Interest for spare Viper body panels

[sadil]

Hey guys,

Just wanted to let everyone know about something I was trying to get together. I think it goes without saying that we all should be concerned about a lack of Viper body panels that will continue to drive the price of spare parts for the low production Gen V viper. For those who are tracking their cars and putting their body panels at risk, or other owners who are concerned about your OEM parts as they continue to use their cars, is there any interest for having spare panels produced?

I have been able to track down the company that was building composite parts for the viper during launch in 2013. They are local to Detroit and everything is built in-house. The production manufacturing contract was awarded to another company in Detroit that specialized in larger runs. That car that Ralph kissed on-stage had the first run of carbon styling parts on it that this company produced at the time for Dodge. I had the opportunity to have a conversation with them today and they are willing to make body panels for us if there is enough interest.

The owner of the company is flexible and willing to work with us as he is a speed boat enthusiast himself and would be interested in making parts for the Viper as well. By flexible, I mean we can do fiberglass for the track guys who want to keep OEM parts hanging in the garage, non-cosmetic carbon for the guys who want to paint the parts to match their cars, and also cosmetic carbon for the people who want exposed carbon panels. However, like anything else, upfront tooling is what costs the most to get molds manufactured.

The idea of putting my 12k hood and 5k rocker panels at risk has been a constant fear in my mind as I track my car and have my off track excursions. Not only am I scared about cost of replacement pieces but also availability as I have accessed Chrysler's parts inventory system and have seen the limited number of parts that are sitting in warehouses for us to pull from. So far I am giving the hood and rocker panels priority but I am posting this to ask what you guys think. Personally I wanted to pursue some fun GTSR style body work for my car but the greatest need is bolt-on stock panels. This was a personal project for me but if there is enough interest, we can have the whole community benefit from this as well.

Just putting this out there. Feel free to speak your mind about it.

[Scott_in_fl]

Bolt-on GT3R kit is the way to go We could all shelve our OEM panels for safe-keeping and terrorize the streets/tracks with a widebody. And I don't want to hear that it can't be done. IG is full of guys gluing a bunch of styrofoam to the OEM panels, carving it down to create a shape to pull molds from, and creating some wicked and very well done widebody cars. A modified GT3R look, with 4" wider track front and rear would be amazing. Just need a wheel spacer/spindle solution to increase the track (and maybe a door skin to flare cleanly into the rear quarters).WidebodyViper6.jpg
WidebodyViper7.jpg

[TKO MOTORSPORTS TEAM]

Hey guys,

Just wanted to let everyone know about something I was trying to get together. I think it goes without saying that we all should be concerned about a lack of Viper body panels that will continue to drive the price of spare parts for the low production Gen V viper. For those who are tracking their cars and putting their body panels at risk, or other owners who are concerned about your OEM parts as they continue to use their cars, is there any interest for having spare panels produced?

I have been able to track down the company that was building composite parts for the viper during launch in 2013. They are local to Detroit and everything is built in-house. The production manufacturing contract was awarded to another company in Detroit that specialized in larger runs. That car that Ralph kissed on-stage had the first run of carbon styling parts on it that this company produced at the time for Dodge. I had the opportunity to have a conversation with them today and they are willing to make body panels for us if there is enough interest.

The owner of the company is flexible and willing to work with us as he is a speed boat enthusiast himself and would be interested in making parts for the Viper as well. By flexible, I mean we can do fiberglass for the track guys who want to keep OEM parts hanging in the garage, non-cosmetic carbon for the guys who want to paint the parts to match their cars, and also cosmetic carbon for the people who want exposed carbon panels. However, like anything else, upfront tooling is what costs the most to get molds manufactured.

The idea of putting my 12k hood and 5k rocker panels at risk has been a constant fear in my mind as I track my car and have my off track excursions. Not only am I scared about cost of replacement pieces but also availability as I have accessed Chrysler's parts inventory system and have seen the limited number of parts that are sitting in warehouses for us to pull from. So far I am giving the hood and rocker panels priority but I am posting this to ask what you guys think. Personally I wanted to pursue some fun GTSR style body work for my car but the greatest need is bolt-on stock panels. This was a personal project for me but if there is enough interest, we can have the whole community benefit from this as well.

