Tips & Tricks To Find Parts For Your Classic Chevrolet
Chevrolet began in 1911 as a partnership between former GM boss William Durant and Swiss race driver Louis Chevrolet. At the time, there were 270 American car brands in the United States, and Chevrolet is one of only four that still exists (Buick, Cadillac, and Ford are the others). Chevy has produced more than 200 million vehicles since then, including every generation of the Corvette, the indestructible C-series of pickups, and the Suburban SUV, which has been in constant production since 1935. If you have one of these classic Chevys — or a Bel Air or El Camino — at some point you have had to hunt down parts to keep it running.
While it's fun to baffle the youngster behind the counter at your local parts chain store with a request for points and a condenser for a 1967 Camaro, more often than not you want to get your issue resolved quickly and get back to cruising. Here are a few 21st-century methods to help hunt down parts for vehicles that came off the dealer's lot long before there was an internet on which to shop.
Rock Auto
In terms of selection, there is likely no better source for new auto parts than RockAuto.com. The Madison, Wisconsin-based vendor has a comprehensive catalog of aftermarket parts from well-known manufacturers like AC Delco, Bendix, Carter, Delphi, and more. You can get parts for Chevrolet models as old as the 1915 490, one of the models Chevy fans should know about. RockAuto offers overnight shipping on many parts and has a 30-day return policy on all purchases except fluids that have been opened.
RockAuto also honors the manufacturer's warranty period on all parts it sells, including limited lifetime warranties on certain parts from AC Delco, Airtex, Bilstein, and Bosch. I have been working on my own vehicles since I was a teenager, and over the last 20 years have come to trust RockAuto for nearly all of my parts needs. I particularly appreciate the wide selection of brands for many parts and have spent thousands of dollars on its website without ever being sent the wrong item.
Car-part.com
Although RockAuto has a comprehensive selection of tens of thousands of parts, it doesn't carry many complete exterior body panels or original Chevrolet parts. Sometimes, you need to source used parts (not to mention old car and truck bodies) from a salvage yard, and for those moments, car-part.com is an invaluable online tool. The site has a searchable index of more than 15,000 salvage yards across the United States and Canada and can help you find just about any part for models stretching back to Chevy's earliest years.
Car-part.com advertises its site as having more than 200 million parts in its catalog, about one for every Chevrolet sold in the brand's long history. Parts are graded according to condition, and a large percentage of them are listed with photos. Many of the salvage yards with listings here will ship parts to you, but some of their inventories can get outdated, so make sure to call and verify that a part is available before you take a long drive to pick up a trunk lid, convertible top frame, or chrome bumper.
Swap meets
Swap meets can be a treasure trove for hard-to-find parts, not to mention a fantastic place to get advice on upgrading, tuning, and loving your classic Chevrolet. If you have spare parts of your own, you can even help supplement your project budget or fill your gas tank by unloading some of them, in the process helping out another Chevy owner.
These events are regularly held across the country, and with the warm weather on the way for most of North America and Europe, it's about to be peak season for car shows and swap meets. A quick internet search should reveal meets and shows happening near you in the fast-approaching spring and summer months, so be sure to load up your truck or trailer with anything you are ready to part with, and hit the ATM before you head out. Be warned, you could find yourself hauling home another project Chevy, so be sure to clear some space in your garage or yard before you leave.
Local car clubs
Another fantastic way to meet fellow classic Chevy owners and source parts for your car or truck is through local car clubs, particularly chapters of the Vintage Chevrolet Club of America. The organization was founded in 1961, and its website has an index of dozens of Chevrolet clubs across the United States and Canada, along with a calendar of club events and an online store with club merchandise. The club also publishes a magazine, "The Generator & Distributor," which is included with many membership packages. Memberships start as low as $5 per year for an online-only plan for Chevy enthusiasts ages 18-25, and a three-year membership with the magazine subscription can be purchased for as little as $117.
Jim Karras, who has served on the VCCA's national Board of Directors for more than a dozen years, hosts a YouTube podcast called "VCCA Spotlight" and serves as webmaster and social media coordinator for the organization. The site also has an online forum where you can buy and sell parts, get tech tips, or just get to know other classic Chevy owners.
Facebook groups
Facebook groups are the online version of local car clubs and swap meets and are a great source for parts and advice. The VCCA has its own FB group with 5,000 members. The VCCA's group is not for buying or selling parts but is still a good way to network with other Chevy owners who can direct you to good sources for new old stock, aftermarket, and used parts.
There are, however, many Facebook groups dedicated to the buying, selling, and swapping of vintage Chevy parts. One group focused on 1958-64 Impala parts has more than 30,000 members, a group called "Classic Chevy Trucks 1967 to 1972" has 23,000 members, and a group dedicated to the iconic '57 Chevy has 87,700 members as of this writing. Perhaps the largest classic Chevy Facebook group is the "All Chevy Muscle Swap Meet Buy & Sell" group, which currently has more than 150,000 members.