My thoughts on aftermarket modifications

M

maxmk8

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I have only had very limited car ownership experience amongst many others... but during my 7 years of owning a car and modifying almost every single one I have made some very interesting observations/conclusions.

1. Almost every single time the factory part is in some way superior to the aftermarket.
2. Aftermarket parts very often lack the quality of the OEM parts
3. There was a downside with almost every modification that I have ever done.
4. Quality aftermarket parts cost MORE than OEM (which are already very expensive) - A honda accord costs $50,000 if you were to build it from the parts bought at the dealer.
5. I will probably keep my next cars stock and or very close to stock.
6. I now understand why so many decide to keep their cars stock.

Just wanted to share my thoughts...
 
My Navigator is completely stock. And I like it that way.

Don't get me wrong, i liked souping up my mark 8, but there is definitely something to be said about "stock".
 
The only one of my toys that is stock is my boat, the truck is lifted with big tires, the gen 2 is blown, the gen 1 is lowered with a tune, gears, and big sway bars. I have to say I do agree that some after market products just suck, and like you said, the ones that are good are VERY expensive.
 
maxmk8 said:
I have only had very limited car ownership experience amongst many others... but during my 7 years of owning a car and modifying almost every single one I have made some very interesting observations/conclusions.

1. Almost every single time the factory part is in some way superior to the aftermarket.
2. Aftermarket parts very often lack the quality of the OEM parts
3. There was a downside with almost every modification that I have ever done.
4. Quality aftermarket parts cost MORE than OEM (which are already very expensive) - A honda accord costs $50,000 if you were to build it from the parts bought at the dealer.
5. I will probably keep my next cars stock and or very close to stock.
6. I now understand why so many decide to keep their cars stock.

Just wanted to share my thoughts...
Click to expand...

Well depends.

I could mod my Mark VIII to run circles around your Vette if given the money that it cost to buy your Vette.

Depends on what one is looking for...
 
logres said:
Well depends.

I could mod my Mark VIII to run circles around your Vette if given the money that it cost to buy your Vette.

Depends on what one is looking for...
Click to expand...

Whatever lol...

I can buy a 5.0 stang and run circles around your modified Mark VIII for 1/2 the cost that it would take you to get to that level.

That said if something is done 100% right... which I can't say about most mods it will never be as reliable or good riding or whatever as stock... which was my original point...

I think the perfect swap for the mark would the 03/04 cobra engine with the 6 speed... but the Mark VIII driveline is just way too heavy and outdated.
 
I think it depends on the mods. Some are done (such as tranny cooler or J-mod) to fix something that was weak from the factory.
 
The only mods I have on my cars are:

J mod trans in the red Mark.

Spider valves in both Marks to replace the troublesome factory vent valves.

Module VIII's in both Marks for extra control of the factory air ride system.

These mods haven't given me any real trouble yet.

I did have to clean out one of my spider valves once, because it was starting to vent slower. Thankfully the spider valve is very accessible and can be cleaned out easily (5 minutes) unlike the factory vent valve.

I love my aftermarket mods.:)
 
Well spyder valves and transmission coolers are kind of interesting examples... as they are both crucial pieces that add to the reliability of the car...

I was talking about aftermarket wheels, headers, mufflers, etc.

There are many cases of design flaws as well.
 
Actually, come to think of it, I think some of my 'better' mods are later model OEM parts('96 HIDs, '96 EATC, 10 spoke chrome directionals, etc...).
 
I thinks some of the stigma related to OEM parts stemmed from getting stiffed at the local dealer prior to folks like Max and Lonnie coming on board to offer us some competitive prices. There are also some items that FOMOCO buys from vendors that just plain get marked up too high thru their distribution channel that can be bought thru local chains without sacrificing anything. EX upper & lower control arms (TRW), wheel bearings (SKF), IAC valves (Napa) and others. Just got to shop and get details. It would be a service if somewhere we started a " Approved Parts list" indicating the vendor/or mfg.
 
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driller said:
Actually, come to think of it, I think some of my 'better' mods are later model OEM parts('96 HIDs, '96 EATC, 10 spoke chrome directionals, etc...).
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I agree JP!

I didn't mention my non aftermarket mods which are the same as yours.

My green 94 Mark has the 96 HID headlights and a 96 EATC.

My red 94 Mark has the 96 10 spoke chrome directionals.:)

Charlie, an approved parts list would be great. With all these cheap parts coming from China now, we all need to be careful what we buy.
 
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Can we get a moderator to start it up a post some where as a sticky or a tech info, I don't know much about how that kind of info would be best added to with the software this site uses. I would think we would list the name of the part, the FOMOCO name and part #, then the preferred MFG and # next to it
 
Roadboss said:
Can we get a moderator to start it up a post some where as a sticky or a tech info, I don't know much about how that kind of info would be best added to with the software this site uses. I would think we would list the name of the part, the FOMOCO name and part #, then the preferred MFG and # next to it
Click to expand...


I don't quite understand what you are trying to say...?!
 
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