Limited availability of parts and where we go from here

Hi there guys, I’m in the middle or rebuilding my GTO, one thing I have found is the very limited availability of parts now.

Where in the past for most things I would have gone with OEM I’m now having to use anything I can find.

One example being the 1st and 2nd selector fork, no where other than Jack’s Transmissions in the USA had one and they only have them as they make tougher ones.

Oil pump is another thing, looking all over the only one I could find was on eBay USA and it’s a brand called Performance Part, looking at reviews they are either great or fail right away, there seems to be a 50 / 50 split in opinion.

What I’m getting at is that we would love to get the best we can but now it seems we can only get what is available.

Personally I’m not to worried about the oil pump, it seems well made and I’ll be fitting an extra oil pressure unit to keep track of oil pressure and will be investigating any anomalies that may present.

I suspect this will be a regular thing now as parts become harder to find, fitting extra monitoring things to keep track of what would have, in the past when OEM stuff was available, potential inferior quality parts.

Anyway that’s my thoughts, what do you guys think?

Cheers
Darren

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Hi Darren
I am sure that this subject has already been discussed a number of times but I think that it is one that needs to be kept alive.
On the subject of parts quality. You will often get different reviews from different people because many people are not willing to take responsibility for their own mistakes. I have often heard people give a bad report on a product but later found out that the product failed because it was fitted wrong or they didn’t follow correct maintenance.
Have you ever wondered why some people are doing engine rebuilds at 75k miles but others are still going strong at 250k miles.
Here are a few examples of problems that have been attributed to bad product but later found to be user problems. Broken cam belt is usually oil on belt, bad tensioner, crap on pulleys. Turbo failing is found to be metal fillings in the oil because engine was not flushed and oil not changed. Oil pump failed because engine not flushed. CV joint failed because wrong grease was used.
You get where i’m coming from.
There are plenty of aftermarket parts available for general maintenance but don’t get sold on branding. The brand is only the name on the box and not the manufacturer. For instance, would you rather buy a intercooler from mitsubishi or from Nippon Denso?
You would probably say mitsubishi but why? The mitsubishi cooler is made by Denso and many of the other parts on our cars are not made by mitsubishi.
The same rules apply to aftermarket parts. There are very few aftermarket companies that make their own parts because small scale manufacturing is too expensive. Many of the aftermarket companies buy from the same manufacturer and then put their own brand on the box.
The biggest problem we all face is facebook because there are so many people putting opinions on these media sites without a genuine knowledge of what they are talking about. They are happy to mention that a product is bad but never follow up with a good report when it is later found out that the product fault was user error. The product now has a bad name and everyone will then repeat what they have heard but nothing about what they personnaly know.
This is why I remove rumor posts on this site and ask people to only give personal experience of a product.
I have never seen a bad oil pump myself and because it is a centrifugal pump, it should have a very long life if oil changes are carried out at regular intervals.
Mitsubishi has now stopped all parts production for our cars unless the part is used on other models. We are all scrambling to get anything left on the shelves but they are quickly becoming picked bare.
Aftermarket parts from most big companies will be limited to general maintenance parts in the future but do not despair.
We have a number of forums and clubs around the world that are clubbing together to get parts made and there will be a massive explosion of these parts coming onto the market very soon. I have now set up my own manufacturing facility which has joined forces with a number of other manufacturers in the UK and around the world to start production of all of the parts we will need in the future. Things will start off a bit slow because I do not have endless amounts of money. Due to problems with a couple of worthless sad sacks, I am no longer passing parts onto the wider community but I hope this will change soon. The shelves in my garage and factory unit are filling up with new parts which are obsolete. I know that I will never recover any of my costs but I don’t do any of this for money. You also have to remember that a single part may require many different processes which all add to production time. I have a couple of parts that I have been working on for almost a year but they are now in the final stages and will be worth the wait.
Now that I am controlling the manufacturing process myself, I hope that the quality will continue to improve but you have to remember that the higher the quality, the higher the price and a lot of people don’t want to pay the price for quality.
A lot of people do not understand the cost of processing a simple part and the work that goes into it. I have just manufactured a simple one piece bracket that holds the ABS sensor cable under the front arch. Here is a list of the processes involved in the simple bracket.
The outline drawing has to be plotted into a CAD machine. It then has to go to the laser cutting machine for the blanks to be cut. A jig then has to be made for the first fold to be made. The jig will need 3 parts which have to be plotted, cut and welded. A second jig has to be made for the loop fold. This also needs 3 pieces that have to be plotted cut and welded. The blanks then get folded in a 2 stage process. Now the folded pieces have to be cleaned, zinc plated and finally yellow passivated.
The total cost for this simple bracket is about £2000. Although the rest of the pieces will only cost about 25 pence each, how many pieces would I have to sell and at what cost to ever get my investment back?
Now transfer the process to some of the bigger and more complicated parts. The active aero tray is already months of work and thousands of £ down the line. The huge vacuum forming machine alone will take me years to pay for.
So here’s what I say to all of you 3000gt/GTO fans. The parts will come in time and the quality will get better. Just be patient and I will find a way of getting the parts to you.
To those of you that are still on this forum trying to make my life a misery, F**K you. I left you on the forum so that I could find out who you are and now I know. You can go telling tales, rumors and lies about my family and myself but when you need that rare part for your car and I am the only one who has it, I will never sell to you.
I set up the youtube channel and forum to help people who share my passion for these cars.and the more you try to spoil it for everyone, the harder I will fight back.

