Paul Bradley Floors

[philipswanson]

I was wondering if Paul Bradley is still in business??? After several tries, I have been unable to reach him for several months now. Anybody done business with him lately. He does make the best Ford floorboards out there and I hate to see him go belly up. Can't get on his website anymore either???

[Don Rogers]

He was not at Hershey this year!!!!

[uncle buck]

He has been operating like he was " going out of business " for years now so it wouldn't surprise me. I was trying to get a hold of him a few years ago and had almost the same results. A woman would take a message and after I left a several messages with her over a few months and I finally gave up. I agree , he has / had the best floors for a 35-36

[rotorwrench]

I would figure someone like Mack Hils that already has a metal fabrication company might try and pick up on this niche market and expand his pickup bed business to includes cab floors and even car floors. At least someone like him already has machinery and know how. I guess folks just set their vision to what is going to keep them as busy as they want to be. No more and no less.


It seemed like Paul was trying to sell to the resto parts suppliers for a while but it cut into his one on one approach and turned it into his one on none approach. Oh well, we can always hope for the best and pound out our own sheet metal in the mean time.

[50droptop]

I spoke with Paul recently and he IS still in business. He did mention that he’s been taking care of his mother who has been ill since February. Based on our conversation it seems things are improving and he’s beginning to be able to devote more time to the business. Hopefully the responsiveness will improve.

[philipswanson]

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Originally Posted by 50droptop

I spoke with Paul recently and he IS still in business. He did mention that he’s been taking care of his mother who has been ill since February. Based on our conversation it seems things are improving and he’s beginning to be able to devote more time to the business. Hopefully the responsiveness will improve.

How long ago was this? He told me the same thing abut 6 months ago but haven't talked to him since. Have called MANY times only to get voice mail.

[50droptop]

Originally Posted by philipswanson

How long ago was this? He told me the same thing abut 6 months ago but haven't talked to him since. Have called MANY times only to get voice mail.

I spoke with him less than a week ago.

[TJ]

I think I heard the same universal excuse used by the guy in Grants Pass, Oregon that rebuilds flatheads. Word travels fast when it comes to excuses.

[Seth Swoboda]

I wish I could be that independent.

[Mtn Wudy]

You only need one excuse ,,is what heard.....
Ya get too many,,and ya loose track of em'....

Not me ,,,mind ya...I was kicked out of the procrastinators club last year..Two years ago I finished refinishing a piece of antique furniture I started on in 1973...

[philipswanson]

Hope things improve.....because he does make the best floors hands down.

[v8fordman]

What pans do you guys need? I have access to a few of Paul's pans. He even sent me his price list. He was at the Charlotte AutoFair a few weeks ago and he is taking care of his mom. He told me he has not been able to work for some time now. He has other income sources, so he doesn't have to provide us with the finest floor pans on the market.

[Vics Stuff]

Many of these vendors actually do this as a hobby not as a livelyhood.
Vic

[philipswanson]

Originally Posted by v8fordman

What pans do you guys need? I have access to a few of Paul's pans.

I need the passenger side for a 40 Ford wagon. Please let me know if you have it.

Thanks, Phil Swanson

[Terry K]

I've been waiting 3 yrs for my pans that are paid for... He has been telling me many stories and will not return my money.

[swoopNZ]

Drake offers the full front 39/40 floor for $375.
Hard to beat if they are actually in stock.

[philipswanson]

Originally Posted by swoopNZ

Drake offers the full front 39/40 floor for $375.
Hard to beat if they are actually in stock.

These are no where near the quality of Bradley's. Also they don't fit the wagon at all. If you are going to use Drake pans, you would be better to invest in sheet metal rollers and make your own. But Bradley's are just like original stampings but good luck getting a hold of him. His voice mail has been full for months.

[Bored&Stroked]

I can't count the number of 'Paul Bradley makes the best product, but has the worst business ethics in the world' posts . . . I don't care if he sold me his stuff at 1/3 his normal price - wouldn't buy from him. Who needs the drama . . .

[Kube]

Originally Posted by swoopNZ

Drake offers the full front 39/40 floor for $375.
Hard to beat if they are actually in stock.

They are not in stock.

[51woodie]

Has anyone been to his place of business? A few years ago, on my way to Florida, I went to the address I had for him in Charlotte NC, and found a rundown motel that was closed. I looked in one of the windows and saw boxes with the company name on them. I don't know if that was his place of business or only used for storage. Didn't give me a good feeling about doing business with him. Could be wrong.

