Where was I when people quit rebuilding, and started replacing? I was working on the GTO a few weeks ago, and thought I'd show the boy how to rebuild the starter. I had to go to three different places before I found a grey beard that knew what brushes were. Last week I went to get some wheel cylinder kits for the Corvair... none in town. All of the kids behind the counter start with year, make, and motor size... Heaven forbid I tell them that it's a '29 ford with a 283. Eric
The night manager at the local O'Reilly's listened to the counter guy asking me the year, make, and all that crap for a part I was buying. He started laughing with my answers. The counter guy looked at him, he just smiled and said "Don't ask what it's really going on".
yeah just try to get diodes and a regulator for your late model ride's alternator. for lack of 30$ in parts itll cost ya 300
If you ask nicely, they'll sometimes let you paw through the paper catalogs yourself. Of course it's only a matter of time before those parts catalogs are phased out entirely - then we'll really be screwed. And god bless the grey beards. Lord knows where we'll be without them. Funny thing though, I stumped the grey beards a few months ago. They looked at me like I was crazy when I was asking for clutch head screws, assumed I was working on some ricer crap or something. This old feller, pushin 80 or 90 easy, shambled out of the machine shop on his way to lunch. He hears what's goin on and says, "Christ, I aint seen those since the 50's", proceeds to berate/explain this to the "greybeards" behind the counter that are just pups to this guy, and tells me where I can find some replacements. Ever since then, whenever I go into that parts store, the "greybeards" have been quite friendly. I'm not just a "dumb kid" anymore.
I had a girl behind the counter say "B.R.B." instead of "please hold on a minute", as she went to do something else. I let the "manager" have it. No, I wasn't on the phone, she texted me in real life.
Thats the whole reason i quit going to AutoZone .I got tired of having to go behind the counter at thier request and point at what i needed.I usually go to an independent auto parts store in town and pay a little more to deal with someone who knows what the hell he is talking about...
I have a parts store now that the guys know about hot rods,,,, The qoestion was what are you working on,,,,,a 30 model A at that time,,,no we dont have parts for model A's,,,a small block chevy?,,,it wont fit,,,, Same story just about ever time. Now I go in the back an dig thru the boxes to find the parts I need,,,,,,dealing with the young parts guys and gals that happen to be working the parts counter until a better job comes along are not interested in learning or helping,,,if it ain't in their parts book it don't exist. I'm not throwing internet rocks at the young parts people,,,but most don't know or won't know most of the things the older guys have learned over the years. HRP
Eric....I know exactly what you're talking about. It's like going to a fast food joint and the order is $1.77. Pull up to pay and hand the kid $2.02 so you can get a quarter back. They'll stand there with this strange look on their face and have no idea what they're supposed to do with the 2 pennies. Technology has pretty much made getting old parts a joke and the kids they put behind the counter at quick shop auto parts stores don't even know what a dip stick is used for. If you can't provide an exact part number then it's all over with. The old independent parts suppliers are pretty much gone by the wayside and the old timers that know (knew) cars have been replaced by the younger generation that are totally computer dependent. It will eventually get to the point that if you can't make it, then you do without! Not slamming technology or the younger generation, but trying to build an older street rod (in my case, a 55 chevy) is really becoming a chore when it comes to purchasing parts locally.
Yeah, I usually look up the application before hitting the zone. I wonder if the parts guy thinks I have 20 different shitty cars that I'm constantly buying parts for
It's not showing your age guys...it's showing the stupidity of people in my age range. The smart car-intelligent kids are also the hard working kids. So they get moved to a management roll fairly quick and then never see the parts counter again. Or atleast that's what has happened to my friends that worked at the local Napa parts stores.
The manager at the local parts store told his younger deciples to not ask me about specifics to just get the part. I found that it helps to look the part up on the web site then go in with the part #. I also brought it all together by driving the car there when it was on the road to show them it's not listed in a book but is actualy a running driving car...lol Some of the younger kids were intrigued but others (the ones that gave me a hard time) could care less..lol
We are still lucky over here in Oz, at least REPCO employ people with an automotive background. I find that if you explain what you want, most times they can help you. There are still a number of independents that 'get it' I miss my old local parts shop, the guy was not only a Hot Rodder but a drag racer as well. About 80 years old and if he didn't know what it was it came from a Hyundai! As for our version of Auto zone, Supercheap Auto, I wouldn't go there for an indicator globe! I was told in there that Ford never built manual gearboxes for the 351 Cleavland, they all came with FMX's!
