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

And let's not forget fan belts, radiator hoses and valve stems. At Herb Hunter's Union 76, corner of Walnut Grove and Garvey Blvd. in Rosemead, CA, there was a very large selection of Gates hoses and fan belts as well as a pretty good stock of major brand tires. It was a real service station where windows got washed and tires and oil got checked. It was easy for me to show the driver the wear on the fan belt, cracks in the valve stems, uneven wear on the tires, bad windshield washer blades and radiator hoses. About half the time, the regular customers would tell me to change them, and I got a percentage of the sale on top of my wages. That kind of service actually brought customers back. Darndest thing about it all was, I actually had to know what I was selling and why the customer needed it. Most of the time, I actually got a thank you from the customer for saving him from some trouble down the road. Of course, that was then, and this is now.

 

Yesterday I went to the neighboring town looking for a slightly unusual brake fitting. Talked to the kids here at NAPA first, (I like them, they try for sure). At the old timey sort of store an old parts store guy I hadn't seen for a while gave me some good automotive advice about that part: Stop looking for that, you ain't gonna find one.

 

Post up what you are looking for, I bet someone here can finds it within minutes of looking.

 

Yeah, you can search the online Weatherhead (aka Eaton, now) catalog or Fairview fittings, they have a section on automotive fittings in the brass fitting section.

 

1963 , the station owner told us , be sharp on the drive , gas pumps paid the rent , you made your money on TBA , looking under the hood !

 

What always gets me is every time I go to the parts store it's either a kid half my age, yeah I'm that old now, or the old fart.
I'd say 7/10 times interacting with the kid, from the generation raised on the internet and google searches, I ask for something and I get one of two responses; either "year, make, and mode", or they quick google something and generally if they can't find it within the first couple of results well it don't exist.
It always surprised me a little that the old fart doesn't always know the answer to your question, but usually knows the workarounds in the system and can give a much more confident yes or no

 

That's because the old fart grew up working on our cars, and has 40 years experience on the young guy running the computer. But remember, who does the old fart call when he needs help with the computer? The young guy.

 

I went to the parts store today

one phone call
Picked up the next day
Less than most online prices, and nothing to mail back or email about if there are any issues. I can even swap things out as long as it hasn’t been installed yet.

 

buick 350......chevy int/exh valves, 283 forged pistons, nascar ford connecting rods, honda rod bearings, modified mopar 340 dual quad intake, toyota t/stat housing, modified ford sfi balancer. and i make most of my gaskets.
do you think i would go to today's parts store and asked for parts?.....no way. how would i explain it. lol

 

I'll go check that out Bean, thanks.

 

Wasn't all that rare a piece. Brake flare fitting for 3/16" tube with a larger thread size. Ford thing I think.

. Thanks I'm gonna go look for that.

 

I got laid off a month ago, saw a help wanted sign at the local auto parts store (a real one) I was thinking the exact opposite, I'd be the idiot behind the counter that the LS crowd would be complaining about. "guy never heard an EFI conooter valve control module for my 2020 Camaro"

 

Sounds like a Ford Nut? For Master Cylinder?

 

Must be cheap because the boxes were printed upside down!!

 

What was it, 7/16-24 inverted flare tube nut?

 

I think so. I bead blasted and re-used old fittings.

 

Wish I'd known. I bought a couple dozen of them off Amazon and I doubt I'll ever use them all

 

Like the polish siding company. Old polish guy, only hires polish workers. One day a guy is on a ladder siding a house, and pulls a nail from his work belt, and the nail is backwards. He doesn't think much of it, drops the nail and keeps working. A few seconds later, he pulls out another backwards nail. Now he thinks something may be up, coworkers are screwing with him...

Boss sees a pile of nails under the guys ladder and says what the hell are you doin? Guy says 'boss someone is messing with me. Half these nails are backwards!'

Boss says: you damn idiot, those are for the other side of the house!

 

Well, may I have mentioned this before, but way back when we had a Kragen, there was a counter lady who’s name was Dee. Dee was as good as a lifer NAPA guy.
She was behind the counter at AZ a few years back. I was glad. Hadn’t seen her since. Could be the days I go in vs her schedule, don’t know.
Today, picking up oil change stuff for my kids car, I mentioned that “you guys always have to order an air filter for it”. Dee was there, as she walked to the back I told the guy that was helping me what a valuable resource she was.

A minute or so later (after the fellow was going to have it delivered and ready for me tomorrow) Dee came out with the air filter.
Here’s the deal, I didn’t even mention the number the book called out for. All I said was year/make model of the car.
All is not lost

 

Bring Dee some flowers next time!

 

The 7/16 tube flare is why I drive 30 miles round trip to Strouds Auto in Ft Worth. They stock steel brake line. Not the green stuff.

 

Make that three damn it. Advance Auto looks to be closing up shop. They seemed to have stock the others didn’t.

 

Which may be why they're closing; too much stock that didn't move fast enough for corporate...