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Need to order parts. Who is your favorite vendor?

JohnC

Veteran Member
Senior Member
Need to order parts soon and was wondering who typically has the best deals? I probably use OPGI most but have a sense that people like NPD better. Is that true? Summit? Rockauto?

Do these places typically have any Black Friday discounts?

Need to get wiring harness, sound deadener, firewall insulation, etc.
Also want to get a basic 2.5 inch exhaust system. Any recommendations? Would like stainless and mandrel bends but not too picky. I have a Pypes system on my Grand National and was pleased with the quality.

Also, who makes the best weather stripping for a 67? I think the Softseal was pretty good in the past for the Chevelle but sucked badly on the GN.

Is Fatmat the best cheap sound deadener? I know people use Peal and Seal from the hardware store but I’d rather go with a dedicates sound deadener even if the hardware stuff is pretty much the same. Any idea how many Square feet are needed?

Thanks.
 
Nowadays you buy from whoever has it. NPD has a very large inventory and will pull from all of their warehouses, I have had good luck getting stuff from them. Ausleys also has a decent inventory. Hinshaws has a lighter inventory but if you need old used parts, he has a basement full of stuff.
 
John, on the exhaust, I had a local shop bend and install a custom on my 70. I bought the mufflers and collectors (Stainless) and took it to the shop. They ordered the 3" stainless pipe before I brought it in. All mandrel bends. They charged me $425 for a complete install and the 3" pipe. That was a year ago. Every exhaust I used in the past that was bought needed minor mods to fit or for what I wanted. Going with a local shop ensured I got what I wanted.


Mike
 
I am 90 minutes from Charlotte, NPD had the exhaust system for my car. I installed it and bluess454 adjusted it while he had it for body and paint. It fits perfectly but I am running a stock engine.
 
If Summit has it, I buy there first. I'll go to NPD next. For some obscure things I like GroundUp, otherwise I don't like them. I got screwed by OPGI many, many moons ago and will never cast a shadow on their doors. I know they're a manufacturer of some parts but you can't get it any cheaper from them directly.
 
GU will never get another dime from me, Summit, NPD, Ausley. IIRC I used SofSeal weather stripping and it's made in the USA but when I go to the shop I'll confirm since a bag is on the back seat of my car, Isn't OPGI about the most expensive place to buy parts that other vendors carry?
 
I love Summit, maybe because they are in Vegas and most everything I order I get within two days no matter what. I also like NPD.
 
For a wiring harness, AAW classic update series is the favorite unless it's a show car and needs originality.
I usually shop between Summit, OPGI, Ausleys and NPD.
 
Just remembered about Muscle Factory after reading KwikSS' post, IIRC that's where I bought my 68-72 repo console and a few other parts, good price too or I don't think I'd of bought from there
 
What is it about the big parts houses for Chevelle that all of their discounts and deals are garbage? I'm talking about "10% off" and such. Probablem is that discount applies only to the $7 stuff, never to anything of real value. A couples of those retailers, it seems like every thing is "exempt" from the discount. I was putting together a parts list from one of the "Original" Parts places advertising 10% off. When I applied the discount code, the actual discount was 1%, not 10% (on a nearly $800 order) but it only applies to underhood insulation and door handle gaskets and other cheap stuff. Makes me want to order from someone else with same price, but not playing games with fake discounts.

Rant over.
 
I buy from wherever I can find the correct part for the best price. I, like most of you, have a plethora of stories about various parts purchased. I actually look into the various Corvette parts vendors for 396 L78 engine stuff, as many of them have exactly what I need that are hard to find elsewhere (the 1965 Vette 396 L78 was the exact same engine as my '67 L78). We've all gotten ripped off from one vendor or more over the years, but the way I look at it is as long as the part fits my needs sometimes I overpay other times I get a good deal, so it averages out. Bottom line is I have the correct end product...that's all that matters. I'm just thankful there are vendors out there who actually still sell Muscle Car parts!