Well that’s my thoughts. Whats yours?

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I agree with you Joe. Parts have become scarce. And much of our necessity for parts has arisen due to lack of maintenance or attention to detail. I appreciate your passion for these cars, it’s obvious that you genuinely care.

I know that it may not be available to all, but RockAuto.com here in the US has had everything I’ve needed.

Also, keep in mind that not all parts stores cross reference part numbers. For instance, I’ve had to search for parts for a Mitsubishi Montero as they occasionally share some parts and I’ll find them when they don’t show up just using my Dodge stealth as a search option.

Also, it’s a simple thing, but don’t just search for 3000gt parts. Search for stealth parts too. Many parts that may not show up on a Mitsubishi part number may show up with a Mopar part number. But then you get it in the mail and it’s in Mitsubishi packaging. That’s been my experience. Just don’t be scared to drop in at the dodge dealership as well. Use all the resources you can.

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Hi , Joe90, Looks like yourself and your business partners are going to be cornering the market in GTO parts soon. Good on ya ! You are clearly putting the foundations down for something great. I have bought stuff from you recently at a really good price. No complaints at all. Best of luck as your empire takes off

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Just so there’s no confusion.
I am not trying to set up an empire. We already have one of those in the UK. The companies that I am working with are not partners but carefully selected businesses that have earnt my trust over the years to do a good quality job where I do not have the facilities to produce certain products such as laser cutting.
I am also not looking to corner the market. We have all waited years for people to start making these parts and very few have stepped up. I will not be competing with anyone nor will I be wasting my time and money to produce parts that are manufactured by someone else.
This won’t be a sprint but a marathon because my finance is limited but I won’t be told that it can’t be done. If Mitsubishi can make the original part, then it is possible to re-make it. It is just about how much it will cost and who is prepared to put their money where their mouth is.
I expect to loose a fortune but will have satisfaction doing so. Because I am not setting out to make money, I will have the chance to give parts to the people that have supported me.
Further details of future plans will be released on here shortly.

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You are absolutely right Christian and you brought up a great point about ordering parts for the stealth which are mostly the same parts.
Dodge doesn’t really operate out of the UK so it isn’t an option for us but you guys in the States have got it made.

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Hi Joe90, understood. Empire being the wrong choice of words … more like legacy ? My point was that you deserve a lot back considering the work you put in … irrespective of whether that was your goal or not. I actually created and run an online forum for investors and traders to discuss ideas in an environment where it’s safe from trolls and haters. It’s a haven for newbies to learn, without fear of posting their thoughts. They are helped by more experienced investors. It’s all free and moderators give up their free time to keep things going smoothly. So basically I understand where you are coming from. Thanks for all the hours you put in … it’s appreciated by many :+1:

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Thanks for the replies guys.
It’s great to read sensible answers and not just reprocessed opinions.

Like you say Joe, I’m yet to see a post where someone has blamed a part then later on held their hands up in a post to say, hold on its my bad I did XYZ and it failed.

Your right about the engine service life as well.

