It's widely accepted that the internet saved the old car hobby. I, for one, vividly recall the days of pouring through classifieds in Hemming's and either calling or writing letters in search of parts for my Mopars. I often spent money for printed inventory lists of NOS parts. The internet and eBay changed all that and I truly believe that because of it there are many more old cars on the road today than there were 20 years ago.
The big weak link that has developed in the supply chain is the inability of the popular auto parts stores to meet our needs. Their mentality is if it ain't in the computer, it doesn't exist. I do believe that NAPA stores, however, are the last bastion of hope parts-store-wise. I have a couple of stores near me with workers behind the counter who are deft at cross-referencing parts numbers and, at the very least, point me in the right direction to locate what I need. A major tool in their arsenal remains their library of paper catalogs. Many times I've been able to delve deep into those pages and find a suitable bushing, spring, stud, bearing or whatever that is simply not retrievable going at it using a computer system programmed with the year/make/model/engine search method.
Here's a photo of the paper catalogs behind the counter of a NAPA I recently visited in Sacramento, CA. Let's all hope NAPA stays in business.
Dan in Seattle
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