My Experience ordering body panels from TROA

[phils40]

I got mine 1/4 panel from Real Steel Cruisers in the US; got it shipped to Oz in reasonable timeframes and i thought reasonably priced too. The panel was great - we had to cut it slightly as it was a bit long; then i got the rail custom fit by a welder/fabricator.

 

[YukonCruisers]

For what its worth, I got mine from Extreme Bends in Vancouver (Canada) - full rail on top. He was out of passenger side at the time, so I got one with rail and one patch... Totally worth buying the it with the rail - the patch is a PITA to fit and weld up (pics in my build). Had to cut the rail to increase the curvature to match upper hard side, but this literally took 15 minutes. I now buy most of my parts from Steve - cheers

 

[FloridaFJ80]

We sell the complete quarter panel with the full rail on top.

 

[Racer65]

Don't people also need the holes and captured nuts inside the top rail as well? Once the rail is welded on, I'm not sure how one can get the nuts in there.

 

[davegonz]

Rivnuts?

That quarter panel above shows a lap joint. Is the factory sheet metal done that way as well?

 

[Racer65]

Here's a shot of the factory rail, with captured nuts on top and along the side, to facilitate bolting on a hardtop.

 

[SouthBostonFJ40]

@Racer65 minor details...

 

[SteveH]

Rivnuts?

That quarter panel above shows a lap joint. Is the factory sheet metal done that way as well?

I welded and filled the lap joint at the rear of the quarter panel, but it's a major corrosion point in the future. I also added rivnuts to the top rail to secure the hard top, but it was a royal pain to install and remove the hard top about 77 times before you had confidence enough to drill the holes and install the rivnuts, which later spin out in the holes.

I would never replace the top rail of the quarter again unless there were absolutely no other way to make it work. Having said that, these quarter panels would be much more fun on a soft-top only rig!

 

[Usernametaken]

We sell the complete quarter panel with the full rail on top.

Sent you a PM mate.

 

[fj40yow]

hi, first post
long time lurker

terrible at spelling don't judge.

long post but....

i've been getting my recently purchased 75 fj40 to the standard i'd like .
which is tough as i don't have a lot of time.
i likely paid a little much for my truck to begin with but after al it's not easy finding a decent starter in my neck of the woods without shelling out a fortune. Ottawa Canada. i'm sure it's the salt capital of the world.


i researched everything i could find on this and several other forms....not a lot out there as far as reviews for this company. i called and spoke to a couple of shops and after almost being convinced to go aluminum...i decided metal was the way for me.

i decided to go with this company TROA body parts.


i feel an honest review of my experience might benifit a future buyer.

the prices were cheaper than some places , cool cruisers, more expensive than others. im sure like most on this form...i don't mind paying for quality but hate paying more for same thing.

they negotiated a bit ....not a lot.

after looking at the pictures and talking to the guy in columbia....he convinced me the parts were high quality.

he was quick to return my calls and we spoke in length about the parts,

he was polite and knowledgable.

the stamping looked very good as good as anywhere else as original as any other company i saw , and better than most.

i was originally quoted a price delivered to canada....it was reasonable. then it changed to same price but only delivered to US boarder....i'm close so....i continued with the deal.

the parts were shipped to a distributor in florida who then sent me an invoice. the invoice was paypal...originally
i was leary but only because i have never used paypal for that large a purchase. that worked out fine.

problem was he tacked on 600 usd to ship....that wasn't our deal.

i spoke to distributor who said speak to manufactur . TROA basically said . that's the price. take it or leave it. and despite several emails to the contrary....they insisted price did not include shipping.

at this point i was going to walk away...600 usd at the current cnd exchange is almost a grand extra...not cool.

distributor found a cheaper way to ship but that meant i had to drive an hour further...but saved me 400 ....my other choice was find another supplier and wait another 6 -8 weeks.

begrudgingly i agreed.

i received the part from the distributor 4 days after he shipped it... which was good . it was in good shape. packaging was ok...but half tub got dinged along the way which sent a small wobble down the side that welds to door post....body guy said he had seen worse and that it came from so far , he was impressed . ( i'm sure you all know this but...it fits in the back of a half tone fyi....don't need a trailer) he straightened it up.

we unpacked the parts....they looked like the pictures. primed in black primer. looked very well put together with good welds and seam sealer. i was happy....the body guy seemed happy.

once we got the parts to the shop,we realized there was a lot of extra work to be done.

but it was the end of the day...work would begin the next day.

i left for work for 3 days. when i got home i asked for an update from the body guy...i could tell he was not impressed.

he is not an fj40 expert but i have seen a few of his other projects. he knows his way around.

he was really not happy with the parts.

he said nothing lined up properly . he had the front floor pan in 30 times trimming and lining.

no holes for body mounts

did not come with brackets for fuel line cover, spare tire carrier, roll bar brackets inside wheel well., door hinge brackets. no holes for seat mounts etc.....

he had to remove those from old box to install on new and lots more lining up, measuring ,welding and drilling holes.

there was a seam in the middle of the curve on the quarter panel,.i couldn't live with it so he welded that and made it disappeared.

the top fit on nicely once everything was lined up but the holes for the top didn't align so he decided to slightly oblong the holes in the top.

all said and done he said it added a tone of time he did not acount for do to incomplete parts. as such i agreed to pay him extra....not a huge amount but....money i would have rather spent on parts that came a little more ready to install.

now , maybe he was complaining trying to squeeze out some more cash but i trust him and saw the extra work he had done.

the floor pan and tub look great now they are lined up, installed , welded and primed. top fits perfect and doors close like new!


the distributor was a great guy.

but i think if i had to do it again....i would try some where else.

maybe this is normal from all replica fj40 parts....but not what i was expecting for the price.

i'm wishing i came on here first and asked the questions before i pulled the trigger but....here i am now.

overall not a terrible experience but not a five star experience either.

hope this helps someone else.

i'll get some pics later.

cheers

 

[Racer65]

@fj40yow

I would say your summary is just about right on the money.
As a vendor, I don't have a body part portfolio, so I looked into some of their stuff. My conclusion is that they make a lot of parts that look like Cruiser parts, until you try to fit it. I don't know if the issue is with the mold, a lack of quality control, or lack of discipline. Just as you described, things often don't align, and holes aren't in the right spot. I tried to help them straighten out their product. Interestingly, they don't seem to care.

