Don't bother going to the local parts store on Sunday. Knowing the web inventories for chain stores, I found what I needed at two different chains. went to the first and said, "Where can I find Valve Grinding Compound?"
"We don't have that."
So I left.
When to the next and asked the same question.
"What's it for?"
"For grinding valves."
"PCV valves?"
"No, intake and exhaust valves."
"What's it called?"
"Valve grinding compound."
Asks the supervisor, the "no, we don't have that. "
"Really? Your site says the part number is xxxx."

The other thing I noticed was while hefting the head on my 300. As I lifted it I grunted. One of my very nice neighbors asked if I was okay or needed help. Were I 30 years younger, I would have been exhaling while lifting. But at my age, he seemed to think I was having a hernia.

 

The local Napa has a few guys who know stuff -- and some that don't. I usually look stuff up online and bring along name and every number that they might want -- usually works. Although the online inventories are sometimes wrong..

You probably remember that in the old days they had a counter full of parts books. I never liked it when the guy would only check one book and say "nope". Usually the guy that knew where to look in a half a dozen books would find it.

I also learned not to call around for prices -- you pretty much had to go in. If you called you usually got the cashier ( "the girl"). She'd holler some version of what you asked for and the parts guys would always say "don't got it".

hj

 

We had a guy that owned a parts store in my town that either had the part, knew what would work in it's place, or could get it the next day. I'm talking from medium duty International trucks to VWs.

He knew exactly which book to look in, the few times he needed to. One time I called late Saturday afternoon for a rear axle brake hose for a '62 BelAire station wagon. Nope, don't have that one. Take it off and bring it up. In three minutes he gave me one that worked. It was just about 1/4" shorter. Didn't matter, worked great.

Another time on a late Saturday afternoon, I called wanting two pushrods for a 390 HP. He told me to bring one in.

He looked at it, went down an isle. I saw him picking pushrods out of boxes and comparing them. In about three minutes he brought me two new identical pushrods.

He had isles full of parts stacked higher than he could reach. Once he knew what you wanted, he never had to walk up and down isles looking for it. He went straight there and got it.

He lived until his mid 90's, best I can remember. I know it was his 90's, and ran the store until just a year or two before he passed.

I knew him for many years, and miss him. He was a fun person, and one of the last great parts men.

 

I don't mind the new guy who doesn't know much. At one time or another we were all there. But how the new guy acts makes a ton of difference. I had a reasonably new guy who didn't know what didn't know exactly what windshield adhesive was, but he thought for a second, and asked me to follow him. He started out in the chemical isle, then the wiper isle, and then adhesives. He picked up a few, read the packages, put some back, THEN led me to the boss, described exactly what I was looking for, and asked which of the three products was right. In the end, it took 15 minute to get what I needed, but at least I GOT what I needed.