[quote=NumberDummy;6051969]

When I asked him whether he had a Bronco, or a Bronco II, he replied..

"It's a FULL SIZED Bronco, not a Bronco in training!"

Good answer!quote]


Good one, gotta remember that!

 

I say good for you!

It's always great to find an auto parts store where there's an employee or two who know what is up and are willing to help.

edit: To some of you guys - when you have customized your car IMO it falls on you to tell the parts guy an appropriate "look up" car. When getting parts for my '83s custom EFI motor I asked for '93 Cobra parts, for instance. This did involve me spending the time to figure out the correct engine code as well for that car. Do you really expect a parts guy at $8 an hour to remember every single option/car ever produced? Should he have time to listen to your story about how you customized the car? Not in my opinion.

 

A good parts man is worth his weight in gold. I gave up on O'reilly's with their junk parts and STUPID parts people. I have since become good friends with the manager of my local advance auto parts. I think he is smarter than I am, his only downfall is that he is a chevy guy- but I forgive him. I have called on numerous occasions for help with diagnosis and he puts me on the right track. This guy is so good that the "big wigs" of the company visit his store often and the use his store for as an example to other stores quite often. He runs one of the best stores in the country, and I haven't met any one yet who does not like him. (I'd probably punch them in the mouth if I heard anyone say anything bad about him) Smitty often goes above and beyond what is expected and it shows. We have become good enough friends that we have even took off and went halfway across the state of MO with my wife and some of our friends to go ride our 4 wheelers, and he has offerered many times to rejet my carb on mine for free. Now if I could only find the time...... If anyone ever has a problem anywhere near Kansas City I would highly recommend him. If he can't help, he'll find someone who can. I am glad to hear that there are parts people who know more than just typing in a computer. My general rule of thumb is this- If I go for parts for the 65, and they go to the computer, I ask for someone else, or go somewhere else.

 

When ppl do swaps, it's a very good idea to write down where the parts came from.

Otherwise it's a PITA for the parts guy to know what the parts are for, and some owners don't remember diddly-squat.

Something else some ppl (especially here on FTE) don't remember to do when asking parts or mechanical questions.

They must assume we're all mindreaders, because they fail mention anything regarding what the heck they're working on.

THE PARTSMAN'S LAMENT

I work behind the counter, in an automotive store.

Sometimes I'm called a genius, sometimes I'm called much more.

I'm supposed to know the numbers, of bolts, nuts and gears...

...for every vehicle that was ever made for more than 70 years.

But life would be much easier, and I'd grin from ear to ear...

...If the customer would only tell me...

...THE MAKE, MODEL AND YEAR!

The size of the engine, type of transmission should be posted, too.
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8 bucks an hour? EIGHT?

No wonder parts ppl are hard to find today. Who'd wanna work for that wage?

What kinda help is someone expecting by paying that wage?

I was making 7 + grand a month, when forced to retire from disabilities in 1997.

 

Well either way I am just happy to be able to have a little more $$$ comng in and maybe a few more connections. Not much but it does help with what I found out I will be paying county taxes in SD with the new house.

And the Mustang II is actually what I refer to as a "Pintang".

And FYI O'Riely's and Kragen are merging to form another megachain. So now it will be "Checker, Schukers, Kragen, Murphy, & O'Riely Corporation" and rearranged to be MOCKS or SCKOM. I'll leave it to you guys to decide.

I would rather be refered to as "Number Harley" or "Air Dummy" LOL

Speaking of parts and what not. I had to inform the guys about the part #'s for the front drums on the 65-67 F-100's. They looked at me funny as their eyes glazed over and I have requested the computer catalog be updated to remove or purchase the right damn part for resale...

 

As far as the FLAPS go, in my opinion nobody beats NAPA.
The guys there, for the most part, know what they're talking about. Every once in a while I get stuck dealing with some stupid kid, but not too often.

My worst experience was trying to buy a generic windshield washer pump for my 78 VW Bug. For those who don't know, the washer fluid in those cars was actually pumped using air from the spare tire, and I wanted to convert it to electric because the original system didn't work.

I explained what I wanted to the idiot kid, and he kept saying "we don't have that part for that car." I explained to him that I just needed their generic pump (which I knew they carried). He then responded with "you should try a VW dealer, they might have your part."

THE FREAKING PART DOESN'T EXIST FOR THAT CAR. IT NEVER DID. I'M ADDING IT. SELL ME THE PUMP!

I understand that the onus is on the customer to provide as much info as possible, and normally I'm patient because I have old, unusual cars, but the onus on the vendor should also be to LISTEN to what the customer is trying to say.

I have to say though, I had a really nice experience the other day at a Checker (which is unusual - they're normally the worst). I was looking for a cheap car stereo to put in a boat, and they were supposed to have 2 on closeout. The manager couldn't find it, but since their inventory showed they had it, he said "well, it's not your fault our inventory is wrong - I'll just sell you the $90 model for the closeout price (which was $26)." That was really cool of him to do.

 

D4TZ-8501-H .. Waterpump (Motorcraft PW-138)

Replaces: D0AZ-8501-D & C5AZ-8501-G

Fits: All FE engines 1965/76.
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C4AZ-8501-B .. Waterpump

Fits: all 1963/64 FE engines.
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B9AZ-8501-A .. Waterpump

Fits: all 1958/62 FE engines.

Now y'all now what pump fits what.
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Checkers, Kragen & etc.

My BIL is VP/Corporate attorney of this conglomerate.

He knows about as much about vehicles as a mule knows about tap dancing!

 

Yeah the 352 in a 65 has been known about for years. It takes a miracle to reprogram the system; ie... losts of $$$ since that is a hard point in the logistics program unlike the provisioned parts, aka water pump.

 

The same FE waterpump fits ALL 1965/76 CARS & trucks: 352/360/390/410/427/428.

Part number: Motorcraft = PW-138 / 1965/76.

Any gypo (sorry Mark) autoparts store can cross the Motorcraft p/n over to the brands they sell.

FTE'ers: Record the M/C part number, you never know when you might need one...if you snooze, you lose.

 

I keep a three ring binder for each car and write down the parts that I've put in there. After a few years it's really easy to forget. And if you ever sell the car it's very helpful to the next guy.

 

I used the water pump as a generic 'common' part example...since we all know the FE is a totally different pup then the Y block predecesor...
The issue of a 65 292 truck vs a 65 352 truck I ran into when I went thru fuelpump hell last year which Im sure ND recalls well...Thank God these trucks are almost kissing cousins with the 66's...



I am gonna be needing a water pump soon though as my OE one has started to weep...has anyone ever rebuilt or popped the rear cover off of theirs to see if they are servicable by a mechanically inclined owner ???





As for the CSK buying or being bought...ughhhhhhh...


As to the younger parts kids...when I go shopping and I see a younger kid or a newbie, I pourposely go to them as A, I have patience, B, I wanna help them learn the ropes w/o a po'ed customer in front of them. and C get an appreciation unlike no other for an appreciative customer with patience.
Ive gotten more po'ed going to a wrecking yard and a counter guy not knowing one rig from another...especially the year of it...
I like CarQuest or NAPA too...chucks is a last resort...unless its something like oil or stuff like that


- cs65

 

Speaking of Broncos....I used to own a '78, and could tell right off if the guy behind the counter knew his stuff. Ask for a Bronco part, and if they ask you if its 4WD, your in trouble. Ever heard of a 2WD Bronco?

 

Sure.

The Bronco in training version aka the Bronco II...some came with 2WD.