Does GM make our parts anymore?

[freak]

Anything? In 86 I ordered a complete set of body trim for my 72 c10. That was the first and last thing I every ordered from a dealer. Does GM make anything for our trucks anymore?

[custom10nut]

Well I'm sure you could go into your favorite dealer, and they could get anything you need, at their price, but I'd bet a dollar to a donut that the parts are reproduction. The days of getting GM original parts from the dealer are long past.

[truckster]

My guess would be you can still get the OEM AC filter and Delco spark plugs. I doubt there's anything beyond that.

[Gromit]

He's right on - spark plugs and filters..

How GM can be so clueless as to ignore their most loyal and really even fanatic customers I really do not understand.

The company could easily hire four or five people; give the original purchasing specs and manufacturing drawings and supplier list and part numbers; and they could have their contractor suppliers do a run of at least the most hard to find parts for our trucks.

A ten million dollar budget would go a long way for this project.

But no; they don't have the ten million; because their CEO decided she would rather have that money for herself - probably to spend on hairdos, makeup, pointy shoes, purses and pantsuits.

Here is the evidence courtesy of the Detroit Free Press a few months ago:

"General Motors Chairman and CEO Mary Barra's total compensation for 2015 rose 77% to $28.6 million, the company disclosed today in an annual filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission."

[special-K]

I tried to get an HEI module and those were depleted. They used those through '95. OEM parts are surplus from that year production. If it was a part that only fit one year they only made it that year. That's why N.O.S. is so valueable

[68is4me]

Gm has a few things still available. The ignition switch and lock cylinder for 68 and up are still available. the hood hinges were available up to about a year ago. I think 1 side might still be available. I am sure there are some odds and ends stuff still available but it is getting less and less. Just a couple of years ago the grille hoops, bb engine stands, headlamp assemblies, custom side markers and bunch of other stuff were still available.

[saxart]

A couple months ago I got the parking brake lever that goes inside the rear brake assembly on my C-10 from the local dealer. The guy behind the counter was laughing because he said that one piece had the largest application of anything he's seen in his years there. I guess it fits almost every rear-wheel drive GM vehicle from the late 1950's through the middle 80's.

[special-K]

The problem is, once computers came around and inventories were on computer the big outfits like LMC went and emptied out all the stock they could get. Used to have to go dealer to dealer and have them look it up. Smaller dealerships in rural areas/small towns used to be known for still having old stock, but computers homogenized the whole thing so someone sitting at a computer could bleed the stocks dry...if they had enough money. The days of N.O.S. hanging in for 20-30 years are over. Square body parts and even 88-98s are a strike out for a whole lot of stuff you'd think they'd have. I bought new rear shackles for a '72 K/20 in '04. A few years later I tried to get a pair for my other one and no luck. I asked them to get my ones from a '98 (after comparing the ones on my '92 to the '72) and no luck there, either. How many shackles do you think dealers sell? I mean most trucks are out there with 40-50 year old originals still. They got bought up by secondary market vendors like LMC. Back before computers you could get deluxe side markers for $12, with my discount they cost $8, and Golden State sold them for $16. I couldn't understand why anyone would buy them from Golden State, other than they just didn't realize you could still get them from GM. Well, w/o computers Golden State couldn't sit back and find them all. With the computer I could have my parts guy search the whole country. I remember in '07 I needed a console ashtray and he found me one in TX. He said there were two left in the country

[67ChevyRedneck]

The hood hinges are an excellent example. It was posted on here, probably 6 or 7 years ago that you could still get NOS hinges (I bought a set). Now they were $, but the repops at the time sucked (I think they've been improved.) Within about a year they were completely gone.

GMpartsdirect.com used to have a "classic" section on their website of all the still available NOS stuff... and wouldn't you know, I just checked and I can't find it. It looks like they only go back to 1984 Now.

I bought a bunch of cool stuff, the hinges, ignition switch, door locks, headlight switch, and a few other electronic item, I guess not anymore. The last of it was probably sold to places like LMC.

[68is4me]

One of the biggest problems was that gm went through the bankruptcy in what 08-09? I was talking to my gm parts rep awhile back and he told that gm lost a lot of accounts with the parts manufactures. Some of them gm didn't care if they lost and a few they renegotiated contracts with. I believe this is were they lost a lot of manufactors for the older parts. He also told gm really cleaned a lot of old parts through the bankruptcy restructuring. I have few parts for my 06 that I can't even get any more. Maybe a little to much info.

