Wondering why some parts don't fit
 

New here and have a question about part fitment. My daughter and I are working on a '72 K10 SWB that she bought a couple of months ago (pics in the 'welcome' thread). We've done a lot to it and fixed a fair number of problems on it but have come up with some odd fitment issues.
For example, we did a brake job on it and found the e-brake lines at the drums were torn up badly. Ordered a set specific to her truck, but they don't fit. Almost 3" short. Went to several local parts stores and all showed the same item. Finally figured out that we need the listed cables from a Blazer, not a K10. The VIN confirms her truck as stated and I looked around the frame to see if it had been altered. Near as I can tell, it has not.
Another example, the back up lights weren't working. Traced that the the neutral safety switch on the steering column so ordered one. It didn't fit. Not even close. Our column has a smaller diameter than the new switch and the activation tab is completely different. It looked like the switch from a '73 might fit, but I managed to repair our old one, so didn't pursue that.
Last example is the lower radiator hose. The listed hose for a '72 was shaped differently than the one I had in my hand, but we took it on faith. It didn't fit. Again, not even close. Went back to the parts store and found the hose for a '73 matched our design, but the radiator side was 1/2" narrower than the radiator outlet. Oh, and the radiator mounting pieces were also shaped differently than ours, but we altered them enough to fit them in place.
So anyone else run into this? Or have any thoughts as to why we're running into this? Maybe a late model 72 and someone just thought it might be fun to put newer parts on?

Re: Wondering why some parts don't fit
 

A lot can happen in 50 years. The rear brakes on my 72 were from an 85.

Re: Wondering why some parts don't fit
 

The only supplier you should be sourcing your parking brake cables from if GM NOS is unavailable(likely) is Inline Tube.

With that said, I really hate Inline Tube due to horrid customer service and inconsistent parts quality, :devil: but the parking brake cables I received from them fit perfectly and looked just like the originals.

Their brake lines fit well once I received all of them. The first kit had two brake lines that were for another vehicle, and they basically told me to pound sand and buy another kit if I wanted them.

As for other reproduction parts, there are some companies out there that have a decent to good track record of delivering authentic parts that look great and fit great. One of them is Counterpart brand parts. Overall (85/15), I have been pleased with their stuff.

There are vendors that sell the best parts available, like most of our board sponsors, and some that sell the cheapest copies, like LMC. With some parts, there is only a single supplier, and other parts several suppliers with varying levels of quality.

Re: Wondering why some parts don't fit
 

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My recommendation would be to buy parts from companies/people that actually know our trucks and what works good. A couple that come to mind are Classic parts https://classicparts.com/chevy-gmc/c...72-truck-parts & GMC Pauls https://www.gmcpauls.com/ There are certainly some smaller that are good also. One that I have had good luck with is Manes https://www.manestruckparts.com/

Re: Wondering why some parts don't fit
 

It’s just you having those problems! Just kidding! Besides the excellent tips and advise others have given on this thread, when you run into problems or have doubts about a specific item, search the forum to find out how others are dealing with it, and open a new thread with pictures and ask questions.

Re: Wondering why some parts don't fit
 

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This ^^^^^

The archives of past discussions here are a goldmine for those of us using/contributing today and will remain so for those that come after us. I use Advanced search and select only 67-72 forums as my search target. Google site search can do pretty good too if you're more comfortable with that.

-Kevin

Re: Wondering why some parts don't fit
 

Maybe everybody else said Hi in the welcome area........:welcome2::welcome2:

Re: Wondering why some parts don't fit
 

Every builder has a pile of junk parts, they purchased, that didn't fit.

This is a good reason to wait until you need the part before ordering, as the return window closes quickly. I have three proportioning valves, but only one didn't leak. My best guess is that they were all manufactured by the same China company.
Sellers are also fond of substituting a part for a much larger range of vehicles than intended by the OEM's. You get it and hope it works. An easy example is hinge pins, they are too long but are correct for later trucks. Yes, they function but stick out too far and look silly unless you cut them off.
Same thing for the door bushings. They were plastic, replacements were brass. Now Inline Tube sells them and they are steel and zinc plated. (The online picture makes them look like brass). The first set I used galled the pin, never had that happened before. I would use the plastic ones before the steel ones.

Remember, the customer is now the only employee in quality control. If you are completing a ground-up restoration, you will be able to write a book on the stuff that fails to function or fit.

Re: Wondering why some parts don't fit
 

My recent example of this was buying replacement power steering hoses for my '72.

NONE of them were correct, or were even close - some were just hilarious.

But the guidance was to go to my local Greenshields and have them repair/remake, which was awesome.

But yes...any more seeing a lot of OEM stuff that's just not that hard to make right just not even close, and some of the vendors not the least interested in why or how they don't fit.