Website Frustrations

[Super_Dave]

Am I the only one who gets frustrated about a lot of websites these days?

For instance:

1. EBay asks you to identify your parameters for looking at vehicles or parts and then returns everything under the sun. If I ask for a list of 1974 Chevrolet C10, I get everything including Pontiac hubcaps and collector dishes!.. Craigs list does the same damn thing. Ask for specific vehicles in a specific date range and you even get lawn mowers and tractors!

2. Websites that make you wade through tons of parts to try and locate what you want or need because they don't use any search filters to isolate just the parts you are looking for, or allow you to restrict it to the year of your vehicle.

3. Websites that have sections identified as GM and then display mostly JEEP, AMC, FORD and the GM stuff is sprinkled in among the rest. Case in point is Howell EFI... I dare anyone to find a specific $1,400 TBI kit specific to a 350 CID SBC - arguably the most used SBC today. Hell, even International Harvester had engine specific TBI kits listed!! And this is from a company founded and run for the past 25+ years by a died-in-the-wool ex GM Engioneer who's sole background was engine related. That doesn't keep me from putting them at the top of my list for a TBI setup... but, damn, I say damn son, can't you bring the website into the 21st century and make it more used friendly? Not everyone looking for a 350 SBC kit is doing a one-off motor swap!

4. GOOGLE searches that are more focused on returning results based on buying page ranking and not actual content relevant to your search. They are making the internet a muddled cesspool of unrecognizable and irrelevant information that takes far too long to wade through.

5. YouTube videos that are, at best, a hit or miss proposition when looking for a video specific to what you are looking for. You clearly ask for something specific to Chevrolet and you get everything including the neighbors goats. Hell, I even get YouTube results that are "Adult" rated when looking for Automotive videos!!! What the hell is that all about?!

... the list could go on forever, but you get the point. Clearly I have had too much coffee, far too late into the night...

[Dead Parrot]

I am an IT guy by trade. Most of the websites are designed and written by folks under 30 who have just a few years of experience in website design and little in actual best design practices. IT folks over 30 are often considered out of date with the latest newest stuff. A lot of companies have bought into the "If it isn't written using the newest stuff, it sucks." mantra. So you have sites written by inexperienced developers using new untested stuff that are pressured to get it out today. A fair number of websites link to off site code from other websites with little regard to security, data integrity or what will happen if the other site goes down.

[NJ C10 Guy]

Originally Posted by Super_Dave

Am I the only one who gets frustrated about a lot of websites these days?

For instance:

1. EBay asks you to identify your parameters for looking at vehicles or parts and then returns everything under the sun. If I ask for a list of 1974 Chevrolet C10, I get everything including Pontiac hubcaps and collector dishes!.. Craigs list does the same damn thing. Ask for specific vehicles in a specific date range and you even get lawn mowers and tractors!

2. Websites that make you wade through tons of parts to try and locate what you want or need because they don't use any search filters to isolate just the parts you are looking for, or allow you to restrict it to the year of your vehicle.

3. Websites that have sections identified as GM and then display mostly JEEP, AMC, FORD and the GM stuff is sprinkled in among the rest. Case in point is Howell EFI... I dare anyone to find a specific $1,400 TBI kit specific to a 350 CID SBC - arguably the most used SBC today. Hell, even International Harvester had engine specific TBI kits listed!! And this is from a company founded and run for the past 25+ years by a died-in-the-wool ex GM Engioneer who's sole background was engine related. That doesn't keep me from putting them at the top of my list for a TBI setup... but, damn, I say damn son, can't you bring the website into the 21st century and make it more used friendly? Not everyone looking for a 350 SBC kit is doing a one-off motor swap!

4. GOOGLE searches that are more focused on returning results based on buying page ranking and not actual content relevant to your search. They are making the internet a muddled cesspool of unrecognizable and irrelevant information that takes far too long to wade through.

5. YouTube videos that are, at best, a hit or miss proposition when looking for a video specific to what you are looking for. You clearly ask for something specific to Chevrolet and you get everything including the neighbors goats. Hell, I even get YouTube results that are "Adult" rated when looking for Automotive videos!!! What the hell is that all about?!

... the list could go on forever, but you get the point. Clearly I have had too much coffee, far too late into the night...

I agree to an extent, but I would rather get more than less. Sometimes when I look on Summit's website it gets overly specific or the parts are not included in your search because of a word or description and they are left out. I'd rather have to sort through a couple things I don't need than not have what I am looking for included at all. It's never going to be perfect I guess.

