I age a few years every time I enter an auto parts store these days. I ask about parts and the clerks stare blankly back at me. I was shocked at how many didn’t know what a center pin was or have any idea what a condenser for a distributor does. They (Oreilly’s in this case) don’t even stock fuel filters in the general area of the store … you have to explain what vehicle you have (of course, I’m preaching to the choir, but still, it is frustrating).
That’s one reason why on Friday Ann and I drove down the hill from my parents to visit a store called Old Car Parts Northwest. Several months ago I discovered it on Craigslist, then emailed, asking if they had Willys parts. The answer was that they had some NOS parts. I hadn’t had time to get there until Friday, so off we went. It’s hidden in an industrial section of Southwest Renton and there’s no sign hanging over the shop indicating it’s there. I could see through the glass on the outside that a few lights were on, so I wasn’t sure the place was even open. But, the door was unlocked, so I stepped in the door.
There wasn’t anyone to greet me, so I looked around at all the parts … carbs on tables, parts hanging from a wall, parts everywhere! It looks much bigger on the inside than I expected. After about a minute, someone finally came to say hello. I have since forgotten his name (I’m so bad with names), and he seemed more curious about why I was there than asking if I was looking for a part.
After explaining that I was just seeing what he had, he took me on a short tour. He explained most of the stuff was all NOS parts or rebuilt parts such as water pumps using original equipment. The owner of the place buys parts for a hobby and has amassed a large amount. The age of parts ranged from 1920s to modern day stuff. He told me the place had been opened for about eight months and they were still unloading and organizing parts. He took me to one location where there was a row of 1930s Willys Overland parts. While there, he pointed out some NOS water pump rebuilt kits for a jeep. I took a close look and explained that the pumps weren’t just for any jeep, they were 1941 Willys MA water pump rebuild kits!!
There were NOS carbs in their original box, such as a YF 951. There were 6 volt and 12 volt generators, regulators, and distributor parts. They also have original Timken bearings. He explained that a friend of his used to work at Timken and that you can tell the difference between made in the US Timken bearings by the stamp. If it says “Timken USA” it’s likely out of China, while “Made in the USA” stamped bearings are made in the US.
After exploring the place, I said I’d let readers know about it. I figured there just might be some hard t find jeep parts there. When i returned home I got online to check out their website. I learned that their online database is not very organized yet, but after playing around, I found the following NOS items for an FC-150:
It was definitely a cool place and there wasn’t a computer in sight!
