Antique & Classic Cars Blog

I’m sometimes asked if the annual Back to the 50s weekend is a good place to source parts, or is it just a show? (This year’s event occurs June 22 to 24.)

When it comes to finding cars and parts, there are two types of people: those who can find any part for any car, and people who don’t like to talk. Talk! Ask! Not being able to find the part you need has little to do with rarity and a lot more to do with not tapping available resources. The accumulated knowledge among the car owners at the Back to the ’50s show could fill the Library of Congress (maybe). Together, the people have chased parts from vendors and junkyards around the globe. If you have a hard-to-find part, ask someone with a car like yours. Go to the swap meet.

Talk to people! Your part is out there and the person you ask might just have an extra one taking up shelf space that could better go to something else. Don’t tell your loved ones and co-workers and buddies you can’t find it–tell the guy or gal with the car like yours you’d sure like to find a whatsit “like that one.” I told my buddy Tom Porter, owner of Adelmann Engine, I wanted a Smiths clock for my Triumph TR6. He said, “OK,” went to a shelf and handed me one from an Austin Healey. It’s positive ground, so I’ll have to work on it, but it has the right look and it’s gonna look sweet in my Olds-V-8 equipped British hot rod.
Ask, ask, ask…and you may receive. Finally, any time you call a wrecking yard that doesn’t have what you want, remember to ask, “do you know anybody who might carry something like that?” At least half the time, they do know somebody and that info can save you a lot of chasing around.

This entry was posted on Thursday, June 7th, 2007 at 3:47 pm and is filed under Back to the 50s, Car parts. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.