Just to give you guys some more insight, Mom and Dad purchased a new 69 Charger RT on February 14, 1969. This was the first new car that they had ever purchased. Thankfully the car is still in their possession and I have no plans of it leaving the family. The car was every day transportation for next 11 years when a Dodge Mirada became the replacement vehicle. By this time, I was in college and cars had always been a focal point of the family.
By 1982, the Charger was a trophy queen winning at the local car shows. By 1983, I was starting the restoration on a 69 GTX which is still in the garage. Parts could be found, but it was beginning to get more difficult to find the pieces, especially trim. We were already doing the various shows in the Southeast and I became more knowledgeable of some of the vendors and the needs of the hobby.
By networking with these vendors, I was able to develop a relationship with many of them that I still enjoy. Like many in the industry, small detail items that I found could be sold and help fund the car's restoration and improve the overall quality of the car. By 1992, I was selling parts at the Mopar Nats and then Carlisle. Here it is 2018 and I have enjoyed many great years in the automotive restoration field. Many of you have probably purchased parts for your cars from us through the years and we appreciate that.
In 2016, I retired from UPS after 35 years and now I have a bit more time to devote to assist in running the business and product development. That is the reason of joining and posting for the first time on this site.
The C-Body arena is pretty much wide open with little support other than maybe a half dozen vendors supporting this market. I have been involved with Dave Miahalko for close to 30 years in the development of the Top Cat window felts and it has been very beneficial. We have done a good bit of the weatherstripping for most of the 65 to 73 C-Bodies. We are looking to do more in the coming months and we will keep you guys up to date as new releases are available.
I will try to post answers when I see that I can hopefully be of value on the site. I will also be asking questions as I have limited knowledge on this product line. I am open to all suggestions and possibly we can do something to assist you guys in your restorations.
I did assist a close friend last weekend pickup a 70 Hurst 300 here in the Atlanta area and we will be using that car as a source of information. I know that the owner has already spoken to Jamie on the car.
Thanks for your time and we look forwards to seeing and helping out when we can. As we get closer to Carlisle and The Nats, I will post more about specials and our tent location.
Thanks,
Richard O'Shields
Restoration Parts and Materials
www.restorationpartsandmaterials.com
