Still available OEM?

[Steven Sellers]

Do you guys just go by the dealers and try to find things that are NOS or OEM or is there somewhere online I can look for what Chevy still carries?
Thx
Steve

[Longhorn Man]

I tried my local dealer and they laughed at me.
It turns out that all the GM dealers are supposed to return unsold items every so often (montly, quarterly...he didn't say) onless it is a heavy moover.
He also told me that it is very hard to locate these items.


I think he just didn't want to try locating anything for me.

[TxGary]

I just call my local dealer. Needs to be a good parts man, they have to get out the old books to look for these parts. If you have the part number they can do a search of all dealers inventory. That's how they found me a tilt column turn signal housing, got the only one left out of a Florida dealership.

[Stocker]

When I did a bunch of stuff to my '72 several years back, I found a lot of NOS and repro parts at Flow Chevrolet in North Carolina. http://www.gmpartsdirect.com/ They had a restoration dept and were super to work with. I don't know if they still do that, but it might be worth checking out. No affiliation, yada yada....

[ChevLoRay]

When a given vehicle is manufactured, the gov'mint requires (or used to) the manufacturer to maintain parts for 10 years after that vehicle ceases to be manufactured. That is why you could still buy parts for a '69 Corvair, in '79. It's also why I was able to buy parts for my '67 Firebird, in '81....that and some undepleted inventory.

As for our trucks, the dealership will probably have to resort to a paper parts manual...actually, a pair. One is illustrations which refer to a parts group and then break them down for you to refer to the white pages with all of their information. I wish I had bought a parts set for my truck, but I didn't have it when I bought my other parts books.

Some parts carry over into other, later-model vehicles, and are available because of that. I bought NOS hood hinges and springs from my local Chevy dealer, about 2 years ago. Early Classic Enterprises had clued me in to that fact. Save me some money over what they (ECE) would have charged. They knew that I'd buy them, but later I spend a lot more money with ECE when I lowered my truck and converted to discs.

But, you gotta get to be friends with a parts man, who has the parts books you need AND he has to want to take time to help you find the part AND do the cross-referencing needed.

Good luck.

[Steven Sellers]

Thanks guys I am not really looking at a show quality restoration I just want a realllllllllly nice driver when Im done. I have a goal of 5 years although I plan on the bulk being done in the next 2, but I have 5 until my oldest son is old enough to drive it to and from high school, if I let him LOL.
I was just looking at avenues when I start gathering parts, I will use the outstandidng board members for most of the stuff but if I can find NOS local well thats another story

[Tx Firefighter]

and he's a 67-72 fan too. He gets me all kinds of NOS stuff.

My last truck, he got me all new rubber stuff, wing window rubbers, door rubbers, etc..

new core support, fenders, inner fenders, cab and core mounts, fan shroud, tilt column parts, lenses, light bezels.

Tons of stuff is available, IF the parts guy will find it. I sold him a 72 SWB Super Cheyenne that he wanted real bad. After that he's the best neighbor you've ever seen. I call him on the phone, and he brings me the parts home, with an invoice, and I send him back to work the next day with a check.

It is all about getting on the parts man's good side. Beer works too!

[Nova_Cobra64]

I am just getting into the parts game. Well, really I've been at it for the last 2 summers but I was pretty much limited to shipping, receiving, and taking cash for stuff done in the shop. But now I've been hired full time so I am starting to learn a few things. The electronic catalog only goes back to 73 for trucks and 76 for cars. Anything older does take a fair bit of work to find in the big catalogs. My dad is pretty good at it though because he has pretty much memorized all the group numbers over the past 18 years.

[98vols]

Acutally I work in a Chevrolet service dept and I can tell you that
I have never heard that an Manufactor has to keep parts avaliable for 10 years I am sure that is not the case. The thing is
is that most parts are made by different companys sometime
two or three different companys on the same parts. That along with redesigns is where they come up with first or second design ect... on different parts. There was a recall on seat recliner atachment bolts on like 92-94 truck seats and in some cases you
would have to replace seat frames. Some frames came just the frame and some were made with the cushion and cover molded to the frame. I had a 1994 a few years ago that need a molded
frame and it was no longer avaliable thru gm and we had to get one from an auto apolstery guy. But I have ordered tons of stock
stuff for 67-72. About a two years ago I replaced everything cab
foward on my 1970 and when it came time to get a grille I check all over and was not happy with the pricing and I ended up getting one thru my parts dept which is in Memphis, TN and we found on in a Warehouse in Jackson, MS and I got it for like a Hundred bucks cheaper then the non stamped aftermarket grille and Didn't have to pay shipping since it is a standard run anyway and had it the next day.

[K5Hokie]

Perfect, I live close to Winston-Salem. I have been trying to find a place close for body parts w/o killing myself on the shipping.

[Stocker]

And if you don't mind, let us all know if Flow is still in the Restoration business. Could be helpful to a bunch of folks on this board.

If it's OK to mention names, about 11 or 12 years ago I dealt mostly with a gentleman at Flow named Lee Davis. He was very knowledgable, helpful, and polite.

[stateamind]

Originally posted by Tx Firefighter
I call him on the phone, and he brings me the parts home, with an invoice, and I send him back to work the next day with a check.

It is all about getting on the parts man's good side. Beer works too!

I have this convience as well. My brother happens to work at the local Chevy dealership. To make it even sweeter, he gets dealer cost or very close to it.

[Longhorn Man]

lucky b@stard.