LMC - Long Motor Company

[Gary Lewis]

LMC sells parts made by others for many different vehicles, including Bullnose trucks.  If you've had dealings with them please rate their service, pricing, catalog accuracy, etc.  And, if you'd like please provide a review.

How would you rate LMC?

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

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[Rembrant]

I have ordered a lot of stuff from LMC, and overall I've been pretty happy with them. I gave them a 4, which is pretty good imho. I've found several mistakes in the catalogs, but I must say that I sure do like their catalogs, and I like receiving them every quarter...I almost look forward to it. They might be one of the only companies left that are still keeping their print offering strong, and I like that. I guess they know their target demographic well.

I've found their customer service and shipping (both speed, and price) to be very good. No complaints from me.

[Frank Wyatt]

I've not ordered much from LMC so far, but they have most everything I could want or need for my truck and what they don't have, maybe they will in the future. I agree on all points with Rembrant.

[ArdWrknTrk]

Third!

But I was under the impression that many products were made just for them.  ?

I look forward to see if quality and selection goes up as Keith settles in.

[Ray Cecil]

Side Mirrors are crap from LMC. Dont order them.

[Vic Roma]

Is it worth noting which company sells good mirrors, and other repro products?

[ArdWrknTrk]

Perhaps better to direct this to Keith from Fordifacation, the new head of Ford products sourcing and development for LMC.

He's a member here, and while profit must be considered and I don't think he can play any favorites, it is in all of our best interests that he's aware you think the product is sub-par.
And what exactly makes the mirrors "crap".

I made a few suggestions in the other thread, but you really need to offer him something more.

[Gary Lewis]

Actually, I've sent Keith an email with a link to Ray's comment.  But you are right, "crap" is a rather generic term.  First, he's going to need part numbers as there are probably several different mirrors.  Second, he's going to need to know what you didn't like about them.

[ArdWrknTrk]

I'd be very surprised if a company like LMC didnt have feelers out looking for criticisms and accolades all over the web.

And looking for individuals frustration finding, or stumbling onto the perfect part.
I suppose this is what Keith is trying to address.
Keeping a finger on the pulse of the enthusiast community and recognizing opportunity when it appears.

[Ray Cecil]

Sorry for generic review. Hahaha. It is the plastic housing the mirror, and the plastic ball and socket inside behind the mirror. Everytime I close my door I have to readjust my mirror. Also, the plastic housing isnt stable, every gus of wind, road bump, etc is constantly jiggling the mirrors, you cant see anything in them. To elaborate on top of my one word review....they suck.

[Ray Cecil]

....also, when I lived in Tulsa and it got regularly above 105degs, I would come outside and find the mirror hanging from the chrome housingvia 4 sagging spots of glue. The glue began to melt!!! The glue would sag, and the mirror was hanging on for dear life!

[Gary Lewis]

What model # is it?

[Frank Wyatt]

My truck used to have a set of black mirrors that had plastic houseings and you could not see any thing in them with out reaching out the window and holding them. I don't know who made them or who they were bought through but I would not have any more like them. The mirrors on my truck now are west coast jr dual vision from Sureplus.com. They're not as steady as the OEM mirrors but are a vast improvement on what was on my truck, plus I love the rear visibility they give me.

[Machspeed]

I've used LMC many times and have never had an issue. They may be a little pricey. I gave them a 4, as I do not care much for their online website for lack of pictures and descriptive. Also, I love critiques and ratings for specific product and LMC does not have that. I use NPD and CJ Pony Parts for all my Mustang parts purchases and both have the product critiques. Something I like about NPD is that they will often warn a buyer on certain parts. In fact, I'd say NPD is an example for which other sellers should strive for.    

[Rembrant]

Just wanted to give a follow-up good rating for LMC. I have been pretty happy with them all along, and I just placed another order with them recently for a box of various items. They mistakenly sent me a 1965-1972 heater core in place of the 300i6 throttle cable I had ordered. I called them up and explained what I had found in my box. The gal was very nice and she told me to simply keep the heater core as return shipping internationally wasn't worth the trouble. (I gave it away locally to a guy that needed it). Anyway, I had the correct 300 throttle cable in the mail within a week which is pretty good for international service.

I have to give them a thumbs up for their service here. It was great.

