Hot Rods Went to the auto supply store today OH MY!

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Ok I'll try.

 

We can change direction , let all the guys with these Hot Rods post your time slips from the track. Surely there must be someone, anyone. Or talk about your black sooty plugs and your shitty running motors that some even admit it is all about being a poser !

 

Behind the computer at our local NAPA

 

Good pic, Tman. Take away the credit card processor, and put a big ashtray in its place, and that's what I remember at the old parts houses.

 

I was honestly surprised at the amount of catalogs they kept. My rack is half that! I am going to start using this one more since it is close and we get a company discount. But yer right, needs a tire ashtray and a glass bottle soda machine with Orange Crush, Rootbeer and Squirt to take me back to my ute

 

Tman, what town is that Napa located? I love your part of the country and try to make it out there once a year or every other year in early August, wink, wink!

 

All stores here have catalogs, usually in the rear where the commercial guy is located away from all the DIY traffic.

 

Frosty root beer……

 

Ha! I still have the last empty bottle of Forsty root beer I drank as a kid. The little store tht carried closed down about a week after my mom had bought 4 or 5 for me. I loved that stuff!

 

Either of the NAPA locations in Rapid City. Same owner. For the record, our Carquest, Oreillys and Advance have all been great to deal with around here. Sturtevants is regional and also a warehouse. Very good help there.

 

I’m still a little miffed that our local Auto Value doesn’t stock Stanley Steamer parts, and can’t even find a listing on their computer.

If Paul was still alive I bet he could find it. Probably near his old hit and miss engine listings.

 

I can probably get you what you need, up to an including a complete, brand-new construction exact replica of a circa 1912 model, and any parts of one, theren.

 

Ask Jay…..

 

I kept a whole bunch of catalogs that I used, like SMP, Wix, Borg-Warner, TRW etc! I had very good repor with the parts stores, especially one guy . He would always get me catalogs, but never one of those racks! Lol So in my office at the shop I just had book shelf’s with them lined up. I kept so many older books , my friend from O’rielley’s would sometimes call me at the shop and have me look something up in one of my old books!
When I retired, I loaded the books in boxes….as the books were mine……but the book shelf’s belonged to the Fire Dept! So….my books are still in those boxes stacked in on the shelf’s in my attached garage! Hope to get them back on a shelf where I can use them….but they have been where they are for 11 years…..not sure how many more years I got……not sure if they will ever see an organized shelf again!






Bones

 

I actually had a parts store catalog organizer, lighted even. But, it took up too much space in the shop so I sold it. My catalogs are now in magazine organizers tucked back in an alcove

 

My turn....yesterday I went to Auto Zone for a set of Autolite 145 spark plugs. The kid wants to know what kind of car and I point out the window to my coupe parked up front. Big question mark in a balloon above his head.
I told the guy I just need a set of #145 Autolites.
"What year Pontiac engine?" I told him it is a '57 engine but it uses '73 GTO heads but I can't use standard '73 Pontiac sparkplugs because the aftermarket pistons have lumps on them, causing the pistons to close the plug gap on an extended tip sparkplug. Now the balloon over his head has 3 question marks in it. I just need a set of #145 Autolites, man.
"Is it a 2 barrel or a 4 barrel?"
I say I'm running an AFB single 4 barrel but that has no bearing on what I need..........just need some Autolite 145s.
This kid screws his face up behind his computer monitor and finally walks back and grabs me my plugs.
"Are you a member of our Auto Zone club?"
nope
"Are you military?"
Veteran
" That'll be 26 bucks, sir"
I'm not complaining because I kinda enjoy this game.

 

Not a Corporate store, They we’re advised to throw away all catalogs.
Only the good counter people hid their catalogs

 

Correct, locally owned.

 

It's definitely challenging, but even back in the microfische-y 80's I was told by a dealer parts counter person that a part removed from a '76 XJ6 just that morning and that I was holding in my grubby hands - didn't exist!
That said, I find that in many cases if it's some really obscure thing - especially something that I'll be using for my build, but not for it's originally designed purpose. Like a bushing, moulded hose, mounts, fittings and such. If I sense the person is even the remotely the curious type - I'll give big sigh and say "well...it's actually for a car I'm building." pause a bit, then ask "...any chance I could go back there and look in your ____ parts shelf?" More often than not, they let me do it. And if I can't find what I need, a hearty "wow, well thank for letting me look anyway."
Now we do live in a small town and I'm pretty harmless looking in general. But I find it even works at the major chain stores.
Also having the correct part number works wonders - but isn't always a silver bullet. Most if not all of the big manufacturers have their line catalogs (like their printed one they have in a/p stores) available for download and that's a goldmine as the usually have not only a listing by application, but a cross reference and sometimes even a page with pictures and dimensions - AND they're searchable to boot! (I'm starting to drool). Another great resource is the RockAuto online catalog where you can see what other cars a particular part may fit (or not).

 

I wish I could say I'm sorry for bringing this up but, I need to vent. The best things I can say about my recent trip to O'Reillys are, I didn't raise my voice, I didn't hit anyone, I didn't go to jail. The worst things are that I didn't get what I needed and after all my explanations, the counterperson still doesn't have a clue as to what it was.

