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IC: OEM Roof trim parts GB

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Zipp734 said:
I found this

http://www.tousleyfordparts.com/par...tour&year=2000&catalogid=2&displayCatalogid=0

It was too late to call them tonight, but I am calling them first thing in the morning to see if they really do have them in stock.
Click to expand...

As I mentioned to you in your PM... these are the first guys I called. They are discontinued and no one has them in stock. However there was one exception as there happen to be (supposedly) a single right hand side seal located in Puerto Rico, but the sales guy could not confirm for sure that it truly was there.

In that catalog you will also find available an SVT radiator, SVT bumpers, etc. None of which is available and are all discontinued.
 
Bad new folks. I am in London right now, but it's pretty far to get to any place that has Ford inventory, let alone a dealer. The closest place is about 2.5 hours. That's public and walking. I have a limited amount of time here so spending at least 5 hours out of my 72 hours here isn't really part of the plan. I tried to get one of my friends here in the UK to accept shipment and bring the parts here when we met up, but that was a no-go. FordPartsUK is about 3 hours from here, but car. I also thought about renting a car, but then it's just as much to pay shipping as it is to rent a car. The biggest kicker is that British Airways limits their checked baggage to one piece. As it is I had to fit two bags into one and the extra cost would be about $100 because of flights to Vienna from here and then back home. Sorry guys but it's just not convenient to get to a parts place around here without a car.
 
After being on the phone (3 + hours) with one division of Ford after another, I have tracked down one of the suppliers of injection mold products for the Contour platform.
I talked to him on the phone and he was very open to meeting with me about tracking down the other suppliers to Ford on the Contour platform.

Of course I will keep everyone updated on the progress.
 
Zipp734 said:
After being on the phone (3 + hours) with one division of Ford after another, I have tracked down one of the suppliers of injection mold products for the Contour platform.
I talked to him on the phone and he was very open to meeting with me about tracking down the other suppliers to Ford on the Contour platform.

Of course I will keep everyone updated on the progress.
Click to expand...

Good work! Definitely keep us posted.
 
Zipp734 said:
After being on the phone (3 + hours) with one division of Ford after another, I have tracked down one of the suppliers of injection mold products for the Contour platform.
I talked to him on the phone and he was very open to meeting with me about tracking down the other suppliers to Ford on the Contour platform.

Of course I will keep everyone updated on the progress.
Click to expand...

How did you manage that?! I called all the numbers I could find and ended up at the same place. When you say divisions of Ford.. what are you talking about? As no one I talked to was willing to provide me with any contacts from anyone that could provide me information for suppliers. All I got was the different companies that buy up extra stock of discontinued parts, none of which had any of the seals. In any case, fantastic work!!
 
CSVT#49 said:
How did you manage that?! I called all the numbers I could find and ended up at the same place. When you say divisions of Ford.. what are you talking about? As no one I talked to was willing to provide me with any contacts from anyone that could provide me information for suppliers. All I got was the different companies that buy up extra stock of discontinued parts, none of which had any of the seals. In any case, fantastic work!!
Click to expand...

Not sure how I got connected to the right people at Ford. I lost count on how many different people I talked to and how many times I dialed numbers. I do recall talking to some guy in FL who gave me another number to someone in Dearborn. That is where I got the number of the guy who was an original supplier to the Contour platform.

I am trying to get a meeting set up this week to talk to that original supplier so that he can help us track down the company that supplied the roof drip rails.

Of course as always, I will keep everyone updated.
 
The only thing I'm confused about is how that supplier would know the other supplier that Ford worked with on those parts. Typically there are quotes obtained and a single supplier is selected, and that is it. The only interactions between suppliers is when there are additional processes performed on the parts that are outside the realm of what the initial supplier does, for example if you want a different electrical connector on a part that that supplier doesn't deal with or have tools to install. In which case another supplier buys the part from the other supplier and installs the correct connector and then ships the final product to the company.

In any case I'm interested to see where this goes.
 
Eagerly awaiting this one. My driver's side trim is literally falling apart. If this needs a little cash thrown at it when we track the suckers down let me know...
 
I've been conversing with one of our UK members about doing some measurements on their car and then taking pics of the ends. This is so the I can better see what their originals look like before making an initial purchase for my direct comparison. Then the GB can proceed with no hitches [hopefully].
 
I landed a meeting with the guy for Thursday 11/12/10 at 11 am.
After speaking with him on the phone for about 15 minutes he informed me that the supplier chain to Ford is a 'close knit group' and he is very sure he can get the info we are looking for. At the very least he will be able to help point us in the right direction as to who it may have been.
 
Zipp734 said:
I landed a meeting with the guy for Thursday 11/12/10 at 11 am.
After speaking with him on the phone for about 15 minutes he informed me that the supplier chain to Ford is a 'close knit group' and he is very sure he can get the info we are looking for. At the very least he will be able to help point us in the right direction as to who it may have been.
Click to expand...

Sounds good!

On another note I did get the local guy here for Metro Molded Parts to meet with me next week after he gets back from the SEMA show. If we pay for the mold creation they can make the parts for us. However I'm guessing the mold for these pieces may be about $3-5k a piece... so I'm thinking with the way CEG is about spending money this may not be the best route. However that is just a guess based on my experience as to the mold prices. I'll have a better idea after meeting with him next week.
 
Hey guys!
So, I had my meeting and it was very interesting. I had no clue how much went into making plastic injection molded pieces. I learned a great deal today.
I have several leads as to who may have been the supplier for the roof drip rails. But I am not going to hold my breath on anything at this point.
The list consist of 14 different companies that may or may not still be in business let alone be the one company that did supply the part.
I have not had a chance to start looking any of them up just yet as where work got in the way of fun once again.
 
Zipp734 said:
Hey guys!
So, I had my meeting and it was very interesting. I had no clue how much went into making plastic injection molded pieces. I learned a great deal today.
I have several leads as to who may have been the supplier for the roof drip rails. But I am not going to hold my breath on anything at this point.
The list consist of 14 different companies that may or may not still be in business let alone be the one company that did supply the part.
I have not had a chance to start looking any of them up just yet as where work got in the way of fun once again.
Click to expand...

Cool. Sounds promising. If you want any help let me know.
 
CSVT#49 said:
Cool. Sounds promising. If you want any help let me know.
Click to expand...
Thanks. I may need some help at some point. As of right now I am keeping a very detailed log of who, #'s and where they lead me to so that I do not cross the same path twice.
I crossed paths when doing my first round of calls with Ford.
 
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