What early Ford parts supplier do you use most?

[Six Pack to go]

Any one company better than the others when it comes to quality, service and price?

[32phil]

Dick Spadaro.... the best of all.
Both Bill & Dick know the Early V-8 Fords inside out.

[Six Pack to go]

I have used them before....looking thru the MAC catalog at the moment....

[FRANK PKNY]

Dick is very good, and most of the other dealers are very helpfull, it's a good hobby and generally most dealers are into the hobby.

[Steves46]

We are really fortunate to have several oustanding parts houses. I usually purchase from Joe's Antique Auto. Joe is a very nice fellow and he stands behind his parts.

[Fairlane500]

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My Flathead / Y Block supplier of choice is Reds Headers, Jim's customer service is simply outstanding. Caters well to international purchaser.

[DavidG]

Dick Spadaro is tops. He knows what's good and what isn't and the service is first rate.

[Brian]

I always use Joblot. Outstanding service. Brian

[jim1932]

I am new but I go to Dick first, Nacewicz for floors and fastners, Dave Renner for carb stuff. No beef with others, just used these guys first and was very happy with the service.

[Ken Crans]

James at Joblot is very good. Always has good info and the service is excellent. Ken

[2935ford]

I find almost all the suppliers excellent. The unfortunate part is the parts themselves.
So much of it now is offshore and the quality just isn't there.
Just my 2cents.

[deuce lover]

Baxter Ford in Lawrence,KS and Early Ford Store in San Dimas,CA.

[kwmpa]

Mac's but that's only because they ship right away and I have the parts in two days although their quality in the shipping department has gone down hill very fast...dick spadaro is going to be getting all my business

[TJ]

Since I live on the west coast I deal with Bob Drake and C and G parts. I'm close to Sacramento Vintage, but I'm not going to use them in the future. They now repackage everything so you never know who manufactures the part. That irritates me as some repo stuff is better than others and I want to have a choice on who's parts I purchase. I also found they are frequently out of stock on many parts.

[Matt in Alameda]

For ALL brake parts, information, and service go to Richard Lacey ..The Early V8 Garage in southern California.

[Ken Bull]

My 36 restro came out as good as it is thanks to Dick Spadaro,Mac,Bob Drake,Carpenter,Nacewicz & Skip. Plus trips to Spring & fall Carlisle Pa & fall Hershey Pa & Rhinebeck NY. The journey for me started in 1987 acquiring My 36 Cabriolet-basket case & 1940 Ford PU in 1990 (My driver till 2009). This forum has been a big plus too!

[Modifieddriver]

My parts supplier and go to guy for tech info is Dick Spadaro. He eats and lives this old Ford stuff.

I have another guy almost at my doorstep here that moved down from New York, but Dick is still "Da' Man".

Oh yeah, can't leave out Bill, Dick's right hand man. He's actually better with the customer than Dick , but don't tell Dick that .

[wga]

Try to work with vendors close to northern California. Early V8 store in Campbell, Ca.
Early Ford Parts in San Dimas has a ton of hard to find parts.
C&G in Escondido, Ca., has great service, great attitude etc.
TJ mentioned Sac Vintage, second that.

[BILLF/TRF]

I keep reading about Dick Spadaro. Does he have a website, email address, phone no.? Thanks

[TJ]

try ; www.dickspadaro.com.

[Zaemo]

Originally Posted by kwmpa

Mac's but that's only because they ship right away and I have the parts in two days although their quality in the shipping department has gone down hill very fast...dick spadaro is going to be getting all my business

I placed an order with MACS last Sunday via the website. I hadn't received a shipping confirmation e-mail by Friday so I called. They had all my info, told me my order was already boxed up. They said it might ship Friday or Saturday or possibly on Monday. I like the selection and catalog's and website. Just don't be in a hurry to get it. I also didn't pay the extra $3.50 "rush my order" fee on top of the shipping AND handling.

Z

[Scott/Mn]

In restoring a '36 and a '34 Ford, Roy Nacewicz, Dick Spadaro, and Don Baxter have been very helpful. Macs is ok for routine parts and corrected any mistakes. The only negative experience I have had is with Sacramento Vintage; they wouldn't correct or exchange a poor quality (and expensive) part I bought from them.

