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5 Levels of Parts Finding for Vintage Cars
The automobile world exists at an interesting crossroads of utility and luxury. Our vintage vehicles are often for pleasure use but can also serve the real function of transportation. Well, when they run like they are supposed to, anyhow. To maintain that function requires parts, mechanical knowledge, and time. Of the three, vintage car lovers are often left hanging on the parts front.
Even the simplest car is a combination of thousands of parts, carefully assembled and tuned to function in a safe and competent way. Sometimes you can get by without a part here or there, but there are also the critical pieces that a car simply cannot function without. Which pieces are critical can change depending on the era and design, but finding a special part can be necessary for safely keeping your favorite car on the road. Here are the five levels of parts sourcing that old-car people get to experience:
Searching Online and Calling Around to Find Something
There is no shortage of parts stores in both the physical and digital realms that really want to sell you parts for your project. Start here, every time. My favorite local parts house has a surprising back inventory, but that is a luxury of a long-standing local place with its own warehouse.
Even if you don’t have a local parts supply, start with the big names in online parts and restoration supplies. You might be surprised to find remanufactured parts, or even new old stock, if your project isn’t legally sipping alcohol yet. Striking out here is likely, I’ll admit that, but it never hurts to try, and asking is free.
Having the Part Number
One of the benefits of striking out with your search on step one is that you will gain the part number and can begin searching in more interesting ways. Once you can use the part number, you gain access to searching far and wide since part numbers are a universal language. This enables a confirmation on good used parts in a way that merely looking at them can’t fill for most parts buyers. Sure, some of us can eyeball the year and fitment of a specific intake manifold just on the location of a few bolt holes, but that is often the exception, not the rule, when it comes to shopping.
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Knowing the Cross Reference
If having a part number doesn’t get you what you’re looking for, it’s time to start exploring different names for the same thing. Parts and assemblies are occasionally—especially in modern vehicles—used across different platforms and makes, meaning that sometimes the same part might have two or even three part numbers.
Sometimes a cross reference enables finding an improved part, or the same part but with fixes or changes that were implemented during production. If you aren’t going for an absolutely flawless restoration, this can open doors to keeping or getting a car back on the road.
Bringing the Dimensions to Find Something Else That Fits
When a cross reference doesn’t yield results and just looking at the parts is no longer enough, it’s time to get out the measuring tools. While this is unlikely to solve the problem of a cast-iron water pump that bolts to an engine block, it can solve a lot of problems when it comes to the parts to rebuild such pieces. Bearings and seals are available in lots of sizes “stock,” and custom-fit pieces are often pricey but can be found. I’ve purchased replacement wheel bearings for project motorcycles from bearing suppliers by breaking down the dimensions, and doing so not only saved me money but occasionally allowed me to make for really nice OEM-plus fitment.
Knowing Which Parts Don’t Fit—and How to Modify Them to Make Them Fit
In the same way that knowing the size and fit of a part can maybe enable a generic-fit piece to work, striking out on finding that generic part can also shine a light on what might need to be done to your problem part in order to make a readily available facsimile fit. Doing this yourself or having a professional make modifications makes no difference if the end result is functional. Necessity is the mother of invention, after all.
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I had a 1987 Suzuki Samurai and fried the alternator. There was a rebuild place near me so I brought it there. I was told (in 1988) it would be $300 to rebuild and $350 new. The guy gave it a once over and walked in the back and pulled out a Honda alternator. Except for the pulley it was identical (is even put out 10 more amps) . He swapped out the pulley and it bolted in. It only cost $75. Sometimes the guys behind the counter are the best resource.
I’m sorry this isn’t relevant to the topic but did anyone else notice the placement of the acid core brush?
years ago, my wife and I would go on junkyard junkets all over the country looking for parts for our prewar projects, Easy Jacks in Junction city Kansas still has a good selection of sheet metal and project cars, the biggest yard we visited and bought cars and parts from was windy hill in Wilmar Minnesota, at one time he had over twenty thousand cars and trucks.
I grew up a few miles from Easy Jack’s. Actually bought my first vintage car there. Thanks for bringing up that fun memory.
