Also have to watch out for parts that look like mopar but are not.
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I see a lot of NORS parts being sold as NOS. I've even seen repop stuff trying to be passed off as NOS. Used stuff that ended up in a new box too...
The GM and Ford guys have been dealing with counterfeit NOS parts for a while now. I really think you will see this happen with Mopar parts one of these days, if it's not already happening.
Hi all,
Starting to put together a list of need for my 65’ Plymouth fury 383 - water pump, gaskets, hoses, belts, air filter, small parts etc. What is the best place (brick and mortar store or online) to get quality parts for best outcome? I have gone to hometown parts stores and other local places but their selection/knowledge is lacking. Not looking to hot rod an already solid motor, just want to put it back to stock and be reliable - thanks for the help!
A lot of what you are listing here is stuff you might not want or need to be NOS.
First thing about NOS is right in the name... O for old. Some stuff can sit on the shelf for years and be as good as the day it was built, then other stuff, like let's say fan belts for example, are things that don't age well. Any rubber or soft material has a strong possibility of being worthless if used after sitting on the shelf for 50 years. Let's say you bought that NOS fan belt that sat on a shelf... The rubber might look good, but do you want to really trust that belt? Maybe if the car goes everywhere on a trailer, but not if you drive it... And figure on it breaking at the worst possible time. Breaking a fan belt sounds minor until you think about how it might strand you with an overheating car with no charge in the battery.
Point being is you have to decide what you need. It may be best to have your existing part rebuilt. Power brake boosters come to mind as a good example. Try to buy a new one and the best you can buy is an offshore built piece that fits a bunch of cars rather than tailored for your car. It may be best to buy some parts new. Some aftermarket parts are really good and some are junk. Almost all is made in some other country. You won't get away from that.
For buying new parts, I take advantage of the internet. I'll first look on Rock Auto, get some part numbers and prices, then go to Amazon and compare prices. All the "brick and mortar" parts stores have web sites so you can search and compare there too. I've come to the conclusion that whatever part I want is not going to be in stock at the local parts house and it's going to take a day or two anyway, so I might as well do the legwork myself and maybe save a few bucks. About the same time waiting for the part to come in anyway... The return policy with Amazon is really good, something you might lose with Rock Auto, so take that into account. Also, if you should be looking on eBay, don't depend on the application listings... They are often very wrong.
The "Mom and Pop" parts stores are gone... Sad to say this, but it's the truth. Those knowledgeable counter guys are also gone. They are replaced by guys that can only look up stuff on the computer... and then you can't even depend on them to do it right.
One thing that I didn't see suggested is to download a factory parts manual for your car. Get the service manual too if you don't have one. Get them here:
MyMopar
