Garbage replacement parts

[PetroleumJunkie412]

Oh, and SEATS in any zippy import that are clean (or can be cleaned - wringer washer and griots go a long way here) and have airbags intact - those focus seats I tried to make fit should fetch 300 - 500 locally, picked for 28. Worst case 272 profit. Buys a lot of stuff for a ranger. Megasquirt came from a m90 and some fiero plastics.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Interesting... I just searched for a Motorcraft replacement radiator.

Turned one up for about $40 more plus $10 shipping then I paid for the other. I did see them range up well north of $300.

A little late now as the replacement is here... but I'm certainly going to do a more through search before I buy anything else. But then... do you buy the $350 or $140 Motorcraft?

Still isn't an excuse for some of the junk they sell these days.

The world works in mysterious ways.

I picked up a cast aluminum GT-500 diff cover on Amazon for $70. It was the Motorcraft replacement one. They also had the Ford Racing one (same part, maybe different packaging?) for $150.

I got one before they caught their goof.

Amazon.com: Ford DR3Z-4033-B, Differential Cover: Automotive

Buy Ford DR3Z-4033-B, Differential Cover: Differential Covers - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

www.amazon.com

The bolt kit was $30 I was going to go back and get them after I modded the cover to fit, they caught me on that. I showed them and used SS ARP bolts.

Amazon.com: Ford Mustang GT500 Rear 8.8 Axle Differential Cover Aluminum Finned Bolts OEM: Automotive

Buy Ford Mustang GT500 Rear 8.8 Axle Differential Cover Aluminum Finned Bolts OEM: Differential Covers - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

www.amazon.com

I honestly don't know how places like autozone stay in business anymore. The parts they sell are so god awful anymore it baffles me that customers still shop there. I'll buy oil and what not from them and usually if I need a part I'll at least check to see if they have a name brand. Usually the name brand parts however (motorcraft, bosch, etc) have to be ordered and they try to sell you their house brand reman garbage.

Brake lines/fittings are nice to see the real things. Electrical connectors on a whim are nice too.

I am kinda stuck between a rock and a hard place though. Same day warranty is nice. But then I had to replace the starter twice within a couple weeks on F-150... and then I got to thinking maybe I could walk 10mi to work a few days and wait for a good part...

 

[ExploreNW]

One local JY has paid pullers and you just wait in the lobby while they pull your parts. I never thought about yanking them and doing the selling myself...

That said. I will take a junkyard part with 200,000 miles on it before I take a new part from most dealers. Dorman's quality has gone downhill. They're good for the off-the-shelf stuff like filters, hoses, fuses, bushings, that's it. I can't even get spark plug wires that keep their little plug sockets crimped on anymore.

I'm lucky enough to live about 15 mins from the nearest Napa warehouse. They have a will-call desk that is basically the holy grail of all Napa. You walk in, you'll notice it looks like a regular store, except this one stocks EVERY. SINGLE. PART. in the region. Their top end lines aren't bad but steer clear of their "Mileage Plus" line, which is essentially their base model Chinese BS. Between the JY and Napa I built my Ranger. Haven't waited a day for a single part since.

^Not a paid endorsement or an endorsement period.

 

[ret_Marine2003]

There are a lot of counterfeit parts out there online and even in stores.
I have seen it myself.

Moog, AC DELCO, MOTORCRAFT, MOPAR, etc...
Painted parts with no marking at all that look just like the cheapest parts that you could buy.

If it seems too good to be true...

I have had good luck buying old stock from dealerships and parts stores.

I purchased the old inventory from a hardware store that has been closed for nearly 20 years recently and opened in 1890.

Some of those parts were made in the 1930's.
Most were made between the 1960's through the 1980's.

Check out those places that used to be overpriced.
Inflation evens things out in time.

 

[88workcar]

Lessons learned here for me too:
1. ignition coil, auto parts "Blue" coil, junk
2. CTS autozone part, junk, waiting on motorcraft now.

through the years I have had decent luck with Autozone parts tho.

 

[PetroleumJunkie412]

Some of those parts were made in the 1930's.
Most were made between the 1960's through the 1980's.

So... This is a sincere reply.

If you have ANYTHING out of that mix that fits a 53-54 coronet, I will buy it. Parts are very hard to find, and I have one.

 

[rusty ol ranger]

So... This is a sincere reply.

