FAQs

Are your parts new or used? The parts listed in the custom catalog are all new: original, quality replacement, or reproduction. We do have select used parts, please contact us for your used parts needs.

I am in a hurry, how fast can you get my order to me? We will try to have a quote to you in one business day,  with any delays, backorders, or special orders noted. If requested, we can ship FedEx next day, 2nd Day. We typically ship FedEx Ground or Home delivery.

I am looking for a certain well known brand name, do you have it? Many automotive parts that are manufactured in North America are made by a few "basic" manufacturers. They sell to companies in bulk who package into their own fancy box with their well known brand name on it. We buy many of the same parts they do also in bulk and sell them without the fancy box for less.

I see advertised where I can buy some parts direct from the manufacturer, can I save money by going direct? There are a few reproduction parts manufacturers who also think they can be good "dealers". Our catalog price is almost always less than their regular price. You may luck out as a few manufacturers have been known to have a "sale" but it has it's risks buying direct. Every reproduction parts manufacturer we know of started out making parts for one of the "big three": GM, Ford, or Chrysler. That is their main line and that's what they know and do well with. Here is where the problems start, they seldom have anybody on staff that knows anything about AMC cars, they almost never have AMC parts books, technical manuals or AMC model information. The only reason they even manufacture any AMC parts is due to the efforts of a few AMC dealers. We inspect every shipment from these manufacturers to be sure it is correct before it is shipped to our customer. We have rejected over 10% of shipments from certain manufacturers due to errors. You can end up spending more money on returns and not being able to get all of the parts you need or additional parts in one shipment.

What is the difference in the molded carpets you sell for AMX and Javelin vs. non-molded carpets others sell?

1) Our carpet is tufted on an eighth gauge machine, eight tufts per inch. The better grade some websites refer to is probably a "Dorsett" carpet tufted 10 per inch, BUT, the pile height is diminished so there is not any more yarn involved. The OEM's use this trick on new cars because it's actually cheaper but looks denser.

2) Our carpet is 16 oz. per square yard, the same as the best "Dorsett" sells. Loop and cut pile carpet both start as loop carpet, we snip the loops to get cut pile, which is the industry standard.

3) The "special" carpet that some websites are selling is "Dupont" olefin, which is boat carpet and available in boat colors only.

4) Others are selling "cut and sewn" carpets. They are cut out flat to a pattern, flipped over and the darts needed for fit are sewn flat. These seams don't lay well and the corners are pointed in most cases. The backing used on this carpet is a latex finish to make it stiff and lock the tufts into the backing. This makes forming into rounded corners a lot off work and requires the entire carpet be glued just to get close to a decent fit. The backing breaks down in moisture situations and actually crumbles under heavy use.

5) Molded carpets are created by heating the carpet to over 200 degrees, then pressing it between two molds much like a fender or hood is made. The backing is 14 oz. of polyurethane that is rolled onto the back of the carpet after the dying process. This locks in the tufts permanently, water is not an issue. The molds are hand built using either factory original molds or ones made by us from actual casts of the floor of the specific vehicle. There are no seams, the heel pad id dielectrically sealed to the carpet as the factory did. Sewn on pads can let go over time as the stitching wears out.

6) We offer 250 colors and styles of carpet and our edges are vinyl bound or surged, as originality requires. The padding on the back is die-cut to each specific application allowing for seat belt and seat track installation. During the molding process the polyurethane is sticky and bonds the pad into its permanent location. During installation of a cut and sewn carpet, the pad is separate and also must be glued in place first then the carpet installed over it. A correctly molded carpet really needs no gluing to fit and stay in place. Factory didn’t glue the original carpet.           

There are “bargain” weatherstrips advertised, what is the difference?  As with many other rubber products the quality of the raw materials used in the rubber can vary to keep the price down. Tires are a good example, you can buy inexpensive tires for less than half the cost of a high quality tire. We all expect the higher quality more expensive tires to last longer and perform better. The weatherstrip manufacturers, just like the tire manufacturers, have an economy line of weatherstrips they sell to companies who insist only on a cheap price in order to make the sale. Some of these companies are also an outlet for weatherstrips that were repaired warranty returns, factory errors or seconds, dealer returns, or old designs that were not accurate to the original and were replaced by an updated/corrected design

How do I know if the stripe kit I purchase is an accurate reproduction? There is only one way to reproduce a stripe so it is exactly like the original factory stripe and that is from an original   genuine AMC replacement kit. All of the stripes we offer have been reproduced from original AMC kits that were never installed on a car. Once a vinyl stripe kit is applied to the cars curved body panels the vinyl stretches and conforms to the shape of that panel. (The stripe vinyl can be stretched over a bowling ball if you want to spend the time) It is now impossible to photograph or trace this stripe and reproduce it back to original flat preinstalled size and shape. Many companies offer stripes that are reasonably close because they were made from stripes that were already installed. Very few companies have went to the expense of locating, purchasing, and reproducing stripes from original AMC kits.

All of our kits use the best 3M vinyl, most other kits use a lesser grade of 3M vinyl or an off brand vinyl. All of our stripe kits that have printed colors on them get a special application of abrasion guard after the printing process.

We have seen several stripes elsewhere being sold as AMC reproduction stripe kits that were never even an AMC stripe originally. A good example is a SOLID color 1971-1974 Javelin AMX hood T stripe, never done in solid by AMC.

Floor panels and quarter repair panels are advertised elsewhere for less, are they the same as what you offer? If not, what is the difference? All of our floor, quarter and body repair panels are 100% die stamped on dies made from original AMC panels and these dies are partially owned by us. ALL of our panels are as thick or thicker steel than the original AMC panel and are die stamped in Michigan U.S.A. by a company that also makes parts for many automotive manufacturers. We do not sell panels that are made in China or elsewhere. The cheap panels that are offered by aftermarket collision parts stores, mail order companies or online are made of very thin steel. The reason for this is so that they can be made using metal breaks and hand forming to attempt to get close to a shape that can be modified to fit.

ABOUT KITS:

I have seen advertisements elsewhere for certain kits, can I save money with a kit ? While it may seem easier to order a "kit" and it may appear to save money there are several drawbacks to many kits:

Suspension kits Some kits are being offered that contain some of the items that you probably do need they often do not contain a part that normally wears out faster than others they supply in the "kit". Many kits contain items not usually needed often but the seller has an overstock of them and includes them in the "kit" to help clear his excess inventory and make his "kit" look like a deal. When a needed part is not part of the "kit" you have to purchase it separately for added expense and shipping. Often the company that offers these "kits" do not have the additional needed parts. Many companies that offer what appears to be a "great deal on a kit" buys old surplus or cheaply made parts in Asia or China.

Weatherstrip kits While it may look like a good deal on a weatherstrip kit, they often supply universal rubber as a substitute for the correct trunk or other weatherstriping to keep their costs down and/or because they only buy from one manufacturer. We buy from several rubber manufacturers so we are able to supply the best and most exact weatherstriping, something that cannot be done from one manufacturer Kits have been known to contain some weatherstrips that were repaired warranty returns, factory errors or seconds,dealer returns, or old designs that were not accurate to the original and were replaced by an updated/corrected design.