It is my understanding that there is no minium time that a manufacturer is
required to supply parts. The often quoted 10 year period has no basis in
law. But then, try to sell a car to a guy who can't get parts for the one
you sold him 5 years ago.
Happy Motoring
Doug Leithauser
----------
> From: Dave McDermott <dave.mcdermott@cusys.edu>
> To: tigers@autox.team.net
> Subject: Chrysler Parts History
> Date: Tuesday, November 04, 1997 2:51 PM
>
> Tiger history buffs,
>
> A couple of folks on the list challenged my statement that Tiger
> parts were available through Chrysler until around the mid 80s. They
thought
> that they were only available through the mid to latter 70's. So to
confirm
> dates I pulled out some of my old paperwork and here as they say is the
rest
> of the story at least as it relates to my experiences.
> By the mid 70s the Tiger I bought in 68 was needing a fairly
> constant feeding of parts. Since the Tiger provided me the perfect blend
of
> fun, reliability, looks, power, comfort etc I knew that I would own at
least
> one for a very long time. I also realized that Chrysler might not be
> supplying parts for too many years after their minimum legally required
> period of 10 years. Therefore through my Chrysler dealer connection I
> obtained a listing of parts that were canceled or superseded dated 4/3/78
> and a price list also dated 4/3/78 showing the parts available. The
> obsoleted list is about 2 1/2 pages of "X" parts marked "NS1" which I
think
> stood for no longer stocked. The price list is 9 pages long. Then from my
> Alpine and Tiger supplement parts books and the Chrysler lists I sent in
the
> first of a number of orders to Chrysler on Oct. 78. Almost everything
came
> through just fine. After several orders during the period from 78 through
79
> a pattern was developing. Virtually all the parts were coming out of
Newark,
> NJ and with each order more parts were not available but most still were
> available and Chrysler was raising their prices quickly. The parts were
in
> Chrysler packages or had Chrysler stickers with the X part number on
them.
> I then got a Chrysler price list dated 11/5/79 which by then had
> shrunk to 4 1/2 pages and another dated 9/1/80 which was only 3 pages
long
> but still included many wear out items like ball joints etc. I continued
to
> get parts through 1980 and early 81. Sensing the parts were going fast, I
> then coordinated a rather large and final order of around $1,000 for
members
> of our local club and myself on 5/10/81 which were delivered on 5/21/81.
In
> those days $1,000 bought a lot of Tiger parts. For example the pentastar
> which started this discussion was priced at list of $1.70 , upper ball
> joints list at $17.13, headlight rims list at $9.70 etc. Dealer cost was
> about 35% lower. I continued to get price lists with the latest one dated
> 12/29/84 which was one page. It still included such items as slave cyl
> repair kits, front brake hoses, upper ball joints, thermo elements etc.
> Therefore based on the above documentation we can say that
Chrysler
> did supply at least some parts through the mid 80s. Also the slow decline
of
> parts shown on the price lists would indicate that the stock of spare
parts
> from Rootes for Tigers and Alpines was being slowly purchased and not
dumped
> in some land fill. Before anyone contacts me on all those OEM parts I
got, I
> only bought what at that time I thought would be my lifetime supply.
However
> since then I have restored 6 Tigers and used up most of the parts. You
might
> ask why did I hold onto all this old paperwork. I'm sure I must have
known
> then that there would be an internet someday and someone would ask this
> question. Anyway I hope this adds a piece to the story on what happened
to
> the Rootes parts that Chrysler supplied here in the United States.
>
> Dave McDermott
>
>
>
>
>
> >Date: Mon, 03 Nov 1997 10:10:05 -0700
> >To: Marc James Small <msmall@roanoke.infi.net>, Anita Barrett
> <anitabrt@mindspring.com>
> >From: Dave McDermott <dave.mcdermott@cusys.edu>
> >Subject: Re: Pentastar
> >Cc: tigers@autox.team.net,
> >
> > Jim and Marc,
> >
> > I had a similar experience to Marc's. I had a friend who was a
> Chrysler dealer in the beginning to mid 80s. I was able then to get a
copy
> of the Chrysler computer listings showing the Rootes parts that they had
on
> hand in a Newark NJ warehouse. The numbers were the original Rootes
numbers
> preceded by an X. I remember someone telling me at the time that there
was
> some kind of federal law which required a manufacturer to maintain parts
for
> something like 10 years after the end of production. Anyway Chrysler
> maintained Rootes parts for long after the 10 year point. However, as
time
> went by after the mid 80s there was very little left that could be used
on
> Tigers. It is unfortunate Jim got such a bad impression of Chrysler
because
> of a local dealer in his area. I am not particularly a fan of Chrysler
but
> they didn't stop supplying all parts in 70-71 which was only 4 years
after
> production. Of more concern to me is that Chrysler's purchase of Rootes
> ultimately led to the end of Tiger production.
> >However I can see their point of view in selling a product with a
> competitors engine, transmission etc.
> >
> >
> > Dave McDermott
> >
> >
> >
> >At 11:34 PM 10/31/97 -0500, Marc James Small wrote:
> >>At 11:11 PM 10/31/97 -0500, Jim Barrett wrote:
> >>>About 1970-71 I went to the local Chrysler dealer parts counter to get
parts
> >>>for my
> >>>Tiger II. They told me they had been directed to trash all the parts
as
> >>>Chrysler
> >>>would no longer support Sunbeam cars. I haven't liked Chrysler ever
since.
> >>>Any one try to get Simca parts? Chrysler did the same thing to them.
> >>
> >>
> >>Well, as late as '86 I was still buying Sunbeam parts through my local
> >>Chrysler dealer. You just had to adjust the part number. I don't know
if
> >>anything is still available, but I would doubt it. But '71 is way too
early.
> >>
> >>Marc
> >>
> >>
> >>Marc James Small
> >>Cha Robh Bas Fir, Gun Ghras Fir!
> >>FAX: +540/343-7315
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >
>
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