Author Topic: No more Downey? (Read 3957 times)

Tallchevy · « **on:** Aug 11, 2009, 07:08:09 PM »

I was looking for the bikini top Downey offers but thier web site wouldn't come up. I did a search & found this.

Taken from another site

Downey Off Road Mfg. ceased operation on July 31, 2009.
There are ongoing negotiations with six different well known companies who are interested in continuing major portions of the Downey product line. You will no doubt find Downey products at one or more of those companies in the near future. We thank your for being a part of our 39 year history.

Jim Sickles, President
Downey Off Road Mfg.

Toymin8r · « **Reply #1 on:** Aug 11, 2009, 07:20:19 PM »

yea I read that on IH8MUD a few days ago. I think the lack of modernizing for internet sales was a big mistake.

Richmondo · « **Reply #2 on:** Aug 11, 2009, 07:36:09 PM »

Hmm, weird. I was on Downey's website just a couple of days ago. I agree with you Toymin8tor about the internet sales. Seems like you have to have some sort of internet sales to get by as a business these days. Especially in the off-road, or any custom car market.

bigarms23 · « **Reply #3 on:** Aug 11, 2009, 08:00:09 PM »

found out the hard way i ordered a bellhousing and got the wrong one so now im stuck with it oh well

79coyotefrg · « **Reply #4 on:** Aug 12, 2009, 09:48:35 AM »

if you look at my build thread and follow all the work i had to do on my cable locker to get it to work you might understand why they went belly up

TacoRunner · « **Reply #5 on:** Aug 12, 2009, 10:07:50 AM »

NO love lose here, far as I'm concerned Downey is

maybe if they had bothered to develope new product they would still be around, just seemed like everything in their catelog was old designs and thinking. Got to keep up with the times.

axled89 · « **Reply #6 on:** Aug 12, 2009, 10:14:58 AM »

i agree on that tacorunner same

different day.

WHITE_TRASH · « **Reply #7 on:** Aug 12, 2009, 10:15:40 AM »

Good riddance to a old thinking company. Their products were the cats ass in 1989, problem is they never changed...

axled89 · « **Reply #8 on:** Aug 12, 2009, 10:22:00 AM »

yeh i never got any thing off of them. but i looked a some stuff. they seemed to be a little behind the game. you have keep the edge. handy with steel if you know what i mean, earn your keep.

abnormaltoy · « **Reply #9 on:** Aug 12, 2009, 12:51:42 PM »

NWOR...is it next?

TacoRunner · « **Reply #10 on:** Aug 12, 2009, 02:22:58 PM »

Most likley

chim · « **Reply #11 on:** Aug 12, 2009, 02:28:17 PM »

NWOR does make the nicest toyota header I have seen though!

boggerunner · « **Reply #12 on:** Aug 12, 2009, 03:00:08 PM »

better than LCe?

chim · « **Reply #13 on:** Aug 12, 2009, 03:02:11 PM »

Quote from: boggerunner on Aug 12, 2009, 03:00:08 PM

better than LCe?

Quote from: boggerunner on Aug 12, 2009, 03:00:08 PM

better than LCe?

Its the only one I have seen with a ball joint flange.. awesome quality.. expensive but worth it!

unclejpl4x4 · « **Reply #14 on:** Aug 12, 2009, 03:26:43 PM »

there was a few things i wanted to buy from them only thing that stopepd me was no buy online........ who the f wants to do mail order crap.

So now i got rethink my rear spring situation

i was thinking of there 3" springs

chim · « **Reply #15 on:** Aug 12, 2009, 03:36:31 PM »

My friend bought their springs that had those grease plates in them.. I know that he wasnt too happy with them.. But that may have just been a fluke thing.. they do phone orders though.. thats how I ordered my header several years ago..

abnormaltoy · « **Reply #16 on:** Aug 12, 2009, 03:59:00 PM »

Quote from: ÜncleĴ on Aug 12, 2009, 03:26:43 PM

So now i got rethink my rear spring situation i was thinking of there 3" springs

I hear these folks are in the biz http://www.marlincrawler.com/

kneedownnate · « **Reply #17 on:** Aug 12, 2009, 07:34:47 PM »

I have to agree with what's been said already. Used to be a great company, got a fat head and thought they were the shiznite, stopped developing very many new products for a loooong time (read stable business pracitces), then started carrying low level toyota parts to bridge the gap.

79yota350 · « **Reply #18 on:** Aug 13, 2009, 04:45:41 PM »

Did downey go out of business or something. Site been down for a while now.

Steve_925 · « **Reply #19 on:** Aug 13, 2009, 04:48:50 PM »

it was like 10 threads down

http://board.marlincrawler.com/index.php?topic=61110.0

Desertyodaboy · « **Reply #20 on:** Aug 13, 2009, 05:13:12 PM »

yes they did

Downey Off Road Mfg. ceased operation on July 31, 2009.
There are ongoing negotiations with six different well known companies who are interested in continuing major portions of the Downey product line. You will no doubt find Downey products at one or more of those companies in the near future. We thank your for being a part of our 39 year history.

Jim Sickles, President
Downey Off Road Mfg.

iNfErNaL · « **Reply #21 on:** Aug 14, 2009, 03:45:29 PM »

You have to understand they were in business for about 40 years so some of the stuff they developed back then made a name for itself and people bought it for years . Developing new product isn't as easy as it is said , they were successful in their market for years but unfortunately the economy took a big hit on them . I believe Jim is in his late 60s now and has kind of stayed behind the times because his product sold well through out the years . Sucks for someone to loose their business , but what can ya do ?

Aaronm · « **Reply #22 on:** Aug 14, 2009, 04:27:32 PM »

So what the heck do you do if you own a Downey Header and can't find the smog paperwork?

emsvitil · « **Reply #23 on:** Aug 14, 2009, 04:47:42 PM »

Quote from: Aaronm on Aug 14, 2009, 04:27:32 PM

So what the heck do you do if you own a Downey Header and can't find the smog paperwork?

CARB has all of the EO's online. Just find it and print it off.........

Cheesemaker · « **Reply #24 on:** Aug 14, 2009, 05:12:04 PM »

Word is that they just put all their attention into the header market. And didn't work on the other lines to carry them through.

kneedownnate · « **Reply #25 on:** Aug 14, 2009, 06:09:14 PM »

Quote from: iNfErNaL on Aug 14, 2009, 03:45:29 PM

Sucks for someone to lose their business , but what can ya do ?

Clay. A business needs to essentially be clay and be able to mold to the market and economy. If they did become complacent and rode their earlier success for many years, they really have nobody to blame but themselves. I don't mean that in a mean way, but from the sounds of it they allowed themselves to become stale and stagnant. They were obviously good at product development and machining, so they could have easily re-written themselves as such and lent themselves to other markets. If they wanted to stay afloat that is

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