Welp. The fuel pump on my stock '58 235 I6 gave up the ghost. Piece of garbage only lasted 19 years. LOL.. It's a dual action pump (fuel pump and vacuum pump for the wiper assist). I come to find they are not readily available and may be obsolete. RockAuto has a listing for it but it is not available/in stock. So I called the guy I bought it from 19 years ago who runs a VERY small FLAPS. It's really just a hobby for him and the shop is never really "open". You call him and he looks for the part you want and he calls you back. He has a whole truck load of old parts stored in the attic above his shop. Yup. He had another. Problem is I'm now in VA and he's in NY. Wifey was up in NY visiting the grands and picked it up. Slapped it in and it works great. There are no FLAPS in VA. Just big box auto parts stores and the occasional NAPA. I sure do miss the multitude of independently owned FLAPS in NY. I'm going to rebuild the one that went bad so I have a backup in 19 years Andy
Andy, As if it is not bad enough there are no small independents left, those behind the counter at the big chain auto parts stores rely ON the computer, and ONLY on the computer. Gone are the weathered, gnarled guys that new EVERYTHING off the top of their head. It's just "progress" I guess. Just not forward progress.
Back "home" on Long Island there are literally hundreds of small independents. I'm wondering if it is a regional thing and that here in VA independent parts stores were never really as widespread. They are mostly small-ish shops catering to local mechanic shops and don't usually have all the goo-gaws that the big box national chains seem to stock. They DO however have experience and knowledge that the pimply-faced kid at the computer at the national chains are seriously lacking. Parts store employee: "Welcome to O'Rinky-Dink's Auto Barn Zone. How can I help you?" Customer: "I need a 5/16" inline fuel filter" Parts store employee: "Year, make, model, social security number and VIN number of vehicle, date of manufacture and your birthdate and city of birth please" Customer; (Shakes head, walks away, orders from Amazon from driver seat in parking lot) Andy
You nailed the Big Box Auto Parts Store! Just the other day I called O'Rinky-Dink's Auto Barn Zone, and asked for STRAIGHT 5 weight engine oil. Naturally, they needed the application. Me "it is for the two-speed transmission in a 1936 DoALL V36 bandsaw, I only need one quart" the silence on the other end of the telephone was comical, actually. "Ummm, we don't have that in our computer". A call to a very local hydraulic repair shop, looking for ISO 22 hydraulic oil (an acceptable substitute for the straight 5 weight) was met with "we have ISO 32, and ISO 46. We could order you a 5-gallon pail of the ISO 22, it'll be 14 days and (I honestly forget how much) money". I cannot imagine the response if I had asked for 100 Saybolt at 100 degrees viscosity, which is what the saw called for, back NINETY years ago when it was new.
