our story
Welcome to Thornton Reproductions
Quality products backed by years of experience! We offer an ever increasing line of GM licensed restoration parts.
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We are a specialty restoration shop that is known for our love of Oldsmobiles. The parts that we offer are the quality we require on our builds.
Be confident that you are getting the best quality of parts.
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The Fuel for Passion
Our story began with the late Richard Charles Thornton SR., affectionately known as, Dickie, who grew up a hard worker on a farm in Carnegie, Pennsylvania. His family moved to Philadelphia when he was a young teenager and this is where his passion for automobiles flourished. He pioneered into the automotive industry by fixing radiators and heater cores. As his passion grew, he wanted to do more and he ventured into collision work while he was still in high school; he specialized in body work and painting. Eventually, he opened up his own body shop in 1948: "Dick's Body Shop". He grew a reputation for his quality of work and his will to be the best. As he began his own family, he passed down his knowledge to his son, Richard Charles Thornton JR, known as Dick, and his grandsons, Jeff and Troy.
Dick JR went on to open up his own shop where he incorporated used auto sales along with his collision work. Again the Thornton name continued to grow from their pure passion and exclusive quality. At this point our family stayed hungry for growth as Jeff and Troy's love for automotive artwork sprouted towards the muscle cars; a passion that has always been in the family as they grew up in the back seat of a 1966 442, and later a 1972 Cutlass.
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We began by fixing up our own cars and hitting local car shows, eventually moving into selling our cars at auctions. We received tremendous praise for the outstanding paint work and keen attention to detail, which began to bring customers who desired a talent for restoration work. Every car became a new piece to the puzzle of learning and growing in the art and world of restoration. As we continued to grow so did the need for quality parts, and at the time, they were difficult to come by. This brought upon the realization that if we needed these parts, other enthusiasts must be needing them, as well.
In 2000 Troy pushed to have his first part made; Oldsmobile's iconic W25 Outside Air Induction (OAI) hood. The moment it hit production the word grew fast and the hoods were in high demand. Troy decided to branch off from his father and brother as he was building hoods 'round the clock, establishing who we are today, Thornton Reproductions. He chose to grow the parts business further by adding the OAI air cleaner, exhaust manifolds and more; all while continuing to restore muscle cars under the alias ("aka"), Thornton Muscle Cars.
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Fast forward to today, and here we are continuing to fuel our passion for growth and outstanding craftsmanship. The Thornton's are proudly on their fourth generation in the automotive industry, with Troy and his son, Richard Thornton, alongside their crew.
