Cheap Opti!

[Aaron4TAMU]

Just wanted to let everyone know I found a place that you can get a brand new opti for $69.50 shipped! The company is very professional, and very prompt. I called them Sunday and left a message. They called me back very early Monday morning to answer my questions. I ordered it Monday (they are based in Tennessee), and it was shipped very same day, and I just got it today (Wednesday). The opti is the full unit and brand new. Here is a link to it:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...d=350387336759

They have more GM parts as well, and have a local, and toll free phone number that you can call. Very professional business!

[BrdWAtti2d]

Be afraid, be very afraid!

[Aaron4TAMU]

Be afraid, be very afraid!

I'm not afraid, because all I'm using it for is to get it running so I can sell it. I'll post results.

[Rob B (shoebox)]

Then, the buyer should be afraid/beware.

[Joe 1320]

Yikes. After seeing the horror stories about many of the sparts store optisparks, I can't imagine this would be any better. Before you install it, I would open it up and inspect the internals. You will likely find things like a bent optical wheel and/or rough bearings. Check it over completely because of the PITA install, you don't want to be doing it twice for no reason.

[Z Ya Later]

Then, the buyer should be afraid/beware.

Agreed! ^^

Why would you make a problem for someone else, Aaron?

[Injuneer]

Given the track record of what are typically shoddy Chinese-made rip-offs, it may not even last long enough to "get it running".......

Good for the Chinese economy and their trade balance though,.

[Al 96 Ram Air T/A]

From the looks of it, I'd give these guys a try:


http://www.ls1tech.com/forums/sponso...ws-praise.html

[FTA1995]

I got away using one for a little whel when money was scarce... Lasted about 3 months or so (about 30 driving hours), rotor self-disintegrated and cut up the entire cap from the inside.

Like everyone else is saying, beware.
I will never again waste the installation time on knock-off parts,
If the phrase 'you get what you pay for" means anything in the world, it definitely applies in the strongest to auto parts.

[Al 96 Ram Air T/A]

Just be aware - there are no OEM Optis left on the market. Be very careful if someone tries to tell you otherwise, as even the PartsLadi admitted they no longer had any left.

99.99% of the Optis being sold today are aftermarket. GM/Delco stopped making these many years ago. Remember - LT1s haven't been produced in almost 15 years.

[Injuneer]

Are you sure? Places like Pace Parts (GM Performance Parts dealer) claim to have GM parts (AC Delco/Delphi).

thepartsladi went out of business and screwed over a lot of people. I wouldn't consider that a reliable source of info.

[Z Ya Later]

Gonna go with Fred on this. Summit has them as well, along with a local AC Delco parts shop.

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/ACF-10457702/

***EDIT***

As does Amazon (go figure).

http://www.amazon.com/ACDelco-104577.../dp/B000EQL0PO

***EDIT 2***

Aww, heck. Lets be good and support our Site Vendors. Thunder Racing sells them as well. Of course, for the price of the new ones, maybe an MSD or Dynaspark unit is a good consideration.

http://www.thunderracing.com/shop-by.../Distributors/

[Al 96 Ram Air T/A]

I'm not totally sure...could be right. I had assumed the thepartsladi was honest with me, but then again??

Odd about Pace Parts. When I was shopping for a new Opti 2 years ago, they told me the same thing - no more originals left. All were being made by others now.

Besides, not sure why everyone cares. Yeah, there are a few bad replacement Optis out there, but there are just as many bad GM ones. My buddy worked for Pontiac all through the 90's. The shop only used OEM, but even he said once in a while, they got a bad Opti. Most of the time, they would fail soon after they were installed.

I bought a Canadian made Opti from an online shop that offers lifetime warranties. So far, so good. Been in the car for almost 2 years now, and I paid less than $125.

[FTA1995]

What about the msd pro billet, as Z mentioned?
Obviously, it isnt oem, but it would seem they have it figured out pretty well.. The optical sensor was redesigned with a more fail proof sensor unit, along with the sensor wheel being replaced with a new design, and a more durable rotor assembly as well.

I haven't used one, as they are very expensive compared to the summit or jegs options. At the very least, all three companies give a good warranty on their products.

The opti has always felt like the biggest crap shoot in GM parts, oem units fail out of nowhere, as do many others.
I guess another option is eliminating the rotor system and getting coil packs with a kit like the ltcc?

[Injuneer]

Based on a significant amount of feedback on CZ28.com the MSD provides no better service than the OEM part, and has some problems of its own. MSD has had to make numerous design revisions over the years, and still doesn't seem to have it right. The "adjustable timing" is more of a liability than a genuine asset. There is no true "0" point. You have no idea if it is timed correctly, other than MSD saying it was set at "0" when it left the factory. And there is no real use for the adjustable timing, unless you are attempting to advance or retard the cam and need to bring the Opti back into correspondence with TDC.

Both the MSD and the OEM parts suffer from the rotor screws falling out. It is advisable to Loc-Tite the rotor screws in both units before installation.

Based on feedback, the OEM part is more reliable than the other aftermarket sources like Accel, Summit, various parts stores, etc.

thepartsladi was selling genuine GM parts. They sold many other parts. They didn't go out of business because couldn't get the GM parts.... they appear to have gone out of business through poor business practices.