#41  
Old 12-18-2021, 12:57 PM
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unruhjonny unruhjonny is offline
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What I'm reading is that you resent these two for running a business?

I don't believe that any one can compete with Rockauto and pay their bills based on RA sale prices;
RA is either manufacturer direct, or warehouse closeout;
Any business has to buy from a manufactuer, then mark it up to make a profit.
That's just how it works.

The mentality of "but I need it cheaper" is why so much manufacturing has ceased being produced domestically.

When it comes to used parts geography is everything;
What can be found in scrapyards with little difficulty in one region, hasn't been seen for decades in another region's scrapyards.

Ultimately, if any business has too high prices for what the market will bear, then they won't sell.

My inquiries to FPP were always replied to;
Ditto with SGG;
I don't recall having bought from FPP, but have bought from SGG - as have both of my brothers.

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  #42  
Old 12-18-2021, 02:15 PM
78w72 78w72 is offline
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i dont resent them for running a business, i understand how marking up things work... you pay more for a pair of levis at a big retailer than they buy them for but the margins are usually not 2-5 times what they pay wholesale, they are maybe 20-30%.

what im talking about is charging 2-3 or more times as much for a common part than what it can be found for on ebay or other places, geography is irrelevant with the advent of the internet. making a profit is one thing, price gouging is another, just look at some of the parts at the warehouse or central websites or watch facebook for what SGG charges. i dont run a business with a brick & mortar store front or machinery or employees, but i am whats considered a self proprietor & pay self employment taxes on my income, been selling pontiac parts & home audio for 20-25 years on ebay & other places & locally for even longer. i watch what other sellers sell parts for & some of them, especially in the last 5-10 years, sell things for a lot more than what i see most others sell for. this summer a person on a FB group asked for the best place to buy carpet for their car, lots of mentions for ames, classic, etc, then SGG posts that he can get it & it was more than any of the other places by $50 or more, i mentioned RA & the person was very thankful. rock auto has been around for a long time & does the same thing as SGG or other places for parts like these, they are drop shipped from the manufacturer & sold to them at wholesale prices, so why do they need to mark it up over $50 more than RA or other places? thats fine if a customer wants to pay that but claiming its OK just because they are a "business" doesnt really fly when other businesses prices arent that high.

i dont resent any of them, i just laugh when i see some of the prices they think a common used part is worth & it sits on their website for 6 months or a year & doesnt sell when myself or others sell 2 or 3 of the same part in a month or 2 for a more reasonable price... many times i even offer members here or other forums smaller parts for free or a few bucks if they pay shipping just to help them out or save them some $.

as with anything out there, people are free to pay & sell for what they want, but its not hard to be a smart shopper & find more reasonable deals is all i was saying.

  #43  
Old 12-18-2021, 03:04 PM
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A lot of buyers get parts based on a window where they might install the part.
Ames, SGG and Franks all have building expenses , Warehousing,including taxes which do not go down.
Reselling at your desktop is almost zero overhead ( Mark Cuban syndrome.. why work?)
So, You want to know if a part is IN Stock, and if you can have for the weekend to Install?
Can tell your for sure, you "Aint getting an answer from Rock Auto.... Or the "USA seller"
on ebay.. Rock auto, and others sell stuff they actually DO NOT have. If I call John Hurd about a used part
he tells me, yes , no , or when... Thats info worth money to most and its time, and Time, IS money..

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  #44  
Old 12-18-2021, 03:58 PM
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A business in the USA/Canada can’t survive in today’s marketplace with product that is overpriced, it is just too easy to go elsewhere. The simple fact that any company lasts for years is proof that they either have a better product, better service, or better value. They must be doing something right.

  #45  
Old 12-18-2021, 04:10 PM
GoreMaker GoreMaker is offline
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How did we devolve like this?

I love Recaro seats!

