Let's all go junkin' !!!

[nuch_ss396]

For all of us trying to restore our beloved cars back to
the way they came ( from the factory ), we are now being
hit with another whole round of insanity - HARDWARE !

Take a look at these few items I have been following on
ePay:


This little intake manifold stud cost $127.28



This original upper alternator adjusting bolt setup cost $212.49



This prize of valve cover bolts cost $406.00


These Muncie transmission mounting bolts cost $127.50


Now, conversly, these little gems didn't seem so bad:

Transmission to crossmember mounting hardware for $41.95


Transmission mount to tail shaft mounting hardware for $36.95


And lastly, how about an original SHP throttle arm for $225.00


Who said that the little things in life didn't matter !

I may have to consider spending Saturdays in local junkyards
looking for these original hardware pieces. The $$ being spent
here border on the insane. One of the few remaining things
I needed to get for my restoration were original hardware.
I put those off because the cost wasn't that big of an issue - THEN.
Wish I had jumped the gun on this one......

Steve

[nuch_ss396]

This all gets me think about eBay as a company.

Does anyone want to wager a bet that eBay saw this coming.
Could they have been that smart? Or just dump luck??

A short time ago, you couldn't give this stuff away. How
many of you ( like me ) have, or had, boxes of original
hardware just lying around getting rusty? Wish I had kept
mine........

Steve

[3macs1]

Steve this was discussed also on the impala site and it was interesting. Here is the trend.
http://members5.boardhost.com/impala...164685573.html

[427TJ]

It's not eBay's fault. We're the ones who tossed all those factory parts in the trash back in the day and now we're the ones who demand that our cars have all the factory parts in place. EBay and eBay sellers are just capitalizing on our own behavior.

[CamarosRus]

www.amkproducts.com has EXCELLENT replacement hardware. It would be great to hear from SCW or NOS Restos how they address the hardware/fastener situation. I myself have been restoring/replating my own MANGANESE Phosphate parts for several years.....

[nuch_ss396]

Chuck,

I agree about AMK. However, when you are as anal about
original hardware as I am, it doesn't leave you much wiggle
room. Case in point would be the original bolts that were
used to attach the brake backing plates to the rear axle tubes.

Those were peculiar and are all but impossible to find
aftermarket. I have looked long and hard but come up dry
on those. Only possible solution is a doner car from the
southwest ( no rust ). Haven't found that one yet.

Later cars have different head markings. Hence the problem.

Steve

[Tarrytown SS427s]

Has enybody besides me seen differnt hardware from cars built at different factories? I have several unrestored 68 Impalas, mostly east coast, but one from California. When I look at the original hardware, the head markings are different. All the east coast cars say RBW on some things and the same parts on the California one are not RBW.
Steve

[nuch_ss396]

[ QUOTE ]
It's not eBay's fault. We're the ones who tossed all those factory parts in the trash back in the day and now we're the ones who demand that our cars have all the factory parts in place. EBay and eBay sellers are just capitalizing on our own behavior.

[/ QUOTE ]

Bill,

I'm not blaming eBay for anything. They have just become
the vehicle to our financial demise.

Seriously, my comments here are more about the whole nature
of those of us that tossed this stuff, and those of us that
saved it all. Did others see this trend coming, or just
get lucky. Think about the ZL-1 block in another topic here.
Someone had insight enough to save a "broken" block and one
day it was re-united with the original car. Was is insight,
or sentimental value, or..........

Steve

[427TJ]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
It's not eBay's fault. We're the ones who tossed all those factory parts in the trash back in the day and now we're the ones who demand that our cars have all the factory parts in place. EBay and eBay sellers are just capitalizing on our own behavior.

[/ QUOTE ]

Bill,

I'm not blaming eBay for anything. They have just become
the vehicle to our financial demise.

Seriously, my comments here are more about the whole nature
of those of us that tossed this stuff, and those of us that
saved it all. Did others see this trend coming, or just
get lucky. Think about the ZL-1 block in another topic here.
Someone had insight enough to save a "broken" block and one
day it was re-united with the original car. Was is insight,
or sentimental value, or..........

Steve

[/ QUOTE ]

Roger that. I think of some of the parts I tossed in the scrap pile 25 years ago and I just shake my head. The smart guys in those days just put parts in their attics and the many more of us just tossed stuff. 1975: Off comes the dual-snorkle LS-6 air cleaner and on goes the gold anodized velocity stack. 2006: $3,000 for a dual snorkle LS-6 air cleaner on eBay.

I wonder what's getting tossed off of ZO-6 Vettes and new GT-500s these days???

[njsteve]

Back about 15 years ago you wouldn't have imagined what the Dodge boys were "throwing out." We would receive a crate or two every few weeks from Team Viper when we were building the Project Pit Viper for the magazine back then. Dont know why I've been keeping the car and the rest of this stuff so long. Oh well, they dont take up much room and the Viper makes for a great work bench out in the garage. I guess I'll hold them another 10 years or so til they start restoring these cars and they need the original parts. I can always put them ebay with a starting date of 2012




How about an NOS rear differential? Actually, it wasn't NOS back then, It was just plain NS (New Stock)



Or piles of 92 and 93 factory exhaust systems, including one of the prototype non-catalytic sets from the 1992 Viper Indy 500 Pace Car Program (manufactured by Walker). Just imagine if this was a pile of chambered exhaust sets from '69. I could retire!




Or a few sets of rims and tires like this 1992 zero mile set on the right: