Classic Car Spare Parts: Where to Look?
One of the biggest disadvantages of owning a classic car is that finding spare parts for your precious old-timer can prove to be an impossible task. The flip side to that is that classic car owners stick together, and there are many communities to join and places to check in order to find the parts you need. Chimera Motors, the leading classic car service in Orange County, has years of experience in classic car restoration and when looking for spare parts for a rare old-timer, here are the places we suggest you check out first:
Specialized Magazines
The word on the street is that the internet is slowly killing printed journalism. Still there are a lot of people who appreciate the smell of freshly printed paper and flipping the pages rather than swiping through articles. But Classic Car magazines offer more than interesting articles. They are a great place to look for both new and used spare parts for your old-timer.
Online Communities
If looking for spare parts on the internet, our first suggestion would be to join an online community of fellow classic car enthusiasts. Enter your classic car’s model and year and add the word “forum” and there are bound to be pages upon pages of results. Some of these places might just hold the key to finding the parts you need. Many classic car restoration experts are members of these forums as well, which means that you could find the spare parts you need and get expert tips on everything from classic car storage to restoration and other useful advice.
Car Shows and Clubs
If you prefer looking for spare parts in person, where better to go than the place where fellow classic car lovers gather. A fellow enthusiast might just have the same model and the parts you need to spare. These carnivals are your safest bet if you are looking for an extremely rare part for your old-timer.
Specialty Stores
While the internet has an answer for everything, some people still prefer the face-to-face communication with an expert. If you are one of those people, maybe you should turn to the nearest classic car parts store. These stores have a fairly decent collection of spare parts for all the most popular models and friendly and expert staff ready to help in whatever way they can.
3D Printing
We already discussed how 3D printing has the potential to revolutionize classic car restoration and repair. With the help of these incredible devices you can make a backup copy of every part of your classic car and print it should you ever lose it. Furthermore, these copies can be shared, meaning that someone out there probably has the scans of the part you need. And with classic car repair companies adding 3D printing into their arsenal, you can expect the technology to be fairly accessible in the near future.
Salvage Yards
These places are great to look for spare parts, since the people who work there often take out the parts in highest demand before processing the rest. If you choose this route however, be prepared to get your tools and do the part extraction yourself as well.
Online
Finally, the most obvious choice is the internet. Today, everything you need is just a Google search away and classic car parts are no different. You can find many online auctions, specialized web stores and other places that might just have the thing you need. However, since you have no way of knowing the condition of the parts you are ordering, or even if they are the real deal, be careful who you do business with. Always check the reviews of other customers either on site or through various portals such as the Better Business Bureau. On top of that, depending on the location of the seller the shipping times may be very long, so if you are in a hurry, you’d better explore some of the other options listed above.