[40fordpu]

I have 4 years in this vintage auto restoration world here in southern california and am 29 years old with a budget. I started with Macs because of the lower price even though I live in southern california. In terms of restoration quality and correctness, Macs is CHEAP and no good. I second James at Joblot. However, from recommondation from KUBE, I found that ROY NACEWICZ for bolts is amazing. Great guy, great knowledge, much respect. My major parts list (other than bolts) for my 40 pickup includes pricing from drake, macs, and joblot but will be expanding to include pricing from dennis carpenter and now Dick spadaro (and make my decisions then - let you guys know what I find). Locally, the guys in san dimas,ca at the early ford shop are good but expensive. Stay away from CW MOSS as customer service is rough and prices are insane.

By the way, Ryan should help use this and our opinions to build a "list" or rating system for the best vendors, especially the small guys on this site. Just my op.

[Highboy34]

Over the past 35 years I've dealt with most of them. Out in Denver, I used to haunt the junkyards looking for old Ford stuff. It seemed when I needed something the dealer would say, " We had a barrel of them, but some guy named Baxter came thru last week and bought the whole lot!" That always made me chuckle and Baxter and I have laughed about it.

Those I respect and would recommend to anyone are Roy Nacewicz for fasteners of all kinds, Don and Bob Baxter for just about anything, Little Dearborn in Minneapolis has always been very good and Sam's Vintage Ford Parts in Denver was excellent, tho I moved away and haven't used them in some years.

[oldford]

I use Mac's. Their parts seem to be just as good as anyone else and they ship fast. If you go to the ford v8 forum and ask, there's an old guy there that will always recomend C&G. I dont care what the subject is. he always brings in C&G. I believe he gets a kick back from them. They are slow to mail and have the highest prices around and the same parts.

[39portlander]

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I am fairly new to this hobby and have a bad case of flathead fever. Finding NOS through this site is great. I try to frequent business that are on this web site and the V8 times.

The venders mostly have the same parts, some more than others. The good one's will tell you who has what you need if they don't stock it or it's discontinued.

I'm in the HVAC/R service business and customer relations is more important than price. Dick Spadaro has the best quote (price is important, but experience counts more!) I also just wanted to put a shout out to for Heather Travis @ Bob Drake. She has contacted me more than once on back ordered parts that I have forgotten about and followed up on recieved condition, ect.

Hey let's face it, We are all lucky to have as many early Ford venders as we do. I hope there still around when my nephews and grandson get into this hobby

[TJ]

I'll second that about Heather at Drake's. She knows the parts and always has a smile and you can tell she loves her job. I've dealt with her in person and she is a great representaive for the company.

[Rem]

As a foreigner, Mac's is quick and convenient as long as you know exactly what you want, and it is easy to order from their online catalogues. Their customer service has been helpful when parts are on back-order but I did have an issue with them once on a fuel filler pipe for an F100 being incorrect, and their attitude was that I was the one in the wrong.

[40fordpu]

I have come across the same kinds of issues with MAC's although they did fix the issue and sent me the parts for free, without asking for the "wront/messed up" part back. They do have the best, user friendly website. If Drake or these other guys come out with better websites (for us young guys who are anti social haha) then they will dominate the market.

[Richard (EV8G)]

Originally Posted by Matt in Alameda

For ALL brake parts, information, and service go to Richard Lacey ..The Early V8 Garage in southern California.

Matt: Thanks for the mention! I am a dealer for Mac's and from that
standpoint, they do a great job for me. As with probably every other supplier or dealer, there are occasionally issues with quality, or actually "lack thereof". Mac's has always been very receptive to my input, and have worked with me to correct problems for future production of several parts, which benefits everyone. They are also ready and willing to take back stuff that didn't measure up.

I have been doing what I do for 15 years now, so am relatively new to the "industry" as compared to the many long/old timers. Before I was "in the business" I dealt with various suppliers dating back to the 1960's. Things seem to be ALOT better now, but there are still those who continue to knowingly sell stuff that is marginal, sub-standard, or just plain junk. With the internet, word gets around especially fast and far... like on this thread for example... so they
are quickly labeled for what they are and do. On the other hand, those who ARE doing an excellent job are quick to receive credit.