If you have ANYTHING out of that mix that fits a 53-54 coronet, I will buy it. Parts are very hard to find, and I have one.

Try finding anything besides drivetrain parts for an LTD II...

 

[ret_Marine2003]

So... This is a sincere reply.

If you have ANYTHING out of that mix that fits a 53-54 coronet, I will buy it. Parts are very hard to find, and I have one.

I have some parts for an original 6v car.
Many people convert to 12v.

 

[19Walt93]

Yes, "new" used to mean tested and working

Now-a-days it means never tested, or used before, so "new"

In the past labor was cheap and materials were expensive, its now reversed for most products, labor is now the biggest expense

Motorcraft, or pretty much any car maker's brand, IS TESTED, they still pay extra for the Quality Control, the labor to test a part before it is boxed and sent out, because they can't afford to assemble thousands of vehicles with untested parts.
Bad parts still happen, i.e. recalls, lol, but less likely

So the extra cost of a Motorcraft part is the labor for testing it.
And also required now-a-days, the documentation of where the materials came from to make the part and that local labor laws were being followed, i.e. no "child labor" or "sweatshops"
Most, if not all, larger Brands try to avoid bad press

As the guy who had to fix vibrating Fairmonts 40 years ago,I read a vibration manual that Ford produced to help us fix the problems they built. It would often say to "substitute a known good part" as a diag step and clarified the comment with "new doesn't mean good, new means new". I will agree that defective parts are way more common now. I've seen "made in China" printed on boxes from Ford, Raybestos, Napa, A/C Delco, Dorman, Edelbrock, and several other formerly good brands.

 

[PetroleumJunkie412]

I have some parts for an original 6v car.
Many people convert to 12v.

PM sent. Thank you!!!

 

[b1pig]

When I was a kid, we pretty much drove junk. Its all we had, so we kept them running, often with junk yard parts. We once had a Nissan Sentra that screwed 3rd & 4th synchros in it. My dad found a 5spd transaxle for $100.... cheaper than the cost of the synchros at the time. We figured we'd have an upgrade since our car had a 4spd.... Well... it would kick out of 5th. LOL.... but at least we had 4 solid gears. Lasted the rest of that car's life. Honestly we rarely had to return new parts. Even the reman stuff like starters and alternators that we would get. Over the years mainly though my job where we see many cars rack thousands of miles... "new" crap doesn't work like it's supposed to all too often.

I'll buy most of my warranty concern parts from a local Auto Zone. Mainly because I've interacted with the employees for years. They know me. Anything that might be a warranty part, I buy there because like it's been said... "new" crap seems to fail all the time right out of the box these days. Fiddly stuff like trim clips, trim pieces, "wear parts" that won't be covered under a warranty... I buy online most of the time. I still like being able to examine the parts with my eyes and hands. There are still times when a listed part isn't the right part. Granted I don't have a FrankenJeep anymore, so its not as difficult anymore.

At work, I've driven numerous vehicles over the years. I was taken kicking and out of a 2017 Charger and shoved into a 2016 Tahoe. I've had it in the shop 7 times for a multitude of issues since July. It consumes no less than 2 quarts of oil between oil changes... but Chevy claims it's fine. I call it the 2-stroke Chevy.

 

[19Walt93]

Last spring I needed a breaker plate for the distributor in the 70 Mach I Cobra Jet my former employer brought to me. I was surprised that Rock auto had one and ordered it, only to find that it was made in China and the pivot pin was poorly staked in place and loose. I returned it. The Napa online site showed one with made in U.S.A. stamped on it so I ordered one of theirs. It was the same Chinese P.O.S. I got from Rock. I restaked the pivot pin to tighten it up and installed it. Two weeks later I drove out to his house because the car wouldn't start and found the pin had loosened up and closed the points. I opened them up so it would run temporarily and found a NOS Ford plate still in the box at Carlisle. It's a shame that a new Chinese part is so inferior to a 40+ year old Ford part. It must be a coincidence that the NOS part was made in U.S.A. because magazines like Consumer Reports will tell you how much better the foreign crap is.

 

[RonD]

Not defending cheaply made parts, but......................

Unless the writing on the box it came in was in Chinese then a Company sent the specs to a factory, the factory made prototypes that were approved, then made the part, and shipped over the parts in boxes, which were sampled and approved for sale.