[1stgenbird]

Just looking through the Classic Industries catalog and so many parts they say are for Firebirds when they are for Camaros and not Firebirds. One in particular is the 1967 Console Gauge Housing. "This rare item has not been available for over 25 years. OER reproduction of the of the original die-cast console gauge housing found on 1967 Firebirds with the optional console gauge package."

That's a damn lie that a newbie to Firebirds might think is true. Oh, in fine print on the ad bottom is "Originally installed in Camaros but can be modified for Firebirds."

That contradicts what the first part says!

Classic isn't the only one doing this either.

Just venting.

[limejudge69]

That's why I try to buy all my parts from PY and Ames. They don't sell Camaro parts!
The Paddock is also bad for trying to sell Camaro parts to Firebird owners.

[jcruz]

I got burned on a steering column by CI. It was advertised as for a 69 but after many tech calls to the manufacturer, they said it wouldn't work.

After shipping it back to CI I get "oh, it was damaged in shipping -- you need to file a claim with UPS". I packaged the column up very, very well. In my distrustful opinion, they wanted to stick UPS with the bill and not pay it themselves. I never saw a dime back...

I'll never buy from CI again. NPD, Ames, PY, and other honest vendors get my biz.

[MikeNoun]

Their philosophy is that for every 50 Camaro parts they sell to a Firebird owner:

30 of them won't know it's a Camaro part because they didn't have the original part to start with.

10 of them would know the part is wrong, but assume no one makes the correct part, and will hack and grind to get the Camaro part to fit.

7 of them will let the part sit on a shelf for months (even years) for a future resto, and will never know.

3 of them will return the part as being wrong, and get a refund.

Classic Industries is pretty bad with their information. My favorite was when the president of Classic Industries appeared on "My Classic Car" to promote reproduction hoods, and he had a 1969 Trans Am hood. He stated that the hood was EXACTLY like the original, down the slightest detail. Dennis Gage (host) remarked that the repro hood was fiberglass, weren't the original hoods steel? The Classic Industries president stated again that this 1969 Trans Am fiberglass hood was EXACTLY like the original hood, and that 1969 Trans Am's came with fiberglass hoods. Dennis replied with a puzzled look, "Uhh...wow, I didn't know that". Dennis appeared to know the guy was mistaken, but hey, Classic Industries is a sponsor of the show, so he let it slide.

And that, friends, is how bad the reproduction parts business has become today.

[pontiacpratt]

Everything That I've ordered From classic industries failed to meet my expectations.
All of the weatherstripping dry rotted within three years.
The dome light escutcheon melted from the bulb heat.
The hood insulation clips were not long enough to mount the hood insulation.
The quarter window's weatherstripping steel support ripped out of the rubber when installing it.
The Customer service rep was nice, But I figure they get a lot of practice.

P.S. their catalog also calls the st-300 a Powerglide through out.

[Bjorn]

Classic has some good parts, but you HAVE TO know your stuff you order...IF you order from Ames , you`ll be sure its a F/B part...

[Speargun]

I got a 20% off sale card from classic a few years ago, so I called up and ordered about $500 worth of stuff. When we got to the total, I did a little figuring and realized that the sales rep hadn't applied the 20%. I mentioned this to him and as we went down the list of about 20 parts, only 2 or 3 were eligible for the discount and only knocked off about 2 bucks.

He really didn't seem to care and wouldn't budge on the price at all. I canceled the order and haven't been back. He DID seem upset once I told him to cancel the order though.

[jcruz]

That 20% off deal is basically worthless. They jack up the shipping charges to make it up.

[JimFB400HO]

As Bjorn mentions, you have to do your 1st Gen homework before buying there. Although, obviously just a typo, this exemplifies their Firebird afterthought on the product line: My 2005 Classic Industries catalog has in the 1967-69 Original Style Spiral Shocks description; "These shocks are just what you'll need to complete the authentic restoration of your standard, SS, or Z28 Firebird."

[einstein]

Why waste your time with Classic when we have PY and Ames who know their stuff, even Year One, while they moved to a "big-time" philosophy years ago, at least Len started with 69 Firebirds. Heck, I bought used stuff from him when he was just a hobbyist selling off a couple used pieces. I remember Steve Ames and Chris (our host) when they set up one-man vending spots and have always stayed true to Pontiacs. CI seems to have never gotten it right (nor cared to even try) for Firebird guys.

[allpawl]

Originally Posted by limejudge69

That's why I try to buy all my parts from PY and Ames. They don't sell Camaro parts!
The Paddock is also bad for trying to sell Camaro parts to Firebird owners.

Py does sell camaro parts, check out there trunk lids CAMARO, had a friend buy one cant use, no letter holes or cutouts underneath for palnuts.

[67blackcherry]

I too have had bad experiences with Classic...and they're local, which gives me a BIG reason to use them, but I only will as a last resort. The customer support is SO MUCH BETTER from PY and Ames, they get my money from now on. Shoot, I would place an order for will call and still take almost an HOUR from the time I walked in the door to the time I walked out. Why even bother spending 20min on the phone? Yeah, they pretty much suck...nice catalogue, though. Look through it for what you need then order it elsewhere!!!