Sheet Metal parts on the shelf in the U.S. ? Options

[Literati914]

Not looking for any political opinions from the following:

I got sticker shock on the shipping of a few sheet metal parts for my next restoration when I enquired at Restoration Design. Then I remembered - duh, tariffs. No big deal I'll get this stuff from PMB, they're US and I should have considered them first anyway! .. well they apparently don't actually stock them and so again shipping is from Canada and also comical. No reason to ever buy sheet metal from them though IMHO.

I then call Automobile Atlanta and get a low-key brag about how AA makes most of their own sheet metal, was first to do so, etc. etc. I ask the guy on the line to check stock on 4 items before placing my order on-line, just to be sure they were in stock. One item was not available (but y'all make them right?). Anyway I placed the order for the three items (rear trunk floor, the small parking brake pivot piece, and the interior lower firewall complete (which is inconveniently sold as two pieces from AA for some reason). The online shipping for this order was around $50 which seems about right, but there was a note that it could increase a little once the package was made up. After placing the order I get a note saying that shipping is going to be $415 !! - That is close to what Restoration Design was going to charge, plus they had the pieces that AA didn't, so..

I've shipping a set of heat exchangers not all that long ago for a fraction of that shipping quote.. so I know these items can't be that high to ship within the states. Tariffs are the only thing that has changed.

Anyone actually stock these ?

[DennisV]

This may not solve for these specific parts, but Sierra Madre is a US distributor of Restoration Design now. I believe they are stocking in California. Their website is one of the better ones, at least in terms of showing you if items are in stock and providing shipping quote before you check out.

[mate914]

Not looking for any political opinions from the following:

I got sticker shock on the shipping of a few sheet metal parts for my next restoration when I enquired at Restoration Design. Then I remembered - duh, tariffs. No big deal I'll get this stuff from PMB, they're US and I should have considered them first anyway! .. well they apparently don't actually stock them and so again shipping is from Canada and also comical. No reason to ever buy sheet metal from them though IMHO.

I then call AutoAtlanta and get a low-key brag about how AA makes most of their own sheet metal, was first to do so, etc. etc. I ask the guy on the line to check stock on 4 items before placing my order on-line, just to be sure they were in stock. One item was not available (but y'all make them right?). Anyway I placed the order for the three items (rear trunk floor, the small parking brake pivot piece, and the interior lower firewall complete (which is inconveniently sold as two pieces from AA for some reason). The online shipping for this order was around $50 which seems about right, but there was a note that it could increase a little once the package was made up. After placing the order I get a note saying that shipping is going to be $415 !! - That is close to what Restoration Design was going to charge, plus they had the pieces that AA didn't, so..

I've shipping a set of heat exchangers not all that long ago for a fraction of that shipping quote.. so I know these items can't be that high to ship within the states. Tariffs are the only thing that has changed.

Anyone actually stock these ?

$415.. wow. Sounds like a mess up.
Matt

[sixnotfour]

Drop ship America..sorry its the reality..

[mepstein]

Shipping should have been $50 ish. They are trying to scam you. I just sent an expensive muffler from CA to PA. I’m shipping it in a 120 qt cooler because it will provide a lot of protection and I can reuse the cooler. Shipping cost $108 and the dimensions are 39x19x19. I can send a 915 transmission x-country in that same cooler for less than $300. Bruce/bdstone914 recently sent me a front bumper. Again, CA to PA. Cost was $98 and that included $1500 insurance. Shipping has gone up a bit but not what you were quoted. I can get an 911 engine from PA to TX for for $415 It’s either gross misunderstanding or a cash grab. Either way it’s not right.

[Unobtanium-inc]

For some of our vendors shipping is a new profit center. I had to call up and scream at one a few months ago. Ordered one piece of sheet metal, shipping was $125. Just for fun, I checked what the same box, same weight, same dims would cost to go back from me to them. It was $76, and I know they have a much better UPS tier then I do based on volume, so their shipping was probably about $55, so they pocketed $70, which was probably way better then the profit on the piece itself.

[dtmehall]

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/agree.gif)

[Literati914]

Well I wouldn't feel so bad about it, if they admitted they were drop shipping from Canada, like PMB did when I contacted them.

But Automobile Atlanta not only verified that the pieces were on hand (dude put me on hold to 'go check'), but they actually gave me a whole spiel on how they make most of the sheet metal for 914, blah blah..

[mepstein]

Well I wouldn't feel so bad about it, if they admitted they were drop shipping from Canada, like PMB did when I contacted them.

But Automobile Atlanta not only verified that the pieces were on hand (dude put me on hold to 'go check'), but they actually gave me a whole spiel on how they make most of the sheet metal for 914, blah blah..

I once drove an hour to a shop that had I part that I needed that day to get a customers car out of my shop. I verified on the phone that they had the part on the shelf. I got there, asked for the part and the owner goes to his computer to pull it up on SSF. Well, I get free overnight shipping from SSF so I could have done that too but in my world, "on the shelf" means on the shelf in my shop. Live and learn.

[914Sixer]

Shipping is out of hand that is for sure.

[Literati914]

There are ebay listings for the items I'm after w/ reasonable shipping - but are all the ebay sellers (of 914 parts) out of Marietta GA, gonna be one and the same... AKA Automobile Atlanta ?

[mepstein]

There are ebay listings for the items I'm after w/ reasonable shipping - but are all the ebay sellers (of 914 parts) out of Marietta GA, gonna be one and the same... AKA Automobile Atlanta ?

Probably but sometimes it’s worth buying on eBay for the increased seller protection. If you buy directly from AA, make sure to use a credit card, not debit.

[Chris914n6]

For me the cheapest and logistically best place to get RD metal was Pelican. But that was a few years ago.

[Unobtanium-inc]

If you need a bunch of metal from RD they will work really hard to get it to you as cheap as possible. Normally heading into winter I make a big order and the shipping is really reasonable. Winter is for welding!

[930cabman]

RD are a great bunch of folks, shipping could be trouble. So far as I know they have the market on Porsche sheet metal and it needs to cross the border somehow

[mepstein]

RD are a great bunch of folks, shipping could be trouble. So far as I know they have the market on Porsche sheet metal and it needs to cross the border somehow

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/agree.gif) RD is my go-to for metal if I can’t get it from Porsche. Price is a concern but so is customer service and all the other stuff.