by Jim Segal

Created on: July 05, 2008

Finding antique auto parts today is as bad as finding a needle in a hay stack. Even with the technology of the internet, parts for some older model of automobiles are nearly impossible to find. Myself, I have founded some parts for an automobile that is very rare in today's market, but first I would like to share the story of the old car.

During my army times during the early 90's, I shared a three bedroom trailor with a fellow sergeant whom was in the same unit as I while on tour in South Korea. Both of us left Korea and became stationed with different units at Fort Hood, Texas. To cut living cost, we shared the expenses of a three bedroom trailor, off post, which neither of us stayed at very long due to the job requirements of being in the field or preparing for some kind of training exercises. Well, my roommate and I shared an interest in older cars and he had founded an old 1960 Chevrolet Bel-Air. He got it for nothing, and the motor still ran with a lot of smoke and noise, but none the less, what can we expect for nothing. During our time at Fort Hood, we messed around with the old car as a hobby, or something to do during our spare time.

In 1995, I was being honorably discharged out and my roommate changed duty stations, so he gave the car to me to bring back home to Georgia. My brother flew out to Texas to help me bring the car back and to move my belongings, and what a trip that was. We left Harker Heights, Texas driving the car and my Chevrolet S-10 with a U-Haul trailor. All was find except for the trail of smoke we left behind on I-20 till we got to Louisiana. I was driving the old smoker and suddenly the right front tire blew out. Also, we pulled into a gas station and filled up both vehicles, but forgot to pay the gas for one of them. We didn't realize that till we crossed the Mississippi River. Also, we ran over a piece of rubber in the road which flew from underneath the smoker and smashed the grill of the S-10. The smoker took a quart of oil every two hours on the road and by the time we got to Alabama, I was ready to leave the old car. But thankfully for my brother, we kept on going till we got to Georgia.

We still have the old car, but parts for it are rare and pricey. We have been able to find a few parts online, but our best luck has been in a few junk yards with older model automobiles left on their lots. Junk yards such as these are quickly fading away. Most parts have already been stripped and what is left is very rarely worthy. The one thing that we were able to find were the same model autos pretty much whole on e-bay or other classic auto sites. Even though the autos themselves aren't completely restored, the owners are still seeking a price since these classics are hard to come by. Me and my brother have decided on buying a 1960 Bel-Air whole from a seller and use ours as parts, because the one we are buying is in better shape than ours and some upgrades such as brakes, motor and transmission has already been installed. We figured this is the best and cheapest action we can take to get our classic rolling again.

No matter which direction a restorer decides to find auto parts, the classics are one in a million and cars aren't built like they used to. It gives me a great feeling, a sense of American pride to see a classic rolling down the highway. It also brings back memories of all the cars I used to own, used to drive, and the times going to the drive-in with the parking lots filled with the speaker in the windows older autos. So I wish all restorers and classic owners good luck in recreating history which is worth every bit of the effort.

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