I went to the distribution center in denver about 15 years ago and got the old books back to the 20's. Then I bought a rack at a swap meet and set it up. Its easy to get parts if you have their part number. Now people call me sometimes to look up part numbers for them. I'll never part with those books cause the computers are stupid!!!!!!!
​I used to deal a lot with NAPA their electrical parts alternators,Starters, seemed to be high quality rebuilt units. When I did need a not so common part they would take the time to look it up. Sometimes they would bring the catalog by the shop and let me look through it to find what I needed. But they have since been bought out by corporate so not so friendly any more. The other parts places just look on the computer and say NOPE CAN'T GET THAT! Catalogs and people that know how to use them are almost a thing of the past! So is CUSTOMER SERVICE!
THIS is how EVERY business should work....NAPA is a great example. If you sell auto parts, it's your business to find the right parts and get them into the hands of the customer. Most parts places just want to look in their computer and cross reference some generic chinese junk and pawn it off as "correct" for your application...I call them "SHOE SALESMEN"...They can only sell what they have on the shelf...so WRONG. I'll continue to use my local NAPA over any other place.
My Napa used to let me use their brake lathe myself, free! Unfortunately they sold it. I miss that brake lathe dearly.
This is the truth. I'm not loyal to any one brand, it's mostly all crap anymore anyway.. It's the store, or more specifically, the employees that build the loyalty.
To get back to the Doolittle Raid, I got a chance to shake one of the flyers hands at an airshow in Fresno 20 years ago. At that time they still flew together over the Ocean, and dropped a wreath in the water off of Pacific Grove to Honor Doolittle. Kinda cool to see the DC3, a couple B25's, a B17, and a Mustang fly over the house. As for the local Napa, the guys(kids) they have now have an attitude because they work at Napa, but cant find ----. I have to look it up online and have a printout to prove to the kids they sell the part., and if it is a not a replacement part- good luck. The local O-Reillys doesn't argue with me, and therefore gets more business.
The Napa guys over where I live always go out of their way to help me get what I need for my '30 coupe. If I don't know what vehicle the part came from orginally they'll search for part numbers or measure seals or what ever then find the part I need.
The NAPA store in Colfax, Washington is a great one also. They still have their books under the counter and back on a shelf, and they are happy to help this gimp any time I go in there. They deal with all the local farmers, so for them to treat me well when I spend maybe a few bucks at a time while some of these customers are spending thousands around me speaks volumes about their character.
Went into the local NAPA store to pick up some Plasticguage the other day. Young kid at the counter was polite but said he never heard of such stuff. Older man next to him took him upstairs and showed him what I wanted. When they returnedI took a minute and explained what it was for and how to use it. I don't consider the kid dumb just he was never exposed to rebuilding an engine. Maybe he learned something or maybe he couldn't care less.
I walked into a local NAPA with a gasket in my hand, guy behind the counter looked at me then the gasket and said "ahh, you got a Nailhead"..I knew I was in the right place.
If you built the car yourself you should be keeping a list of the parts with the part number and it's OE application. Makes it much easier to replace what some might consider an odd part. It'll also save you aggravation and time
Both NAPA and O'reilly have good stores and bad. It all depends on the people working there. My nearest NAPA store is not very helpful and is very pricey; but where I grew up, the store was great and always gave me good discounts. The O'reilly store nearby has fluctuated in service quality due to a lot of staff turnover as they took over the Kragen stores, but is currently pretty good. ...but best of all, my local O'reilly store is moving almost next door to my shop. ...only seven doors away, and I don't even have to walk across the street.
I miss good, qualified folks at the parts counter--they're disappearing breed. here NAPA stands for no auto parts available--they never have anything in stock.
Troy, MI NAPA (corner of Rochester Rd and Square Lake) is the bomb. Kenny is the man. He searched for an hour with me to find brake hoses for my '29 roadster. They've helped on countless other little jobs as well. Gotta agree - NAPA is hands down the best place around my house.
Can't say enough good stuff about my local NAPA. They still have all the old parts books along with the computers. If they don't have what I need in stock, an hour later it will be there waiting for me to pick it up. Never ask about payment before they order. They even let me take 7 different Lower radiator hoses to my shop to see which one would work out. Life is good at my NAPA.
I grew up working at a NAPA. I loved that place(wish I could go back sometimes) worked with real car guys. I loved helping "that guy", the one who walks in with some part off a 36 Henway. I saw it as a challenge. Get and old Echlin or Balkamp catalog, they are amazing. I can still rattle off part numbers, and get my feelings hurt when I walk into a NAPA where they don't know me and I tell them a part number and they ask what year. I've also been "made" at a few other NAPAs because I ask for the balkamp catalog, then they know I've been on the other side of the counter. I truly loved working at my NAPA. The owner sold out to buy a HArley dealership, I worked for him there for 13 or 14 years.
