since my chevelle will be home soon to start the restoration process, i started ordering parts catalogs from various place, year one, opgi, paddocks, etc.. what i don't understand is the difference in prices, for the same part!! i know there are only a few companies making parts for these cars, so why is a decklid at Impala Bob's 299.00, but in another catalog it's 199.00, both are repop's! what gives and who is the best place to buy from??

Mark up is my guess for the most part.

Check the quality of the parts. I have a good friend that makes his living restoring muscle cars. His theory is that while the part is probably made by the same vendor, he believes that the vendor then grades the final product and then sells to the companies by grade. I am not saying that there is a difference, but you may want to check to see if there is some difference.

Shop around for everything. I luckily have not fewer than 5 places within a 1 hour drive of me which vary in price from a few bucks to a hundred on any given part. Most of the small stuff I buy off ebay. The shipping costs usually are what I would pay for tax if bought locally.

I had wondered the same thing awhile back. Ground Up seems to have the lower prices and even with shipping they're pretty reasonable. I ordered exhaust manifolds from them the on Monday, got them Tuesday morning and was only 20.00 shipping. As far as pricing on sheet metal, I think it may depend on what name they are being sold under. I drove to Ground Up and bought a door for my '69 Chevelle and it was 100.00 cheaper then anywhere else, but it was sold under the brand dii, I'll bet the others may be sold under Goodmark. I am pretty sure Goodmark is just a name and not a manufacturer, at least this is what I was told when questioning GU about the door maker. Like most things today you pay for the name. Also overhead for show rooms. GU isn't much more then a hole in the wall with no spectacular show room, but go into Paddock and there's a big difference. Paddock is in Indiana so it may be worth the drive for you to go there and get parts, at least you can see what your getting.

While I cannot speak with any first hand experience regarding sheet metal, I can say that with regard to many smaller resto/repop parts, what appears to be the same part are miles apart in quality. I have ordered from all the major restoration parts houses and while each have their advantages in terms of price, quality, return policy, shipping, etc., none are across the board, better than another. Shop accordingly and seek the wisdom of ordering experience to be found on this site.
Patrick

While I cannot speak with any first hand experience regarding sheet metal, I can say that with regard to many smaller resto/repop parts, what appears to be the same part are miles apart in quality. I have ordered from all the major restoration parts houses and while each have their advantages in terms of price, quality, return policy, shipping, etc., none are across the board, better than another. Shop accordingly and seek the wisdom of ordering experience to be found on this site.
Patrick

X2 - I'm restoring a 69 and the guys here can keep you pointed in the right direction. I started out wanting to purchase as much as possible from one supplier. I don't think that a single supplier approach will achieve the right balance of cost and quality.

Thanks guys! i too was leaning on the one supplier theme, but after reading your input, i'll def ask here and shop around before i order, and besides, i love looking at the parts catalogs, but my hates them all laying around..lol