OT: obsolete/obsolescent Ford parts.

I've found this site to be a good source for GM parts at a good saving:

Best, Steve

Disturbing also was the decision to reduce repair parts by W.W.Grainger. However this began, to my best recollection, about 5 to 10 years ago. During this period I noticed other companies were doing the same.

The principles to tightly control inventory have been known for a long time and, had I a bus- siness thrown into competition with Chinese manufacturers, I would no doubt, have done the same. A sacrifice of customer service to survival/practicality. :(

dennis in nca

Gee I wonder how come there are so few folks with 90 Honda-Toyota-Nissan-Subaru type cars that can keep them running like that?

I am a locksmith and I think only once or twice in the past few years was I called on to make a key for an old 15+ years) Japanese car. Seems like they are way too expensive to keep going.

That is great if you can be without a vehicle while the parts are shipped to you. I junked my 87 Ford ranger because I was tired of having to track down parts, then wait. Also, I do not use credit or debit cards for anything, so it could take weeks to get a part from another state.

I had a 73 Toyota Corona. The speedometer cable was bad, and it was less than 10 years old. It was an odd metric size, and not available in the US. They wanted over $300 for a replacement, and told me it would take between six and ten months to have it made in Japan, shipped to the US, and clear customs. The rear seat had a tear. That ugly piece of cloth was over $900 dollars, and had to be shipped from Japan. It also had their badly designed disc brakes. If they were worn more than 25% and you had to brake hard in reverse, the calipers ejected the pads and tried to grab the disc. That was when I junked it. It didn't have 100k miles, and needed thousands of dollars in repairs. It also had severe rust in the unibody, under the floor.