Technical Anybody know how to speak "parts counter"?

I've moved to a new town and can't get to my old part house where I can walk in and ask for a fuel pump and say nothing more than "my old small block" and get exactly what I need. I know there are countless threads on here ragging on clueless autozone employees who don't know anything excet how to punch numbers in a computer, but until I can find a good parts store I gotta learn how to speak their language. Is there a go-to car they can look up and get old Chevy ( in my case) parts? I guess if all else fails I can get what I need from Summit Racing or Jeg's but it would be nice to be able to drive up the road for something simple like valve cover gaskets or ignition parts.

 

Could look up your block number, see what it was in originally, and pretend that’s the car you are working on

 

Is there a NAPA in your new area? Usually there's at least one or more "old-timers" working there. Can't believe I'm saying that as the "old-timers" are now younger than me.......Ask around to see if there is possibly (may not be likely) an old school independent parts store in the area.

 

How about this place? Looks old school.

 

That should be the best you could do right there....

 

Just tell them the truth..." I hand build custom cars from different years of car parts"... Even with the chain stores that do not even have one real printed book, there usually is one or two people on one certain shift that are willing to try to help like the old days.. Some are older guys, but even younger girls respond if you are nice to them.

Napa is one of 4 stores near me and they have a lot of the genuine books... a woman there is my go-to person... I just gave her a nice compliment one day when she found a Volvo brake hose that would be perfect for a mechanical-to- hyd brake swap on my 32 Nash...a genuine compliment sets you up for life!


also, our long time CARQUEST got bought out by Advanced Auto, but most of the experienced crew is still there, so even though they do not have books anymore, they retain the knowledge..One guy is my go to there...he acted like a hard ass some years ago, but I found out he respects me being a hard ass in a joking way...we clicked, and if he can't help on a random part, he just points to a co-worker who knows THAT type of application..

It's just knowing that each person, has their own language that they "click with"..

Also, if you are not good at the above?,,, just ask anyone in your travels in town that is DRIVING a vintage car, rod, or muscle car, as to which store, and which person there, works whatever shift!

 

Yeah, it can be fun sometimes. New folks at the counter rely on the computer to find things for you.
Not their fault really.
When I first moved here I had exactly your issue. What I did was go from parts store to parts store and finally found the one that had a counter lady who went the distance and knew a whole bunch of auto parts stuff.
I'm on a first name bases there and it's a great experience now.

 

I do my parts research at home and walk into the store with their part number written down and hand it to them. Otherwise they ask questions as they fill out the blanks. One guy asked if my 66 Malibu was rear wheel drive. I kind of favor NAPA myself, but if not in a hurry I will go to Jegs, Summit or Rock Auto.

 

Turn over is hurting most part stores. They don't pay the people enough to keep the good ones. My go to guy has worked at two area stores and is now managing a WaWa. Napa seems to keep people the longest and though it's a good drive, I go there when I can.

 

our local chevy dealer demands a vin number to buy a 1/2 20 lug nut

WHY BE ORDINARY ?

 

I had n issue at Auto Zone a few years ago, I asked for some brake tubing, 3/16" with 3/8-24 fitting. The guy brings me something with metric fittings, I again mention I need 3/8-24 plumbing. He tells me that the line has to be way bigger for a 3/8" fitting. That was my last time at AZ.

I buy about 98% of my car parts online.

 

Small block chevy's are easy just name any year\model that had one and your very likely to get the right part.
Other engines I do the same as Oilguy and look it up online myself.

 

if you know that they need certain info to get your parts, why not do the extra work and Id your parts before walking in?
I know what year my block is from so I use that make and model; and work with them to get what I need, same as my master cylinder. same as what year, make and model of my transmission

I used tot think I was cool asking for parts for my sbc and when hey asked what year and make I'd snicker and say 36 ford...actually I was the fool because I could have given them he right info to get what I needed....

Most of the companies have the ability to choose parts by vehicle by year so finding the part number online is a good start

 

My son had a late model car that spun a rod bearing so the motor came out and we took it apart and I had the crank turned and then I thought I would just go down to the dealership and purchase the parts and this is where it became my worst nightmare!
I told the guy behind the counter that I wanted the complete timing chain kit and he walked away and came back with a box.
I opened the box and see a timing chain and that's all!!
I said to him I also wanted the idler pulley and guides and he looked at me and said do you have the part numbers?