[ERASER5]

Originally Posted by NJ C10 Guy

I agree to an extent, but I would rather get more than less. Sometimes when I look on Summit's website it gets overly specific or the parts are not included in your search because of a word or description and they are left out. I'd rather have to sort through a couple things I don't need than not have what I am looking for included at all. It's never going to be perfect I guess.

"Some" is fine. Hundreds is a pain. If you put quotes around a word on a Google search, that exact word will be searched. That helps, unless you use the wrong but similar word.

And I do agree that Summit and other auto parts are much too tight in the search. I have to remember to be vary broad in my wording if I am just looking around.

[Super_Dave]

I do the quote thing too, and sometimes get frustrated because I am not using the "Exact" word or words to get to where I need to be.

Last Friday, I was trying to bring up one of my YouTube videos for the guy doing my 700r4 installation. I was trying to get one video in particular and was using every derivative of the title known to man and could not get the video to show up on any of the first 5 full pages of results. I finally had to search by my user name... All this for a one word title...

It seems that in the process of trying to make everything be all things for all people, technology has mixed every color in the box and ended up with one ugly color.

On a positive note, one website I really enjoy searching on is RockAuto. They can teach a lot of other business how to take care of business. Nothing flashy, just simple, concise drill down menus that get you where you want to be.

[TJ's Chevy]

Try being a chevy 6 cylinder guy a GMC V6 guy now a days. Everyone is so stuck on the sbc v8 even the counter guys at napa are getting sucked in. lol What is frustrating for me is Napa and many other parts stores list the GMC 1500 in the 60's as a half ton when it is 3/4. Been a few times where I've had to go in under 2500 to get what I need. Plus for my v6 they don't have parts listed in the 3/4 ton but they do in the 2 ton....it's like...Seriously?

[Super_Dave]

Originally Posted by TJ's Chevy

Try being a chevy 6 cylinder guy a GMC V6 guy now a days. Everyone is so stuck on the sbc v8 even the counter guys at napa are getting sucked in. lol What is frustrating for me is Napa and many other parts stores list the GMC 1500 in the 60's as a half ton when it is 3/4. Been a few times where I've had to go in under 2500 to get what I need. Plus for my v6 they don't have parts listed in the 3/4 ton but they do in the 2 ton....it's like...Seriously?

I feel your pain...

I had two, not one, but two 1974 International pickups. It was either shoot myself or sell the trucks. The jury is still out, but I think selling them was the right move.

You be in Cave Junction SW of Grass Pants? That makes it doubly painful...

[ERASER5]

Originally Posted by TJ's Chevy

Try being a chevy 6 cylinder guy a GMC V6 guy now a days. Everyone is so stuck on the sbc v8 even the counter guys at napa are getting sucked in. lol What is frustrating for me is Napa and many other parts stores list the GMC 1500 in the 60's as a half ton when it is 3/4. Been a few times where I've had to go in under 2500 to get what I need. Plus for my v6 they don't have parts listed in the 3/4 ton but they do in the 2 ton....it's like...Seriously?

I guess that would be which part of the 60's. A 67-72 GMC 1500 is a half ton. I'm unsure of 60-66.

[BR3W CITY]

Napa's site is actually intentionally obscured. They want to discourage online sales because walk-in sales pay the overhead that the brick n mortar stores have, in order to support their shop-wholesale customers.

It works fine if you have access to their product cards, or have a factory # to cross reference. Its not user friendly, but can be useful.

[special-K]

Know a guy named Sam Johnsen in or around Cave Junction? He is or was big on the Chrysler/Dodge flathead 6s. I know he still lives there, but I haven't seen him in many years.
In 60-72 C/K trucks GMC 1500 & Chevy 10 are all 1/2t, 2500 & 20 are all 3/4t, and 3500 & 30 are 1t in all light trucks. Later, GMC went to just 15, 25, and 35, then both Chevy and GMC went to 1500, 2500, and 3500 designations in '88.

[TJ's Chevy]

Originally Posted by special-K

Know a guy named Sam Johnsen in or around Cave Junction? He is or was big on the Chrysler/Dodge flathead 6s. I know he still lives there, but I haven't seen him in many years.
In 60-72 C/K trucks GMC 1500 & Chevy 10 are all 1/2t, 2500 & 20 are all 3/4t, and 3500 & 30 are 1t in all light trucks. Later, GMC went to just 15, 25, and 35, then both Chevy and GMC went to 1500, 2500, and 3500 designations in '88.

My 64 GMC is a 1500 and 3/4 ton. Never head of Sam, but I'm pretty sure I know the guy your talking about.

