Tips & Tricks For Finding Parts For Your Classic GM Vehicle
For many enthusiasts, restoring a classic vehicle is more than a hobby; it's a lifestyle. You need to consistently devote time to transforming the forgotten shell of a car or truck back into its former glory. Fortunately, if your vehicle has a reliable General Motors engine, you've got a great foundation upon which to build your restoration.
But transforming your GM vehicle from a jalopy to a driveway jewel calls for extensive amounts of elbow grease, and sourcing replacement parts can become nearly a full-time job in itself. Even though we exist in the information age, where the internet can fetch data in seconds, tracking down specific parts still presents a challenge.
Luckily, there are some resources available to help. Let's break down some tips and tricks to find parts for your classic Chevrolet or other vehicles using GM parts, including searching online, finding local car clubs, or heading to a car show.
GMParts.com
According to Forbes, GM parts are in high demand, with the GM parts facility sending out approximately 15,000 products a day. If you're a customer looking for these products, GMParts.com might be a good place to start. Overall, the site has some advantages along with a significant downside.
On the plus side, the site's search functionality and design are user-friendly, allowing you to quickly select the year, make, and model of your vehicle, along with its parts organized by category. The parts in this online store are all GM Genuine Parts, meaning they are reliably faithful to the original. Some products offer monthly, annual, or lifetime warranties, meaning you may be able to return these items from where you bought them free of charge or get replacement parts.
The largest disadvantage of this platform is that the oldest parts you'll find are from 1982. So, if you're working on a 1953 Buick Skylark or a 1947 GMC 150 pickup, for example, you won't find anything you need from GMParts.com.
ClassicIndustries.com
Ever wonder where your mechanic looks for parts outside the reach of the GM dealership? It might be a website like ClassicIndustries.com. Not only does this platform offer a wide range of products for various makes and models, but you can also download one of several free car catalogs that list the model-specific parts and accessories for any given restoration project. You can also have a physical copy of the catalog mailed to you.
This platform seems to be popular among customers. According to online watchdog Trustpilot, more than 37,000 reviews gave Classic Industries 4.4 out of 5 stars. "Many of the hard to find replacement parts for my '70 Road Runner are from Classic Industries," one reviewer wrote. "The parts are of good quality compared to others."
Classic Industries is a company that has been around for decades. It started back in the mid-'70s in Palm Springs, California. At the time, the company only specialized in niche parts. It still has a brick-and-mortar location in Southern California stocked with tons of classic GM vehicle parts but now also ships all sorts of parts around the country.
Join a club
One of the most effective methods for finding a new job is usually to network and use word-of-mouth to discover new opportunities. Similarly, finding specific parts for your classic GM vehicle can be more fruitful when you interact with other enthusiasts who might point you in the right direction. Whether a tip involves second-hand information or you're directed to another individual who might have a spare part, it could help your restoration.
One example is GMcarclubs.org, which offers several different groups to join based on your specific GM model. These groups are available in two forms: online and local. With an online group, you'll be interacting with others over the internet, but many of them also hold in-person events.
If an online club doesn't interest you, check out whether a local chapter meets regularly in a town or city near you. Either way, you can't go wrong meeting up with others who share a fondness for classic GM vehicles, regardless of whether it helps you locate and purchase difficult-to-find parts.
Car Shows
If you have exhausted other avenues and are hitting a wall in terms of finding the right parts, a car show may help. You may not find an event specific to GM, but locating some beautifully restored GM models parked in any car show should be easy.
Often, the owners of these vehicles are nearby and want to talk to attendees. Somewhere in these conversations, a tip might arise from someone who underwent a similar search and discovered where to find those uncommon parts. Since there are several unexpected uses for old car parts, you might be surprised how many people have them lying around in their garages.
A car show is also another opportunity to network not only with the owners of vehicles but also with other patrons. Starting a conversation with someone at a car show could help you find a local GM club meeting just down the street or other resources you weren't familiar with.