I noted, when I first began to work with Vintage Volkswagens–the parts which most often needed to be replaced or repaired. This led me to searching Parts sales and Swap Meets for THOSE parts, almost exclusively. Soon, I found the need to Inventory my parts–which led to a Computerized Parts File. Now, I could reference the parts which I was stock-piling and quickly find them–even though they were stored. Now, rather than having to search when something breaks or needs replacement–I simply go to my own “Parts Depot” and happily pull the part which I stored (some even years ago).
We NE Performance Mustang sell Ford parts and utilized the Ford Master Part Catalog to help our customers for 20+ years to finish their projects. https://www.neperformancemustang.com – We have thousands of Ford original parts not listed online, but are adding them daily. If you need anything please don’t hesitate to reach out as we take care of our customers.
I have done this 2x now, it is well worth it in the long run – buy a parts car. Especially if the car you are restoring is more than 40 years old.
I’m an early 60s Rambler guy. Been doing all of these for years! It’s the only way to have a good Rambler. New guys discovering Ramblers often get discouraged because these techniques are needed for some unobtainable parts. They want to pick up a catalog or call a couple places and just buy a bolt-on part. Takes all the real fun out of restoring a car!
Ebay and junkyards are your best friends in my opinion. I pieced together a transmission for a 66 jeep J2500 with a 327 V8 (AMC of course-the original 327) using a rare NOS input shaft from an old jeep dealer in Florida who had recently shut down and then sourced the 1″ cast iron spacer that was required between the T18 and the 327 bell housing from a jeep junkyard in Antelope valley California. I think I bought the AMC T18 case off of eBay also just so I could get the version which had the pto cover on the correct side (There are plenty of ford T18’s in the local junkyard but their pto covers will all be on the passenger side). Very few parts available for this era jeep on Rock auto and virtually none at the local parts store, even oil filters. But there’s very little on it break so it’s not much of a problem. The 327 is a rare but also very heavy durable engine.
O Reilly Auto carries the oil filters!
I used to have a 62 Chrysler 300. I put the long tube crossrams on it. Went to an old junk yard with vintage cars where 8” trees had replaced the spot where an engine used to be. I found a battery tray with the original reserve vacuum canister under it that I needed for the crossrams. This was back in early eighties and yard is long gone. Sad
How about #6, making the parts yourself from scratch. My Frankenstein Jeep CJ5 is such a beast, more than half of it is made from scratch and about one quarter came out of a McMaster-Carr catalog.
i have done all of the first 4 listed. Lastly, if not a critical safety related part, eg, brakes or steering, i will replicate the item if at all possible. You need to have a good idea of the metallurgy involved, with some pieces, and have a lathe, milling machine, welder etc
Sometimes it’s a mater of finding out what else uses that part. I was restoring a 1981 Cushman Truckster and needed a switch to actuate the brake lights. Looking up Cushman parts was near impossible. Finding out a 64 Mustang used the same switch made it easy.
Going back to the late seventies/early eighties…I had (and still have) a 1969 Barracuda convertible in need of restoration. Sheet metal, trim items, some interior stuff. Door skins, hood, and front header panel were still available but everything else was NS1. Back then it was shoe leather and handshakes-knock on doors or call old dealerships and body shops and ask if they had stuff lying around. After dozens of “ no, but I’ve got XXX”, my dad just started buying whatever they had and selling what he found through Hemmings, swap meets, etc. in the days before the internet and repro parts, he was a lifesaver for untold numbers of collector car restorations. Back then there were several other vendors doing the same thing.
I bought a 40th Anniversary ’04 Holden made “Pontiac” GTO cuz I wasn’t allowed to have one when they were new (divorce changes many things for the better). Cuz they were considered spendy and styled like a “fat Cavalier”, they weren’t good sellers and were ended after ’06. Engine (LS1), trans (Tremec 6spd) parts save the GTO engine cover easy peasy. The rest is an expensive hassle. I did score an OEM shifter to body seal at my local GM dealer by engagement with the parts manager; dunno where he found it, but trust me, the leather boot isn’t adequate to plug that hole! I’ve had great service from GTO/G8/TransAm.com, and their inventory is constantly growing. Yards and dealers in Australia are good sources as well, but the shipping from Oz to ND is heinous. But love is an expensive thing! Good luck everyone, stuff’s out there, just needs finding.