Storing Replacement Parts - Any tips?

[Stormin' Norman]

Luckily, I got a 1978 with a lot of good parts I can save and use (hopefully never, but.) And a lot I'll put up for sale, once I learn how to use EBay. I had to wait 3 months for a new tailgate windshield, and side glass last year. The donor is a 2 door sedan, but the rear window is tinted and has the heater element. and other parts like that.

But I'm keeping a lot of front end parts and steering parts, because they're hard to find or downright expensive! A power steering hose is $145.00! There's only one Fairmont in all the junk yards around here.

But there's a lot parts that might need special storage and I wondered if anybody had any tips.

As our cars get older, it's too tempting for the Insurance adjusters to write off the car. I'll pay a premium the next time as a Collector Car, but still it's heart-breaking to lose a car you've restored and pampered just because you can't get the parts. The old 1908 Ford guys don't drive daily or even weekly, but most of us do.

In the Army, they used oil-coated paper for mechanical parts and silicone dessicants to absorb moisture. What about gauges? Upholstery parts, fenders, metal brackets, steering boxes, etc. Do you keep them in the basement, the garage, the attic?

 

[xctasy]

I listened to addo. He intimated to me a while back that its critical to try and keep things together.

A car has 15000 to 20000 ordered parts, and any time you try and store them up dismmantled, you create koas and pandamonium. So get your sights lower, becasue car part storage is a real nasty part of life. I have three cars stored at freinds places. They think I'm nuts. I gave my mate 640 NZ bucks for the last two years to store one 500 buck EFI Fairmont wagon. I've lived life as a car wrecker, and it doesn't work. For my birthday, the parking warden gave me a 200 dollar fine. My wife asked me whay I was happy. I told here that illegally parking a 1980 Cortina wagon on the side of the road for one year was 120 dollars cheaper thanparking my Fairmont at my freinds house. Do you see? I value the gold that is in my possessions, and am prepared to make a loss for a while.



Engines and gearboxes are easy. I've used 9 flights of 40" square radiata pine 5 ply for storing the dissasembled 200 and 250 engine parts. It means setting asside a clear space of 20 inches for the transmission, 11" for the block, 8" for the sump, and 8" each for the head, exhast, carb, radiatorand ancillaries.

Basically, each dissaembled engine yields 300 bits one a 6 foot 5 tall tier stack, 3 foot by 3 foot wide. It can hold one AOD/250 engine combo weighing 650 pounds,and it works. I can get to 164 teeth flexplate bolts

Regarding cars (I've wrecked 10 cars since 1992), If you have furry animals, then your screwed. Seats need to be stored long term, but they are always prey for varmin.

I6 Foxes will appreciate. Space limited wreckers in Japan undestand that space has a rental rate, and that you've got to value it. If your space is plentiful, try like gangbusters to keep the car togethers, stacked on the roof . If not, then you've got to do front cuts, and cut the car from between the A and B-pillar, and be bolt enough to cut the wire loom. Discard the back end after the fuel tank, lights and doors are axle and drive shaft have been stacked in the drives quarters.

Lastly, Ford use a Basic Part Number chart, and it is the Only Way to keep tabs on things. Item 6015 is a block, 6750 is a dip stick, 9425 is an intake manifold (if its a 300!). That can help you list what you've got. When you start taking stock of the 18000 parts Ford collectively calls a Ford Fairmont, you realise the smartest person here is STEVEN.

She uses her time taking care of US history by storing it up as metal in a prepaid inner city junkyard which is fully encolsed. Over here, a car is worth 130 bucks of metal value, and the Japs by the NZ Government to get our a$$es out of old Fords so they get the profits. The truth is, any Falcon, Fairmont or LTD is worth more in parts than as a hole if you are smart enough to wheel and deal parts.

 

[Stormin' Norman]

Great stuff xctasy. Our Canadian Broadcasting Corp (Federally-owned, but rebellious as heck ) just published an article that Ford is canning the Freestar Minivan for what they call "Crossover" cars (AKA Fairmont-sized SUV?/Wagon) Here in Canada, Ford is shutting down entire plants, and Toyota is moving in. So yeah, the Japanese are coming like gangbusters. Fortunately, our Politicians are too busy navel-gazing that they can't undo the 1965 Auto-pact to favour the Japanese, and piss off the US manufacturers. I was in the scrap business with my dad, while we both went to University together.

What got me thinking, besides my glass ordeal (waiting 3 months) was that the Insurance company (here in Manitoba its owned by the Province) is quite reasonable, but if they can't find the part in Canada or the US, as a new replacement, they will allow you to supply your own but not credit you for the cost. I can live with that, but if you can't find a replacement, even from your own pocket, they'll write it off. Fortunately for my Province, we don't have any car plants, so there's no political baggage to screw the little guy. In other regions, they have private insurers and they have no mercy.

What complicates the issue, is that cars from other than one or two of the 10 Provinces and 3 Territories, are so badly rusted from road-salt, that after 15 years, a car is swiss-cheese. In some they inspect for rust every 2 years! Fix it in 3 months or get another car!

My car is from Mexico, rust free. We moved back here in 1999 and brought the car into Canada as a Collector Car (anything in good shape older than 15 years). I've got another 15 years in it. At today's car prices for a decent mid-size, with best trade-in value at 3 years, that's 5 new cars = $120,000 to $150,000 in my pocket, not Tokyo's. It's worth finding good tips to store.

In NZ, do they have the meaning of F.O.R.D. (Fix Or Repair Daily)?

Well, after being a Chrysler man, for decades, this old Fairmont has been the most maintenance-free car I've ever owned and the only one I've ever owned for so many years (purchased in late 1996).

What is RADIATA Pine? We've got all kinds of pine and cedar species here, and I know that countries near the Equator have many varieties of exotic conifers, but I've never heard of it, and I've been doing Cabinet-making for decades!

My yard can barely handle the utility trailer (5'6" Wide X 8' long), veggie garden, patio and parking for two cars. And here we have snow route parking bans (you park in your own yard from December 2 to March 1) and we get snow as late as early June). I'll build a small shed outside that I can heat from Solar heat next year) But for now, I'll box up what I can and keep it the basement (I have a rail window that I can roll stuff up/down (lumber and ladders, garden tools, etc.)

But if a car can outlast the urge to replace, it makes sense to do everything to preserve it. Kinda like a good wife, eh?

 

[addo]

Just cheap pine. Maybe yellow pine, there?

 

[ludwig]

I'm thinking olive drab crates. Wrap the pieces in oiled rags and pack them down with excelsior. Do this until you have a whole Jeep for sale on the back of a comic book.

 

[jahearne]

In NZ, do they have the meaning of F.O.R.D. (Fix Or Repair Daily)?

You mean "First On Race Day"!

 

[Stormin' Norman]

Sorry, I always thought Hemis ruled on Race Day ). Anyway, the more I dig into my Fairmont's innards, the more I find that Ford actually intended it to be repairable. Just the electrical connectors alone are impressive. I just merged the circuits from the 1978 donor car (fairmont 2 door) to my 1979 Squire so as to avoid taped-over connections, and I was impressed.

About Race Day, well I don't want to race mine. It's just a great vehicle. But my Hemi Days (392 with the D-300 solid lifters and dual carters PLUS Nitro) sort of left the Fords in the rear-view mirror. Way, way back there.

But thanks for the new definition.