TheSamba.com :: View topic - Autocraft vs. Klassicfab vs. Wolfsburg West vs. BBT

Tue Feb 19, 2013 8:42 am

Gerson, emailed you today just so you know.
I spoke to autocraft today and they dont do alot of the bits i wanted and i am mates with a guy who restores buses for a living and he has used a mixture of parts from lots of folk especially Autocraft and Klassic fab and he votes Klassic fab all the way for a better fitting panel.

Tue Feb 19, 2013 10:03 am

Gerson wrote: that's because he has no clue what a VW bus or a truck is.... :D :D :D ....just kidding...

Professional :roll:

It's important not to get Autocraft products confused with the distributor, be it Vintage Wagen or East Coast Cornerstore. A review of feedback is always a good idea before purchasing a product. ECC's service is second to none in my experience, and according to their feedback, others as well.

Personally I prefer good communication when purchasing a large order, funny how Gerson has time to bash other suppliers and products in here but has trouble communicating with paying customers.

Tue Feb 19, 2013 10:36 am

Some of these posts are getting into feedback about ordering, etc.

This is a reminder that this thread is supposed to be about the parts.
Use the seller's feedback-area threads for business-related feedback.

Thank you.

Tue Feb 19, 2013 11:02 am

dont get mad Eric, it's not bashing, it's the truth, he has no clue about what he is selling(bus sheet metal parts), I say this because I have met him and dealt with him....he came to me chasing my product before I turned him down and he went to AC......at least the people I choose to resell my products are ALL INTO the bus/WV scene and know what they are selling and talking about...and yes sometimes when I am not PERSONALLY supervising the making of MY PARTS in MY FACTORY I can take a look at this site and post some feedback on some topics.... :wink: :wink: :wink:....and my comment about the stamped corner is not bashing either, it's the truth, AC corners are welded at the bottom, they are not one complete stamping like Klassicfab's....I can post a picture of mine and they can post a pic of theirs....... :D :D :D

Tue Feb 19, 2013 11:50 am

Pipvan, I will get to the email in a bit, my mail server and internet server have been down all morning, Inmotion hosting is working on it as we speak...thanks

Tue Feb 19, 2013 12:57 pm

Cheers gerson

Tue Feb 19, 2013 2:48 pm

Thoms' view on KF corners...

thom wrote: Gerson wrote: if he wants a refund, I will give him a refund, a year and a half later.....we have, and have always had a 100% satisfaction guarantee..... the client gets new parts, which in this case he does not want....or he gets his money back for the parts not used.....in this case, we will pay to have the "pile" of parts that the client has in his garage, shipped out to me in Florida......we would love to close this matter in a manner that satisfies the client........ :D :D :D :D

I'd rather have panels that fit; I can't patch my buses with dollar bills.

Here's some pix of one of the problems I had; the black line is where the brake should have hit, but I don't think they used a brake, as the line is all wavy. There is no 'minor adjustment' to fix this.

Tue Feb 19, 2013 2:48 pm

thom wrote: Same corner; it wasn't long enough to curve all the way around, even when brought flush using clamps; even if I cheat and tighten it up, so the new metal is further in from the original, it doesn't reach.

Tue Feb 19, 2013 5:43 pm

dawerks.... yes, we are still embarrassed about that whole issue with the above client and his parts, but we are sure that our bus and truck corner dies are correct.....the good thing about posting here on the samba is that every time you fuck up it's out there for the world to see....it pushes you to make sure you fix your mistakes....we have done that from day one, and we are still doing it to this day, 8 years and counting....we are still fixing shit, working day in and day out to make better and better parts....if it was easy you would have 20 sheet metal manufacturers....but you don't... :D :D :D

here are our fully die stamped 1 piece corners, truck and bus, no welding the bottoms here, not hand made...

Tue Feb 19, 2013 7:37 pm

Exactly right Gerson, it goes to show no matter how shiny someone's marketing is or the hype surrounding them, there's always 'caveat emptor' involved. Everyone has their history. I'm learning to fix my mistakes or make people aware of what they are buying first hand so I don't have to fix them later.