I said to him you looking at your computer and you cannot find the numbers and I must have sounded a little mad when I said because he gave me a dirty look.
I also purchased a new rod for the motor and journal bearing and a rod bearing.

Since many of the newer cars have bolts that cannot be reused I told him I also needed all the bolts for the main journal caps.
He looked at me and said you wants the bolts for the rod caps and I said no that is not what I want.
Finally another guy who was standing there came over offered to help me.
He told me most of the guys working there had never built an engine in their life!
Now for the best part of the story getting the correct bolts for the journal caps for the crankshaft no dealership in the USA stocks them any more they told me.
Turns out they no longer rebuild any engines since it easier to sell the customer a New Crate Engine instead.

I then contact ARP and they also do not have the bolts either.
It took me six weeks to have the bolts shipped for Japan to New York City and then to me in Florida.

I would never try and rebuilt one of these engines again because it's just not like the old day's where you can go in and simply buy the parts.

Jimbo

 

Thinking like that is part of the problem. Over the 45ish years that GM made the sbc, there were many different variations over the years/models/applications they were used in. Parts are most definitely not all interchangeable.

You need to know what the parts on your car are from to be able to order the right parts. One example, the sbc in my Model A is a 1958 283. If I were to try to order a starter for it and say just give me one off of an 85 Monte Carlo with a small block. They're all the same. When I get home with my new starter I'm going to be awfully frustrated. A 58 Chevy sbc has the starter bolt to the bellhousing not to the block. The starter is completely different. In a case like that I might be mad at the parts counter guy, but it is not his fault. It's my own dumbass fault for not doing the proper research and asking for the right part.

 

It takes some effort to build a relationship at the parts counters.
Do you have any idea how many clueless customers they deal with an hour? You're just another pain in their ass, especially when you don't know what you want. So that being said,,, you need to go first with the efforts. Forget everything you ever knew about the customer being right, retaining that mentality at the counter isn't going to help you get what you want.


#1 ask their permission first before you dump an odd ball. - "do you have time to help me with an unusual project I'm working on?" No you should not have to ask but in the process of you going first that's what you do if you want to win at the game.

#2 . Don't expect them to know more than you. They can only help you get what you "know" that you want. Perhaps you may find a guy that knows what you need when you don't and that is a rare thing, cherish that.

#3. Call on the phone often. They answer- thanks for calling ___ this is John how can I help. (Use their name) Hi John (introduced yourself) this is YOURNAME, I'm working on a (odd ball) 1936 Ford with a 1962 Chevy 283 engine in it, DO YOU HAVE TIME or CAN YOU HELP ME WITH ____ ?
Then expect to repeat that because you're going first on building a relationship here.

When calling- Hi john, its YOURNAME can you check price and availability on a Dorman part for me? Give them the part numbers. They might ask what you're working on before they check because that's what they were trained to do and their first or default computer screen prompts them. However the Question, can't you check price and availability ___ with theexact words alerts them they can skip to the second screen.

 

Since retiring, been running parts, 3 days a week, local Napa. Local repair & body shops for the most part. I could tell just as many wtf stories from the back side of the counter as you guys can from the front.
Example, seasoned old-head mech calls, "Gimme a thousand sixty-four filter" tells the counter guy. I show up with 1064 and hand it to him. Half pissed off, he says "I told him a thousand sixety-four". At this point the shop owner is coming over to see what the beef is. I just turn & show him the 1064. The mech stomps back with a box, "I just got one last week!" 100064 on the box. Shop owner just shakes his head & walks away....

 

I guess you guys are right, how can I expect them to help me if I don't give them more info than " It's an engine Chevy made for 30+ years..."

Sent from my SM-G930T using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

There are lots of go-to cars that I look up parts for, but I have to know which one to use for which part....because even though Chevy has been making small block V8s for over 60 years, the stuff that let them fit into a specific car changed as the car changed. There are a LOT of different fuel pumps that will fit a small block Chevy, but only a few of them will fit your car.

Welcome to the internet age....parts stores have to compete with online stores that don't have to have a counterman, so the real stores can't pay much for counter help, so you're on your own a lot of the time. I'm glad I saved some parts books 25 years ago.

