"Basics of Basics" Parts store tricks to get the parts you need.

[MARTINSR]

“Basics of Basics” Parts store tricks
By Brian Martin

You are going to hate me, but after you think about it a bit and realize what you have learned you will get over it. But for a while, you will hate me.

You know the last time you went to the parts store in hope that they would have that brake master cylinder you need for your ’65 Dodge Lancer to get it on the road for the car show that weekend and they told you they didn’t have it? Yeah, you remember that, it was such a bummer. That blew the whole weekend. After all that work you had done on your car, you couldn't drive it. Ok, here is the bad news, the master cylinder you were after was on a shelf 30 feet behind the counter man who said they didn’t have it. Yep, it was right there for you, but you walked out empty handed.

Don’t be mad at the parts guy, it’s often not his fault. He looks it up as per application, 1965 Dodge, Lancer, brakes, master cylinder…sure enough, nothing available. He’s got brake shoes, hoses, but that’s it. What is he suppose to do, he’s got the phone ringing, people in line, that’s what he has to work with. This is where you need to do your homework.

Let’s start with going to the real parts store in town. Forget about the “McParts” stores with the store down at the strip mall, you want to the real parts store, where all the shops in town buy their parts, where the pros go. It’s often off the beaten path, out in the industrial area, that is where you want to go. Look for it on line, google parts stores and see what you get. Ask the shops in town where they buy their parts, that is where you want to go for yours. This is not to say that the McParts stores are all that bad, some are fine, some have great counter guys/gals. But generally it’s not the store where the pros go for a reason. That real parts store is usually much bigger than the McParts stores with many more parts. The one I go to in town, no kidding, it’s about 8 times as big as the McParts stores. They have some serious stock.

Ok, when you asked about your master cylinder they looked it up by “application”. Make-model-year that is what they are going with. We are relying on the supplier of those parts to properly catalog it and that isn’t always as best it can be. Errors are made, and you go home without your part.

Getting a part number may be all you need to get your master cylinder, another supplier may have it cataloged correctly and you now have a part number that can be “crossed” by the parts store. They have Bobs brake parts in the store and Bobs cataloged it wrong, it’s listed for a Valiant but not the Lancer. Blakes brake parts has it correctly cataloged as fitting both the Valiant and the Lancer. So you get the part number to the Blakes master cylinder and go to the parts store and they cross it over and wham, they have one in stock. This just happened to me today. I needed some brake adjuster parts for my son’s 1963 Ford Falcon. I went to the best pro parts store in town, they had everything I needed for the car but I was told they were “discontinued”. I went on ebay and there were all kinds of them. I made a little chart with all I could find. The complete kits, just the adjuster, the cable, etc. I recorded all the part numbers. After I got the numbers that were on ebay I then googled the number with the brand name to be sure it was a real number and most were and they were written down on my list.



This morning I called that parts store and found that when crossing numbers I gave them to the supplier they carried they had both the kits I needed in stock!



Just yesterday they said they didn’t have it, and that it was “discontinued.” I was told the same thing with a few of those part numbers I had gotten off eBay too. They were the suppliers that had it cataloged properly and by those suppliers they were discontinued. But another supplier they carried didn’t have it cataloged correct and it wasn’t discontinued by that supplier!

This happened a few years ago with my ’59 Rambler, nope, no front wheel cylinders I was told. I went to the Wagner web site and found the part numbers, went back to the store and they had them in stock!

With the net you have access to everything the store does and more. Go in with some information; help them provide you with what you need.

Most of the software that is used in these stores has all that crossover info, even OEM numbers, you can walk in there with everything needed for them to find your part. Don’t beat up the parts guy for using a computer and not books, the books are only half of it. Now, we have both and we are much better off for it.

Another way is to look for your part not under “application” make-model-year but under “specifications”. We are talking length-width-function-material or others depending on the part you are looking for. Yes parts stores (the REAL ones) still have catalogs full of photos and diagrams! I call them “coloring books.”

For my Ramblers brake light switch, I was told “nothing in stock.” I asked for a “coloring book” and went through it to find my switch with a slightly incorrect application. Gave him the number and it was stock!

What about your car you bought that’s got a disc brake kit that you don’t have an ID for? You get the “coloring book” and look for the pads from your brakes.



How about brake shoes, they say they don’t have them, look them up by specification.



Brake hoses; length, fittings, it’s all right there.



Electrical plugs or switches?





How about radiator hoses, you have done an engine swap and there is nothing per application, go to the “coloring book” and find what you need. And you don’t even need to use the whole thing. You can cut one in half and use one of the pieces for a perfect molded hose in your small block Ford powered ’55 Studebaker.



Now do a little homework, go back to that parts store and get your master cylinder so you can cruise that Lancer this weekend.