It is not always about what they stock. Sometimes it is about knowledge. A couple of years back I went to a local parts house to get spark plugs for my 41 Plymouth with a 318. Of course, it wasn't in the computer so I asked for spark plugs for plugs for a 72 Fury with a 318. The counter guy found the number and brought me back four plugs. I said I wanted to change them all and he said he figured that so he brought me four. I now stick with the parts houses that supply the local repair shops.
If you go into 90% of the Autozone stores the thing I have noticed is that they never stock intelligent counter people. Give me a Mom and Pop Napa Auto anyday, let me talk to a old guy with a cigar in his mouth, a nasty disposition and three rows of catalogs behind him. I'll take that over a pimple faced, computer dependent teen anyday.
Napa in my end has been pretty good. They have a newer store in another end of town and the help is not the greatest. Mostly young people that dont know anything. There is another Napa in a small town not to far from me and they have a girl working there who has to be the best front desk person around. I needed front brake cyclinders for my 1970 buick and she was the only person out of all the parts stores in my immediate area the was able to source them. It's good to be able to use the parts book or have access to the parts book for other vendors, the computer will not always give you a parts listing
I remember in 1990 looking for a master cylinder for a '74 Duster and being told - sir, that's a 16 year old car, I may not be able to find that for you! Next store, the local little shop, in stock, no problem.
Yup, but Pasadena does have an art store - Bick's- and a real auto parts store - Allied, that can get your part usually in an hour if it is not sitting on the shelf, and yes, Berg's is a special hardware store. This just enforces the fact that we all need to spend money in these places and not the chain stores or they will go the way of the dino.
In a sense we're lucky here. Pre-'94 there was a strict legal distinction between wholesale and retail businesses, and often if you track down unusual stuff you'd be told they're not allowed to sell to the public. That's changed but the at***ude persists here and there. I once called the Nissan ***embly plant outside Pretoria to get the bore and stroke of a Nissan Diesel truck engine, and the guy said he wasn't sure if that wasn't cl***ified information ... But, yes. The problem is not only the way retail in general is going. I favour mom-and-pop businesses on principle, in any industry and for any purpose. Given a choice I always support the smaller business. That's my political stance. But with parts stores it isn't only that: it's also that cars don't have parts any more. It's not that our cars are as old as they are. The whole at***ude to parts is changing. Cars are increasingly being designed like mobile phones: one big part. There is no option of using part A on car B; there is only the whole ***embly, and it is opaque. It either is or it isn't. That's what the OEMs would like, and the public is gently being led to buy into it. But it is a process that has been going on for a century, ever since Henry replaced wooden T firewalls with steel pressings lest his employees get it into their heads to start building their own Ts. And the effect is ***ulative, it isn't just a shift in what the standard is. It isn't just x is the new SBC or whatever, there is a finite loss of permeability to technological engagement. Unless you say that buying is the new doing, and cui bono there?
I must be one of the few young guys who actually liked looking stuff up in the books when I used to work at O'Reilly's. I credit that to the old timer who trained me, because he didn't like the computers either. He and I would always grab the customers with old or unusual cars and actually take the time to find parts for them. We made sure to exhaust every resource before we said, we couldn't find it. Some of the most interesting ones I had, was the guy with a Leyland Mini he brought over from the UK, a points for a Volvo engine in a boat, and various tractor parts. Usually I or Gene would manage to find them. I do miss the old local parts houses that my dad and I would go to, but unfortunantly our global economy has made a cookie cutter, low quality, low customer service world. Just try going to a Home Depot and ask for something, anything. They look at you like you're speaking Farsi. Of course that's when you can actually find someone who works there. But if your in the Macon area and need a good parts resource. Go to the O'Reilly's on Gray Highway and ask for Gene. He'll find what you need and if he can't, he'll try to point you in the direction of someone who can.
I have to deal with folks that buy box store items all day long. 95% is imported and not the quality of the original. I used to use Car Quest for everything on my flathead 30 Coupe. I went and got 2 things, a headlight switch, a dimmer switch and a wiper. After installing them, the next morning Im hauling 75 down I5 in a down pour and my headlights go out. I hit the dimmer switch to kick on the off roads, nothing but a burning wire smell. I went home dug thru the stash and found the Eklin parts I took out of a burb I s****ped 10 years ago. Both are in and working fine. I put the wiper on the p***enger side and the 3 year old on on the driver side. I took the two electrical parts back for a refund and the kid at the counter turned the boxes around and pointed to the made in china stickers on the boxes. After Christmas Im going to a NAPA, that closed one of their satellite stores and dig thru the EKlin parts for more.