You praise Napa. That sponsors a Toyota race car. That comes from Japan. That attacked our country to provoke us into WWII. That led to the need for Dolittle's raid. I prefer to respect our WWII veterans, alive and dead, by not supporting companies that sponsor Axis power cars. Remember Pearl Harbor.
Amen, I still don't get it, NASCAR and Toyota? I mean I get, but I don't get it! My mother & kid brother worked for GM/Fisher Body for their entire life, both gone now, Mom would not have understood. Mom was stationed at Pearl also! Just My .02,
I got nothing but good things to say about my local Napa out here in Rio Rancho. All very knowledgeable guys in there. "Thanks for all the help and advice Gary and Jesus" !
In Fond du Lac I go to Blakely's that's been around since cars were 1st made, NAPA, and Automotive Supply. Blakely's has the DuPont paint I like and the kits like carb rebuild kits and window replacement seal kits are more complete than the Napa kits that I have bought in the past. Automotive Supply comes through for me on exhaust but I mainly go to Blakely's. They can even get me 29 Model A stuff. They also have an inhouse machine shop that the others don't and have treated me well in the past. The cool thing is that all 3 parts houses sell great air tools and other body shop tools and they all set me up a cash account for discounts even though I'm not a business. I'm glad that I have the option of 3 of the best parts houses around with guys behind the counters that have good knowledge of cars. Also the Blakely's and Napa stores are still in their original 100 year old brick buildings that just adds atmosphere to buying parts, especially for the old cars I work on! I recommend all 3 places to anyone in the Fond du Lac area.
I love my small town NAPA! I get good service for all my trailer truck, heavy equipment, and general automotive needs..........but they have been giving me good service on my recent restoration of a '55 Chevy 4400 (big bolt) truck too. I almost feel guilty when I walk in, they know they will have to get the paper book out but they have gotten brake parts, clutch, and engine parts. They even got my Bendix hydrovac rebuilt for me. Thanks to the manager Mike and the crew at Red Bud, Illinois
My NAPA ( Middletown, Ohio) is great with some "car guys" behind the counter. They go out of their way to help me with my projects and they still have real parts books that they can resort to.
NAPA - the best , just ask MIKEY WALLTRAP ! just kidding the bunch of girl's and guy's in Newmarket ,ONT, CANADA do a great job !
I worked at independently owned NAPAs for awhile out of high school. I saw that that era was the beginning of the NAPA decline. I watched as every decent quality affordable NAPA part got pulled out of the system and replaced with overpriced junk, By the end of my time there I was ashamed to be selling the parts to friends as I knew they would probably be pulling it back off their car shortly in exchange for another. This was especially true of starters/alternators as NAPA wandered like a lost child through a sea of low quality remanufacturers. I got to where I wouldn't sell anything not locally sourced to the better customers. I continued to try to shop with my locally owned NAPA, and honestly thought they had better quality parts for a number of years after I stopped working there. Eventually I realized that the NAPA company management was more concerned with making commercials and sponsorship deals with Toyota than providing decent parts. In recent years they have even ditched nearly every valuable resource they had in favor of dumbing down their computer systems and making things more McDonalds employee friendly. If you are fortunate enough to have an indepently owned NAPA jobber full of old time parts guys, that held on to the no longer easily obtainable usefull catalogs, good for you, go use them, and get the parts they recomend. A company NAPA store though, I honestly wouldn't think of them as anything better than a O'reillys or Autozone. Prices are probably higher too.
I worked at a NAPA DC for 15 years. In that DC we had over 220,000 different parts. A computer system is vital to be able to control that much stock. With the current system if a store hasn't got the part in stock they can search every other DC and store in a matter of seconds. If you are lucky enough to have a smart person behind the counter it can make all the difference. The NAPA store attached to the DC where I worked had a distinct advantage of having a warehouse at their finger tips and extremely knowledgeable people. They also had a complete and constantly updated catalog rack. Are they better than O'Rielly's or Autozone? All depends on the people behind the counter. My local NAPA and the store at the Fontana DC are way ahead of anybody else around here.
Jeez man...hold a grudge much? It's been 71 fricken years! I can think of some other cultures right here in America that might not want anything to do with you either...if they thought the way you do. Hater. Enough with the political crap. My Napa store here in Capac Michigan is great too. Nice guys, and very helpful. My man Chris has come up with solutions for me more times than I can count. Capac is a small farming town, so the local Napa better be able to find the old stuff...if only for the old farmers and their old tractors...lol. Truth is, the Napa over in Imlay City is great too. The good attitude makes all the difference.
We are a independent NAPA jobber and it seems the company owned stores are less interested in old cars, sadly to say. We take pleasure in old cars as they are a break from the mundane late model transportation. And once we get to know folks we allow most free reign in our store as they often can see "it" and know.
The Jalopy Journal
