Actually, we still have can and bottle shortages! I have friends that own breweries. Gotta commit to 3 truckloads of cans from Ball at a time or get NONE.
I bought a '66 2 door hardtop in '77. Had a '67 front fender and grille on it. Some body side molding missing. Couldn't get the body side molding. Had to go with vinyl, stick on. Cost me $35.00 for a 4 door to get the fender an grille. My brother was roofer. They had a job at the GM warehouse in West Virginia. He told me that all day long they were hauling parts out, destroying them, then filling the dumpster. He went to look and was informed that he belonged up on the roof.
It is a strange time we live in. At the auto shop I work at it is hit and miss. One month the suppliers were short on brake rotors, then 3 weeks later , no problem, then for 3 weeks oil filters, then sensors, and on and on. Tires in certain sizes also can be a headache. Twilight Zone....
A friend of mine RIP, worked at the local Chrysler parts distribution warehouse, the stuff he had in the upstairs of his shop was mind boggling, was supposed to be "destroyed", no wonder cars cost so much money!
When I lived in Ann Arbor, there were automotive salvage yards around the area that were manufacturer specific. Needed a transaxle for an ot car. Called the GM specific yard, and had a new unit the next day. Interestingly, much of their stuff came directly from GM and was off of research vehicles. They had a contract that paid them to haul away those vehicles, with the provision that specified parts were to be completely destroyed. They could then sell the rest. Same deal at a Ford specific yard. Taillights for a hatchback, wheel covers for a 2 door sedan, mini truck rolling chassis for a lab project, all new from vehicles that specific parts were to be completely destroyed. What a business...
R&D parts cannot ever be sold to the public, under any circumstances. Not only is it a risk of intellectual property theft, it violates the regulations contained within Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards.
What would you have them do with them? Real estate is not free, for a primary vendor, or the aftermarket. The manufacturers will keep a parts supply chain active for a decade, and then, if sales warrant, it will be off-loaded to the aftermarket.
Maybe. Installed some stupid low mile engines that came from Michigan. Like less than 10 miles. Supposedly a yard that got vehicles from the manufacturer. A local builder had chassis shipped from there. Said the same thing. A local yard here got Chrysler rides direct from Chrysler. Sold parts off em
If it is not a R&D development part, then it is just a regular part, and can be sold like any other part.
Could have been "scrapped" then sold. Quite a few years ago my boss brought in a bunch of Jaguar testing parts to the scrapyard where I work. There were whole engines that were labeled with all sorts of information about their testing. We also had many rear differentials that looked brand new. I suppose "disposed of" isn't always the end of the line depending on how its done.
@jaw22w I'd layout and snap lines/ frame in at floor height if possible and do as much as you can. It'd be tough to do nothing on that building all winter. Just a thought. Good luck
When I was a kid,(born in 83) and first getting into old cars, I was under the impression that you had to find the parts you wanted and maybe make them. You know....actually restore a car. Not just pickup the phone and order stuff with your water cooled credit card. So when I was old enough to start working on things, I was surprised to find out about reproduction parts and how much stuff was made. While I have no problem with ordering new if I have to, I always have enjoyed collecting and repairing original parts, vs. Buying new. So I'm not really noticing much of an issue. Been hell getting Ford green paint though...
@jaw22w you may want to call around about that concrete. You can pour in very cold weather. Adjustments need to be made and certain procedures followed but it's definitely doable and done all the time. The 2 big concrete companies that we deal with locally are busy all winter pouring.
Yeah, I think that is what I am going to do. It requires a change in plans, but I can proceed. It's just going to be hard to get heat in there. I don't know anything about pouring concrete, but I have been researching cold weather pouring. There are admixtures to help. I have read good and bad. There are horror stories. I would hate to have to jack hammer out 15 yards of concrete. I think concrete is about $250/yard around here now. I think I will just wait until it's warm enough.
Yeah, I had a rocker panel for my 2002 Explorer on backorder for 3 months - no dice. Finally found one in an obscure online shop in Kansas and had it shipped to Germany for $$$$. US car parts where always a challenge, when you live outside of the US, but this is definitely a new dimension. Frank
Maybe a boost for swap meets and the like. To me looking for parts is like panning for gold and half the fun of resoring a vintage car. In the UK we dont have the same access to junkyards full of anerican cars or the same caliber of vendors so we have to be more creative.
I've had a Model A rear spring ordered from Posie for all most a year and a pair of Excelsior 700/18 tires since March. Winters V8 quick change rear ends have a 8-10 week wait but they do deliver.
I'm thinking working in a shop with a dirt floor would be traditional. Candle lighting might be pushing it a bit.
Parts are everywhere. Buddy of mine needed top bows and roof material for Ford '29 Model A convertible. Said he looked online. I had him call 2 people and within a hour he had everything he needed in used parts. It's called networking rather than sitting at a computer. There are people with most anything a person needs from suspension to electrical to other mechanical. They most likely aren't on the web a lot if ever. Those guys who have collected for years... even if some here rail about them...and many will sell if they know it's going to be used not just flipped. Talking to people these days can find more hard to find parts than all the keyboard strokes. Just my opinion.
Ya gotta talk to folks. Even the ones that cruise those cars/trucks ya don’t like. I was one Holley 94 away from a matching set of 3. The first 2 came out of a truck a friends neighbor was scrapping. Picked up the 3rd last month. Stopped by a friends shop. He builds old rides but with new stuff. Had no use for a 94 carb. 3 matching carbs. $0
When I first saw remote door latch rods for 1930 Model A pickups were ever available on the aftermarket, I was kind of stunned. There wasn't that kind of coverage for the 5-year old cars I was fooling with 40 years ago. Funny how that works. Mike
I don't even know the people well who had the parts. They both belong to a national Model A club which has chapters everywhere. Kinda like a local Fordbarn that isn't online.
The Jalopy Journal