Just putting this out there. Feel free to speak your mind about it.

sounds like a great idea!!!

[ViperGeorge]

I think the rockers are aluminum but they would be my first priority (they take the most grief simply driving around even with the boomerang mud flaps) followed by front and rear bumpers, then front fenders, then rear quarters, then hoods (all 3 types, SRT, GTS, and ACR), then hatch. Great idea for sure.

I would say that you must be careful with front body panels especially hoods. They need to perform correctly in a crash. I believe there was a batch of Gen 4 hoods that were too strong. In a front crash instead of crumpling they could go through the windshield and decapitate the driver. They were never used by the factory but I think some made their way into the aftermarket parts supply. That may be urban legend though.

[Steve M]

I clearly don't have a dog in this fight, but I at least had some coherent thoughts thinking through what you are proposing.

On paper, it sounds great, but I think there are two areas where this idea will fall short:

1. It's likely going to take a significant cash outlay to make it worth the company's while. I don't think you'll find enough willing owners to make it happen, although it would be helpful to get a feel from them on their minimum order quantity. Is it $100k worth of parts? $500k? $1M?
2. People will need a place to store these extra parts. There are clearly some folks on here that have massive garages or access to large storage facilities, but the majority with more modest garages are going to have a hard time storing a spare hood that has as much acreage as my front yard. Even rocker panels are going to take up a significant amount of space.

[ViperGeorge]

I clearly don't have a dog in this fight, but I at least had some coherent thoughts thinking through what you are proposing.

On paper, it sounds great, but I think there are two areas where this idea will fall short:

1. It's likely going to take a significant cash outlay to make it worth the company's while. I don't think you'll find enough willing owners to make it happen, although it would be helpful to get a feel from them on their minimum order quantity. Is it $100k worth of parts? $500k? $1M?
2. People will need a place to store these extra parts. There are clearly some folks on here that have massive garages or access to large storage facilities, but the majority with more modest garages are going to have a hard time storing a spare hood that has as much acreage as my front yard. Even rocker panels are going to take up a significant amount of space.

These are good points. However, if the company was involved in making the panels for the original cars maybe they already have some of the tooling. Even people with modest garages could maybe hang panels from the ceiling. I would love to have spare rockers/sills as they get the crap beat out of them.

[StrokerAce]

If I could get a GTS style hood with larger vents (still, only two) but with a taller raised center bubble and larger air vent opening I would buy one.

Cheaper alternative carbon fiber rear center section would be nice and the rocker is my biggest concern for damage.

[DZnutz]

I think people are already losing sight of the target. The intent here is to make OEM replacement parts... nothing more. Anything beyond that will fall apart quickly.

[Steve M]

I think people are already losing sight of the target. The intent here is to make OEM replacement parts... nothing more. Anything beyond that will fall apart quickly.

Bingo.

[eseery]

i would be interested. Bumpers and rocker panels would be top of my list.

[Mbccenter]

One of the main reasons I have not done much with the gen V in repairable is the lack of good pricing and products for body panels

[sadil]

Thank you all for the replies. Please continue to provide feedback

Bolt-on GT3R kit is the way to go We could all shelve our OEM panels for safe-keeping and terrorize the streets/tracks with a widebody. And I don't want to hear that it can't be done. IG is full of guys gluing a bunch of styrofoam to the OEM panels, carving it down to create a shape to pull molds from, and creating some wicked and very well done widebody cars. A modified GT3R look, with 4" wider track front and rear would be amazing. Just need a wheel spacer/spindle solution to increase the track (and maybe a door skin to flare cleanly into the rear quarters).WidebodyViper6.jpg
WidebodyViper7.jpg

A GT3 kit would be cool but I really don't see many people spending the money to take a wide car and make it even wider. There is no significant gain for the average owner, which is the priority. There are already very few Gen V Vipers and a much smaller subset would be interested in a widebody kit. However, all could potentially benefit from a cheaper alternative to OEM parts. I do plan to do some different things with my car and if anyone is interested, I can certainly try and offer parts beyond the OEM replacements. All in due time and thanks for the feedback.

