, but they are available and might be worth thinking about.

[andyd]

A mate paid over £400 around 18 months ago for a genuine front wing.
Still hasn't started the restore, but has been collecting all the correct parts for it for a few years......

Edd China had trouble fitting a pattern wing to the Capri in series 1 of Wheeler Dealers......

[Caprigear]

If you're going to consider fibreglass then you might as well go for a pattern steel one because however rubbish you think a steel repo is I can assure you that a fibreglass one will be even worse.
Look at Craigs build thread, he has fibreglass wings.
If you know what you are doing then a pattern one can be made to fit. You just can't expect to throw it onto the car and everything will simply line straight up.
What you need to understand is that the tooling for the repo wings is now pretty well worn out but once production is stopped then you're all fucked as another tooling won't be produced as the demand isn't there and the day that happens watch the price of the wings that are still around skyrocket.

[andyd]

What you need to understand is that the tooling for the repo wings is now pretty well worn out but once production is stopped then you're all fucked as another tooling won't be produced as the demand isn't there and the day that happens watch the price of the wings that are still around skyrocket.

If the current car programmes are to be believed (?) Then it's possibly easier to get parts for say a Morris Minor than a Capri

[pbar]

If the current car programmes are to be believed (?) Then it's possibly easier to get parts for say a Morris Minor than a Capri

I just don't understand, visiting car shows and the like, it would seem that the Capri is one of the most popular classic cars out there, so doesn't that mean the availability of parts should be very good?

[andyd]

If the current car programmes are to be believed (?) Then it's possibly easier to get parts for say a Morris Minor than a Capri

I just don't understand, visiting car shows and the like, it would seem that the Capri is one of the most popular classic cars out there, so doesn't that mean the availability of parts should be very good?

Especially as Fast Fords are at an all time height in popularity.

Even if used spares aren't available because alot of the cars were written off, surely repro parts for 70''/80's cars should still be easier to get
than they appear to be..... Therefore keeping the prices down so Mr/Mrs average can keep their cars on the road

Also certain dealers hiking up Classic Car prices are causing a knock on effect that doesn't help in the price of parts IMO

Martin will no doubt have his opinion on this

[Caprigear]

My opinions don't seem to count for jack shit!
I've been going on for years as to how poor the parts situation is but not many people actually believe it.You would think that the way spares are going now it would be easy to sell decent parts - not so, I found it far easier selling parts back in the nineties, yes there were more cars and therefore more customers but I would have thought it would be easier now as there are less parts available and the quality is that much poorer
Seems to me now that only one thing is important to most owners, it's not the quality of a part or if it fits or not it's how cheap it is. Every part I sell comes with over 23 years of experience and if there is any queries I'm always at the end of a phone or E Mail. Apparently this isn't worth anything if an E bay part or a part from an illegal breaker is cheaper - I lose the sale.
It frustrates the hell out of me seeing other classics that I don't think look anything like as nice getting way better parts service. There isn't a simple answer to this, as I keep on saying, although we all love the Capri that doesn't cut any ice with large manufacturers who demand enormous sums of money to produce parts and also who like to produce those items in their thousands.
I used to be able to count on at least half a dozen large companies who regularly stocked Capri items - not any more.
If it ever happened and more parts were to be available then no one would be more happy than me, it would make the car builds that I'm doing a lot more easier

[andyd]

My opinions don't seem to count for jack shit!
I've been going on for years as to how poor the parts situation is but not many people actually believe it.You would think that the way spares are going now it would be easy to sell decent parts - not so, I found it far easier selling parts back in the nineties, yes there were more cars and therefore more customers but I would have thought it would be easier now as there are less parts available and the quality is that much poorer
Seems to me now that only one thing is important to most owners, it's not the quality of a part or if it fits or not it's how cheap it is. Every part I sell comes with over 23 years of experience and if there is any queries I'm always at the end of a phone or E Mail. Apparently this isn't worth anything if an E bay part or a part from an illegal breaker is cheaper - I lose the sale.
It frustrates the hell out of me seeing other classics that I don't think look anything like as nice getting way better parts service. There isn't a simple answer to this, as I keep on saying, although we all love the Capri that doesn't cut any ice with large manufacturers who demand enormous sums of money to produce parts and also who like to produce those items in their thousands.
I used to be able to count on at least half a dozen large companies who regularly stocked Capri items - not any more.
If it ever happened and more parts were to be available then no one would be more happy than me, it would make the car builds that I'm doing a lot more easier

That reply says it all.......

