Are there parts suppliers on or near the west coast that sell QUALITY parts and are good people to do business with ?
Gene

 

Sure. Red-Head Steering outta WA state.

But help us out there by providing more clarity on your questions. We're not clairvoyant, ya know?

.....What parts are you looking for, what is your definition of "quality"?, and what do you mean "good people". People can be good but their business practices might suck monkey nuts.

 

Right now i'm looking for interior restoration parts for my 79 F-350 4x4 then some suspension rebuild parts. Quality parts, well it doesn't seem people here care for LMC parts and like Dennis Carpenter and Bronco Graveyard parts. I had an experience with Bronco Graveyard I didn't care for, I had ordered a door panel form them and after waiting 10 days for it to show up I called to see where it was and they told me it was back ordered, damm i'm glad I called, or they would have never told me anything. I canceled my order.
I don't mind paying more for a quality part.
Gene

 

I have been extremely happy with Summit Racing. They seem to have everything in-stock and they ship super fast. If it is back-ordered, they will tell you ASAP. Very professional and a quality run company in my opinion.

The brand of suspension parts is more important to me than perhaps the seller. Again, Summit is my go-to.

For other items, National Parts Depot. Their truck parts warehouse however are located back east so shipping takes a few days. Some items crossover from other lines so their Ventura, CA warehouse takes care of it.

Dennis Carpenter is fine but sometimes there are better prices elsewhere who sell their parts. Sometimes you order a part from LMC and it comes in a Dennis Carpenter bag. It depends. I stay away from LMC's exterior rubber and plastic parts.. it seems their rubber formulation isn't UV stable/resistant and it crumbles in as little as 24 months. For things that you should do only once like glass seals, opt for Dennis Carpenter's reproductions. LMC however has parts that few offer.... like clear turn signal lenses and model-specific headlight relay harnesses, and bumpers with integral driving or fog lights (I modified my own bumper).

I'll hit up Rock Auto every once in a while but their shipping costs are up there and they kinda take a long time. My first stop however is Summit Racing.

Here are some of the brands I tend to stick with or recommend include:
Rocky Mountain Suspension Products (North Carolina). Southern hospitality!
Moog for steering and suspension parts
Red-Head steering for steering gears (just got one and it is awesome).
Raybestos for brake parts
Autozone "Gold" line of products
SKF bearings
Dana-Spicer U-joints
Champion or Autolite spark plugs
Pertronix for spark plug wires & ignition modules
Edelbrock.. lots of engineering goes into their parts and customer support is very good.
Sanderson Headers ...very well made.
Rustoleum paint products

Here is a list of common vendors:
TABCO Inc.- US Made!Replacement Sheetmetal & Parts
Dennis Carpenter Ford Restoration Parts
National Parts Depot:Ford Truck Parts & Accessories | 1948-1979
MAC's Antique Auto Parts
Blue Oval Truck Parts
Jeff's Bronco Graveyard
LMC Truck - Ford Truck Parts and Truck Accessories
The Early Ford Store-San Dimas,CA
Truck & Car Shop (Orange, CA): 48-86 Ford Trucks, 66-86 Ford Bronco
C&G Early Ford Parts: 32-79 Ford Trucks (Escondido,CA)
Sacramento Vintage Ford
Flashback F-100s: 48-2008 Ford Truck Parts
Vintage Pickup Truck Parts & Restoration Resources Directory
Green Sales Company - Vintage NOS & OEM Parts

 

that's a nice list HIO...thanks

 

GeneGregory have you not went to the RED READ FIRST threads at the top of the forum?

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...l#post14955940

All sorts of answers to all sorts of questions.

 

Vintage Ford Pickup Trucks oughta get you started

 

Gene, the trick is to get a sense of who makes what and where the specialized and custom folks have their niche products. Some companies are better for some things, and others are just resellers. While there are some retailers out West, mail order or internet web based sales are the way to go.

Well I should say the real trick, is get a good parts manual and determine the correct Ford part #(s) they sometimes cover many many years or even decades, other parts are sometimes single year specific and difficult to find, expensive, or both. Plug the part # into the web based search engine and see what pops up. For some stuff, you'll spend FAR more time researching the correct part or assembly and locating one than actual installation.

The proper part #s are key, because nobody seems to be able to do their real job anymore, ya hafta do yours and theirs, kind of a little handholding if you will. Providing the part # and knowing exactly what's needed helps. Even if they have the part in stock it's vital that you know for sure that it will fit properly and work in your application. The internet is great, there are lots of NOS and used parts available but returning parts is a big hassle.

 

I use Rock Auto for alot of repair stuff. Shocks, brake parts, tune up parts, etc. The shipping can be bad at times, but I typically find it reasonable, and they are way cheaper than local chains, even with shipping.

Summit is really good. They are doing more repair parts now. Shipping is fast. Customer serviceis great. Shipping is very reasonable.

I will echo what folks say about LMC rubber parts. LMC has alot though; for example I bought everything needed for my windshield washer system, right down to the right screws.

Dennis Carpenter for rubber parts, and highquality reproductions. I have also bought alot of stuff from there that is actually NOS Ford stuff. For example the ball stud kit for my Bendix power steering.

I bought a transfer case rebuild kit off of Ebay, and the quality was awesome.

I shop everything though, and I hate junk parts.

 

Could you please provide a link to the transfer case rebuild kit ?