Dear god you old people get testy when things don't go your way lol All kidding aside. 1Bad67 I noticed you where in Portland. I found a place in Hillsboro where the parts guys have been there for years and they know their stuff. [SIZE=-1]KIDD AUTO PARTS 235 SW OAK ST # A HILLSBORO, OR 97123 (503) 648-2196 I have a 58 Chevy, with a Volare front end. Nothing on this truck is stock and when I started I had no idea what some of the parts where off of. I took in the master cylinder and said get me one like this... they took it back to the wire wheel, cleaned the casting numbers and it came out as a 74 Mavrick. They had it in stock for like $24. Needless to say its about the only place I go now Jordon [/SIZE]
back in the day in NS there was a parts guy at the local pontiac dealer, he was just something else, i cant remember how many times i took parts in and just layed them on the counter, he would tell me the part number with out looking it up and then just go back and pick it up off the shelf, now i live on the west coast and once again i feel pretty lucky to have a local parts store go out of there way to help, my 45 gmc had an axle bearing go bad, i had no idea what the diff. was out of so i took the axle with the bearing still on it into the store, after some searching through the old books by hand and a little measuring it turned out the diff was from a 60 chevy car, the bearing would be there tomorrow if i wanted it and they offered to cut the old one off and press the new one on, went in the next day and picked it up, all clean and even the bearing retainer was painted.
I once had a counter kid tell me that Ford NEVER made an Econoline Pick-Up so there was no way to buy a water pump for one. He wore me down with his argument so I finally gave in and bought one for the a van. Son of a bitch fit too!!
I know what you mean. We were working on my aunts daily and needed a part. Went to the zone and "What are you needing, we dont have it." Went to the local Napa, showed it to the guy and "Oh, its right here" didnt even have to look it up
I really dont think its so much age ,because i am 34 and alot of the guys at the parts stores around here that dont know squat are older than me.There are few people at these parts store around here that are younger than me and fairly mechanical minded.I think its cuz its more than a job thing they are also car enthusiasts .I usually look at how clean their finger nails are before i ask them part questions that arent in the book or on the computer screen...
It's a tough racket. Dealing with the general public, 50 years of cars, 50 manufacturers and it's usually a low-paying job. I hope that all of you guys are writing down in a notebook what parts you are using. Worst case I ever saw was a daughter of guy who had passed with a v-dub. He had re-engineered the whole thing and there was a huge mess of wires under the back seat, all WHITE! Nothing was automotive, and I had to tell her that the only person that could fix it wasn't here anymore.
I am young and run into the same thing. I am running into the same thing now at the wrecking yard. If you don't have the make, model and year they don't know if they have it. And if they do let you out in the yard to look the stock over there is someone following u around. It makes me mad.
I went to an old time independent with an old timer behind the counter. I asked for two 2.5" 45 degree exhaust bends for turndowns on a car my buddy was putting together. A VERY simple request I thought..... Old guys says what's it for? (as he starts flipping through a parts book) I say an exhaust system. He says no, no the car. I say '68 Mustang. He says what body style? I say what difference does that make it's a generic part? He says I need to know. I say Fastback (shaking my head in disbelief). He says what size engine? I say 351 windsor. He looks in the book and says they never offered that car with that engine. I say I know. We just put it in after taking the 289 out. So he gets off his behind and walks less than 10 feet and pokes around for a second and pulls out teh two 45 degree bends I asked for. I was like WTF was all that about if he had just done that in the first place!?!?! I never went back there. More directly you are getting the service that the store is paying for. They dopn't pay shit for the job, so you don't get shit for service.
I'm dreading the day my friend that works at one of our local NAPA stores retires. He's a "Grey Beard" - coming up on 66 years old. I've been using his services for over 30 years. (usually finds parts I need, 99 times out of 100) He has TRIED to retire about six times; - he's been eligible for the last 7 years due to years of service - but management realizes HE is one of the few "parts guys" that knows the difference between a Holley 94 and a Stromberg 97 carburetor - he owns a flathead! - along with a WHOLE LOT of other car/truck parts!! So ...they keep "upping" his salary to get him to stay. He knows MORE parts numbers - to re-build stuff - off the top of his head; than anyone in our city. NAPA starts more "young bucks" (and gals) at this store, in the hopes that SOME of his knowledge will "rub off on them." Some have picked up some of his experience; but many are too lazy, and just reply to a customer, "They don't make that part anymore." OR "You will have to buy the whole assembly."
