Reproduction Door Scuff Plates

[Deanj]

Do I have to say many reproduction parts are a huge disappointment? Mac's, Larry's, The Bird House, Dennis Carpenter: Do you guys hear us? I replaced the door scuff plates on my 1960 with Mac's version of the Taiwan reproduction. These are not an exact, nor even a 95% replica of the originals. The piece is much more shallow and wider front to back. It fits after re-drilling the non-matching holes with a 11/64 bit to fit the new larger diameter screws (extra cost). The same goes for door weather stripping. It doesn't matter if you purchase the USA made rubber or not. The dog leg is unacceptable.

We would gladly pay for quality parts if you buy these for re-sale. If not, how about soliciting and publishing reviews of the part so we don't waste good money on stuff Ford would have rejected.

I know I'm going to get a lesson on why I voted Trump here, but in this computer age this shouldn't happen even if these parts were made in Timbuktu.

[jopizz]

My problem is with Ford. If you are going to force manufacturers to pay you to reproduce parts at least make sure those parts are acceptable and not junk.

John

[Dan Leavens]

John I agree you are right on the money ( no pun intended ) with your statement.

[YellowRose]

Reproduction Door Scuff Plates

To prevent from having that problem when I was doing the restoration and customization of my Yellow Rose, I took those door scuff plates off and had them chromed along with other interior parts I was having chromed. When I got them back, I covered them with a clear sealer tape so that when I stepped on that area they would not get scuffed. They look great still...

[Deanj]

First, anyone know where I start at FoMoCo to get someone to listen to us? When I owned nothing but Chevys and Pontiacs, I read Ford and their dealers were superior with helping owners restore their vintage Fords. I walked into a large dealership who asked me for a vin number when I needed seat bolts. Silly me headed to Lowe's.

Second, I still say the retailers need to offer reviews on parts. I think these scuff plates are sprayed with silver paint at best. These don't look that bad, just the fact that the outer edge sticks out away from the rocker by 1/2 or 3/4 of an inch.

Lastly, I like the idea of chroming or re-finishing my old plates if I could restore all the dings, dents, and screw-ups in the first place.

[jopizz]

I doubt you'll get anywhere with Ford. In this age of cost cutting I'm pretty sure Ford isn't going to pay someone to make sure the quality of 60 year old parts meets anyone's expectations. Your only hope was to send them back to the vendor and tell them the quality is unacceptable. If they get enough complaints they will either get the manufacturer to correct the defects or get a new manufacturer.

John

[Deanj]

John, you're right and I feel obsolete. No wonder some people don't retire. It looks like it's up to the retailers to make a difference, which is where I started.

I love old cars, old music, and old movies because these still have value and substance I can't find in today's products. Oh, I know modern car's quality and thrift can't be beat, but I decided to sell my 2000 Corvette and buy a Squarebird because transportation alone never fulfilled my desire in cars. I like 1953-82 Corvettes because of their personality. That encompasses styling and performance. The same applies to 1955-67 Thunderbirds. Did I say I like making them better when I can? And that requires good parts.

I put over $5,000 into my car in the first year. It was easy and the car was in good condition to start. Some bogus parts couldn't be returned as there's some destruction during the fit process-like the weather stripping. Lessons learned.

I'll let it go now. Thanks again.

[jopizz]

Dean,

I've used quite a few reproduction parts over the years and it's hit and miss regarding the quality. Some parts are equal or even superior to the originals in some cases. When it comes to the scuff plates I was appalled at how poorly they were made. In all the cars I've redone I've either reused the originals by buffing and hammering out the dents or I've found good used ones.

I don't consider myself obsolete because I enjoy old things as you do. To me it's all about style, whether it's cars, music or movies. It either has it or it doesn't.

John

[Deanj]

One last question is are the 1960 originals anodized? Or polished aluminum? I've read some controversy posted in the "Vintage Thunderbird Club International" about when Ford actually started this process on door scuff plates.

[Joe Johnston]

A quick check is to take a bit of car wax or polish on a cloth and lightly rub on the part in question. If the cloth quickly turns black the part is not anodized or coated.

[Tbird1044]

That's an interesting test. I'm going to check my old plates next time out working on the car. I also was not impressed with the repos, but was able to make them work.
I would bet that the original plates were anodized, as it is a little harder coating, considering the wear on these plates. I was going to throw my old ones away, but now may keep them and see how well I can do in refurbishing them.
Happy New Years, everyone
Nyles

[Deanj]

Nyles, my original scuff plates aren't coated unless that finish was "polished" off through the years. I tried buffing wheel polishing and you can see wonderful improvement to about 70-75%. The serious dings and corrosion will remain. This is a lot of work and I don't think I'll be satisfied in the end.

Now, when I showed an old professional mechanic the new ones, he suggested placing some rubber sheeting under the plates to take up the play in the area that do not meet each other. It's got to be non-moisture absorbing material. He suggested optional clear coating the new ones, also, to improve the luster to make these more comparable to the originals.

I would have paid for some correct replacements in the first place.

[Richard Honeycutt]

Scuff plates very poor

I bought a set of scuff plates to replace a set I had previously bought only to find they were still the same poor quality. I was tfrying to get ready for out KC International judging and thought they would at least hold up that long. Boy, was I wrong. The holers didn't match up, the plates were not the right size and the first time I closed the driver's door the plate bent like it was Reynold's Wrap. I took a hit in judging, nothing I could do about it. Talking to the vendors did no good they all said these were the only ones available. I wonder if VTCI could have any pull with the vendors? I don't mind paying for good quality, but these don't come close to being anything but junk. Anyone know "Th Donald's" tweet? LOL

[YellowRose]

Reproduction Door Scuff Plates

Hi Richard, I assume that these reproduction door scuff plates are either being manufactured by Tbird Hqs or the Bird Nest these days. They have told me that between the two of them, they make 80% of the reproductions being made today for us. I have not talked with them about this product, but I have about other parts problems, like door panels and other parts. The response I get is that often these are not big selling parts, and to fix any problems they have would be cost prohibitive.. I will find out who is making them and bring the problem with these scuff plates to their attention and let these people know that their scuff plates are not up to OEM standards. I will see what they have to say about that. I can direct them to this thread on our Forum so they can see what is being said about this. There ARE Tbird Hqs and Bird Nest personnel who are on this Forum.... In case ya'll don't know that... They may not be that active, but a few have joined in the past.

[fomoco59]

I bought a set in '07 (probably from Mac's) while prepping for an AACA National show. They didn't fit right. Still on the car, but I kept the originals so maybe I'll try buffing them out this summer. Didn't think of that.