[95476]

Great guy to talk with. Smooth as silk.
I ordered at least 6 sets of pans over the years. At first they came in a month or two and at the end I had to get my money back via the credit card company.
Nice pans poor service. Not for me.
If I had a product in high demand I would make an effort to fill that need but that's just me.

[deuce_roadster]

The bigger lesson here is to buy things like this when you know they are available. You never know when the business will be sold, go out of business, or in Paul Bradley's case be too distracted to supply parts or backordered for years. I was lucky in that I bought a 1/2 floor pan for my wagon many years ago from Paul and got it right away. If there are currently available repro parts you will need later, get them now or you may be out of luck when you actually need them. This used to be real common years ago when the only business that made running boards did a run of 32s and then switched to 33-34s and there was a big gap in time when you could get 32s again until after the 33-34s were finished being made.

[DavidG]

Amen to that advice. Plan (i.e. make a list of what you will need and buy) ahead to avoid the "no-longer-available" blues.

[Tinker]

I agree also and in some cases buy a spare!!!

[Firepower flyer]

I would buy 36 floors for my 3 window today IF he had them in stock,but I'm not willing to wait two years. I wish there was a high quality alternative, I don't want the universal street rod floor.

[philipswanson]

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Paul's dies are out there somewhere. Somebody should look him up and make an offer on them. We all know there is a demand. He has a very large inventory of various dies. According to his link, he had a staff working for him too.

[JSeery]

Originally Posted by philipswanson

Paul's dies are out there somewhere. Somebody should look him up and make an offer on them. We all know there is a demand. He has a very large inventory of various dies. According to his link, he had a staff working for him too.

Don't think he would be interested in selling his dies if he is still using them!

Post #5
I spoke with Paul recently and he IS still in business. He did mention that he’s been taking care of his mother who has been ill since February. Based on our conversation it seems things are improving and he’s beginning to be able to devote more time to the business. Hopefully the responsiveness will improve.

[KiWinUS]

Paul does not stamp these. They are die formed, every indention is formed separately. They are a work of art.

[philipswanson]

He still has dies. If he is not going to continue, maybe he would sell the business. Would be a great investment for the right person.

[Tinker]

Always thought these were punched out by hand. Not a large sheet die press.


.

[hotrodA]

Exactly!
I spoke at length with him about this very thing.
Buy the business, make it a full time retirement endeavor for me, hire some help and continue the supply.

Unfortunately, he either didn't need my money, wasn't interested in expanding the business, and was willing to let it wither away until it died.

Sad.

[rotorwrench]

We had a fellow comment on one of these threads about fabrication of his dies. If I remember correctly they are more on the line of a hand forming die set up and not a press die set. With modern high pressure water jet tables and the like, a set of forming dies can be cut out to fit the basic shape but have cut outs and and added forming bucks for the hand forming process. This is how a lot of stuff was formed before deep draw press equipment became more widely produced. The art of repousse' and chasing have been around a long time. The statue of Liberty was made this way. Copper is a bit easier to form though. You can do a lot with a hammer and a set of old chisels with the chasing shapes needed. Plywood can work too but it would only last through one or two panels before it was misshapen a bit too much.

All a person needs is a floor pattern to make a die set but it would have to be in CAD/CAM for the machines to cut them out. It takes a while to hammer stuff out and generally some welding has to be done as well but a floor isn't as hard to beat out as you might think. I'm surprised someone like Mac Hils hasn't taken up stuff like this since he already has a good bit of forming equipment.

[KiWinUS]

RR that is close to how Paul forms his floor pans. I personally think that even with Paul’s dies etc it would be hard to make floor pans. It is knowledge pasted down from his Dad that would also be required.

[TJ]

Seems to me that Bradley is in the same category as GoCat Speed Shop and Flathead City.
All three should be avoided like the plague..

[Patterg2003]

Dennis Carpenter has floor pans for most of the '40 cars. I bought a set in the fall of '19 when DC had a sale.

https://www.dennis-carpenter.com/en/...or-pan-62-inch.

[philipswanson]

Originally Posted by Patterg2003

Dennis Carpenter has floor pans for most of the '40 cars. I bought a set in the fall of '19 when DC had a sale.

https://www.dennis-carpenter.com/en/...or-pan-62-inch.

None for the wagon tho.

[philipswanson]

Has anybody talked to Paul Bradley lately about acquiring floor pans or is he still down and out?