[Gary Lewis]

I don't give LMC as high marks, but that is due to their on-line catalog, which I refuse to use.  No matter what I go looking for it insists that I tell them all the details about my truck, even when those details do not matter.  As an example, back when I was looking for the Highliner headliner it wanted to know what engine I have and if the truck is 2wd or 4wd.  

I've had a conversation with Keith about this and he understands but assured me that the software types aren't going to fix it.  And I assured him that I'm not going to use the catalog until they do.

I have found a workaround in a way.  If I know the manufacturer's part number I Google that and I'll get hits for it on LMC, JBC, Dennis Carpenter, etc.  Then I can follow the link to the item.  That makes pricing items easy.  So, back to the example, with that approach I found that JBG listed the Highliner for $275 and LMC listed it for $375.  Guess where I bought?  

[Rembrant]

Gary Lewis wrote

I don't give LMC as high marks, but that is due to their on-line catalog, which I refuse to use.  No matter what I go looking for it insists that I tell them all the details about my truck, even when those details do not matter.  As an example, back when I was looking for the Highliner headliner it wanted to know what engine I have and if the truck is 2wd or 4wd.  

I've had a conversation with Keith about this and he understands but assured me that the software types aren't going to fix it.  And I assured him that I'm not going to use the catalog until they do.

I have found a workaround in a way.  If I know the manufacturer's part number I Google that and I'll get hits for it on LMC, JBC, Dennis Carpenter, etc.  Then I can follow the link to the item.  That makes pricing items easy.  So, back to the example, with that approach I found that JBG listed the Highliner for $275 and LMC listed it for $375.  Guess where I bought?  

Gary,

All good points. RockAuto search menu is the same way...you have to pick the engine before you can select what other parts you need. However, I never use the LMC website either...not really. I pick what I want out of the print catalog, and then just log in and order online. That's one of the reasons I like LMC...I look forward to the catalog arriving in the mail the same a way a kid (used to) look for the Sears Christmas catalog...lol.

I know you guys have more options than I do. I only ordered from JBG once, and the shipping was very expensive. I have since heard from others that they've declined to ship to Canada, but I can't confirm that personally.

LMC and RockAuto are my two go-to Bullnose parts sellers, and while they both get some bad press from time to time, I've been pretty happy with both of them.

[Gary Lewis]

Cory - There is a big difference in what I buy from Rock Auto and what I buy from LMC, JBG, etc.  RA is where I get steering components, brakes, etc.  So I expect RA to need to know things about my truck.

But from LMC and the others I'm looking for accessories.

I just went to my browser and typed in LMC and got an option for 1980 - 96 Ford trucks and clicked on it. And at the top of the page in the URL it says "ford-truck-bronco-1980-1996".  And one of the things on which I could click was apparel, so I did, and this pops up.

I rest my case.  I will NOT use their on-line catalog.

[Rembrant]

Haha, I knew what you meant I guess it just doesn’t bother me since I don’t really use their website very often. I assumed the reason for that was less to do with a clunky website and more to do with them wanting market information.
I find there is a lot of crossover between LMC and RockAuto. I would never order regular wear items from LMC like brakes and clutches etc. However I have ordered a lot of Bullnose items from them. Most recently a battery tray plus the bracket between the fender apron and core support, a set of chrome bumper bolts, and a throttle cable.

I usually check RockAuto first and then get other Bullnose specific items from LMC that are usually only available from the classic truck shops.

[Gary Lewis]

In the States we are spoiled for choice on Ford truck suppliers, so they need to differentiate themselves.  Unfortunately LMC has done so in a very negative fashion.  

I'm not mad at LMC.  In fact, since they are close to me and I know Keith personally I'd like them to succeed.  But looking back on my career in IT, if I had programmers who said they weren't going to fix something like that they'd be looking for another job - w/o a positive reference.  It isn't "clunky" in my experience.  It is just wrong.

I will admit that when ordering some things that some of that info is necessary.  But I'm already on the 1980-96 Ford page, so there is no reason to ask the Make question.  And if I'm shopping for apparel I should never see any of the questions.

All it takes is customizing the pop-up questions and calling them at the appropriate time.  But they can't be bothered.

So, I'll use catalogs that work correctly, or bypass the catalog altogether.