15 year old thread and nothing has changed. O'Reilly has No Small block Chevy parts, nothing as simple as a gas cap for my 59, although they now carry a wix canister oil filter. It's all about demographics. The "rich" zip code deals in late model parts, the "poor" zip code has more older stuff, the "rural" zip code goes back to the 70s, my knowledge of interchangeability fils the gaps, and e bay and Summit Racing cover harder to find stuff. For generic Chinese stuff , Amazon, because it's cheap, and face it, it's all the same **** in different boxes.
What does my local parts store not have? A real, competent parts person. It’s tedious to be asked if the car has A/C or an automatic when buying wiper blades. Even the local NAPA is useless.
Last week I walked into my local parts store (big name store). I asked if they turned brake drums and arc-ed shoes. The counter person asked with an absolute blank expression "what's that?" I just laughed and walked out.
I have an A M C , I get to see the " DUH. who makes that?" look -on things as simple as oil filters or spark plugs
yeah that is becoming a rare thing to do it seems. Same with surfacing flywheels. I think only one napa around me still turn rotors. Small block Chevy stuff is hit and miss, heck even some the modern two letter chevy engines are hard to get parts for. I luckily have gotten to know a few counter people that are also old car fans so understand the mixing and matching of stuff and looking for parts.
I don't know why anyone is surprised they don't keep parts in stock for cars that are 60 years old or more.
Not going to improve any time soon, either. If it's not obvious, it should be, that the industry is not interested in keeping 60-70 year old, or older, vehicles in operation. Blame who you want, it's the way it is because that's the power of money. There's no return on investment for keeping us in operation, period. The industry would actually rather have our old stuff OFF the roads and our ****s in electroboxes.
I tried getting a traffic light viewer at this new place in town called "O'Reilly's", and "Scott" wanted to sell me a camera to install in my bumper or some fancy doo-dad. I said to the guy "$279? I'll risk my neck!" and walked out. I don't even think he was one of the O'Reilly boys. They're usually shorter than this fella.
Remote door latch rods for a 30 model A pickup. Model A suppliers list them but they are all out of stock. Been that way for about two years. Anybody want to sell me a pair?
I'll go along with one thing missing is good parts guys behind the counter. Went to the T****A dealer yesterday to get a mirror indicator lens for my mother's 2014 model. Gave the guy the model, year, body style and trim level. He said he needed the registration number. I said I didn't know it. Then he says "Do you know how hard it is for me if you can't give me the rego?" I then asked him if he knew how hard it was for us back when I worked in parts and we used parts books and a microfiche. Blank look......... The older woman at the next counter had a smile from ear to ear. I wonder if he had to google 'microfiche' after I left. Didn't order the part. They wanted $73 for a ****ful plastic lens. Aftermarket online here I come...... About 10 bucks.
No doubt. Imagine going in a Trak Auto or Carquest in the 70s and looking for model T or Stanley Steamer parts.
My last REAL auto parts store closed around here a few years ago, there's still one a few cities over (Orange Engine). But as of now I'm my own counter man and my parts store is the internet. I sadly knew this day would come, I used him for ALL my parts new and old....I tried.
Expecting parts, on the shelf,for anything prior to '98 or so, is foolish, when a drum or rotor is $35.00, paying $4k or so for equipment, let alone someone that can use it , ain't happening at Auto Zombie. But the quality of part's is a BIG DEAL! I always research part numbers and manufacturer before hand, and I have buyers guides and catalog's to double check info, welcome to the world today! Swap meets are becoming the go to for something as mundane as a good NOS headlight switch. And as many of you know, the repro old car part suppliers can be just as bad, do your homework.
I used to shop exclusively at my local Auto Value stores. Then corporate pushed out the private owners, and their good parts people left. I do pretty much all of my business with the NAPA now, as a younger guy and his brother bought out two stores about 3 years ago. He is a good guy, and he has gotten to understand me. I doesn't hurt that he is in his late 30's and is restoring Model T's...
I don’t usually go on rants over Autozone people, but here is mine. A few weeks ago I needed a turn signal flasher. I couldn’t find any on the shelves. I went to the counter guy and told him a make and model, engine size etc that I knew would work. He then handed me a light bulb. After a fairly long discussion neither the “parts guy” nor his “manager” could understand what I meant by a turn signal flasher. I gave up and went somewhere else for it.
Does anyone know of a mom and pop auto parts store in the Minneapolis, St Paul MN area? I can't think of any.
We are just lucky that parts are even AVAILABLE for 60 year old cars. I have a 14 year old Ford/International COE truck at work that needs some internal engine parts and they are obsolete, not available anywhere. You can’t honestly expect auto parts stores to stock things that won’t sell, shelf room is needed for things that will sell, that’s how money is made.
The Jalopy Journal
