Restoring a classic car takes time and patience especially when it comes to certain parts for vintage cars. Sometimes it seems that you are on a treasure hunt for some pieces of your favorite car; so we have put together an outline to help you search for classic car or truck parts sources.
It might seem impossible sometimes to track down a rare part for your classic car or truck. There are people that have searched for years before finding their elusive part. Restoring a classic car can often present a lot of challenges, finding a replacement part should not be one of them.
We often encourage customers to choose a car that has plenty of replacement parts available. There are lists out there as well as sources to determine the most popular vintage cars. If you already have your classic and are looking for hard-to-find parts, here is a list of places to look when searching.
Where We Source Our Parts
The first places we typically turn to for parts are the major supply houses like OPGI and NPG for American classic cars. They both have been at this a long time and know where to turn if they do not have the part in stock themselves. For European classic car parts, we have turn to Europa Parts. There are quite a few suppliers now on the market depending on the make and model of your car. Even generic suppliers like carparts.com and rockauto.com can carry many parts for older cars.
Part Stores
With all the online shopping available it might be hard to believe but classic car part stores still exist. These specialty stores are also going to have knowledgeable staff that can help guide you in the right direction if they do not have the part you need. We suggest making a phone call first to see if they carry what you need. It can save you a trip.
Aftermarket Manufacturers
There are plenty of companies out there that sell knock off replacement parts for classic cars and trucks. The problem sometimes comes down to quality. These parts are sometimes made with less desirable materials and quality than the originals. If you think you can get away with an aftermarket part without compromising the build, then we say go for it. If it must be all original, then keep looking.
Wrecking Services and Salvage Yards
Both businesses are an excellent source for finding parts locally. These guys are usually aware of what parts are hard to find or valuable and will have pulled them for resale well before the car reaches the junkyard. Making a few phone calls can yield you the part you are looking for. Situations arise however where you may need to grab your tools and head to the salvage yard yourself to hunt for the part that you need. The challenge with this is that you better know what you are looking for and be able to evaluate the part’s condition. If you have any reluctance, you are better off leaving this to the professionals. OldRide.com has a great list of salvage yards across America that offer parts for classic cars and trucks.
Online Dealers and Auctions
Our final and most obvious resource is the Internet. A quick Google search for the part you need, and chances are you will find a website or two that are selling it. Our biggest problem with shopping online is that parts tend to be the more expensive. We are also leery about the quality. Before you buy anything online, make sure the website has a good return policy in case what arrives is not what you expected. If you do not have a huge budget and are not pressed for time, we suggest exhausting the options above before searching online. You are likely to get a better deal and learn a thing or two from your fellow enthusiasts and other classic car restoration professionals.
Car Clubs, Shows and Swap Meets
One of the best places to find parts yourself is at shows, car club events and classic car swap meets where all the classic car enthusiasts gather. You just might run into another collector with the same car who might know where to find or even have the part you are looking for. If you have no luck at the car show, you will have better luck at the swap meet. These traveling car part bazaars are full of knowledgeable car guys and hard to find parts. Swap meet vendors are not going to bring along a part that can be easily found online. They usually have the rare stuff or at least know where to find it.
Social Media Sites
Another avenue to locate parts is even on social media sites Like Facebook/Meta as well as some car club groups maintain their own web pages. These sites often have people both looking for as well as selling parts. These are also a source to obtain information from other hobbyists that can direct you to places where you can find the parts you need.
Finally
Searching for classic car parts has gotten easier over the years as more aftermarket companies are producing parts as well as the internet is a vast source of information to direct your effort to the correct part location. It takes time and patience, but for those who are diligent the reward of finding elusive part is quite rewarding.