A bit of preventative maintenence along with scheduled maintenance goes a long way!!

I can’t wait to see what you are producing, it will be great to have even one person making aftermarket parts.
I think because of the poor start these cars had with horror stories of the early cars engines and gearboxes failing while still being run in didn’t help them take off, especially in the eyes of the early tuners in Japan. I have a good friend who is an engineer and resides over in Japan and he told me some good stories people have regaled him with about the initial release of the GTO over there.
When you look at the after market support for Datsun fairlady 200s it does make one a Ted jellous!!

I will keep you all posted on how things go. It won’t be quick progress I’m working when I feel like it after night duty. I right off my first day off and then see how I feel after that haha.

Joe your comment on peoples attempts at sabotaging your YouTube channel is very disappointing, it can only be personal because technically wise, in my limited experience there has been nothing factually wrong with any tutorial you have produced.
Haters gonna hate and all that I suppose along with unpleasant people knowing no other.
Keep doing what you do and enjoy doing it, I only recently found your channel after a few searches now I’m finally working on my car and I have enjoyed them all.
The fact you keep in all the stuff that does not go to plan is a credit to you and informative for people watching for what can not quite according to plan.

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I would just like to say that Joe and the forum has kept my car on the road without them my car would be in that great big scrap yard in the sky. Keep up the good work guys. :+1:

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Well Joe, I’m a young man who got introduced to these cars through my Dad. We both have one, his a 91 and mine a 96. I did a full overhaul on his engine last year because it spun bearings; so I decided to just get him started from scratch. This also was as a result of overdue oil change.
Since I’ve found your YouTube channel, I’ve become stuck to it, and for very good reasons.
I love how passionately and patiently you explain every procedure, which in turn helps me to understand these beautiful machines better.
Please keep up the good work that you are doing and know that with great men, there are and will always be haters. I respect you for your work and I implore you to use these haters as stepping stones to higher heights. A big shout out to all the true enthusiasts on this forum and as a GTO family we’ll continue to help each other out.
Thank you Joe and God bless.

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Thanks Vince
It is people like you and many others on this forum that makes my hard work worth while.

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I have got SO much respect for Joe! I have had the pleasure of meeting him and you could not wish to meet a nicer, more genuine person. His knowledge of these amazing cars is really impressive and just makes me so enthusiast to keep mine running the best way I can. Massive thanks for everything you do Joe!!!

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Hi Joe , fair play for all your efforts. Having parts manufactured wouldn’t even occur to most as a possibility. For cars that were under rated for far too long , the Gto has probably the best support network of any car that I would want to own, and you are a big part of that network. I’m sure that there are a lot of Gtos out there now being worked on and ,in time , put back on the road as a result of your channel.
Enda

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I’ve found Amiyama very good but yes, many parts are not available now. Take the fire wall insulator for example. And as for Joe90…yes f&%k anyone who would be nasty to to you. Why people are so rank, I have no idea. You come across as a person who so genuinely loves this marque. I feel exactly as you do. I may be a girl, but the obsession is real. Believe me. I live, eat and breath GTO’s. I have recently had parts imported to NZ from Ninja Performance and Amiyama. Prices very good and postage, like, $5. Maybe I should keep this secret but why? It helps us keep these wonderful cars on the road. All the best.

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And while we’re on the subject, as Joe says, we all want OEM but is it a snob thing? I recently ordered an oil pump from Melling in the US. I couldnt justify $500 NZ for OEM. Yes maybe I’ll regret it? who knows. I love doing oil changes. Gives me purpose. LOL

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Interested in this as I am potentially looking for an oil pump - is this for a MK2 TT 4 bolt engine? Does anyone know if the N/A and TT ones are the same?

Lots of places selling them for very high price!

I think there is a difference between TT and N/A. I think either Ninja Performance or 3SX show the difference without the hassle of having to go through the Mitsi parts catalogue

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just looking at 3SX there’s even a difference between the 91-92 and 93 onwards so it pays to be accurate then ordering. Even the 92 lower timing cover changes from about 93-94.

Melling is well regarded in the US for its oil pumps. I have never heard of one failing. Unless you are going high output race engines it should keep the oil going to the right places.

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That’s good to hear. I’m still waiting for mine to come from the US. Really slow but really quick getting parts from Japan.