I miss the old days of buying parts...

[RSPD505]

Ed. That was the guy. He worked at NAPA. Had glasses about half inch thick and a magnifying glass the size of a small dinner plate. He’d whip out that master parts book and find you whatever you needed. Miss those days.

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

Yes, I can remember haunting the parts place 45 years ago. Eventually they let me have the book to search thru myself. I specifically remember searching for a motor mount that would allow me the shoehorn a 429 into my 68 Torino. After several hours for a few days I found one that worked. It was a fun reliable car, fast for the money spent too.

 

[RSPD505]

Ed. That was the guy. He worked at NAPA. Had glasses about half inch thick and a magnifying glass the size of a small dinner plate. He’d whip out that master parts book and find you whatever you needed. Miss those days.

Funny how the mind works. Talking about Ed and NAPA then thinking about the smell of that old building. A mixture of paint, brake clean and God knows what else. I remember thinking back then “If this place ever catches on fire it’s gonna be bad”. Little did I know, I would be the last person to ever set foot in that building. March 5 2015 I was only officer on and heard a loud explosion at 5:30 in morning. The rear (red portion) of the “old NAPA building” as it was known, had a natural gas explosion. There were apartments in the upstairs part of the buildings. One lady and her son were thrown out of the rear. Another lady was trapped and had to jump to the sidewalk at my feet. Still others were in the front part, not realizing the flames were directly above them in the attic. I went up the outside stairs and made them leave. I then cleared the 4 apartments in the gray part of the building. After that I exited the building and promptly threw up every meal I’d had for the last few days.

Luckily there were no fatalities that night.

 

[PetroleumJunkie412]

Funny how the mind works. Talking about Ed and NAPA then thinking about the smell of that old building. A mixture of paint, brake clean and God knows what else. I remember thinking back then “If this place ever catches on fire it’s gonna be bad”. Little did I know, I would be the last person to ever set foot in that building. March 5 2015 I was only officer on and heard a loud explosion at 5:30 in morning. The rear (red portion) of the “old NAPA building” as it was known, had a natural gas explosion. There were apartments in the upstairs part of the buildings. One lady and her son were thrown out of the rear. Another lady was trapped and had to jump to the sidewalk at my feet. Still others were in the front part, not realizing the flames were directly above them in the attic. I went up the outside stairs and made them leave. I then cleared the 4 apartments in the gray part of the building. After that I exited the building and promptly threw up every meal I’d had for the last few days.View attachment 144601View attachment 144602 Luckily there were no fatalities that night.

Holy hell, man... glad everyone made it out safe.