OPGI Blog - Page 21 of 41 - Up to date restoration parts news and reviews

Cassie Nunes and her ’68 Chevelle

Posted on October 18, 2017 by OPGI — No Comments ↓

Story: Tony Colombini, Photos: Brokken Images

I saw this Chevelle while cruisin’ on Instagram. The pics from Brokken Images caught my eye and my heart as I remembered the ’68 Chevelle I owned before the owner of this particular Chevelle was even born.

Cassie Nunes is a young lady who has been wrenchin’ in the garage with her dad Ernie since she was able to wrap her fingers around a wrench. She recalls that it was never a chore but good times that she thoroughly enjoyed. It was like watching a master at his craft and great father/daughter bonding time. Ernie has been working on cars since he was 15 and owns Conejo Auto Repair Services (C.A.R.S.) in Southern California. Read more ›

Posted in Car Spotlights, Chevy

SEMA Show 2017 – OPGI’s New Look

Posted on September 29, 2017 by OPGI — 4 Comments ↓

Original Parts Group, Inc. (OPGI) is once again preparing to attend the annual Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show held each November in Las Vegas, Nevada. Celebrating over 35 years of manufacturing and retailing GM restoration parts and accessories, as well as several decades as a displaying manufacturer at the SEMA Show, OPGI will mark this year’s attendance with an all-new, upgraded presence for 2017. Working with Flair Exhibits & Displays on the 2017 booth, OPGI decided that the all-new design will reflect the company’s 2017 restoration parts campaign “Let’s Do This” and lend the booth a fitting “garage” type theme. Read more ›

Posted in Buick, Chevy, Events & Appearances, Industry News, Oldsmobile, OPGI News, Pontiac

Dream Giveaway Chevelle

Posted on September 6, 2017 by OPGI — 2 Comments ↓

Here ‘ya go Chevelle fans. Here’s your chance to win a completely restored 1970 big-block Chevelle Super Sport! Original Parts Group, Inc. (OPGI) has teamed up with Dreamgiveaway.com to create a one-of-a-kind contest that will present this immaculate Chevelle as the prize. What’s the catch you ask? Well, there is no “catch” here, really. The car is totally legitimate and the contest/giveaway is, too. The only downside is that there will probably be a whole lot of people attempting to win the same prize. At just $3 per donation, we would guess there will be thousands of entries! Especially when you consider the fact that the money raised will go to benefit worthwhile charities. Read more ›

Posted in Buick, Car Spotlights, Chevy, Events & Appearances, Industry News Tagged with: 1970 Chevelle, Dream Giveaway, OPGI, win

Now Available! New Parts for Classic Cadillacs

Posted on September 1, 2017 by OPGI — 5 Comments ↓

More than just another General Motors (GM) brand, over the last 50 years the Cadillac nameplate has become synonymous with the highest possible levels of style, luxury and quality in the automotive marketplace. While other top tier automakers like Rolls Royce, Bentley, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Mercedes (and others) have long shared domination of the European marketplace, here in the United States Cadillac stands alone at the top of the hill. Read more ›

Posted in Cadillac, Featured Products, OPGI News Tagged with: Cadillac, new, Restoparts

Get a Handle On It – Door Handles, Mirrors and More

Posted on August 25, 2017 by OPGI — No Comments ↓

Original door handles and exterior mirrors are components that are always exposed to the elements and as a result, they often look far more battered and worn than the rest of your classic GM car, especially if the final paint and body work has already been completed. Interior door handles, window cranks and mirrors can take a lot of abuse too, and they can also look pretty worn out inside an otherwise immaculately restored interior. Although preserving original General Motors (GM) parts can be important to the originality of a restoration, brand new old stock factory replacement parts like handles and mirrors are simply not available anymore. Please note – the examples here are for Chevelle. You can select your year, make and model easily at OPGI.com Read more ›

Posted in Buick, Chevy, Featured Products, Oldsmobile, Pontiac Tagged with: cranks, handles, Mirrors, OPGI, Restoparts

Stop & Turn: Brake & Suspension Mods

Posted on August 21, 2017 by OPGI — No Comments ↓

When Original Parts Group Inc. (OPGI) started working with the guys from HOT ROD Garage on the 1970 Chevelle SS 454 tribute car known as “The Executive Chevelle,” the project broke new ground. The Chevelle was built from the start as a modified car using aftermarket parts and as such was the first vehicle in the OPGI fleet that was not built out as a 100%, factory-spec restoration. At the time, the stated purpose of the project was “To create a car that has the clean look of a 1970’s muscle car on the outside with modern power and reliability hidden inside.” If you think about it, that statement could be true for most classic car projects, as the owners want to retain the looks and style of the old days in cars that feature enough “modern performance” to keep up with today’s traffic and road conditions. The only problem with that balance is that the standard of performance today is pretty high, and the bar keeps getting higher. While yesterday’s V-8 powered muscle car classics still have plenty of power to keep up with modern traffic, their ability to stop and turn is a different matter entirely. Read more ›

Posted in Chevy, Featured Products, OPGI News

Premium Stereo Technology for Classic Cars

Posted on August 10, 2017 by OPGI — No Comments ↓

Restoration of a classic car is usually performed in steps. After you’ve overhauled the drivetrain and made the exterior look perfect, a good next step would be getting passionate about the level of creature comforts you have planned for the interior. How your car sounds is an important aspect of that comfort and we’re not talking about the roar of your engine through the exhaust – we’re talking about entertaining sounds, the kind that should be emanating from your car audio sound system. Read more ›

Posted in Featured Products Tagged with: Car audio, Custom Autosound, stereo, Vintage Car Audio

OPGI’s 5 Top Tech Tips: Weatherstripping

Posted on August 2, 2017 by OPGI — 2 Comments ↓

Everyone knows that new weatherstripping can tighten up the fit and sealing of a vehicle’s doors, windows and trunk (and more) to make the overall driving experience quieter, cleaner and more comfortable. What fewer people seem to recognize is just how much extra noise (and extra fumes!) we are bombarded with during every day driving. Drivers seem to ignore the fact that the seals on the body of the car can slowly age to the point of total deterioration as a car gets older, and when you’re dealing with classic cars, it is pretty much guaranteed that you’ll need new weatherstripping at some point in the restoration process. Read more ›

Posted in Featured Products, Tech Tips

OPGI’s “New” 1987 Buick Grand National Comes Home

Posted on July 26, 2017 by OPGI — 2 Comments ↓

The latest addition to OPGI’s fleet of perfectly restored GM classics needed no restoration work at all. With just 9,797 miles on the odometer, this 1987 Buick Grand National was delivered to OPGI in better-than-excellent condition. The purchase included everything but that “New Car Smell” from 30 years ago. Read more ›

Posted in Buick, Events & Appearances, Industry News

OPGI’s Top 5 Tech Tips: Sheet Metal Installation

Posted on July 19, 2017 by OPGI — 2 Comments ↓

It’s a pretty good bet that when you restore a vehicle, no matter the make, sheet metal work will be in your future. It’s becoming pretty rare to find a classic car out there that is rust free or in no need of any panel repair. Obviously, this is a factor when shopping for your next restoration project. If you choose a brand that has a plentiful supply of restoration parts available and you have the equipment, you can pick something that is in rougher shape. You can rest easy knowing that sheet metal parts such as floor and trunk pans, quarter panels and fenders are available. That being said however, sheet metal work does take skill and practice, even if it seems as straightforward as cutting a rusty panel out and replacing it with an identical new panel. If this sounds like something you would like to tackle, the following five tech tips will give you some pointers on successful panel replacement. Read more ›