I was also unaccustomed to the way they do business. There are similarities to the stories we've heard about Pacol. Sometimes they don't respond for a week, and there's always an excuse. When they ship, they don't provide a tracking # until you ask repeatedly. I think your customer experience was somewhat better, because you were buffered by a good distributor. It must be tough being their distributor, since you constantly have to cover for their shortcomings. That's why I decided it's not for me. It's kind of a shame, because if they manage the business properly, they can really reinvent the Land Cruiser.

 

[SouthBostonFJ40]

@fj40yow

I don't know if the issue is with the mold, a lack of quality control, or lack of discipline. Just as you described, things often don't align, and holes aren't in the right spot.

I think it's a combination of all three plus the age of the vehicles so nothing is perfectly straight any more. I don't think anyone could make body panels that fit every vehicle perfectly.

 

[SteveH]

Recall when Hyundai provided a 10 year warranty on vehicles because they admitted that they didn't have the credibility of a company like Toyota, who offered a far less generous warranty? Same deal here - sketchy 3rd world operators get the reputation they have, because they act like sketchy 3rd world operators. At the point in time when they choose to run a business like a business, things will change. Racer65 said it very well and I heartily respect his decision not to carry sheet metal parts.

And I somewhat disagree that FJ40s aren't straight enough to make panels that fit reliably. The Chinese do it all day long for old Chevy pickups and other low-tolerance situations. My $39 Chinese replacement fender for my '83 GMC fit better than the OEM GM part, which used a load of shims under every bolt (from the factory) to get the fender to fit. I"m not asking for tolerances to 1/16", just closer than 1/2".

 

[SouthBostonFJ40]

Recall when Hyundai provided a 10 year warranty on vehicles because they admitted that they didn't have the credibility of a company like Toyota, who offered a far less generous warranty? Same deal here - sketchy 3rd world operators get the reputation they have, because they act like sketchy 3rd world operators. At the point in time when they choose to run a business like a business, things will change. Racer65 said it very well and I heartily respect his decision not to carry sheet metal parts.

And I somewhat disagree that FJ40s aren't straight enough to make panels that fit reliably. The Chinese do it all day long for old Chevy pickups and other low-tolerance situations. My $39 Chinese replacement fender for my '83 GMC fit better than the OEM GM part, which used a load of shims under every bolt (from the factory) to get the fender to fit. I"m not asking for tolerances to 1/16", just closer than 1/2".

I wish some Chinese company would start making body panels for the FJ40. The Chinese have capabilities far beyond those of Central and South America. It's difficult to compare the two.

 

[fj40yow]

or better yet....a japanese company.

 

[SouthBostonFJ40]

or better yet....a japanese company.

That would be great but very expensive.

 

[FloridaFJ80]

My company, Land Cruiser Heaven, sells Colombian Land Cruiser replacement body panels and can agree with some of the comments here, I would have to say that we are working hard everyday to provide a good quality and cost efficient product. I can see why it would seem sketchy on 3rd world operators not caring about their product, or the lack of quality control or discipline. The 3rd world mindset has always been that these arent supposed to be 100% your body guy needs to work the pieces, and though in some cases this can be right it doesnt mean it has to be the norm. I have bridged this gap and have built a team that is focused on quality and improving the product via feedback from our customers and our US based restorations. Its one thing having to deal with a company in Colombia where there could be a landguage barrier and a distributor in the US. With Land Cruiser Heaven, you only deal with us. We are a soup to nuts. We back up our products 100%. We are a US based company, taking away from the uncertainty and risk in dealing internationally. @fj40yow The company should have been up front about the shipping charges whether it be stateside or internationally and if the deal was to be delivered then they should have honored it. I have opted to lose money in deals than changing things after the fact, its not good business. I am glad that everything worked out for you in the end and truly appreciate this type of feedback for other mudders to take into consideration. As I myself, was a mudder before I became a Vendor.

 

[steveola]

I had not known about Troa before this post. But I, like so many others, have had frustrating adventures with Pacol that yield no parts after 10 months. I did however successfully place an order with Land Cruiser Heaven (who is also a mud member @FloridaFJ80). They get their parts from the same SA group that the other two do. I got my parts in the time frame I was give with no exceptions or excuses. Overall Frank delivered what I asked for in the original time frame quoted. I would order from him again if the need arises.

I have had good experiences from Landcruiser Heaven as well. They had what I wanted and they got to me in a reasonable time. You can experience delays from foreign companies. Ever tried ordering parts from Ducati in Italy? Nightmare. Holidays and summer shut downs for months.

 

[tls3601]

I have had good experiences from Landcruiser Heaven as well. They had what I wanted and they got to me in a reasonable time. You can experience delays from foreign companies. Ever tried ordering parts from Ducati in Italy? Nightmare. Holidays and summer shut downs for months.

Yep Socialist regimes don’t work nearly as hard as us here in USA. I am jealous over all of their time off though. That being said I will take my freedom and won’t let ANYONE impinge on it.

 

[steveola]

Yep Socialist regimes don’t work nearly as hard as us here in USA. I am jealous over all of their time off though. That being said I will take my freedom and won’t let ANYONE impinge on it.

Absolutely. I totally agree!!