Do you stock up on parts?

[In The Ten Ring]

I have a 1967 hood, both front fenders, and grill I took off a truck in a junk yard back in 1999. At the time, I wanted to convert my 1972 over to the earlier front end but I changed my mind in 2013.

I've been halfheartedly trying to sell these parts but now I think I'll hang onto them for when I get another truck.

Do you guys stock up on parts for future trucks?

[YBNORML]

Sure do. I just recently purchased a truck that i have been after four several years. about 5 years ago when the now previous owner said he would sell it to me one day. I started collecting parts for it. Heck, I even buy all kinds of parts I don't need, just because they are getting hard to find.

[OregonNed]

I do, in that I hang on to everything I replace or upgrade. The amount is starting to grow..

[cypressbog]

I used to. Now I'm at the point of selling before someone sells for scrap during the sale of my estate.

[Deer_hunter_088]

Thats why i cant find a cheap used grill!

[special-K]

Yes I always have, including parts vehicles. I've always driven older vehicles and back in the day replacement parts were only available so far back and classics reproduction industry was limited to but a limited few popular specialty vehicles. It all started with my first vehicle, a '56 VW. I bought a second one, went to junk yards a lot, and chased down parts through the grapevine. I've been in these trucks almost as long and knew I wanted to stay with them. For one reason, because of all the configurations for whatever my needs might be in the future with most parts interchangeable. Man did I end up with some parts! (ended up with parts vehicles all over the state, too)
I'm down to two truck collection, with one a ground-up job. I have a plan, yet I still pick up parts as alternatives. Until I get to that part of the job I like to keep my options open. On my 4wd I have a complete 1t drivetrain for it. I'm now thinking stay with original, yet I'm hanging onto all that. I may just build something with it to be my not so original billy Badass 4wd in the future. You can always sell these parts if you need to, so no worries there. My kids know better than to scrap my parts if life ends unexpected for me. I have friends who would help them with the how/where/how much when it came to liquidating. The thing is, I'm not so sure they wouldn't want the trucks and parts they grew up with being Dad's thing once it became theirs for free!

[Tom Vogel]

No. I just re-buy parts I forgot I already have.

[68panelman]

Shoot, I start my day here on the parts board and go from there. I'm always looking for clean metal, an smalls.
Just can't believe I cannot locate a cheap spare for my Blazer in my area!, Left the Darn thing back in NY!

[LockDoc]

-
I have a few....

LockDoc

[YBNORML]

Originally Posted by Deer_hunter_088

Thats why i cant find a cheap used grill!

The reason you can't find a cheap used grill is because they aren't cheap. With repo's costing hundreds of dollars, it makes sense that originals are equal or greater in price.

I actually feel a bit sorry for you younger guys or even just guys getting into the hobby. Gone are the days of cheap and plentiful good quality used parts. The guys who have these parts know what they are worth and aren't letting them go.

[custom10nut]

Whenever I find a truck in the yard, I look for and buy anything that's hard to find. I don't have a show truck by any stretch of the imagination, but like to use factory original parts, if they're in decent shape. I have two truck boxes pretty full of "extra" parts. Sometimes I sell them, sometimes I trade them.
I get as much enjoyment out of hunting for parts as I do finding them.

[Deer_hunter_088]

Originally Posted by YBNORML

The reason you can't find a cheap used grill is because they aren't cheap. With repo's costing hundreds of dollars, it makes sense that originals are equal or greater in price.

I actually feel a bit sorry for you younger guys or even just guys getting into the hobby. Gone are the days of cheap and plentiful good quality used parts. The guys who have these parts know what they are worth and aren't letting them go.

Eh i dont mind looks, hence cheap, the one im looking for actually i want it to be old looking, so i can restore it. I dont wanna buy a new shiny one that looks like it was just built, i wanna have to spend hours sanding it down, and getting it re painted, or re chromed.

[davepl]

Originally Posted by Tom Vogel

No. I just re-buy parts I forgot I already have.

^^^This. At least I do that for tools and small parts! Especially on long restorations where you buy something in advance, forget you have it, then buy it later.

This time around I took the step of using a highlighter on the catalog (actually in the PDF) as I ordered stuff so I'd know what pieces I actually had already ordered.

[birdkilla2k1]

No.

[72 tigger]

One of the benefits of living in the "salt belt", is being able to buy rusted out junk over the years & glean all the good stuff off of them. Several years ago I built shelves to organize everything, which has really helped. I told my wife to contact Todd68Chevy if I check out unexpectedly. My sheet metal supply came primarily from TX- not much good metal around here!

