is it getting hard to find parts?

Yeah, br*** fittings! Use to be the parts store would have a big Weatherhead cabinet filled with any fitting you need, now even if they let you back there there is nothing in the cabinets at all the parts stores here, even NAPA & Carquest. My local True Value has a better selection of br***, even IV flare stuff then the car part places. The downside is they see that br*** and think it's gold!

 

I may have just found my new parts place.

 

Around here I have to buy br*** fittings online, no one has anything in stock.

 

I bought a hollander exchange manual for my father a few years ago, about $150 but the time it has saved has been worth it. Need a bearing? Go to the parts store with 5 options from 5 cars that all interchange - the computer puncher parts person will check them all.

 

http://item.mobileweb.ebay.com/viewitem?itemId=160941689277&index=5&nav=SEARCH&nid=09551223386. Here's one for $15 up to 1966.

 

for br*** fittings , get yourself a Weatherhead or Edelmann catalog and look them up yourself. then go in with a part number and have the store order them for you

many years ago my local Napa store owner handed me a Weatherhead catalog after i complained about their poor fitting selection. Carquest gave me an edelmann catalog

O'reilly has edelmann so i can get any fitting i want usually the same day


fittings are something very few people on EITHER side of the counter understand...so educate yourself

 

I was sweating about finding reasonable brake parts for a 49 Plymouth I'm working on..... I asked about wheel cylinders for it at the local AZ for grins...... He got them in one day and was comparable to Internet before shipping..... Still hit or miss on other stuff

 

that's when helping the parts guy help you comes to mind. even though the computer catalog only goes back to 1942 , the wheel bearings are the same `28-`48. if you would tell the guy that he could of looked them up for 1946 Ford on the computer

not saying books are not useful , we use them all the time for somethings.....it's just easier and quicker to use the computer. i had a guy a couple days ago who wanted me to look up an oil filter for his Ford ranger in the book , he said he wanted me to go old school. wtf? i can look it up in 5 seconds on the computer

 

The napa and o'reillys near my house are great, and both have mainly older guys workin the counter during the day, so I've never had trouble getting parts. I've bought flathead water pumps, clutches, clutch alignment tools,points and rotors all off the shelf at napa. For my Fe powered galaxie I always go to the pep boys nearby though. One of the counter guys and his brother restore and race FE powered fords and he has been an infinite help.

 

I'm constantly amazed at the parts one can find at your local parts store if the counter help is willing to try, ie '52 buick lug bolts (not nuts, bolts), '50 Chevy 216 water pump, 6 volt coil, etc. It's all in having good knowlegeable staff who are willing to go the distance.

 

I guess it depends upon which parts ya need . Currently , I'm delaling with a customers collection of cars which for the most part aren't even started , much less driven . My local N A P A hasn't had very much in the way of brake parts for a 62 Nova . I was able to get help from a long time N A P A counter woman who knew how to deal with their ordering system . The brake parts came to me via Louisiania N A P A stores . She also told me 45 L A/C plugs were NO LONGER avalibe. Uh they fit 49-53 Ford V-8's .........scrubba

 

The Canoga Park NAPA and North Hollywood Valley Friction places hook it up!

All the O'Reillys and Autozones are always a ****shoot, though. At least they let me look in the back since they know me.

 

manyolcars,
The Zone up the street here lists pretty much anything that I want in ther vintage parts section. Some of the stuff I have to wait a day to get but I can get pretty much whatever it is that I need as a rule.

The deal with the Zone is that the guy at the computer needs to know what key words to use for a search. Sometimes it takes a little hand holding.

 

Ahahaha this last weekend I asked the kid behind the counter if he had a 1/8" NPT male-male coupler fitting. He gave me the deer in the headlights look and pointed to the back and told me to look for myself.

 

One advantage to having the catalogs on hand is that we can continue to do our job when the computer/phone system goes down (same system in our store). That, or when the power goes out. We don't close down or stop doing business when stuff like that happens...we've done hand-written invoices by flashlight before!

(We also have an in-store cell phone and we call our regular gargaes and other wholesale clients to give them that number to use when our system is on the blink...so we can keep rolling and get them their parts.)

Also, our computer system only goes back to 1962, but we can look up older parts in those old-school catalogs!

 

You are welcome anytime! If I'm on the counter (and not out on the road), I'll even hook you up with our Installer Discount (same prices that garages pay).

That goes for any Hamber...just ask for 'Junior' when you come in!

 

I used to have a family owned local auto parts store less than an 1/8 of a mile from my house. he closed shop after 36 years in august. He had anything and everything I could ever want and he let me go through the warehouse to look at all the old stuff he had in stock that wasnt in his books.

Now I have to go to Parks auto parts (world famous for hard to find parts according to them) I have yet to disagree. They haven't ever gotten rid of anything since they opened in 1956 or whenever it was. I was just looking at two NOS hollywood deeptone gl***packs that were for sale. I am utterly amazed at what they have in stock for old cars. One hell of a nice speed shop too. Some of the best parts guys I've ever met.

 

Depends on what you are looking for. You can now get brand new '32 bodies just by making a phone call. A lot easier than finding the old stuff. Just different stuff in different places, different way of finding it. Local Aces have the friction tape here too, just bought some last week.

 

i would say in general, "Not really;"

If you have an older car that they produced zillions of, example small block chevy, rwd based AND many of the parts were shared a**** the different models then they may have to special order a part, but they can get it within 2-3 days etc. Sometimes they will have parts on the shelf---i.e., radiators.

If you have, say, an 85 jaguar xj6 then i would say you might have problems finding parts.

i feel that most of the grocery store type parts stores, i.e., autozone, advanced etc. are generally going to cater to the newer (within 10 model yrs) or whatever is selling.

But really, given the vast amount of parts for all the different makes/models and their limited physical space, i don't see how any parts store manages to carry anything available for immediate sale?

 

agreed.....but you would be surprised what people think we should have in stock. everything from every style of pickup tool box to brake calipers for a 1977 Volvo. when i say we can have it tomorrow you often get in effect "what a ****py parts store" my response is ....have you seen the size of this building?

 

i guess the new trend, irregardless if you have a newer or older car is to order online and pick it up at the store or have it delivered to you?

 

40 years in the parts biz..
" male- male coupler fitting"
= pipe ******.
"Female - female = coupler.

Just sayin ...
Lol
Dave


Sent from my DROID device using the TJJ mobile app

 

I was behind the counter in the Zone here looking up some parts for a fella that just happened in. A regional boss happened in and ask someone when I went to work their, I guess thay are on a hiring freeze. The store mamager just said I thought he always worked here and put an Auto Zone hat on my head.

Guess it is dependent on your trade I have always called a male to male a ****** and a female female a coupler or a collar.

One of the problems with the automotive industry is that the names of things have changed. For instance in the Autozone computer a temp sender is called a temp switch. If you are trying to find a part in most automotice department stores it is a matter of knowing what to call it.

 

I'm usually a NAPA shopper. The counter kid at the local O'Reilly's didn't know what a 3/16 inverted flare nut was. Fortunately, the 60 year old manager did -- and they had them in stock. Nowadays there's no reason to go into any parts store without first researching part numbers and availability online.

Bob

 

Bah, I was operating on a six-pack of Harp lager that day. To hell with nomenclature!

 

Home depot has it 2.95 for 20 ft. if you use a lot google 3M and you can order a case of 60. FYI. Jim.t.

 

I hadn't noticed that friction tape was what he couldn't get. Any hardware store in any burg in the nation has friction tape.

 

yup.