Thread: Parts store

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There is a parts store in my town that can and will get you any part you need. They have been there 45 years. I can't tell you how many times they have come through for me. Jim the owner is here during the summer and Arizona in winter. His daughter has been running the shop by herself for about 20 years now. The other day I went into town to see a sign in the window CLOSING. These people are like family. She is getting a 9/5 job and he is retiring. They have the most complete set of parts book from the 50s 60s and 70s. It makes it easier to find parts. Most internet sites don't have that info. I don't know what I'm going to do with them but Jim told me I can have the books. I have been going there for over 25 years. Now it will be an empty building. It has to be hard for them I know its hard for me. Good parts stores are hard to find.

That's sad to read! I had a really good NAPA store here, and John, the owner had been in the same spot for 50 years when he sold to a new guy and retired. They closed, moved to a brand new building, hired a bunch of young guys to run the counter and it's nothing like it was. Sure, they still have all of John's books but they rely on their computer hooked to the warehouse rather than look at the books. Used to be I could walk in and say, "John, I need a piece of 3/4" heater hose with a 90el on one end, long enough to go across the firewall to the heater connection." He'd come back with, "Ya' know, Gates makes some universal hoses like that! Let's take a look..... Will 36" be long enough?" Those days are gone....

I've almost forgotten what a good parts store is like, it's painful anymore.

That's one thing I'm lucky about. I've got 1 shop left that I knew the Grandfather, the Father and now 1 of his sons that keep the parts flowing for me. Granted I don't buy much anymore but I only go to that 1 shop for everything. And I'll never quibble about his price.

That really stinks. We have one parts store in town and they are so so. It's getting really hard to run these mom and pop stores with heath ins costs the way they are without the numbers for a group plan.

Same here, we had a NAPA with a machine shop in the back that stocked just about everything you could want and had a great machinist. Plus these guys really knew their stuff. Long gone. We have the big three chain auto parts stores but its not the same. And no machine shop close, either.

Well we do have another A/P store one town over they are fair at best but if you know what it is you want and have a number you may get what you want. Thing is it was at one time owned by the guy here in town that is retiring. So I don't give that one much time either. I think the best of all the bug parts stores around here is O Riely's They will at least look for your part. Unlike the other 3 up north of here. We have a machinest one town over that is really good. 'it just won't be the same and its getting worse.

Unfortunately the old style parts stores are rapidly disappearing. I rarely, if ever, go to my local O'Reilly's without a print out of what I'm looking for. I had a lot of fun with those clowns when I had the 400sbc powered 62 1/2 ton.

Like when your after an engine part and they want to know what car it is what year what make & model. YES that is fun. It's a SBC in a 53 Ford yea that was fun

Oh yeah, I tell'em I need a water pump for a 302 Ford, they ask year make and model.. So I tell'em a 33 Ford Model 40! They go "HUH?"

Originally Posted by 34_40

Oh yeah, I tell'em I need a water pump for a 302 Ford, they ask year make and model.. So I tell'em a 33 Ford Model 40! They go "HUH?"

....and then if it's a guy over 40 he says, "OK smart a$$, what'd it come out of?" and I say "A salvage yard up in Sioux Falls, SD!"

And I say a scrap yard in Alamogordo New Mexico! LOL...

OH, and then I tell'em I want the pump for a 68 Mustang with 302 and A/C.... I want the inlet on the right side.
And they go WHAT???

I told the guy once that I wanted a sbc fuel pump with the inlets at 90º and I get the deer in the headlights look. After that I told him I wanted one for a 57 283 Chevy and he was so confused.............