Does anyone know what's up with Eckler's? I've been receiving at least an email a day with sale items and some of them are really good. I've only dealt with them once, and it wasn't a very good experience!

 

They are desperate. They are horrible.

 

I don't know how ecklers is still around. zip and corvette central put them to shame. back in. the '80s I worked the parts counter in a retail corvette shop. ecklers was a pretty good company. when I got back to corvettes a couple of years ago, I ordered a catalog from ecklers (online), I'm still waiting on that catalog! from what I've seen online, they are not the company they once were.

 

I won't buy anything from them.

 

I have only had my Corvette for 2.5 years, and have purchased parts from various suppliers. My only complaint about Ecklers was they seemed to have a lot more parts on back order…. But otherwise, seemed fine to deal with…

Zip…. I have had several orders with Zip. Everything went fine, except EVERYTIME I ask for a printed catalog, both during on-line orders and phone orders. The phone orders they always say “we’ll include one in the box.”

I finally (and randomly) received my Zip catalog about 3 months ago, more than 2 years after J first asked for one…

I miss Paragon…

 

Eckler's got in money trouble and was on the verge of declaring bankruptcy a couple years ago. They had gotten to the point where they had little to no inventory and couldn't buy more because most of their suppliers had cut them off for non payment. A company from PA (an ecommerce company called Turn 5) stepped in and bought Eckler's in October 2022. All of Eckler's office and sales people in Florida were let go at the time and sales were moved to Turn 5's offices in Paoli PA. The new owners have been paying off Eckler's past debts so they could build back the inventory and are currently closing Eckler's Florida warehouse and moving the inventory they don't sell off to their own warehouse (I think in Kansas).

The new owners don't seemed interested in making any of the parts that Eckler's was making, or the parts any of their other divisions were like Rick's Camaro, Mac's Ford, The El Camino Store, etc were making either. One of the first things they did after acquiring Eckler's was shut down Cartuoche, a maker of pre-war Ford interiors, and I think the last company still making interiors for 32-42 Fords.

I'm not sure if they're running all the sales to get rid of some slow moving inventory, reduce the inventory they have so they don't have to move it, just trying to generate some extra cash flow, a combination of these or maybe some other reason. It's a shame to see what happened to Eckler's, and there's a lot of parts they were making for Corvettes and other cars that are now gone, and may or may not be made by someone else eventually.

 

just purchased from them yesterday-great prices on some items. As far as other vendors had orders only to have a email with sorry part is backordered when on there website it was in stock so every one of them have troubles.

 

I feel NO PAIN for Ecklers......A five month wait for a front PM clip, then was told that the order was cancelled.........At that time, Ecklers was cut off from the Clip Manufacturer that took the order. This started in May of 2022.......Manufacturers of Corvette Parts are, in some cases 4 months out on deliveries. (Tilt Columns). The market is there for these Suppliers. The Manufacturers are USA gone! Running a Business during this period was and will be in the future Employee driven. This is what caused all the business failures over the last 4 years.

Emagine having the opportunity to do business with NASCAR and IndyCar and not correctly managing your greatest asset, your Employees..........The entertainment business can be brutal. Deadlines on parts cannot be missed! Eckler's Failed!

Ecklers mismanaged their Business and its most likely, their Employees, This past week, Ecklers stated that they have tilt 67 IDIDIT columns in stock......I declined!!

It is my guess that Companies like Summit and Speedway Motors are watching this Market and who knows, might jump All in!!

 

I waited over a year for a repo center console that I was told was in stock at their supplier & would ship in less than a month direct from the supplier. Many calls during that year & was always told it should ship in another month or so. I have since cancelled that order & got my $ back. That being said, I have ordered other items from them & had no issues at all. It is just sad that you can't get a truthful answer on backorder items. I am looking at a 14 inch steering wheel from them that I keep getting emails on at a very good price, but have not pulled the trigger yet.
Darin

 

RIP Ralph Eckler. Another American business disappointment. When Ralph was alive and managing the company, they had a robust fiberglass manufacturing and parts business. They also did on premises repairs of cars. They had an annual Corvette show which had a Corvette corral which had every year represented. During the show, you could purchase items discounted at their counter. The lines were out the door. Sorry I sound like an old man screaming at kids to get off my lawn, but before the internet, we had Eckler's for our Corvette needs. Sorry it had deteriorated to its current state. Jerry

 

And yet I watched and help my dad restore three mid years in 30 years and we have never bought from Ecklers. Paragon, corvette central and LIC all been great suppliers to us. Sure in the early days of pre internet we had a little trouble but taking to the owners of Paragon and Central when they came to Carisle resolved any issues.

 

Isn't Eckler's the " only " supplier of C1 & C2 fiberglass body panels?

 

maybe hand laid. But Coffman Corvette and Shermishins makes press molded glass

 

While Ralph started the business as a manufacturer of Corvette fiberglass parts, Eckler's started getting out of making fiberglass around 20-25 years ago and finally got out completely maybe 10 or 15 years back. Stinger Fiberglass, also in Titusville, has been making much of Eckler's fiberglass for years and I think eventually acquired all of Eckler's molds. Stinger closed a little over a year ago, I'm guessing Eckler's cash flow issues put a hurt on them since I think the bulk of their business was coming from Eckler's.

There are still companies making 'glass for early Corvettes. ACI in Ohio makes fiberglass for 1963 to 2017 Corvettes. JD Corvette in California still make 53-62 and 63-67 fiberglass, along with newer 'glass. Vette Masters in Virginia is making some press molded 63-67 fiberglass, and Lee Bumb Composites and Coffman Composites are making press molded 53 up 'glass. Dynamic Corvettes in Michigan makes a mix of both stock and restomod 56-82 Corvette fiberglass. There are a couple other companies out there too, but these are the ones I'm most familiar with, and most comfortable mentioning.

 

I've avoided Ecklers for years as well.

 

Last year I ordered catalogs from both Corvette Central & Ecklers on the same day.

CC's came in less than a week. Ecklers showed up 3 or 4 months later. That told me everything...

 

The company is a far cry from what it used to be. I used to attend the shows every year in October and looked forward to them. They had classes on various subjects such fiberglass repair. I haven't been there in years as the co was sold and the new owners turned it into a disaster in short order.