salans7 Posted November 6 Posted November 6 I wrote a generally positive report about NPD, but some of the parts they sell are just junk. The 92-96 "Flareside" fender emblems I bought from them look like they melted for no real reason other than the truck being outside. I've never seen an OEM set do that. And the repops did it after just a year of being on the truck. I haven't tried to see if they'll polish out, but I don't have high hopes for them.
Gary Lewis Posted November 6 Author Posted November 6 Just had a very pleasant 38 minute call with Derek at NPD. They've been working behind the scenes to figure out what is going on, why Shaun got one lens from United Pacific and one from TYC, and why they don't fit. (Derek - If I get this wrong please tell me so as I'm emailing you a link.) In fact they've had both the product manager as well as the owner of NPD involved in these discussions. They changed vendors several months ago, so that's probably why you got one of each, Shaun. However, when they started looking closely they've discovered that there is apparently one manufacturer in Taiwan at the moment for these lenses and regardless of who anyone orders from it'll be the TYC unit. So we are pretty well stuck with lenses from TYC. So I ordered a set through Derek and when they get in I'll take a lot of pics of how they look, how they fit, measurements, etc. And if they take modification I'll show what I have to do and how much work that took. Depending on what I find they may go back to their catalog and update the description to make sure their customers aren't disappointed when they get the product. As I told Derek, I'm impressed with NPD's customer service. No other company has taken the time to call me on this, and in some cases the email responses I've gotten were cryptic and less than helpful. And one company hasn't bothered to even reply at all. So even if NPD can't supply a lens that fits their customer service goes a long way.
salans7 Posted November 6 Posted November 6 I once sent them an email regarding them advertising a 78-79 transfer case shift knob with the 4L-N-2H-4H pattern in the 80-96 catalog since that shift pattern is incorrect for our trucks that use 2H-4H-N-4L. I never received a response, nor has the knob been removed from the latest catalog, so the only way to get in touch with them over catalog issues is by phone. And I feel that's not even a guarantee that changes will be made as they're just a re-seller and it's up to you the customer to make sure you're buying the right part.
Gary Lewis Posted November 6 Author Posted November 6 Shaun - I just sent Derek's contact info to you via a message on here. As you are local maybe you can set up an appointment to meet with him? I don't know what was going on when you sent that email, but he seems very interested in getting things right. 1
Gary Lewis Posted November 9 Author Posted November 9 Ok, time for a wrap-up on this. Get a ☕ and pull up a chair. Vendor Responses: Here's basically what I got, from best to flunking: NPD: Derek has worked extensively with me on this and essentially this report is for him so they can update their catalog. Highbeamkits on ebay: Steve was very helpful, and while all he has is TYC he found me a Glow-Brite brand elsewhere on ebay, which I know will fit. Dennis Carpenter, Jeff's Bronco Graveyard, and Summit: Reasonably prompt responses saying that the TYC is all they carry but nothing more Classic Industries & CJ's Pony Parts don't carry these parts for our trucks LMC: Dead last, aka flunked. No response in a week in spite of not only sending the message to CustomerCare@longmotor.net but also Keith Dickson via keith.lmctruck@gmail.com. Learnings: First off, from what I've learned there is only one manufacturer of these lenses for our trucks - TYC. You may get a box labeled United Pacific, as I did from NPD, but inside the lens will say TYC on it. And the problem is that TYC is not cleaning the part up after fusing the lens to the reflector. The flashing that squeezes out isn't being trimmed off and it frequently prevents the lens from going into the opening in the bed. I say "frequently" because some fit on certain beds. I've had 5 TYC lenses in my hands in the last two weeks and only 1 of those fit one of my two beds - Dad's truck. But that same one wouldn't fit in Big Blue. In other words, 9 failures out of 10 tries is pretty poor. Here are some measurements from the TYC lenses I got from NPD yesterday. These measurements are going from the lens itself, which is the same size as the Ford lenses I have, to the edge of the flashing: RH: Top .060 to .123" Bottom: .160 - .175" LH: Top: .052 to .072" Bottom: .090" to .147" So what can we do about it? We can trim the flashing. But you have to be careful and not scratch the lens. And it really doesn't matter whether you trim the top or bottom flashing as the lens fits flush against the other end so that flashing's depth doesn't matter. I chose to trim the top flashing on both of these lenses as they were the shortest. I used a rough file to take the flashing down a ways and then check. File/check. File/check. I didn't want to go too far and ruin the lens. As it turned out I needed to get the flashing down to .030" on both of them for them to fit. That doesn't sound like much, but when you are being careful to not scratch the lens and make sure you are taking it down evenly it takes a while. I'm guessing that it took at least 30 minutes on each lens to get it where it would fit, so an hour total - not including taking the pictures and writing this. I'm including a bunch of pictures to show what I'm talking about. In the midst of that you'll see how I put a piece of tape on the lens to make sure I didn't scratch the lens. I'd recommend that as it is very easy to slip. DAHIK Here you see the boxes and the TYC on the lens: This shows the file I used and the tape to make sure I didn't scratch the lens: The left pic shows the left lens stopping long before it goes into Big Blue. And the right pic shows that the right lens wouldn't go either: The left pic shows how the lens sits flush with the opening so the bottom flashing isn't a problem. And the right pic show the lens not fitting in Dad's truck. This shows how I measured from the top or bottom of the lens, which is the same size as the original lens, to the top of the flashing: 1
salans7 Posted November 9 Posted November 9 I haven't seen a microanalysis from you in some time, so thank you for the effort! Is there a way we could complain to TYC and have them correct the issue? It may just be easier to trim the lights but might be worth a try.
BigBrother-84 Posted November 9 Posted November 9 1 hour ago, Gary Lewis said: only one manufacturer of these lenses for our trucks - TYC. Gary, so I understand that Glow-Brite isn't manufactured any more, the only way to find some is to look for NOS ones?
Ifitaintbroke Posted November 9 Posted November 9 Sorry guys, I wasn't able to get the ones at work. I've been stranded due to some very heavy rain the other night, and some family issues. Been stuck at my place since Wednesday. I'm going to miss another week of work. I'll try to get those lenses as soon as I can, though I'll have to reorder them. Been on the ragged edge of broke because of the hurricane. I've missed a full month of work now.
Gary Lewis Posted November 9 Author Posted November 9 Bradley - Sorry about that. But there's no hurry. Hope things work out for you. Jeff - Yes, I'm told that Glo-Brite is out of business. But I'm seeing what look like them for sale on ebay. Shaun - Been itching to do another microanalysis. Seriously, this seemed like something that would help plenty of people as there aren't that many options. And I do wish we could contact TYC, but maybe Bradley can? 1
Ifitaintbroke Posted November 10 Posted November 10 1 hour ago, Gary Lewis said: And I do wish we could contact TYC, but maybe Bradley can? I might be able to, but it'd be better if I can get someone higher up in the company with a bit more influence. I'll see what I can do. 1
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