Now that our magazines are for the most part gone, the ads from all the various vendors are gone with them. And just as we are all getting older; the guys who made those parts we use are also getting older and either retiring or passing on. How do you find out who's still out there selling and making those repro parts, fiberglass bodies, and chassis parts? This is just a question I'm tossing out there - I have most of the parts I need and I know that parts for my Austin are nonexistent anyhow.
For the Austin you might check out Practical Classics- a great English publication actually still printing issues. https://www.practicalclassics.co.uk/
What do you mean by "new"?.. All the places I use for my 56 are all still in business. Every thing has gone up in pricing including shipping so I watch what I need carefully. I do my best to not by Chinese. Looking at a battery for my wife's OT car and to me they have really gone up in price...
I guess I didn't explain myself well. I mean the mom and pop outfits that we have relied upon for years like Walker Radiator and Parr Automotive that are now gone. By new parts, I mean parts that "our" suppliers made; not like RockAuto. A lot of the original owners are gone and their businesses have either passed to the second generation or have been sold off. We don't just build with original old Ford parts.
Have been buying NOS parts for years hoping to find some good Studebaker parts as most were shi..canned after they folded up in the 60's. N/A did buy of the old stock from the factory but that got thinned out quick. My Mopar stuff would be the second stuff I look for. The early Ford stuff is not that hard to find NOS or early reproduction as they got started pretty early. GM stuff I can pretty much get at a 7/11.....remember Chief Auto Parts ?
I search the interweb nowadays to locate the required NOS part(s) and best deal on international freight, I enjoy swap meets however I've never really found what I need plus what I require isn't available locally. In saying that I've never purchased from a business that advertises in a magazine or Alliance vendor as they don't carry what I required. It was by chance after extensive searches and liaising with suppliers on Hemmings that I located a businesses in Canada and New Jersey to reproduce my running board mats and alloy sill plates. For me it was necessary to source parts from the other side of the world!
Don't put down Rock Auto too much. You would be amazed at where some of their parts come from. I got a NOS genuine Ford power seat switch for an OT 67 Galaxie once that was shipped to me by a person in Dallas. I have gotten items from mom and pop type auto stores also. Their reach is wide.
The Jalopy Journal
