Date:         Sun, 21 Jul 1996 10:26:49 -0700
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         Thom Fitzpatrick <thom@calweb.com>
Subject:      Repro Parts Quality

        A couple days ago, I recieved (free) a new set of latches for my
Wolfgang Repro Safaris.  I had a whole box of latches to pic a set from.  

        The quality on these things is so bad, I think Jerry's Kids could
make a fortune doing this, as they can probably do better.  The gig is thus:
take a repro vent wing latch, cut the back part off, and drill 2 holes for
the screws.  Sounds easy, doesn't it?  Especially if this is something your
company sells, and not just something you're hacking up in your garage?  No
two latches matched.  Period.  Some of them had the holes so far off there
is no way you could ever put them on a car.

        Now, on to the windows.  Safari windows are great to have, no doubt
about that.  But these cheezy companies that are banking on that, and
cranking out lame repros to cash in quick have to be stopped somehow.  

        Whats wrong with these repros?  Let me count the ways:

        *       The tabs for the sliders are tacked on every which way but
loose, make the windows difficult to open and close, because the slider
binds on the braket.

        *       The tabs for the latches are similarly mis-welded.  You'd
think that someone who was making this many of these would have a *jig* set
up for this.

        *       The two halves of the windows do not match up evenly,
leaving a nice ridge, which looks like *crap*

        *       The have already started to *rust* where the two halves
meet.  I could powder coat something better with a 12-pack of beer and a
crate of bran muffins.

        *       The *etch* this cheesy "Wolfgang" logo on the lower outside
corner of the window, and also etched an official looking certification
stamp.  The damn logo is about 2 1/2" high.

        *       The seals are crap.  I don't know where they get them, but
they didn't fit for crap: there is not enuf "seal" to go all the way into
the corners, so they lift up.

Thom Fitzpatrick
thom@calweb.com - http://www.calweb.com/~thom
Keeper of the Barndoor Bus Web Page: http://www.calweb.com/~thom/barndoor.html