As a matter of fact, I just 'fixed' a very expensive mistake that I made personally and I'm going to try hard to adhere to the same principles you have are trying to achieve. But as you know, the 'internet' never forgets (or forgives), once it's out there, it's out there :)

Tue Feb 19, 2013 8:21 pm

Gerson wrote: ...the good thing about posting here on the samba is that every time you fuck up it's out there for the world to see....it pushes you to make sure you fix your mistakes....

Well said!

Those corners look really good!

Tue Feb 19, 2013 8:25 pm

While on the subject of truck corners, I replaced both the corners on my SC with Gerson corners and they both fit perfectly. They lined up on all sides, inside and outside, top and bottom.
Conversely, the passenger rocker under the treasure chest door was too short and the curve was way off. I didn't see the value in waiting for another rocker to come from Colombia, although I imagine Gerson would have replaced it, so I reworked it as best I could to get it to work.
I used an Autocraft rocker end on the other side and it fit perfect and was well formed.
I was also forced to use a small section of the thin, black Chinese shit that used to pass for aftermarket metal for one small rocker patch.
I am no master metal worker, so take this as coming from a plebe.
My experience has been that some pieces fit perfectly, and some need various amounts of massaging, but the fact that we have the Gerson's and Autocraft's making parts for us has brought us out of the Dark Ages of repro metal.
Thank you to you both.

Tue Feb 19, 2013 9:50 pm

Riff Raff wrote:
I am no master metal worker, so take this as coming from a plebe.
My experience has been that some pieces fit perfectly, and some need various amounts of massaging,
but the fact that we have the Gerson's and Autocraft's making parts for us has brought us out of the Dark Ages of repro metal.
Thank you to you both.

=D> x1,000,000

Wed Feb 20, 2013 10:32 am

x2 on the Gerson corner. I believe I got the last handmade truck corner for my '67 doublecab. Fit was good on all sides. I am happy.

I've got a unique one for the '67 only saga that I need to get resolved.

The fuel tank divider floor strip is different from previous years. The vertical portion of the strip is approx. 33mm, whereas the prior years are 21mm. In addition, the holes are spaced differently and have a captured nut on the back.

I know that Gerson is the only man to go to for unique one year only type stuff, as he seems genuinely interested in offering an accurate product.

Gerson, please PM me on availability. Thanks.

Thu Feb 21, 2013 5:07 am

Does KF make a complete 55-63 deluxe rear hatch? I didn't see it on the website....also what about bullet nose skins? I know there was talk a few years back about perhaps doing noses....

Thu Feb 21, 2013 6:12 am

we are trying to have the complete noses done by the Classic, barndoor noses, bullet noses and fried egg noses....

the later rear decklids will be done by November.....

we are also working on:
split beetle rear fenders
front early beetle front quarters
rear early beeltle rear quartes
complete bus deluxe roofs
split beetle bumpers
split and early beetle front and rear aprons
complete bus front door skins
complete stamped BD cargo doors
ect.ect.ect.....

no deluxe rear hatch yet...

all we do is metal, metal and that's it!!!!!

Thu Feb 21, 2013 10:08 am

On the "fitment" issue, I know I mentioned this before but seems worth repeating...

Though the Germans had quite the advanced technology and machinery at the time, these vehicles were still being put together pretty much by hand. So "gerenally" all parts were the same but I doubt they ended up fitting perfectly all the time. Add to that the age of the vehicle now as well as the beating they've taken and it is only obvious that new parts are not going to fit like leggos. 8)

Thu Feb 21, 2013 11:31 am

Gerson wrote: we are trying to have the complete noses done by the Classic, barndoor noses, bullet noses and fried egg noses....

the later rear decklids will be done by November.....

we are also working on:
split beetle rear fenders
front early beetle front quarters
rear early beeltle rear quartes
complete bus deluxe roofs
split beetle bumpers
split and early beetle front and rear aprons
complete bus front door skins
complete stamped BD cargo doors
ect.ect.ect.....

no deluxe rear hatch yet...

all we do is metal, metal and that's it!!!!!

good to hear.

Thu Feb 21, 2013 1:12 pm

I can't begin to tell you how happy I am to hear that correct early beetle front quarters (or portions of them, for clips) are coming.

WOO! =D>

Fri Mar 01, 2013 1:49 pm

lower stamped truck corners, no welding here, right out of our new die...

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