I would suggest finding a good gm parts guy that has all the old books. it never hurts to try. I know I rather enjoy looking up the old stuff compared to all this new junk.

[EARNHARDT#3]

Trailing arm bushings are still available at the dealer.

[AnotherWs6]

^^^^^I wonder what other applications they were used in.

[EARNHARDT#3]

Originally Posted by AnotherWs6

^^^^^I wonder what other applications they were used in.

This particular size was only used on the trucks from 1961(??) to 1972. Some of the car ones look similar but are different sizes.

[Warrens69GMC]

Anything nowadays has a seven year itch. After seven years it time for something new and not to support the past...

[chewychevy67]

Originally Posted by Warrens69GMC

Anything nowadays has a seven year itch. After seven years it time for something new and not to support the past...

That's funny cause they want to finance you for 8 years. By the time you finish paying for it parts are obsolete. Go figure

[71sierragrande]

I bought a grill for a 1984 GMC S15 directly from GM in the Drayton Plains warehouse in 1995. I was actually surprised they were still stocking parts that old when a friend that worked for GM in Milford told me that I could go down there and pick it up. But I wouldn't expect any such luck for parts much older than that.

[davepl]

Originally Posted by Gromit

But no; they don't have the ten million; because their CEO decided she would rather have that money for herself - probably to spend on hairdos, makeup, pointy shoes, purses and pantsuits.

As opposed to shaving cream, golf, suits and condoms? What's your point? GM doesn't make restoration parts and it's because a woman is in charge? That seems like a stretch.

[Trevor]

Six months ago I wanted a part for my 2003 Sierra, the parts-manager at the local dealership first answered "hmmm ... for something that old, it might take awhile to track down ..."
he did eventually find my part in GM's "Vintage-parts" inventory.

So, if a 2003 is "Vintage" according to GM, one can only imagine what they consider parts for a '67 to '72 ?!

[chewychevy67]

Ancient

[Gromit]

GM doesn't make restoration parts for us C10 truck owners because their CEO doesn't care enough about GM's loyal customers to make it happen. At least not as much as she cares about sourcing and purchasing pointy shoes for herself. (in order to attempt to look sexy? Not sure why.. but not exactly the same as why I buy shaving cream - I don't wanna feel itchy)

If anyone really believes that any General Motors CEO (male or female) can do nothing to make restoration parts more available to all of us; pray do speak up and make your case.

Photo of pointy shoes and GM CEO attached..

[special-K]

Ever hear of GM Restoration Parts? That was GM realizing there was a market for older vehicles who's support they left by the wayside until they saw what the classics parts industry was becoming. They didn't have to look farther than their legal department where rights to produce their parts were being sold right and left. A light lite up and they started having competing with the vendors they issued rights to by having the same manufacturers produce them parts which could also be stamped with original part numbers and put in GM Parts boxes to look as if they were OEM parts. I don't know why they dropped that program, but it was before the current CEO who happens to be a woman who happened to choose the auto industry over all other industries to take her business management degree to.

Have you had a conversation with her on why she doesn't want GM to produce restoration parts, or is there somewhere I can go read up on this "fact"? I never heard anything about this before now.

[Bigdav160]

A/C diverter box has been available (off and on) since 1972

[tdangle]

At the risk of backlash, here are my thoughts.

Although to us the world of classic trucks is really important to all of us, if you look at the big picture it is really quite small to GM. Can anyone guess how many vehicles they build and sell a year world wide? Who can blame a manufacturer not supporting products they made 45 years ago. Does anyone? Typically that is where the aftermarket comes in and supports niche markets. We are fortunate that there are as many suppliers for our trucks as there are. For small companies there is money to be made, for a very large company it probably doesn't make sense.

[DeadheadNM]

GM's CEO is the daughter of a Pontiac die maker and has worked for GM since she was 18. You don't wear coveralls when you run a large multinational corporation.

[davepl]

Originally Posted by DeadheadNM

GM's CEO is the daughter of a Pontiac die maker and has worked for GM since she was 18. You don't wear coveralls when you run a large multinational corporation.

Seems like they stuck her in charge in the middle of the ignition key debacle and a bankruptcy, figuring she'd go gown with the ship, but has managed to emerge.

I don't know any more about her than I do the other Big 3 CEOs, but I do know I own FOUR 2015 or later GMs. She must be doing something right, because I'm not -that- brand loyal, and never have been.