[Alan F]

I know that N.O.S. in the auto restoration hobby means New Old Stock. I bought a pair of NOS taillight lenses for a 1970 Chevelle off of eBay. When I got them, they are in a box with bar codes and (re-)produced in Canada. I doubt that these were made in the '70's. Are they NOS? Should I take exception to the seller (which by the way, they were no bargain)?

 

[Bob Bryan]

NOS is exactly what it means: An old part that is brand new and has never been used. What you have is a reproduction part; usually done by someone who buys the molds, dies, jigs whatever to reproduce the part to its exact original dimensions. This does not mean the original molds were used either, it's just often done that way. In my opinion you have been given some false information about the parts. They may be as good as the original part and look identical but usually the price on reproduction should be a little cheaper. Just my .02; I would like to hear some other opinions on this too. Bob

 

[Steve S]

I agree with Bob. To me NOS and original GM are the same.
GM Restoration and Reproduction are the same.

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Steve Strasemeier (70SS 396, Fathom Blue/White Stripes)

 

[260]

Alan,
I seen that guys stuff on eBay too.He also had NOS SS tips.This guys reserve is way too high!! NOS is left over stock unused.He falsified his auction description!He should have said OEM instead.Original equiptment manufacture.Chances are if it is in a new looking GM box then thats what it is!

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Dean Ciampi
Autumn Gold 1970 LS6 Chevelle
Team Chevelle Gold #52 Aces #3094

 

[rick]

I'd pitch a big one. The lenses were not NOS and if this guy sells a lot, he KNOWS what NOS means. Have you contacted him yet? Can you give me a clue as to who I DON'T want to buy from?

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Rick Schaefer
72 El Camino
TPI 350/700r4
Aces #00140
TEAM CHEVELLE #00038
NCOA #16197

 

[Rainer]

Alan -

Are they in GM boxes? If so, then you got what was described. If they're not GM, then you got ripped off. Your taillight lenses are still available right from GM, so they're still making them. I just ordered two sets a couple months ago. Here are the numbers:

5964287 - RH
5964288 - LH

They should run you around $50 a piece. Good luck.

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Rainer - Team Chevelle Gold #50
'68 SS396
'70 LS3 400 Malibu
'70 Malibu convertible 350/300hp
[email protected]

 

[Alan F]

I have very mixed emotions about this issue. I have a set of '66 Corvette tail light lenses in my garage that are new in the original boxes. To me, that is NOS. These lenses that I just bought are obviously the currently produced lenses. While yes they are in GM boxes and carry the part numbers above, I could have bought those anywhere - nothing special. Shame on me for assuming the meaning of NOS.

http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=132695784 My guess is that the reserve is $90.00.

 

[JWagner]

Maybe it gets down to what the "O" means in NOS. How Old, and how important is it to get a part that was made in the same era as the car itself? I agree that some deception appears to be involved here.

 

[260]

NOS or OEM does it really matter?The term NOS is usually used for parts that are out of production.NOS is a part that was made around the same time as the car it was intended to be put on,or any discontinued part.If you bought 70 tail lights chances are they were OEM because GM is still making them.I don't think it matters as long as they are GM.The fact is that ebay seller doesn't know the difference between NOS and OEM and you probably paid too much for a part you thought was vintage.

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Dean Ciampi
Autumn Gold 1970 LS6 Chevelle
Team Chevelle Gold #52 Aces #3094

 

[DZAUTO]

Let me add something here that is a perfect example of NOS vs OEM.
Ram horn 2 1/2in exhaust manifolds for SB engines. There were originally 4 different designs, 3 are still made and sold by Chev. This is an OEM part. The ones that were originally made back in the 60s for hp327s, still in the box, never used, are NOS. The 2 are TOTALLY interchangeable and the current ones are probably better quality. But, they look different. You just have to compare them side by side. I think the current manifolds are made by a vendor for Chev and the original ones were cast BY Chev in one of their own foundries. The same, yet different.

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[rgarcia]

Alan,

I know the parts you are refering to on ebay. He sells those lenses on a weekly basis. I tell people that purchase off of ebay to be very inquisitive about their purchases. I don't mean to knock ebay, but some of the people there do not understand the termonology or just do not know what they are selling.

In fact I have made some great finds on ebay! I purchased a set of NOS GM inner-fenders off of ebay for the same amount that reproduction inners would have cost me!

As an additional note, I differentiate between NOS and Original GM parts. For instance, I purchased a new set of original GM power steering brackets from a GM dealer that specializes in selling original GM parts for chevelles. The parts were authentic GM and carried the correct p/n's yet the brackets were not correct in appearance. One bracket had a place to put a rachet to tighten the belt. The original bracket did not have this. This part was ORIGINAL GM. Come to find out the part is used on some of the big block trucks but has been modified throughout the years to a point that they do not have the apearance of the original issue part.

The person that sold you the taillight lenses sells the power steering parts as NOS parts. And I saw a person bid $75 bucks for the parts, and you can get them at a GM dealer for about $30. The taillight lenses are still available through certain GM dealers for about $80.

Just my opinions!

 

[chev-hell]

I sell Golf Equiptment on Ebay and you may want to check someones Feedback rating before you bid. if it is all good then they probably know what they are talking about if they have very little or none then just wait for something else or pay C.O.D. thru the us postal service which takes personal checks and if you get something that is wrong just stop payment and send em back. Or just talk to them and see if they do know what they are talking about, It's not hard to tell Better safe than Sorry "rathrbgolfin" ebay member http://cgi2.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewFeedback&userid=rathrbgolfin here is my example of me

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members.aol.com/jnkb2cool/chevelle.jpg John Krenn
Ft.Worth, Tx

 

[Rainer]

JWagner has a good point. As I learned it, NOS stands for New Obsolete Stock, meaning the part is new, but no longer being manufactured. The way that its currently interpreted in the hobby is New Old Stock, which is an oxymoron. As a result, anything that's made by GM, whether still in production or not, is referred to as NOS. This obviously causes lots of confusion, and I agree with Dean that the term should only be used for obsolete parts, i.e. those no longer being made.



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Rainer - Team Chevelle Gold #50
'68 SS396
'70 LS3 400 Malibu
'70 Malibu convertible 350/300hp
[email protected]