For the record, I've committed to buying some from Formulabruce once I have a chance to look over pictures. It's a match made in heaven. So if this pans out, I'm all set, and I get to sit in Recaros once again

  #46  
Old 12-18-2021, 09:28 PM
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I put a set of Recaro seats in my 79 Formula Firebird back in '81. Loved them until they were stolen out of the car. They were cloth with the high seat bolsters, and the net see-thru headrests. The wrong choice was the cloth wore out from sliding over the high seat bolsters. The seat bottom front pulled out for support for your whole upper leg to the back of your knees. That was the right choice for comfort on a trip. Recaros make your stock seats feel like you've been sitting on a milk can.

Now you've got me looking for a set for the 66 GTO.... if I keep the car. Thanks for the Recaro link. There's a dealer in Horsham, PA about an hour away from me.

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  #47  
Old 12-18-2021, 09:30 PM
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ok, back on subject.. my BACK seats in my car... These hardly ever see the light of day.
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  #48  
Old 01-10-2022, 07:05 PM
GoreMaker GoreMaker is offline
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Sweet, I'm now the proud owner of a set of front recaro seats from an '81 Pace Car edition Trans Am. Huge thanks, Formula Bruce! I can't wait to restore these and rest my behind on them

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  #49  
Old 01-10-2022, 08:41 PM
78w72 78w72 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by GoreMaker View Post
Sweet, I'm now the proud owner of a set of front recaro seats from an '81 Pace Car edition Trans Am. Huge thanks, Formula Bruce! I can't wait to restore these and rest my behind on them
congrats! can you post a pic of them? if you arent familiar with these seats in general or restoring them, i can help with some general info i have acquired over many years of owning a lot of these seats, might even have some misc parts if you need them...

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  #50  
Old 01-10-2022, 10:14 PM
gobrdgo gobrdgo is offline
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I was looking at Recaro seats but don’t see me spending the money on them. Then a buddy gave me some VW seats to try which were amazing but too high in my 69 bird no matter what. Since then I picked up a 911 Porsche and I was looking at the seats which are amazing. So I tried one in car and they are perfect fit in my 69 bird. You can find 911 seats from 300 a pair to 3000 or more but there’s plenty to go around for very reasonable prices. That’s what I’m gonna run. I believe they are Recaros.
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  #51  
Old 01-10-2022, 10:38 PM
GoreMaker GoreMaker is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gobrdgo View Post
...seats from 300 a pair to 3000 or more but there’s plenty to go around for very reasonable prices. That’s what I’m gonna run. I believe they are Recaros.
Oh wow, those look sweet. And they look like they belong there! Nice find.

I paid $650 for the pair, which I find pretty reasonable for a set of original Recaros that were installed in only 2000 or so cars and bolt right into mine without modifications. I especially love the extendable thigh support.

Quote:
Originally Posted by 78w72 View Post
congrats! can you post a pic of them? if you arent familiar with these seats in general or restoring them, i can help with some general info i have acquired over many years of owning a lot of these seats, might even have some misc parts if you need them...
The seats are still sitting in my winter beater, I didn't take them out after getting home from the 7 hour round trip from picking them up. But this is a picture Bruce sent me before I agreed to buy them:



I'm planning to take them apart and add or replace bushings at all pivot points, clean up the tracks and paint/lube everything to make it look good. I'm gonna have them re-upholstered in lombardi black cloth with piping to match my car's interior, and maybe update some of the padding. About the only thing I think I'm missing are the seat belt loops. I assume the regular OEM ones don't fit directly, but I haven't checked yet.

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  #52  
Old 01-10-2022, 11:18 PM
gobrdgo gobrdgo is offline
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You can spend another grand on those and still be ahead! Totally awesome.
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  #53  
Old 01-10-2022, 11:19 PM
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The pic above is a 600 dollar set in Colorado. Porsche 911.

  #54  
Old 01-11-2022, 11:23 AM
78w72 78w72 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by GoreMaker View Post
Oh wow, those look sweet. And they look like they belong there! Nice find.

I paid $650 for the pair, which I find pretty reasonable for a set of original Recaros that were installed in only 2000 or so cars and bolt right into mine without modifications. I especially love the extendable thigh support.