 

just what we need , another thread turned into a all parts counter guys are stupid rant

trust me when i say it's a two way street when it comes to stupidity at the parts counter

 

It's hard for me to read your inflection in this comment. Do you say this sarcastically, or are you finally seeing the light?

Pull up the NAPA website and see for yourself how many different variations there are for the SBC fuel pump over the "30+ years". Many different inlet and outlet ports, directions they point, volume they flow. Sure they all bolt up to the block, but they don't do anything else the same.

Think how pissed you'd be if you brought home that one-size-fits-all pump and it doesn't match up to the lines you already have bent up on your engine. Or you are trying to supply the hipo DZ302 with a grandma 283 pump. Do you think you'd cuss out the parts guy for giving you the wrong part then?

 

Great attitude, (not)
Come over here with it and I'll help you the same way the parts counter help when you present with that attitude.

Chevy has not produced the small block configuration since 2001, 17 yrs now and I'm going to guess you haven't got a clue that 2001-96 is different than 96-87 and different again 86-72 and 72-55. Plus all the odd ball shit mixed in there like crossfire, lt1, 265s 2 different flywheel sizes, balancers, timing covers, and of course the all time stupid ass designation of 1 piece rear main or 2 piece rear main that you'd better know.

 

Back in my retail counter days,I had a guy tell me he was running a Stude V8 with a Duntov roller in it...and the most often statement used by a customer was "I'll be back" ...We took a long piece of paint masking paper.taped it to the inside of entry door..told the 'be back later" customers to be sure and sign our BE BACK LIST posted on the door... we really liked the customer that came back in to complain after spending big bucks on an engine rebuild in our machine shop,then want to complain that he blew it on his first run,,Our owner would always reply "so you got fucxed.whats your beef"

 

My go to in a place like "The Zone" is '76 truck. I actually tried to get on at the AutoZone and they wouldn't hire me because they said that I know too much. They need guys at the counter that won't sell a part that will work over the exact part number in the computer.

 

This is a very timely post for me. I recently moved to a new house/garage, new town. In my old invirement I had all the contacts I needed well established. I had a Bumper to Bumper parts store near the old house, I'd walk in with, say an alternator, and set it on the counter and DIANE the 20 year parts experience parts LADY would say "Oh, a mid 80s GM alternator, what do you need". In other words they (the 3 counter people) new their business. They used the computer of course, but as they NEEDED it. New town has an Auto Zone. an O'Reilleys and a NAPA. The local HAMBers lean towards NAPA. I'll start there first. But I'll bet I'll miss Diane, Eric and Fred.

 

Alchemy is right. I am an old fart and Work at Oreilly's for the insurance. I make a wopping $9.XX an hour and I am supposed to be able to guess the year of a Small block Chevy. A person needs ,more info than that. LOL You would be amazed at the number of calls and walkins that don't have a clue what they need for there car. We are told that everything in the"books" is in the computer. You have to enter information to get to the next page and the last thing I want to do is give you the wrong part for your 30K car and have you come back mad. On the lighter side, I get 3 days off every other weekend and last summer a guy came though with a 32 Ford that had burnt the battery cable up and had to replace it from the trunk to the starter. I was off that weekend and nobody had a clue how to help him. He had to explain everything and no one had any idea how to help him work on it. I was amazed.

 

We get a lot of "I need a thing to go on my doo dad next to my whatcha ma call it.

 

I stopped at an Autozone two years ago in N.C. to get wipers for my 70 Chevy pickup and after paying, the kid grabbed them and went out and climbed up on my hood to change them. I used language I forgot I even knew ......

 

In my younger days I did a lot of work on VWs and I met a lady at a local dealer that was one of the first ten employees of VW of America. Mary could write down the part numbers of every part you could ask for and when I told her I needed everything to convert an older Beetle to twelve volts she came back in a few minutes with a box containing everything down to wiring clips and set it on the counter. It is unfair but I always think of her when I run into the people we get now.

 

You really have to consider that the “1980s” alternator was probably out of production for twenty years before the counterman was even born.

Do you know what tie rod end fits a 2012 Subaru Outback? If not, does that make you a dumbass?