----- Original Message ----- From: "van Hoy" <vanhilla@xxxxxxxxxxxx> To: "Harry Doody" <doodyha.fay@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> Sent: Sunday, May 27, 2001 2:29 PM Subject: Re: [FWDLK] Front shocks for 57/58 Plymouth | I think a lot of finding parts has to do with the parts | people using their head and their books to find parts | instead of their computers. Plus a lot of them are still in | the acne-fighting stage of life and it's just easier to say | "no" and get rid of you. | | Unfortunately our good local NAPA merged with our bad local | NAPA and the quality is hugely inferior to before. Where | the attitude used to be that of a challenge, now it's how to | get rid of you the fastest. Oh well, the new store is nice | and clean. | | It's not just old stuff. When I went in for n add-on | headlight warning buzzer for my wife's car the clerk looked | on their computer and said they didn't have one. Then she | looked through her books, obviously in the wrong places, and | said the same thing. Only when I insisted did one of the | older clerks go over to a shelf and grab one. A $7 part, | not much profit, but important to me. | | I would bet that every one of those stores Harry shopped at | could have gotten his shocks if they'd tried. | | --Roger van Hoy, '55DeSoto, '42DeSoto, '66Plymouth, | '73Duster, '81 Imperial, Washougal, WA | | | ----- Original Message ----- | From: "Harry Doody" <doodyha.fay@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> | To: <L-FORWARDLOOK@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> | Sent: Sunday, May 27, 2001 1:51 PM | Subject: [FWDLK] Front shocks for 57/58 Plymouth | | | | I have had my 57 Plymouth Savoy in driving condition for | about a year now | | and the more I drive it the more I find to fix or replace. | | | | The latest quest has been front shocks. To say the least | the original 1957 | | shocks do not perform up to standards so I began my search | for new front | | shocks. I first checked with the local Pep Boys where I | have found many | | parts for my 57 Plymouth. Much to my surprise the | salesmen who had helped | | me in the past said that Pep Boys had closed down their | special order | | program. The interesting thing was I found the front | shocks listed in their | | shock parts book - it listed a Gabriel Pro Ryder #82072 | but he said he could | | not order them. I then went to Advance Auto and the sale | person there spent | | much time trying but he too could not get the shocks. | Next stop was NAPA | | here again the sales person spent some time with me but | could not find the | | correct shock for my 57 Plymouth. I had given up and was | on my way home to | | check the Whitney catalog when I saw an Auto Zone so I | stopped. A young man | | could not believe what I was looking for and did not think | he could help but | | when he put it in the computer up came the Gabriel #82072 | front shock. | | Needless to say I ordered them and should have them by | next Tuesday 29 May | | 01. | | | | I would like to note that each store used their computers | and only Auto Zone | | listed a shock for the 57 Plymouth. I also discovered the | same front shock | | was used for years 57 to 61 and the Dodge Dart up to 61 | used the same shock | | (info provided by NAPA). | | | | I am still surprised at how many parts are still available | for our Forward | | Look car from the parts stores. When I got home I also | checked in the | | Whitney catalog and found the shocks were listed but at | twice the price I | | paid at Auto Zone with no shipping costs. | | | | Harry in NC | | 57 Plymouth | | 58 Plymouth (work in progress) | | | |