Muncie Speedo Cable Clips

[Z10Mike]

Who has the best repro Muncie speedo cable clips? 
Ordered some from Classic and they're not even close.  Had to use a 3/8 steel pin to form the new one and get a comparable curvature to the original.  Heartbeat is on back order for theirs and the photo doesn't provide a good view to compare.  It's a stamped steel clip for cryin out loud.  How hard can it be to COPY an original?
I only have one original left from the firewall as they they "lost" the ones in the tunnel.  The gorillas at the body shop trashed the tabs when they removed it. Hardened steel only has a couple iterations of bending and it fractures.  So I can't even use my remaining clip where it originally was installed.
As always, any info is appreciated.

[GMAD_Van Nuys]

Speedway Motors has a few of these speedometer clips in stock:

https://www.speedwaymotors.com/D-R-Classic-M00264-C-Speedometer-Cable-Retaining-Clip-1967-69-Camaro,116684.html

[cook_dw]

Those are not technically correct.  Originals are different.  Here’s a pair I sold a few years ago.  I’m not aware of anyone making 100% clips.

[cook_dw]

I ended up making a set for my old 67.  Here’s some photos.  They were a pain in the butt to make and I don’t plan on doing it again. 

[MO]

For something so simple, if you look at the complex bending you can see why they are not reproduced correctly. I'd imagine the tooling cost is why no one replicates them accurately. With age, the tabs are very brittle and very difficult to remove intact; even for non gorillas.

[Z10Mike]

Thanks for all the feedback. 
Re: the reproductions...if you have to create tooling anyway, why not get it a bit closer to production intent vs the current attempts?  I guess at this point suppliers are more concerned with being functionally adequate. 
RE: removal...yes they are tough to remove due to the stiffness of the tabs.  But it can be done with a couple extra minutes and some finesse.   I've done it on other Muncie cars.  My fault for not removing myself prior to sending the car to the body shop. Lesson learned.
Bottom line is it looks like I'll be massaging repro's to better resemble the original clip, installing them and moving on.  Geez, it's these little things that drive me nuts, lol.

[GMAD_Van Nuys]

The reproduction speedometer clips are probably being manufactured by a few overseas suppliers.  Here is another source:

https://www.rickscamaros.com/camaro-speedometer-cable-retaining-clip-for-cars-with-4-speed-transmission-1967-1969-33-182783-1.html

Unless someone is in the business of manufacturing clips and is willing to make a production run at a high volume, there isn't much money to be made in selling clips for $10.  When McDonald Douglas was still manufacturing aircraft at their Long Beach plant, when we had to fabricate parts, the cost for tooling set-up could be significant.  We had an-online database of actual costs for commercial aircraft parts and you could see how high the unit price was when parts were manufactured in small lots due to costs associated with tooling set-up and run time.

[firstgenaddict]

there is a reasonably big market for the correct clips, the question is at what price point?
Originals when listed will sell for $100 per clip and it's not like there is an ongoing supply to fill the demand, as they don't last long even at $100.
Is the market 1000 pcs at $20/per clip?
I have spent more than an hour a clip to make them look really good... but still not perfect and will not install like originals.   

LEFT to RIGHT   (modified repro, Original, repro as purchased)

[bcmiller]

I would think if exact reproductions can be made that they would sell at $25 each or $40 for a pair with no problem.

The tooling would take some time to develop.

[firstgenaddict]

I have been doing work on some corvettes for a tool and die maker...

[bcmiller]

Well if the numbers make sense, I think there is a market. It’s just how much would it be to “spin up”.

[MO]

Very easy to ID the original. An exact repro would do very well with buyers. I saw a pair of NOS IOP sell on eBay for over $500.