| 400 4spd. |
08-29-2022 07:07 PM |
This topic made me take a look at something. I've ordered over $4900 in car parts from 24 various vendors this month. Last month was worse. What I've learned from this situation is to shop more locally, and to check with the smaller Mom and Pop vendors who might have what you need sitting on the shelf, vs. the big boys like Summit and Jegs that everyone looks to. I start with them myself just for savings on shipping.
Case in point, I needed to order a quarter panel (AMD) for a car, so I check that site, out of stock. Same with Summit. Call AMD, "next year" I'm told. So then I started calling the little guy vendors, and sure enough one of them had one in stock. Same with needing a flex plate for a 429 Cadillac engine. Last week Summit showed to have one for less than $200 and turns out it fits great, behind a small block Chevy. Found the right one at an obscure Caddy shop in SoCal. $450 later, it's mine. It arrived today.
A couple of months ago I asked my paint jobber to mix a gallon of metallic blue base for me in Deltron. The main toner of blue required was not available through the ware house. A couple of phone calls later, they find out it is one of the toners that PPG corporation has run out of! They are behind on getting the raw materials to produce it. I make a couple of calls and an auto parts friend is able to locate what I need in a store about 40 miles from me. He gives me the phone number of a regional sales rep who has met me, and he calls a store in the next county (20 min. away) to ask them to do a store transfer. A couple of days later I go there and buy the toner. I take that to my jobber, they buy it from me then use what is needed to blend into my final color. I pay for my gallon of blue, and I'm set.
My point is this. Get creative, ask for leads if you have to. Most parts sales people don't seem to mind suggesting alternatives if they are out of stock on something.
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