Hello Michael,
Responding to your recent (August 21st) email suggestion -
Our 300 Club has a Parts Reproduction Committee that explores a variety of Letter Car parts that are being considered for reproduction, many by our Club for our Club Store. Additionally, several members have assumed responsibility to explore Letter Car reproduction parts they personally offer for sale to our Club Members.
Club member Jamie Hyde is our Parts Reproduction Committee Chairman. We welcome member suggestions for reproduction parts, but ask that these suggestions be first sent to Jamie to discuss. He is the most knowledgeable about parts our Club has reproduced, those on which the Club is currently working to reproduce, as well as the reproduction of those the Club has explored but found not feasible to pursue. Jamie tracks all projects being considered.
Also, and this is very important! – Jamie encourages that members never contact potential vendors directly, as they do not like to be pestered, and may confuse a current project in progress. Jamie has recently been reminded of this by two suppliers with whom he’s working, and emphasizes that this direct contact will not move a project forward any quicker.
Those of our Club Members working in this reproduction space are familiar with the challenges of turning out the parts we need to keep our Letter Cars on the road and functioning as they should. Sometimes success is achieved in turning out these parts and sometimes not. Years ago, well before I joined our Club in '04, many sources were available who designed or copied, and manufactured, these parts. As the years have rolled forward, fewer domestic sources are still operating, have the talent and materials needed, and are willing to partner with us to make the parts in reasonable, but typically small relative to their mainline business, quantities and at reasonable price points for us.
In addition to our 300 Club's Parts Reproduction Committee, as mentioned above, several of our Club members have themselves reproduced, or worked with shops to reproduce, certain parts requested by our members. These parts are advertised on our website and in our quarterly print Chrysler 300 Club News and News-Flite publications. The names of the members contributing to our parts cause are numerous, and I won't mention names here, so as not to omit anyone.
When either our Club or an individual Club member takes on a reproduction project, he or she gauges the interest in the particular part expressed by Club members. We've often seen inquiries sent across our listserver for members' interest in a particular part. As you can imagine, neither our Club, nor individuals jumping into reproduction projects, have unlimited financial resources. The expected demand for a reproduced part is gauged, the determination is then made re how many of the part to fund and have produced, and get it done and then offered to our members. It makes no financial sense to produce a 25-year supply of a part, just to have it collect dust on a shelf and take away the corresponding Club’s or individual’s funds available for other projects. That's why it's so critical for each of us to respond to questions of interest in certain parts for our Letter Car model years, when they're offered, because this production batch could well be the last time the part is available. I personally purchase 300-F parts offered that I don't currently need, but have them on hand for when I may well need them. I encourage all Club members to accordingly think long-term.
Hope this at least partially responds to your comment about producing parts in larger lots!
Noel
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