I know we've had a bunch of "car guys venting twards parts houses" threads.. but I gotta vent. and let me preface this with the fact that I am not a know it all, hell not even a know it some, kinda guy but hell. yesterday I walk into the only parts house in our town of 3k trying to get some info on clutches and flywheels so i can do my motor swap in my van (261 to 305 or 250) I explain to the guy i don't need parts just some info from the clutch book. I tell em what I am doing.. and before I even finish the guy tells me It cant be done, I try to be nice but basically I have to beg and plead em to break out the book. now this is not a discount parts house, which is why I thought ya went to the higher priced joints, because the guys behind the counter knew a lil more then the pizza faced youngin behind the counter at the discount house. mind ya I'm not talking about mechanic stuff I mean how to get info about a part. And the funny thing is, If you know what your looking for you can get more info at autozone than ya can at this place.. the only thing is since were out in the sticks out here ya gotta drive for an hour to get there. There I feel better.. lol
hate that 'can't be done' stuff from those simpletons that can only relate to tuner cars and fluorescent orange triple wiper blades. I had my new truck in for service yesterday (1st oil change) and went into the main building to find the cashier. Cashier is located in same area as the 'parts boutique', yes, boutique - wow...had I known I was going to be in a boutique, I would have worn my best pants and maybe a better shirt. What a pisser....parts 'boutique' - this was a Ford dealer here in town. What pompous ass decided the parts department needed to be a boutique? We're fading fast, boys.... dj
well these are the same guys that looked at me funny when i told em I needed a 6v coil for my ole honda dirt bike lol ---------------EDIT-------------------- the same guy that told me it couldn't be done pretty much punked me off when I went in for the coil. then a different guy that helped me with the coil did look at me funny, however was really helpfull, and instead of spending hours on the computer or the book, just went to the shelf, opened a few boxes and voila produced a 6v coil and since they dont sell single wires so he goes out to his truck and gives me the extra wire that comes with a wire set. and remember something too parts guys.. if ya let us gear heads look up parts, when they don't work, you don't get blamed, we do.. cause we looked it up.
Well, its been over 40 years since i was anywhere near " pizza face " age.. and most of them were spent behind the counter at a real parts store, behind the counter.. or in the machine shop,.. the rest of the time was "wasted" ( if you talk to my wife ! LOL ) at the shop and racetrack working on hot rods and racecars.. So....If you would do as I suggested in the other thread, take a pic of your pressure plate... I can go down to the store that I retired from and get in the books and sort this out for you. Dave
He hasn't taken it apart yet..... But if you want to figure out what parts fit what, and what the parts look like, rockauto.com is a good place to start
1950CORONET ... The problem as I see it is that (most) parts guys now need either a part number or a year and make of vehicle in order to look anything up on the computer. I went into a "parts house" in my area, asked about a certain part and was instantly told "that is a dealer item" ... just didn't sound right to me so I went to another location of the same "parts house" and when I asked the guy at the counter ... well all he had to do was turn around, the parts were literally hanging on the wall behind the counter. I realize you do not have the same option of simply trying a different store down the street so ... your best bet (in my opinion) is to do your own "research" at home using the internet, then go to your parts house already knowing what it is you need and what the part number is. As for doing you own research ahead of time ... use sites like this for info ... you can look up parts (and acquire part numbers) directly from parts suppliers websites (Napa, Parts Source etc) and you can also get info from eBay (either from the ad itself or from the seller). As I understand it, they can't just type SBC 11" clutch flywheel into the computer (at the parts store) ... they need a year, make, model in order to look something up, so it is up to you to do the research before going to the store. For example, you have a flywheel from a 1981 Z28 and want to use it in a 1969 Vette ... look them both up yourself and compare part numbers, if the numbers are the same then so are the flywheels.
Jim, I was thinking he had it apart by now. 50 cor, how about giving me the exact year of the van ? We already know ( or think ) its a 261. With a little more info I will dive into the books.. Dave
I go through this almost every time I go for parts! It's driving me nuts, and I just can't figure out a way to lead these idiots through their own books or computers! They continue to ask, "What's the make and model." and when I sigh and tell them they give me that confused look. Even the high end performance parts house is not much better.
The local parts store that I've bought parts from for years has given me a lot of paper catalogs. I just had to ask. Very helpful when building hot rods.
I feel your pain !! Try the internet its there somewhere !! And no dumb ass zit faced kid behind the counter......mabey behind the key board ???
I remember "back in the day" going to an auto parts store with wood floors and where the owners lived upstairs. If you needed a part after they were closed, they would come down and open up for you. Way before the days of computers, no make and model BS. They wanted to help and sell you parts. I wonder if any of these places still exist.
Well man, I did the parts store game for 13 years. They don't pay the guys much so they get what they pay for. It's just like everything elese unless you find that guy that loves to do the job(and that is rare) you're stuck with who ever will fill the position. Sad sad sad I love the auto parts game for what it was. But sad to say the world doesn't seem to have room for guys like me.
If there is only one parts store in town, I'd be making friends with whomever is behind the counter. If you never buy any parts from them, they will not be very friendly but if you do buy from them they will be more receptive to you looking through their books as long as you are not a pest and get out of their way when a paying customer comes in. Just try not to be a PITA for them.
