Sign of the times Per Speedway Motors No more parts catalogs mailed to our homes From now on all ordering ( done on line).... The days old fogies like me looking at parts( catalogs) at the work bench are gone forever I want the old days back !! Gene in Mn
They are kind of on my S list. I keep searching for stuff and they are over half the first 2 pages of results. Today I was looking at wheels. They had one prominently posted at the top of the search page as an ad. Click on the link because it's kinda sorta what I'd be interested in, and they have a single one on closeout. https://www.speedwaymotors.com/Spee...teel-Wheel-5-on-4-5-4-75-4-5-Inch,531023.html
The internet ruined the thrill of swap meets and collecting. Speedy Bill(original owner of Speedway) called me on several occasions always trying to buy the rare stuff/now u search for it online and make a few phone calls or texts to a far away place and like magic;fed ex or ups is bringing it to your doorstep and u never leave your home.
No catalogue, Counter service leaves something to be desired, Longer waits on the phone, Lots of parts being shipped direct from the manufacture, Lengthy back orders, A sign of the times and the declining importance of treating the customer with respect. They have paid for their spots on the search engines which most small vendors can't compete against. I gave up trying to compete with their Chinese parts several years ago. I only offer my products for the guys who know.
I always used to see old Bill wandering around the swap meet with a backpack full of crusty old junk just like the rest of us. Cool old fella. -Abone.
All the big company's on line catalog's are a Head ache, for example do a search at Summit for 1932 Ford Its Like 2,300 hundred found Not keyed on 1932 ,, the search key on "Ford" Then like every 4 so pages Repeating parts
I live in Lincoln. I hate buying stuff there. Yep-no more catalogs. I only buy stuff that I need right now. Mostly Chinese stuff.
If you want to search things with more than a one word description you have to put quotation marks around the phrase so that the entire thing is searched as one unit. That is how search engines work.
Speedy Bill built a World Class collection of cars and Speed Parts using catalogs to fund the collection, sad to see the catalog era go. Bob
I just had a minor issue with them, so I don’t hate their guts but it will affect how much business I do with them. I ordered a couple oddball parts that only they seem to have, and I’m glad that they did. However, I am on the west coast and they have a warehouse in Phoenix, AZ. The parts I ordered all showed in stock in Phoenix… Great, I thought, I should have them almost immediately. To my dismay however they inexplicably shipped the parts from Nebraska instead without saying anything. I ordered parts from Charlie price at the same time, and got them from Florida in two days… Speedway took a week. Summit did the exact same thing to me a couple months ago, (shipping from Ohio instead of Sparks NV for no reason) and I have been looking for a reliable substitute. I have not found it yet.
Guess they're still giving out last year's catalog. As for their service they've always been great to me. I ordered my lakes pipes on a prepaid card. Ordered something else after putting in my order misjudging how much was left on the card. They immediately called me and when I told them to go ahead and cancel the parts that didn't clear they were friendly and prompt about doing so. And my pipes actually came in a lil early. In fact I have never had a late order
I'm still waiting for my J. C. Whitney catalog. In the old days I used to get one at least once a month!
Got a copy of the last Speedway catalogue this morning at Cars And Coffee. I'm on U Lines mailing list and it amazes me how often I get one of their super thick catalogues.. Must be cost effective as often as I get them.
I also bought quite a few parts from J C Whitney, in fact I still have one of their catalogs, along with a Almquist.
Best catalog was Speed-O-Motive. Great parts and great machining options...I spent many an hour looking at stuff I couldn't afford at the time
The cam in my 354 hemi is a JC Whitney "3/4 race" cam I bought in '65. Was 17, had no clue (still don't) what its specs were. Description just sounded really boss. Runs fine and rumbles nicely.
No way to keep a live inventory with a print catalog. It's fiscally irresponsible to maintain constant stocking levels to guarantee stock for a static catalog. Businesses are in business to make money. Printing catalogs ain't how you do it.
Agreed.....but I need reference material to see if there is something else that might work for the item I can't get anymore. ....and it handy to find the name and description of something I can't recall the proper terminology for and then I am not pimped by the internet for the next few weeks trying to target me by sellers that have signed on for their advertising.... ....back to the garage where there are old crusty parts and a hum and crackle in the tube type radio....
I will also miss their catalog. I live about an hour from Lincoln NE and their shipping time is usually better than they say it will be. I know that can't have everything listed in a paper catalog but sometimes just finding something close and then looking on the website proceeds a little easier. For what it is worth...I am not a young guy, I just turned 80 so if anyone should whine it probably should be me
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