[special-K]

Sam had a friend and they both were big on anything with those flatheads.

Does your 1500 have 8-lugs? What makes it a 3/4t? It's not like a trucks says 1/2t, 3/4t, or 1t on it anywhere. That's just what we associate with the designations, and 1500 means 1/2t. The first 6-lug 2500s came out on the '88 style, which in my mind was just GM playing games with names. Traditionally, a 3/4t had a full-floating 8-lug rear. Then they came out with the semi-floating 14-bolt which lead to 6-lug light 2500

[ERASER5]

^ Ed Zackery. C10 =C1500 = 6 or 5 lug 1/2 Ton.

Fenders get replaced with non-original badges intact.

[TJ's Chevy]

Originally Posted by special-K

Sam had a friend and they both were big on anything with those flatheads.

Does your 1500 have 8-lugs? What makes it a 3/4t? It's not like a trucks says 1/2t, 3/4t, or 1t on it anywhere. That's just what we associate with the designations, and 1500 means 1/2t. The first 6-lug 2500s came out on the '88 style, which in my mind was just GM playing games with names. Traditionally, a 3/4t had a full-floating 8-lug rear. Then they came out with the semi-floating 14-bolt which lead to 6-lug light 2500

It's an 8 lugger with a dana 60 axle. Or Spicer as it was known back then. The vin makes it a 1500. Truck is bone stock minus an engine swap. And the leaf springs make it 3/4 ton. 1000 was known as the half ton and then 1500 and 2500 were known as 3/4 ton. The 1500 had a lighter GVW than the 2500. 2500 was available as a dually but the 1500 was not.

[special-K]

You're right. It's been a while since I've talked about or thought of those year GMCs. I forgot about the GMC 1000, 1500, 2500, & 3000 models. I think the 2500 was a 1t, wasn't it? There was a 3000 which was like the Chevy C40. Light truck cab with medium duty suspension/brakes.

[TJ's Chevy]

Originally Posted by special-K

You're right. It's been a while since I've talked about or thought of those year GMCs. I forgot about the GMC 1000, 1500, 2500, & 3000 models. I think the 2500 was a 1t, wasn't it? There was a 3000 which was like the Chevy C40. Light truck cab with medium duty suspension/brakes.

2500 was available in 2 different GVWs...one was 8800 and the other like 14000. lol The 3000 and up I have no experience with. All I know is when I was reading it on the 6066 GMC site I got confused with some of it so I stopped at 2500! haha!
Yer normal chevy was really simple,
C10 for half ton
C20 for 3/4
C30 for 1 ton ect. But GMC's had to be Way different of course. lol

[special-K]

Way better! I have a '60 C40. It has the wide 5 & 10 lug set-up with HO110 rear and e-brake on the driveshaft, but same cab as 1000-2500. It's the equivalent to the GMC 3000.

About the website frustration topic. I feel your pain... or annoyance. I just Googled 64 GMC 1500 to get me to 60-66 GMC guy's site and the first result is for brand new Ford trucks. How do you get new from 64, Ford from GMC, and there is no 1500 to Ford at all ever. There is not one stinking word in my search to take me toward new Ford trucks, so would quotes make any difference? I hate the suggestions... "Everyone is buying this". Well good for them. What the F is trending? Is that even a verb? How do you trend? I think I know, you mindlessly take action based on what is suggested with no opinion or preference to what suits your own personal wants and desires. Monkey see, monkey do. If everyone trends then how can trends start? Every follow someone somewhere when they didn't know where they were going any better than you? Two cars making u-turns, 3pt turnabouts, pulling over to ask directions, second car cutting cars off to keep on same track as first car. Sure seems dumber than one person finding their own way.

[TJ's Chevy]

Here's a link for ya. lol I book mark them. Makes like alot easier.

www.6066gmcguy.com/EngineData.html

[special-K]

Thanks. When I first got on the computer that was one site I visited a lot. But been awhile. I didn't retain the variation in model designates but remembered there was something with dividing one in there with different GVWs. That's why I asked if yours was an 8-lug. I was thinking that was a 6-lug 2500 like later. Probably remembered wrong because of that 6-lug Dana60. In the prior trucks GMC even made a commercial model kinda like a W/T of later years. I know it all came together (as far as them not being different) for Chevy and GMC by the end of the 67-72 run. And by '88 they finally started calling them the same thing. That was 28 years ago, so that's probably why the parts programs, and parts people, want to use the current way of identifying models even back before that happened.