I went into Speed Merchant here in San Jose to price some Turbo Mufflers for a project. The kid working there had no idea what I was talking about. It wasn't a Flowmaster, so he was lost.
I used to work the counter in college. I have an idea of what it's like to be on the other side, so I try not to get my panties in a twist when they ask me what color the vehicle is Minimum wage workers love to tell you no. Once I get that no, or my patience is through, I just tell them they did a fine job and I'm not complaining about them but I need to speak to the manager. 9 out of 10 times I have better luck with them. They're more flexible and don't take it personally if I make a suggestion. The better alternative for me is to go to the store where garages buy their parts. Those guys have 10 feet of catalogs and if they don't have it they know who does. I'm not sure if they're even supposed to sell to me, but they take my money and never ask for a tax ID number or anything, so far so good. It's in a ware house district with about half a dozen parts chasers always waiting around the doorway to deliver or pick up stuff. I found it from a buddy that worked at a garage, so I'd suggest just asking a local garage who they get their parts from, if they'll give it up. What was the question again?
I lived in a small town years ago and the owner of the store had a couple youngsters working for him. He could be waiting on another customer and if he over heard what you asked for he would just rattle off the part number for them to retrieve. Miss that store.
no, in the back of most of the manufacturers books theres a buyers guide, complete with dimentions part number to application backwards lookup, specs and foot notes...
Hey you know what? I was at JEGS here in Columbus the other day...the guy looking at the parts book didn't know the info we needed was in a different book...luckily an old head knew wwhere it was and answered my question in 1 minute whereas the other guy that talked a good game couldn't give me a difinitive answer in 10 minutes.
"no, in the back of most of the manufacturers books theres a buyers guide, complete with dimentions part number to application backwards lookup, specs and foot notes..." Well then, if that is the case all you need to do is make friends with the parts guy then. Most of the pimply faced clowns around here won't look further than a computer and that generally means needing make/model/year. Play nice and your local parts guys just might let you do the searching using their books even if they aren't interested enough to do it themselves. Explain to them (manager if nec.) what it is you want to do (by that I mean search their books), explain to them that you are willing to do the search and that you will be buying the parts from them once you determine what it is exactly that you need. I can guarantee it will help if you show up with a "busty" woman with you (wife, daughter, etc). <!-- / message --><!-- sig -->
more often then not i have to drive to the autozone one city over because its full of guys like me that will keep looking till they find something that works instead of the one a block away were every response is factory part or that wont work
What it all boils down to (right or wrong) is that the days of service are, more often than not, behind us. Sure, there are exceptions- and when you find them, hold on to them like gold. But, for the vast majority of the situations, the weight of the responsibility falls on us. After all, WE are the ones that are "going off the page" by building the oddball stuff. I'm not going to say that it wasn't different years ago- I KNOW it was. I had several enjoyable years working behind a counter, enjoying the hell out of finding the hard to find stuff, and the stuff that would solve issues for cars that had been "mixed and matched" a bit. But, right or wrong, you simply can't count on finding that kind of guy anymore. It's OK to gripe about it, but in the end, griping won't solve the problem. We're hot rodders. We look at the designs carefully thought through by designers and try to make them suit our tastes. We happily take on the roles of designer, engine builder, chassis engineer, metalworker and painter. We just have to accept that it's getting to a point where we have to wear the hat of the counterman, as well. Fortunately, we're all somewhat savvy with using the internet, which makes it a lot easier to get what we want around the roadblocks that modern parts stores put up for us.
Try the gray haired or bald guys. I had some luck with the younger guys but most are finished when the computer doesn't list the part by Manufacturer/year/model. I think it helps to live for this stuff rather than it being just a job.
also just to note.. I worked 2.5 years at autozone.. in an awesome store where everyone knew something or they were great with customers and had no problem asking another worker a question about something. and with crappy pay to boot.. we did it because we all worked on our own cars, and knew what it was like to be on the other side of the counter. and this was only 2 years ago. I think that's why it irritates me so much.. a parts guy not knowing something mechanical is par nowadays. but not being able to check their pride and ask someone else really burns my ass. especially when i am paying almost double for the same part I can get somewhere else...
well this is also small townsville... if you havn't lived here for 20 years then your not worth getting to know.. they care more about politics in this town then actually turning a profit....
Went to get a rear main seal, gave the parts manager the Felpro number. Was told they sold National seals and Felpro gaskets. Asked if she could check and see if they had that felpro number. No .., we only sell National.
The "old gray haired guy, who "knows everything", was also once a young "pizza faced" didn't know shit parts kid. But through his desire, passion, love of cars, etc. opted to make a career of it. Some of these same guys eventually became parts store owners, sales reps, manufacturer reps, etc. and we are all better off for it. Kind of makes you wonder, if any of today "pizza faced" kids, are the future store owners, sales reps, etc. of tomorrow..providing they don't burn out from low pay, poor training, lack of respect, rudeness etc. Easy to get frustrated, not so easy to be patient with them. I opt for teaching myself more patience, I think my parts store experiences will be more beneficial.
3 Autozones, 2 Pepboys and an O' Rileys and I couldn't come up with 5 one and three-quarter inch expansion plugs. Even a guy at NAPA wanted year, make and model after I handed him a sample.. I was told at Autozone that they were discontinued and would have to be special ordered.. Took a walk to the Dorman bin with the NAPA guy.. Got what I needed and went home...
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