Do autoparts store carry Anything Anymore?

No tech discussion, please

Moderator: FORDification

68RGR
Preferred User
Preferred User
Posts: 287
Joined: Sat Sep 24, 2011 12:16 pm
Location: Central Alabama

Re: Do autoparts store carry Anything Anymore?

Post by 68RGR »

I've noticed that some parts are just harder to find locally. Even in larger cities. And, it can be frustrating IF you don't let your fingers do the walking as the old Yellow Pages ad went. I order MOST parts online for that reason and two others:

1. I can often find a better price - even a name brand part instead of a store brand.

2. Many times, I only have to go as far as my front door to get them

I have also ordered parts online for pickup at my local store because their old coupons continued to work. I really get into those discounts. And, I can also get that same discount and free direct shipping to boot if the order total meets the minimum for free shipping. And, if you get the wrong parts, you can return them to the local store.

Try rockauto.com for a good many parts. Sometimes, you have to "game" their shipping a bit due to multiple warehouses and the separate shipping cost associated with each. They seem to carry parts that the "Big 3" (or 4 or 5) don't. After you place an order, a week or two later, they will email a 5% discount code for your next order.

I do understand the OP's frustration.
Bill
68 F100 Ranger
73 F100 Ranger XLT

Believe me, my young friend, there is nothing - absolutely nothing - half so much worth doing as simply messing about in garages. (Apologies to Kenneth Grahame.)
motzingg
Blue Oval Fan
Blue Oval Fan
Posts: 742
Joined: Wed Apr 24, 2013 1:11 pm
Location: Milwaukee WI

Re: Do autoparts store carry Anything Anymore?

Post by motzingg »

I'm a huge fan of 'buying local' but does corporate headquarters at o'riley count as local just because they put a brick and mortar store near you?

It seems like the independent parts houses are just about gone the way of the dodo bird. The small town i grew up in had 'sams' where the guy at the counter could not only tell you parts from memory, he could tell you what other cars cross ref'd and would send you to a junkyard if it was expensive or he didn't have one. I guess thats why they went out of business.

My auto parts store ethos is as follows:

#1) Look for the distribution center, if there is one in your town or the next big town over, go to that parts store. In milwaukee i had Napa HQ about 10 blocks from me, Here in greensboro, O'riley has their hq on the other side of town. Anything i call in by noon will be waiting at the counter on my drive home. They stock a lot of stuff, but they have literally everything at the dist. center.

#2) get to know your counter dudes, the main reason i started with o'riley was because there was one sharp counter dude working there all the time. he lets me go in back and dig through parts to find stuff that will fit, saves me tons of time and hassle. plus he knows now not to ask me 'what car do you have' ... he knows what car i have and that none of its parts originally came with it.

#3) Buy stuf that you might need to 'try on' or get creative with local, buy anything that the local guys are marking up like crazy or is guaranteed to fit from rock auto.
The front driver's tie rod on my ford is $60+ from o'riley and $30 from rock auto... stuff like that is a no brainer.

#4) factor your time into junk-yard-ing... even though it is a lot of fun, spending 3 hours on a saturday (where i could be making time and a half at work $30+/hr) to save 15 bucks over buying the new part doesn't do anybody any good.

#5) Do your research first, If your '68 ford six has a 2v motorcraft carb on it, go on rock auto to look up what truck that thing originally came in. Sometimes you go in and there are 10 people in line and the counter dude doesn't feel like typing 20 cars into the computer to find the picture with the right gaskets in it.

you guys are spoiled by how many parts you can get for these old trucks at the auto parts store, and how cheap everything is. My other projects (namely a 1991 ford escort) they dont have anything for that car. I'm lucky to find an oil drain plug. They cant even get common gaskets or things like that. The 300 six valve cover gasket is a standard stock item, so is the carb rebuild kit...starter is probably back there too if i ever need one.
User avatar
rjewkes
100% FORDified!
100% FORDified!
Posts: 3711
Joined: Sun Apr 17, 2005 1:09 am
Location: Missouri, Webb City
Contact:

Re: Do autoparts store carry Anything Anymore?