One of my chief complaints is the cost of shipping! I've bought $1,000's of dollars worth of parts from Summit (who I really like) Ground Up,and OPGI but when I only want to buy something like a set of valve seals or a decal it costs 2 or 3 times the cost of the item to ship it. Seems like about $20 S&H is about the minimum from these places regardless of size or weight. Buying $200 or $300 worth of parts usually gets you free shipping (which is nice), but buying in smaller amounts can be a rip-off for sure!

Our oldest son & wife are planning to build their first home in Ohio in the not too distant future, which is not far from Summit Racing, so if I need any large items I'm sure I can work out a pick-up arrangement, visit our son & family and drive them home to PA!
 
I have always had good parts and service from GrdUp and JEGs

Never had to return anything to GrdUp / always the Right parts

Had to return a Wheel to JEGs once / sent them pics of the damage to the Alum Wheels due to ??? looked like the Wheel had been damaged before it was Boxed and Shipped
they paid both ways for Shipping the Part back to them and sending me the Replacement one

AND the Shipping Tracking was always right on
 
I'm pretty happy with the quality of the AMD parts. A couple of them even appear to be licensed by GM.

The dies they use for some their panels were considered as good as GM's dies so they were awarded the GM restoration parts logo. I like using AMD as well.
 
Late the party...as usual. Metro weatherstrip is high quality, Made in the USA & you can find great deals on it at RockAuto. Soff Seal & Metro are both great products, but for 64-67s, I prefer Metro for door seals & vent window kits. The trunk lid seals are pretty equal, IMO, but I've only used Metro for the roof rails which were very nice. Soff-Seal makes all the tail lamp & parking lamp gaskets, plus they just redid their door handle & lock gaskets which are very close to the discontinued GM originals. Much nicer than any other repops that are on the market IMO.

I love Summit, maybe because they are in Vegas and most everything I order I get within two days no matter what. I also like NPD.

Not trying to split hairs, but Summit is actually in Reno, not Vegas, in case someone is visiting Sin City & tries to find the store. I really wish Summit had chosen Vegas & not Reno, I lived there for 10 years & it would've made life very convenient. I've been to the Reno location & they have a discounted scratch & dent area with great deals on those parts.
 
I haven't needed to buy parts in quite a while but, I`ve bought from Ecklers. They were pretty good.

I find Ecklers has a great selection, but they're like Year One, absurdly overpriced. Way better options IMO.

My preferred list.

NPD... best inventory levels of any vendor. It's EXTREMELY rare for an item to be backordered with them.
Muscle Factory ...great customer service, not as big as NPD, but most items in stock.
Classic Muscle in North Carolina....great online catalog, but Covid killed their stock. Customer service is a little impersonal unless you call them, but they are a great resource

Next tier
Hinshaws...good personal service, but a little slow which is understandable since they're a small shop.
Matt's Classic Bowties...same personal service as Hinshaws, but if you're doing modern upgrades to your ride, they are a distributor for most well known pro touring brands. I used them A LOT when I built my LS1 car. Kim was great to deal with
Lutty's Chevys in PA. Now that I'm back on the east coast I'll use them more on my Nova when I get around to it. Nice people & a great selection
Don's East Coast in NY Again, another east coast vendor that I gave more business to when I lived in NYC as a young-en. Don is a car guy through & through, can answer tech questions, painting questions, molding refinish questions, etc etc. They sell parts & restore Chevelles, Camaros & Tri 5's in their shop, so they have a good understanding of what fits & what needs tweaking, etc. Wish they were more well known in the hobby, but I assume they're satisfied with the local clientele they have.

In Case of Emergency only....
OPGI (once in the past 18 years & I sent the item back)
Ecklers

Not on your life
Ground Up (used to visit their 2 Long Island locations out of convenience, but let's just say the owner was something else)

Personally I've never done business with Ausleys, & I don't really know why. Oh well....
 
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