I decided that the rear brake line setup I have is wrong and all I have to do is run a rear center brake hose directly from the master cylinder and attach it to the front of the rear wishbone. From there, it will continue out with NiCopp until finally we arrive at the wheel cylinders. Sounds good in theory. Off to O'Reillys and I meet Chad, who looks about 14 with a scraggly growth on his chin. I gave him the benefit of the doubt and asked if he had a rear center brake hose about 15" long with a 3/8 - 24 male end and 3/8 - 24 female on the other end. Chad asked me if I had the VIN number of the vehicle and I said "NO", it's for a 1946 Mercury master cylinder so I can re-route my rear brake lines. Chad asked me if it was like a hose, and I said yes. Chad informs me that the only hoses they have in the store are hydraulic hoses and they're really big. Chad then said that they did have some smaller hoses and did I want Barb fittings. I informed Chad barb fittings aren't used on brake lines so, trying to be helpful, Chad goes in the back about 10 minutes and comes back with a 3-foot-long piece of 3/16 steel brake line. I can feel my temperature starting to rise but I maintain my cool and explain the purpose of the line I needed again. Chad starts scrolling through the screen on his computer. I look around the monitor and what I need isn't there. One more time, I think to myself. I asked Chad if he had a rear center brake hose for a 1970 Ford pickup. He looks and then tells me that his computer doesn't go back that far. I didn't puke on the counter or do any of the things I said in the first paragraph. Totally defeated, I just left. I'm beginning to believe that the gods are against me, and I'll never get either of these cars, the 29 or the 46, on the road.

I vented but I don't feel any better. I'm going to go have a beer.

 

About 29 years ago, the "A.C. " mechanical fuel pump went bad, in my dad's old 65 Checker Marathon.


It had a good running, smooth GM 283 V-8.
I took the fuel pump off and brought it into the local parts store.

I used to work in an auto parts store when I was a kid, so I figured I would hopefully be waited on, by the oldest counter man in the store, thinking he would be the most knowledgeable, about this kind of pump.

Sadly, there were no older people working in that store, so I just took a chance with the younger kid that said, you are next, may I help you?

I showed him the fuel pump, which had the parts number on it, he said, whats this off of ?
I said, it doesn't matter, these cars are not made anymore.
He said awww come on, tell me what it's off of. I said okay its from a 65 Checker Marathon. He could not find it in the rack of books nor the computer either.

I said, just look under a Chevy 283 powered car from the late 50's to early 60's, which is precisely why I brought the fuel pump with me so that it could be matched up visually.

This was one of the older style pumps with the glass fuel bowl trash trap and porous rock filter element in it. Similar to this.


The kid went to the shelf, and brought back to my surprise, the correct fuel pump! He then said, what is this glass thing on the pump?
I said, that is the way they used to have a primary trash trap, to filter the gas. I said, if you go back to the shelf, you will find the new replacement porous rock filter for it as well.

He said, hey that's a pretty good idea, I have never seen one of those with the glass bowl before.
I said, yeah, they outlawed them as they were deemed to be unsafe, he didn't know just how strong that tempered glass was. The original one on the pump even had the circle with the letters AC on it.

He went to the shelf, and brought back the new pump, he was astonished!

He said, you wont believe what this pump costs. I said it should be around about $28.00, he said how would you know that, I said, I used to do this. I missed it by a $1.00
The rock filter was $1.50.

The kid said, can I keep this fuel pump ?
I said no way, its the original from this engine, in this car, go ahead and charge me a core charge if you have too, but I am keeping it. He did not charge me any core charge.

It made me smile, that the kid actually learned something "NEW" about "OLD" parts that day!

" Everything old, is new again "
" Your results, may vary "

 

Give Chad this number https://www.oreillyauto.com/detail/...brakebest-14-1-8-inch-brake-hose/bhs0/bh18167
It’s 14 1/8 long.
This should at least get Chad very close.
I googled a 3/8 brake hose with SAE ends and located a close part number.

 

I'll add one. Was in a local parts store (name with held to protect the dummy) getting an inverted flare three way brass connector, I'd had trouble with the one I was trying to use on another car so "just get a new one". I told the counter man what I was doing and he suggested using teflon tape so it would seal better I replied that he must not have done many brake jobs.
I worked in aerospace in the late sixties and I saw some stainless steel AN fittings that had teflon tape on the threads too

 

My parts store just shows me where the parts are shelved at and I hunt my own.
Walked into NAPA needing a 90* 3/8 pipe with barb fitting for a fuel tank.
Me and the parts guy headed to the fittings (huge bin section in the storage area) and I found what I needed.
Meanwhile, the other parts person looked up the filter numbers I gave her and she got ‘em ordered. I don’t expect them to have oddball old paper oil filter in stock.
So I had a successful parts store trip.

 

So you go to the parts store & ask a young person who wasn't born until 2000+- , you ask him a question about a 50 year old truck to use on a 65+- car that's been modified & your disappointed that he can't pull an answer out his ear , not an outrageous expectation much , cheeez . oh yeah ! The kid probably gets 20 hours@ minimum wage , you're expecting an experienced technician ? And be a walking - talking 100 year total recall parts encyclopedia , wouldn't have had any use for you 55 years ago , for sure none now !

 

Thanks for that, @anthony myrick . I can almost guarantee that Chad would have never made it in your classes. Then again, it might have been a life changing experience for him.

 

No sir, I asked him about a part common to practically every automobile made since the invention of hydraulic brakes. I explained to him what it did, and he still had no idea what I was talking about. I have no idea what you think you read in my post, but it didn't warrant a reaction such as yours.

 

What’s funny is I have a Chad.
He sounds similar to your Chad.

The parts stores lowered their hiring age a few years back. I’ve had several work at em.
One even hired one of my 10th graders.
The training is, well, interesting.
Your Chad is doing exactly how he’s trained. If it hangs in there he’ll get better but more than likely it’s just a job until something better comes along.

 

I don't doubt at all that what you say is true but that is one of the saddest statements I have ever read. I'm glad your students have you. Gives me hope for the future.