To Clarify


[Follow Ups] [Post Followup] [Dodge Power Wagon Forum]


Posted by Clint Dixon on Friday, June 01, 2007 at 16:32:16 :

In Reply to: Re: MoparNorm posted by MoparNorm on Friday, June 01, 2007 at 14:33:13 :

Sorry about the confusion. I entered the subject of parting of trucks into the thread because it is relevant to the information found in the registries. Information in the form of registered trucks that have been parted is just as valuable as that on trucks that have been restored. Also I get the feeling from having read some posts of yours, over time, that you may frown upon the numbers you perceive of trucks being parted? So, another reason I brought up the relevant subject here, in order to solicit your comments.

We appear to be in total agreement on the merits of the registries. It seems a shame to spend time in this thread discussing the things we disagree upon. But they are more closely related to the original thread, “Carryall Seats” than to the sub-thread on the registries that developed from my unintentional hi-jack.

So with that, I must strongly disagree with your post lower down in this thread: “427 Sweptlines in a Registry 2+ years younger, we are catching up! Based upon the dearth of suppliers and the number of suppliers that are just barely hanging on, I'd say that there are only a 1000 of these truck owners combined that buy any parts......“ I also disagree with the quote above: “In the meantime Dodge vendors and parts are disappearing from the face of the earth because of lack of support…”

I stand by my observations that those Power-Wagons that are being rebuilt, restored, or just maintained for use are increasing in numbers. I simply do not see a lack of support for the vendors. I do agree that we, as a group, are still a very small market, though. Maybe my take on the subject is jaded because I have been in the hobby so long, but I see just the exact opposite happening. The numbers of Power-Wagon parts vendors have increased and they are getting more and more support as new people come into the hobby.

When I started, there were only a handful of places to get Power-Wagon parts. The main three were Roberts, Mitchells, and Willinskys. And they were only just beginning to develop an understanding of the Power-Wagon specific parts. Later came Vintage Power Wagons. Now we have (among others) Dennis Sherman, John Geidl, Eric Bannerman, Precision Coachworks, A.B. Linn, Ray Suiter… and the list is growing. I know for a fact that Power-Wagon parts are much easier to locate now than they were in 1980. There may not be as many NOS parts out there for sale now, but just about anything you need can easily be found and reproduction parts and modification parts are really increasing in numbers. I have personally helped VPW develop and produce a lot of reproduction parts that you probably do not even know about. They, among others, are targeting the needs of the customer. I have had two machine shops approach me directly asking me to come to them to develop a line of reproduction parts for the Power-Wagon. I see nothing but a growing market in this area. For now, I have to concentrate fully on my 9 to 5.

I didn’t say that I thought there were many on the Dodge websites who were unaware of the registries. I was referring to those who do not have access to the Internet or choose not to access it for whatever reason. I think your math is flawed. There may be only 800 trucks represented by those on this forum, but there are a lot more than 3200 total left. I have personally seen about 500 different trucks brought to the Rally over the past 20 years and the majority of those are not represented on this forum. I know of a lot of trucks that are not represented by any forum, registry, rally, or the Power Wagon Advertiser. And those are just the ones that I know of which are a very small number of those actually out there. I am continually learning of local Power-Wagons that were here the whole time but I just recently heard about and saw.

In some cases, it may take 3-5 trucks to make a runner. I parted out one truck in 27 years. It helped keep three of mine going. I am taking parts to this Rally, that originated from its disassembly, which will help keep another truck on the road. There are others that benefited from me parting this truck out. I am not sure how many. I know that VPW has a lot more customers than the number of trucks they have parted out. I do not share your opinion: “parting 6,000 truck to make 1,000 runners seems about right.”

I do agree on your other opinion: “The Registry is a valuable tool to get a firm, verifiable number of the survivors and their fate.”

Junior




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