[StingRay]

I'm thinking that if you rated 67-72 GM truck owners as parts hoarders like you do a ball players batting average there would be more than a few hall fame candidates here. And yes I have a good stash of parts.

Originally Posted by In The Ten Ring

I have a 1967 hood, both front fenders, and grill I took off a truck in a junk yard back in 1999. At the time, I wanted to convert my 1972 over to the earlier front end but I changed my mind in 2013.

I've been halfheartedly trying to sell these parts but now I think I'll hang onto them for when I get another truck.

Do you guys stock up on parts for future trucks?

[too much stuff]

Originally Posted by LockDoc

-
I have a few....

LockDoc

Just like I have a few I bet....

[projectking]

Who, me?





There's more too!

[jerry moss]

i can't walk into my garage without risk of bodily injury, my shop is the same way, my storage container is over full AND i rent part of a barn from my ex girlfriend. i guess you could say i have a couple extra parts. at my age it's kind of like christmas when i go looking through my stuff and find things i forgot i even have. i've parted well over 200 of our 67-72s since the early 80s when they were cheap and plentiful around here and saved stuff i figured i might use "one of these days". those days are long gone now-the cheap and plentiful days that is, i still might end up doing something with some of my stuff.

[special-K]

Actually, I am using parts I had stashed to build the '67. I had a '72 SWB I was going to blow apart to build up until it hit me I had everything I needed in parts and I could just sell the '72 as is.

[davischevy]

Especially hard to find parts and trucks. I never sell anything. I have a lot of NOS parts I bought years ago and wish I had bought more.

I bought a 70 big block w/air a couple of years ago. I had the truck paid for and loaded on the trailer , and the guy said "Oh I almost forgot" and went in his barn and came out with an NOS grill and some new trim. The grill was worth a good part of what I paid for the truck.

[CG]

I have parts Ive purchased here on the board that are still in the boxes they were shipped in and I never opened. Which isn't really that big of a deal except when you look at the dates on the boxes and some of them are over ten years old =)

[Deer_hunter_088]

i only got a couple doors, and a front axel doo hickey.

[special-K]

Originally Posted by CG

I have parts Ive purchased here on the board that are still in the boxes they were shipped in and I never opened. Which isn't really that big of a deal except when you look at the dates on the boxes and some of them are over ten years old =)

HAH! Me too. I've had to open a few to see what was in there because I had no idea. Now I mark on the box what's in there. I had to start reducing thanks to the former Mrs, but now I'm feeling uneasy about letting what's left go. I have started separating the "keepers" from what I am ok with letting go...if I have to! I can't say I even have plans to use some stuff, I just like having it.
I have a red interior gathered up for my '67 project. That has been the plan for 10 years. Then, I get offered a deal I couldn't refuse on a set of fresh black buddy buckets done just how I wanted to do the red set. Had no specific plan till I saw a killer custom job done by a member, and for sale, on a restored black 67 car steering wheel with the GMC Super Custom horn button. I started thinking black would be cool and certainly easy, and wouldn't limit a color choice for paint. And, here I have a sweet seat ready to go. I decided to sell the untouched red set (hard decision), but still want to keep all the other red stuff...just in case. In fact, the plan was to use a mint red Malibu wheel with horn ring. Still keeping that, too. But then I see a N.O.S. red 67/68 wheel for sale I just had to have for the red interior for the phantom truck and bought it to keep my options open. That thing wasn't cheap, either! I am poor compared to before my divorce, but my spirit lives on. man, I wish I had the parts back I had to sell. I had some of those for over 30 years! I have a set of spare '72 doors I've had since about '82 for my '72 (with rust free doors) I've stored high and dry. I did end up selling the cherry Parchment door panels to a member that got used in his $35k BBC Cheyenne Super SWB. I may not be doing the restorations any more, but it made me feel good to help him with good parts. He also bought my N.O.S. woodgrain panels I had about as long.

You can't go wrong with holding onto parts. These trucks I never considered a hobby, more a part of my life... a thing that defines me. Like a Harley is to a biker. Having parts is just a part of that. Just gotta have 'em! I was that guy who had the 67-72s around here when you hardly saw any others. Us guys would seek each other out. There are more driving around here now than there were in the '80s!

[BugzC10]

Originally Posted by OregonNed

I do, in that I hang on to everything I replace or upgrade. The amount is starting to grow..

X2 Exactly!