How do you handle this question?

[StudebakerGeorge]

The ghost I have now (I have had them all my adult life) was brought home as a small puppy in my 62 Daytona. About a hundred eighty miles. Got him from another SDC member.
Studebaker George

StudebakerGeorge

[casey]

I've got to say I sympathize completely with Vegas Paul. It completely burns my britches that these kids won't take a minute to learn anything as long as they can go punch through a bunch of computer menus. And if it isn't in the computer they just throw up their hands.

Last week I wanted to find a piece of 1" heater hose that had the 90 degree angle molded in. This is the little piece that goes from heater control valve to heater core on my Champ PU. Now I know that Gates still makes pieces like that. And I know that probably somewhere back behind the counter at the parts store they have a lot of different heater hose pieces, and they probably have one like that. So I go in the parts store and the kid says "What kind of car is it for?". And I say "Don't worry what kind of car it's for, just go back and see if you've got a piece like that". And the kid just stands there, completely dumb founded. And he will not budge from the computer. Simply will not go back and look.

Back when I started this Stude hobby in the 70s I'd go to a parts store and the guys behind the counter enjoyed the challenge of being parts detectives. I'd go back with them behind the counter and we'd dig though shelves and boxes to find something 'that was close'. Those guys knew that with a Stude I'd have to settle for something that not completely like the original part. In their own way they were professionals at what they did. And it was fun for both of us.

So Paul, try saying this to the kid: "OK, today we're going to do something different. This will be a challenge. Listen to what I'm asking for, and forget about the computer, cause this car isn't in your computer. Are you up for a challenge today?"

[bondobilly]

I am lucky/forunate or whatever you want to call it. Three miles from my house is an old home built before WWII. It houses an auto parts store, and they throw nothing away. If I want something for my Hawk, such as a brake hose, fanbelt, or even at times some strange items, I walk in tell them what I am looking for. Either they cross reference it with old and I mean old parts books, or they look at the car and find something that will work. If they do not have it, but a substitute is available, they either order it, or or tell me to go to Auto Zone and ask for a 1983 Dodge gizmatchi. This place has photos hanging up that shows the house back in 1951 with a steam locomotive across the street pulling a string of NYC commuter coaches. BTW, the owner is a Power Seller on E-Bay selling car parts, specialiing in Chevy parts. They went as far as to make up a universal steering wheel puller for the and rented it to me for $5 a day.

We also have a large amount of NAPA Stores and Bridge Auto Parts, I ususally drive the car over, and somebody always comes out looks at it then offers up whatever part they think needed.

BG

[Magnum]

quote:Originally posted by casey

Try saying this to the kid: "OK, today we're going to do something different. This will be a challenge. Listen to what I'm asking for, and forget about the computer, cause this car isn't in your computer. Are you up for a challenge today?"

I tried this today at a little Carquest hole-in-the-wall in downtown Leavenworth, KS. I was hoping to find a wheel cylinder substitute for the corroded right-front from my '49 2R5 truck. The guy behind the counter brought out the parts book and we spent fifteen minutes looking at pictures and pulling parts from the shelf to see if we could find a workable match. We didn't, but I was pleased with the attempt.

Sigh, guess I'll have to order the $90 item from one of the Studebaker parts companies.

Mike

[showbizkid]

Hey Paul, is that indie parts store on North Main still there? You know, the one that used to be a Carroll's Drive-In? I seem to remember that being pretty good.


[img=left]http://members.cox.net/clarknovak/lark.gif[/img=left]

Clark in San Diego
'63 F2/Lark Standard
http://studeblogger.blogspot.com

[RONL]

AFTER NUMEROUS SIMILIAR INCIDENTS I HAPPENED TO ASK THE BOY AT THE COUNTER IF HE HAD ANY OF THE OLD BOOKS AROUND , HE WAS MORE THAN HAPPY TO GIVE EM UP , SOME WENT WAY BACK , THEY GATHER DUST + THESE KIDS GENERALLY DONT BOTHER W/EM. A LOT OF COMPANIES STILL GIVE OUT THEIR BOOKS TO VENDORS , I'VE EVEN GOTTEN THEIR NAMES + ADDRESSES + CALLED + WROTE THEM , GOT LOTS OF FREE STUFF , IT HAS HELPED + ONCE YOU HAVE IT YOU'LL ALWAYS LOOK THERE FIRST. YOU CANT CHOKE EM SO BE PATIENT

[jnormanh]

<<You go into a parts store (national chain with a pre-pubescent teenager working the counter) looking for a "non-Sudebaker specific item" For instance, brake hose for your converted-to-disc-brakes Stude, or a circuit breaker, light bulb, regulator (after you've converted to 12V neg.) or an air cleaner (after you've switched to dual carbs)...>>

If I understand correctly, you're going into a parts store to look for a non-standard part which YOU installed on your Studebaker. Is that right?

And some kid behind the counter doesn't know what you want, so you call him a b***ard.

How on earth could he possibly know what you want? He doesn't know what sort of non-original part you used.

More to the point, why don't YOU know what you want? After all it's YOU who installed that b***ard part on your Studebaker.

The one restored car I have kept for all these years is a '59 AH Sprite. It has wrong engine, wrong tranny, wrong clutch, wrong diff, wrong hydraulics, wrong brakes. If I need any of those parts, nobody other than me knows what I want. But I do know. I chose the parts, I bought them, I installed them.

Why don't you know what parts you used? If you did, then you could simply tell the parts guy - "I need an '88 Taurus front brake hose", or "I need a Bendix C227778 Caliper kit." You'd get your parts and be on your way.