[veitchy]

or well will just keep these i have then if they are all the same,thanks for the advice anyway lads

[atomic4]

Serious dosh!

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/122198160020? ... 1436.l2649

[Arya2.0S]

Havent had too much trouble fitting pattern wings myself.

[timfromull]

I was going to ask this very question, as I'm in the market for a pair......
So they all come from the same press, so it's immaterial......find the best price and fill your boots?

[Arya2.0S]

My opinions don't seem to count for jack shit!
I've been going on for years as to how poor the parts situation is but not many people actually believe it.You would think that the way spares are going now it would be easy to sell decent parts - not so, I found it far easier selling parts back in the nineties, yes there were more cars and therefore more customers but I would have thought it would be easier now as there are less parts available and the quality is that much poorer
Seems to me now that only one thing is important to most owners, it's not the quality of a part or if it fits or not it's how cheap it is. Every part I sell comes with over 23 years of experience and if there is any queries I'm always at the end of a phone or E Mail. Apparently this isn't worth anything if an E bay part or a part from an illegal breaker is cheaper - I lose the sale.
It frustrates the hell out of me seeing other classics that I don't think look anything like as nice getting way better parts service. There isn't a simple answer to this, as I keep on saying, although we all love the Capri that doesn't cut any ice with large manufacturers who demand enormous sums of money to produce parts and also who like to produce those items in their thousands.
I used to be able to count on at least half a dozen large companies who regularly stocked Capri items - not any more.
If it ever happened and more parts were to be available then no one would be more happy than me, it would make the car builds that I'm doing a lot more easier

I cant say I blame people for looking for the best deal.
We're not made of money, especially in Tory Britain.
These cars are expensive to upkeep on the best of days, they are classics after all, so of course people are gonna be looking for the best deal where possible, thats just how it works these days.
Money is tight unless you are part of the 1%, besides looking for and haggling for bargains is all part of the fun when it comes to used goods, thats another factor you have to consider especially when dealing with private sellers/businesses that arent bound by corporate overlords and rules.

I always try to salvage/repair the part when something gets broken or begins to break, partly to retain originality but I'm a firm believer in recycling and ingenuity and looking at things from an alternative view other than this "throw it away and buy a replacement" attitude the world is suffering from which is contributing to so many of our problems due to over consumption and mass abuse of the worlds natural resources, hence why i chose to repair and salvage most of the parts i needed to repair my Capri when it was recently involved in an accident instead of just buying new, expensive parts.

Repairing the valance instead of spending a whopping £750 on a replacement panel for example, when theres savings like that to be made you cant blame people for shopping around or changing their minds!

[david656]

For what it's worth I'd like to back 'Caprigear' up 100% he's always been on the end of the phone and I've bought a few parts from him with a great service.

I can appreciate what people say, we're all looking for a bargin it's true, I've always felt there was a bit of an 'un written rule' of comradery on this forum and I like that 'in general' people always give Martin the opportunity to pitch for sales first.

I've been dealing with classic BMWs mainly (but of course my Capri) since 2011 when I first got into cars, I've met some very odd, interesting and wonderfully insane people over the years, however I can say with confidence now I would always try and go to 'recommended vendors' than the 'fat cats' and the 'big boys' like ECP or eBay etc. Sometimes it isn't the cost of a part but also the knowledge of the person that is selling it to you, the ability to support you in your goal and explain if it's right or going to work for you.

Back to the question in hand, recently I had to get a brand new fuel pump ASAP for the Capri and GSF, ECP, and a local autoparts shop all didn't have one - So I can agree that even 'off the shelf' parts are seriously drying up!

I'm currently restoring a 1982 BMW 635CSI and parts are just impossible to get, mostly main dealer and the parts list is into the multiple thousands already!

[c.turff]

I will second that one. Ive bought a few things from caprigear ( and with my resto starting soon probably a few more ) and the service and knowlage that i got was second to none. Worth paying the extra £ or 2 in my opinion.

[pbar]

So they all come from the same press, so it's immaterial......

I have heard that a few times. However, some people give them a better report as regards to fit than others, so perhaps there are differences?

[Caprigear]

The main differences are in the skills of the fitters.