Doors don't shut right

[Square84]

Originally Posted by Jeepwm69

The "ford" bushings look to be the same size as the GM bushing that comes on the striker bolt. I'll buy some and report back if they fit ok. I don't mind spending $8 on a striker bolt, but I don't want to do that every year if I can spend $1 on a bushing. Call me a tightwad, but there's an old saying "watch the pennies and the dollars take care of themselves", not to mention I don't want to throw away a perfectly good striker bolt when all it needs is a new bushing.
Also, if you go into your local napareillyzone and ask for a Ford cap, rotor, wire set, coil, and dist cap adapter, and then tell them it's for a Jeep CJ, they get that same glazed over look, but those parts all fit fine, are the same price (or less) as the factory Jeep parts, and are a big improvment in spark energy. My point in all of that is this; parts interchange from one vehicle to another, and sometimes there are cheaper or better replacement parts if you DON'T go by what the label/ the autoreillynapa computer tells you.

thats because the computers look parts up by the vehicle information so why would you ask for a ford cap for a jeep if you know what kinda ford it fits on why wouldn't you just ask for a cap for that model ford instead of being difficult. maybe the guy behind the counter has never owned a jeep with a ford distrib. cap on it so of course he would not know what your looking for. if i had a ford engine in my chevy truck i would not ask for chevy parts i would ask for parts to fit the ford i got the motor out of. all i'm sayin is you don't relize the ridiculous crap that guy has to put up with and then you want to bag on him because the company doesn't give him the resources to do his job properly. i don't know any person who knows everything about every car ever made never mind the frankenstien crap we do to the cars. and as far as the strikers i put new ones on my truck six years ago and the bushings and striker bolts are all in good shape.

[Jeepwm69]

Originally Posted by Square84

and as far as the strikers i put new ones on my truck six years ago and the bushings and striker bolts are all in good shape.

That's helpful, thank you.

As for the rest, you USED to be able to go to parts stores and describe what you are looking for, and the counter guys were knowledgeable enough to figure it out, or at least narrow it down. I could go into the store and say "I need a Motorcraft 2100, 1.08 venturi, electric choke" and they would go get one. Now you can even give them a part # and 1/2 the time they say "what make and model", and when you give them a make and model (in the case of the carb, I told them 79 Pinto, 6 cyl) and they bring me a 1.21 venturi carb, which isn't the right part, but they'll swear that since their computer gave them that number, that it is the correct part (the 1.21 was for 351 engines).

In the case of the striker pins, I took the pin up to the counter along with a package of ford bushings and simply asked "don't these look like they're the same size?" and got the blank, drooling stare. Most of the guys behind the counter now can run a computer, but know very little about cars. Maybe I got spoiled in the old days when the parts store counter guys actually knew a LOT about cars.

Thanks for the help. I will buy new striker pins, and I'm going to get a set of FORD bushings as well, just to see if they'll fit. I'll post back here for any future cheapskates with the same question.