Finally, for my entire life (except before I could read or write, but maybe even then?) my simple last name LACY has been corrupted with an E that does not belong. Simple as it is, I ALWAYS have had to spell it out. They have a 50/50 chance to get it right, but they almost always want to throw in that blasted E. My wife once suggested that I get a license plate that reads "LACY NOE" but the one I REALLY wanted probably could not be had... Regardless, THANKS AGAIN for the recommendation!

[bobH]

Here's my .02.... Richard is one of the good ones. Another one is Daryl Fryer. Another one is Jim Gordon. Another one is Bill McGrath. These are just a few examples of recent (last couple years) experiences.
On my 'bad' list... Dennis Carpenter, Bob Drake, C&G, Mac's.
Some details... Last summer I assembled my 34. There were several 'last-minute' items that I had overlooked, and needed to 'fill-in', and reach my target completion date. The guy that worked for me, and I, would always joke about what was going to arrive, and be a simple bolt-on. Most last-minute stuff came from Mac's or C&G. C&G gave excellent service - next day arrival. Mac's gave extremely poor service - usually 1 1/2-to-2 weeks. Most items had a zero percent chance of being simple bolt-on. The stuff needed to be re-worked, massaged, or whatever to make it fit. Quality was generally very poor. Anything that came from China, and was not absolutely necessary to make the car run, was sent back.
And, the second thing.... I don't like being lied to. Example: I bought a (32-36) water pump kit from C&G, maybe a couple years ago. It came nicely packaged and clearly marked as being sourced at Dennis Carpenter (even though I bought it at C&G), and clearly marked USA. (It fit, and installed perfectly.) I needed a second kit, so I called C&G to order. I specifically mentioned the kit I already had, and asked if they were selling the same kit. The guy gets off the phone, says I'll go look, he returns, and assures me that he has the Dennis Carpenter kit. I order, package arrives, and it is a pos, poorly packaged, and marked 'made-in-China'. This was the SECOND time that C&G did this to me. I'm pissed.
To keep this post 'short', no more examples. However, on the plus side, these sources are very helpful to keep our old Fords on the road. They are, IMO, a valuable resource. All I can say is, one must not have too high expectations. There are many things I have bought, knowing that the quality is not what I want, and I use the parts to 'get-down-the-road', and I keep looking for ORIGINAL parts, to 'upgrade' later.
JMO

[done4]

For my 32 4 banger, Bert's out in Denver, real vintage parts and great people.

[3738]

Early Ford Store in Campbell, CA. Most of the parts I have bought there were from Drake. They did not charge shipping on the parts I ordered and picked up in person.

Happy with all the parts, except for the 1938 gas tank that was made incorrectly and would not fit without taking the body off the frame or beating in the side of the tank for clearance, (which I did to get it to fit).

I still think Drake should send me a new tank that will fit without having to remove the body from the frame, but to date, no new tank has be offered to me to replace the one I had to modify.

[email protected]

[39portlander]

Been viewing this thread for the last couple day's, it's a good one. I now have some more names and sources for parts. We all seem to have a general attitude about the larger available parts vendors.

Life would be to easy if everyone had L.L. Bean's return policy. Good luck with your current projects and enjoy the summer!

[Lyndon]

I've stuck with Little Dearborn of Minneapolis, MN since the mid-80s and have not been let down yet.

[Richard (EV8G)]

Originally Posted by 3738

Happy with all the parts, except for the 1938 gas tank that was made incorrectly and would not fit without taking the body off the frame or beating in the side of the tank for clearance, (which I did to get it to fit).

I still think Drake should send me a new tank that will fit without having to remove the body from the frame, but to date, no new tank has be offered to me to replace the one I had to modify.

[email protected]

PLEASE don't get me started on that subject again....

[Krylon32]

Been using Dick Spadaro and Don Baxter for many years with no complaints!

[true blue 32 man]

Dick Spadaro is Numero Uno but one supplier not mentioned is Little Daerborn Parts in Minnesota. Top qualiy stuff at reasonable prices. Very prompt delivery.