The seats are still sitting in my winter beater, I didn't take them out after getting home from the 7 hour round trip from picking them up. But this is a picture Bruce sent me before I agreed to buy them:


I'm planning to take them apart and add or replace bushings at all pivot points, clean up the tracks and paint/lube everything to make it look good. I'm gonna have them re-upholstered in lombardi black cloth with piping to match my car's interior, and maybe update some of the padding. About the only thing I think I'm missing are the seat belt loops. I assume the regular OEM ones don't fit directly, but I haven't checked yet.
those look to be in pretty good shape overall & that was a great price. just some worn through black fabric on the bolsters & the all too common crushed bolster foam on the drivers side outer bottom bolster from people being lazy getting in & out of them. thats a big rule i have for anyone getting in my 81, dont slide on the side bolsters, pick your butt up when getting in & out!

a big thing is the head rest netting looks to be in good shape, dont mess with that when restoring them if possible because they dont make replacements. the head rests come out when you reach behind the upper red foam & pull the 2 clevis pins.

good thing you are recovering them in new black because there is no original fabric available repro or new/NOS. back in the late 90s when i bought my 81 pace car & didnt know much about them (internet wasnt like it is today) i actually called recaro asking for info & parts for these seats & they put me in contact with the guy that was in charge of the factory programs at that time, he said of all the recaros GM & ford & others used, the red/black were the rarest & the fabric was made specially for those seats by recaro & only supplied enough for the 2000 cars made, no more was produced or is available & was not a GM supplied fabric. ive seen lots of these seats recovered & while some are decent color matches none are the correct material. a good interior shop should be able to replicate the foam on the bolsters but there is company that produce recaro foam, i can send you a link to them but not 100% sure they make an exact correct replacement for the bolsters.

looks like they are missing some of the side knobs for the forward lockout & yes the seat belt guides are the same ones used on other GM seats. & when you take them apart, be aware the 2 allen bolts attaching the backs to the bottoms have heavy thread lock that needs to be heated up to get them out, i used a propane torch with a pencil tip to carefully heat the bolts one at a time & be sure to protect surrounding areas & direct the flame away from anything that will melt or burn.

looks like you have a good solid starting point with these to customize for your car.

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  #55  
Old 04-16-2022, 08:00 PM
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My Recaro seat project. I took them to a shop today to get an estimate on recovering the seats. Want them to match the style of a ‘72 Firebird deluxe interior.

78w72, please e-mail me at midstates2@aol.com. Thanks, Bob
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  #56  
Old 04-16-2022, 08:49 PM
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The ‘81 adapters don’t align perfectly with my ‘72 seat tracks. The holes in my seat tracks where the seat bolts on are 1/2” closer together than the later seat tracks. Some material on the adapters will also need to be removed to clear the seat latch release mechanisms.
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  #57  
Old 04-17-2022, 09:50 AM
78w72 78w72 is offline
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The ‘81 adapters don’t align perfectly with my ‘72 seat tracks. The holes in my seat tracks where the seat bolts on are 1/2” closer together than the later seat tracks. Some material on the adapters will also need to be removed to clear the seat latch release mechanisms.
Quote:
Originally Posted by BobC View Post
My Recaro seat project. I took them to a shop today to get an estimate on recovering the seats. Want them to match the style of a ‘72 Firebird deluxe interior.

78w72, please e-mail me at midstates2@aol.com. Thanks, Bob
they will look great recovered with a early OEM material.

i recently read the earlier seat tracks have a slightly different bolt spacing for how the tracks bolt to the seats, the later 75-81 tracks bolt up fine. maybe you or the shop can relocate the holes on the seats so your 72 tracks will bolt up?

i will send you an email today.


Last edited by 78w72; 04-17-2022 at 10:21 AM.
  #58  
Old 04-17-2022, 10:14 AM
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Switching my 78 back to cornering from drag suspension and am planning on getting my Recaros redone maybe to match the stock factory rear seats.

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  #59  
Old 04-17-2022, 08:29 PM
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That’s my plan too. Buy the rear seat cover from Legendary and also extra matching vinyl. The front seats would mimic the OEM styling. The pic is a factory Recaro seat. If the center panels were stitched to match a ‘72 Firebird seat it would look good.
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  #60  
Old 04-17-2022, 08:31 PM
GoreMaker GoreMaker is offline
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Legendary current lead time is January...

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