Post by rjewkes »

The trick too is knowing what newer vehicle uses the exact same part, often times the part is unavailablr for anything pre 1990, but once you say 1991 XXXX, XXXXXX then they go ioh i have 3 in stock.
"It is better to keep your mouth shut and appear stupid than to open it and remove all doubt." - Mark Twain
'70 f250 4x4 Crew cab 460/C6 '72 F100 390/C6 9.8 MPG AVG. '89 Mercury Cougar LS Dual Exh. V6 . 18.9 MPG AVG. In Town.
Image
I don't want to give em a heart-attack. That is what would happen if I answered the door in the buff. Heck it almost scares me to death when I step out of the shower and look in the mirror.~Mancar1~
fuelly.com
User avatar
averagef250
100% FORDified!
100% FORDified!
Posts: 4387
Joined: Fri Mar 17, 2006 12:58 am
Location: Oregon, Beavercreek

Re: Do autoparts store carry Anything Anymore?

Post by averagef250 »

The internet is beginning to kill off the viability of distributors, dealers and even some retailers.

The problem with parts stores is they based their business on buying from big stocking distributors. The distributor stocked every do dad and thingy you could ever need and the parts store (retailer) handles the marketing, sales and gets to make 30-1000% on the widget you need. The thing that's now changed is that any Joe Shmoe can buy from places like Rockauto.com or Partsgeek.com and get the parts for about the same price the retailer pays. The other big factor is that manufacturers are getting fed up with those "stocking distributors" lowering order quantities because they aren't moving all the product they used to so the new trend is MANUFACTURERS moving into web based direct retail sales. The manufacturers are pretty much saying "Why the hell should we sell one frigging water pump to Big Bob's parts warehouse for some stupid cheap price when we can invest a very small amount into our own retail end and sell direct for a lot more money".

It may not be apparent who you're buying from online, but many big outfits have retail online fronts under a different name. Many big players sell direct on Ebay and Amazon.

Dana parts for virtually any axle made in the past 40 years are in big supply, no issue there.

As to Dana being out of business- Where the hell did this come from? I buy Dana parts all the time. I use West Coast Diff and Dana drop ships whatever I need direct. I just bought a couple of new Dana 60 carriers. Delivered to my shop directly from Dana.

Marking compound comes with new gears and bearing kits now and you sure don't need much of it. I have some old tubes of it from parts stores, but haven't bought any in 15 years.

If all else fails go down to your local Joann's Fabics and buy a tube of Prussian blue paint. Add some paint thinner and there you go.

You can use almost anything oil based with a pigment as a gear marking compound as long as the pigment is ground fine enough.
1970 F-250 4x4 original Willock swivel frame chassis '93 5.9 Cummins/Getrag/NP205/HP60/D70
User avatar
elgemcdlf
100% FORDified!
100% FORDified!
Posts: 1855
Joined: Mon Nov 01, 2010 2:04 pm
Location: Ringgold, GA

Re: Do autoparts store carry Anything Anymore?

Post by elgemcdlf »

averagef250 wrote:...As to Dana being out of business- Where the hell did this come from? I buy Dana parts all the time....

Didn't say they were out of business. Said they filed bankruptcy.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/03/busin ... .html?_r=0

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid= ... 620UFPqqiE

A search will find many more sources. I am glad you listed your source because there was a guy looking for Dana parts awhile back (front axle) & every supplier I called could not get their hands on what he needed.
User avatar
wbulick76
New Member
New Member
Posts: 27
Joined: Mon Aug 19, 2013 10:06 am
Location: Monroe, NC

Re: Do autoparts store carry Anything Anymore?

Post by wbulick76 »

I work for CARQUEST Auto Parts, and one of the reasons I went to work for them was because they are still a "real" parts store. We are known in our town for finding and having the oddball stuff the cookie cutter stores don't have. Points for an 8N tractor? In stock. Complete brake overhaul for a '64 C10? In stock. Clutch kit for a '57 F100? Had it next day. O'reilly told the guy the computer didn't go back that far, so it wasn't available anymore.
1968 F100 SWB project----CV Front----4.6 automatic
Madman
100% FORDified!
100% FORDified!
Posts: 1671
Joined: Thu Oct 13, 2011 9:39 am
Location: Windsor, CO
Contact:

Re: Do autoparts store carry Anything Anymore?

Post by Madman »

There also use to be a time when the folks at parts stores knew something about vehicles....now if the computer doesn't have it in it's memory, it never existed...even when you supply them THE PART with the PART NUMBER from what you are working on......guess I expect too much anymore and should just accept mediocrity.
""Never shoot a large caliber man with a small caliber bullet."

2017 Ford Raptor
1970 F250 4x4
1948 Willys CJ2A w/ Ford Flathead V-8
1975 Ford Bronco
Post Reply