Yup, same goes for the marine business. Just 10 years ago you walked into a supply house and talked to somebody that had actually worked on a boat and knew the lingo. Now the dumb kid who helps you might as well be working at The Gap. Welcome to your new disposable society, it is only sadly going to get worse.
Yup.........went to the O-Zone and asked for 8 Autolite #26 plugs.........the response was, year, make, what engine..........I said.......don't matter, just give me the part........got to enter it in the computer. I said......ok, 56 Studebaker President............his response.........the computer doesn't go back that far..........THEN WILL YOU JUST GET ME THE f....... PART?
I was overjoyed when an o'reillys recently moved into my town. The O'reilly's in the next closest town always provided good service and seemed to have what I needed. They never gave me too much of the "yr. make, model" questioning. If they werent completely sure of what to look for, they would simply ask for an example of what vehicle the part may have come on. If something wasnt in stock, they could usually get it for me next day. I was hoping for the same sort of great service at the new store. Boy was I in for a treat! The clerks range between some younger guy who very closely resembles the banjo player from 'Deliverance' to a guy who would very much like to be one of the wise 'greybeards' but clearly doesnt have a clue, is a big talker, and is equally worthless with the paper catalogs and the computer. After asking him for a set of 7mm plug wires for a pre-75 SBC, he tells me that he doesnt have them, would have to order them, and it would be much easier for me to swap to an HEI distributor (didnt bother to actually check to see if they might have the wires I wanted by the way). I explained to him that I didnt have enough firewall clearance for an HEI (283 in a 40 Ford). He then suggests that I could buy an MSD small cap electronic distributor. I was befuddled how the topic went from a set of plug wires to a $300 distributor. Left a sour taste in my mouth right off the bat and left me wondering who does the hiring for these lousy parts stores? I realize that being a store clerk isnt a glamorous job and doesnt always pay very well, but some of the clerks I have run across wouldnt qualify for the manure scooping job at a petting zoo. Is there actually an interview process for some of these positions, or is it simply a foot race on opening day, and the first four candidates in the door get the job? This may seem like a long rant, but I honestly wonder how one store has great service and employees while most others are nearly worthless. I am in no way trying to offend the clerks who are good at their jobs either, just curious how the bad ones get and keep their jobs.
if you ask really really nicely (or do a lot of business there) they might give you their old paper catalogs, or get an extra set to give you. works for me!
Man, you guys are goin about it all wrong. If i need something i just send in my girlfriend in her t shirt that says "C is for ChiChis" and you wouldn't believe the customer service she gets. Seriously at AutoZone we get the 20% courtesy discount now, and a lot of times the manager will throw in lil free things and will carry parts to her car.
Bought a set of wiper blades couple days ago. $9.95. While just setting there watching the goings on on the speed channel a lady came in needing a set of blades for her soccervan. She left with new arms, silicone wipers, good authority they needed to be replaced every 6 months and 79$plus change lighter but they did install them for her. This was from one of the greybeards. When told he ought to be ashamed of himself he replied" Gotta make quota and you don't help much" A lot of the dont have that an they dont make that is just trying to make quota to keep their job. A lot of the counter persons don't care what you are doing and why should they? Just give them the make model and year an they will get what you need but don't get excited if they try to upgrade you, it is part of their job.
I'm lucky enough to be doing business at a parts store that has been owned by the family since the 1920's. Most of the time the current owner doesnt even look in his computer, he just goes and gets the part after i tell him what I want . If he overhears me talking to one of the young guys, he gives them the part # to get for me. If I got something really off the wall he hands me the paper catalogue and lets me find it myself. It helps that I worked in a parts store before computers.
You should try dealing with the idiots when you are a parts man for a living. I walk into the local advance auto when i needed a exhaust gasket. I gave the barely english speaking gentlemen the PARTNUMBER for a Felpro gasket. He looked at me and asked year,make etc. I go , 95, caprice, blah, blah and he brings up the exhaust and i then tried to explain to him it was for the exhaust pipe to manifold connection and all he could keep doing is clicking on the manifold to head number. He then starts showing pictures and i point it out to him and he clicks it and it gives the felpro number I already gave him and another number. I was watching and his inventory showed the felpro and not the other number, so he punches in the alternate number and says he doesn't have one. I told him to go back, click on THIS number and he goes, i have that one. It took me 10 minutes to get the gasket that I had given him the P/N fro in the first place.
The Jalopy Journal