I think the rockers are aluminum but they would be my first priority (they take the most grief simply driving around even with the boomerang mud flaps) followed by front and rear bumpers, then front fenders, then rear quarters, then hoods (all 3 types, SRT, GTS, and ACR), then hatch. Great idea for sure.

I would say that you must be careful with front body panels especially hoods. They need to perform correctly in a crash. I believe there was a batch of Gen 4 hoods that were too strong. In a front crash instead of crumpling they could go through the windshield and decapitate the driver. They were never used by the factory but I think some made their way into the aftermarket parts supply. That may be urban legend though.

The owner of the company brought up the same point. Too strong and you will risk a large piece becoming a razor blade. He remembered the discussion with Dodge from pre-2013 when the rear catches were being designed. Definitely something to consider when designing the hood. The hood design does not need to be overkill in strength so it should not be an issue.

I clearly don't have a dog in this fight, but I at least had some coherent thoughts thinking through what you are proposing.

On paper, it sounds great, but I think there are two areas where this idea will fall short:

1. It's likely going to take a significant cash outlay to make it worth the company's while. I don't think you'll find enough willing owners to make it happen, although it would be helpful to get a feel from them on their minimum order quantity. Is it $100k worth of parts? $500k? $1M?

2. People will need a place to store these extra parts. There are clearly some folks on here that have massive garages or access to large storage facilities, but the majority with more modest garages are going to have a hard time storing a spare hood that has as much acreage as my front yard. Even rocker panels are going to take up a significant amount of space.

Carbon fiber parts have their perks. Most notably the various methods of designing and producing tooling. These are some of the discussions I will continue to have with the owner. What I like is that he has a lot of experience with one-off pieces for some of his clients, along with builds that produce thousands of parts for companies selling parts online. I think the experience helps guide this project into the right direction to keep costs controlled. I have not mentioned anything about price because the discussion is in the early stages and there are many things to decide on before a price can even be determined.

With all due respect, how people store parts is not my concern. I am trying to provide an option for people so a part is available when required without having to sell a kidney. The choice of what to buy when is up to the owner. My goal is to produce parts to keep these cars running for decades to come. The last thing I want to see is Vipers stored away forever as art. Storing these parts is no different than hoarding anything else for the long run.

These are good points. However, if the company was involved in making the panels for the original cars maybe they already have some of the tooling. Even people with modest garages could maybe hang panels from the ceiling. I would love to have spare rockers/sills as they get the crap beat out of them.

The rockers will definitely hit development first. Being right on the ground and constantly taking abuse, I want to offer that as my first item. I am currently working on getting some temperature readings from my daily drives and track events to figure out if carbon rockers will be feasible. My car is currently catted so I have a great baseline for the maximum temperatures that will be experienced. I will be installing 5-10 thermo-couples inside the rocker to get some temperature readings. Will keep everyone posted.

One of the main reasons I have not done much with the gen V in repairable is the lack of good pricing and products for body panels

I have spent countless hours searching for parts. The result was either buy new stuff from Dodge or used/damaged parts from resellers of totaled cars. Neither option gave me or my wallet a warm fuzzy feeling.

Thank you again to everyone who provided feedback! I will keep everyone posted on process but this project will take some time. Working full time on Corvette C8 powertrain development right now at work. The Viper stuff keeps the automotive nerd inside me ticking.

I appreciate everyone's patience.

[Mark1107]

Agency power has great hoods for 5-6k...

3C325BAD-4BBA-42CA-8881-56E44E375E94.jpg

Doesn’t Jon b viper parts rack have parts too?

[USAFPILOT]

Rear fenders would be good too; they are a fortune as well.