What should I keep in my parts inventory for a Gen 1 W-body

[mixe olds]

If I wanted to keep my 94 Olds Cutlass convertible for a long time what parts would I want to look for and pull from the junk yard? What I would like to do is keep an inventory of part so that later down the road I won’t have to pay an arm and a leg for them when it comes time to replace the parts. I belong to a car club and I see a lot of the other people in the club that have older 70's model cars that can't find parts for there vehicles anymore and these are the more popular muscle cars.

[fastbird232]

Door handles.

[91GPSTE]

Anything and everything. You never know what will brake next.

[fastbird232]

Yeah, really. Just grab anything that will fit your car.

[3.1LUMITIC]

X-2 on door handles and get a few coil packs and icm and how about an ub3 for later down the road

[AWeb80]

I always grab fuses from fuse boxes on cars....and pocket them....no since in buyin fuses for a couple bucks for a 5-10 of them when all you need sometimes is 1 or 2.....

 

lol, i'm cheap, i know.

[Guest TurboSedan]

i got sick of storing parts and just threw a ton of stuff away. 3.1 timing cover, heads, lower intake, exhaust manifolds, various brackets, the original strut/knuckle assemblies for my TSTE, the original sway bar, etc etc. i didn't want to ship it even if someone did buy the stuff so i threw it all out. garage space is much more important than being a packrat. i'm probably going to throw away even more stuff soon if someone doesn't buy any of it

 

i would just stick with the hard to find stuff. there are still TONS of W-bodies in the j/y anyway.

[fastbird232]

True, but some of us don't live near junkyards that have any in them.

[GnatGoSplat]

I always grab fuses from fuse boxes on cars....and pocket them....no since in buyin fuses for a couple bucks for a 5-10 of them when all you need sometimes is 1 or 2.....

 

lol, i'm cheap, i know.

 

I grab fuses and light bulbs!

 

[AWeb80]

I always grab fuses from fuse boxes on cars....and pocket them....no since in buyin fuses for a couple bucks for a 5-10 of them when all you need sometimes is 1 or 2.....

 

lol, i'm cheap, i know.

 

I grab fuses and light bulbs!

 

 

ya, but I expect that from you......

[fastbird232]

I grab fuses and light bulbs!

 

Who doesn't?

[fastbird232]

Especially those $10 third brake light bulbs...

 

Man, I hadn't even thought of that. Mine's been burnt out for months, and for ten bucks a bulb it can stay that way for all I care.

[97loudcut]

headlights, mirrors, and fuses from my expierenes

[CowboyBilly9Mile]

Electrical switches (PW for example) and sufficient cloth to reupholster the drivers seat (keyword = cloth, best from a passenger seat). Anything high wear or potentially hard to find is worth considering. Select electrical modules are good targets. But do be selective in what to grab; wear items like water pumps, PW motors and brake parts are readily available at parts houses and online.

[94CutlassSLCoupe]

Especially those $10 third brake light bulbs...

 

Man, I hadn't even thought of that. Mine's been burnt out for months, and for ten bucks a bulb it can stay that way for all I care.

 

I believe its only the convertible and trunk rack models, b/c the one on my car was less than $5

[AaronA]

On the interior: ANYTHING you can find. I cannot stress this enough. The reason is if lets say your water pump goes bad, or your serpintine belt snaps, or if you need a new fuel filter, you can go to any number of part stores which usually has them and for a fair price, and anything mechanical you want new anyway. Interior stuff almost is ALWAYS dealer only, and if they have it, VERY expensive. Junkyards have a good amount of these items, for a much lower price. Also these parts will not take up too much room compared to larger engine and suspension parts.

 

I am right now in a stuggle to get parts for my sunroof and power window to work. I have not spent much money on the problem (about ~30$) but it sure is VERY difficult to get these problems solved because the parts are so tough to get. I go to the junkyard around twice a month, this is the biggest one in the area (40˚ 51'40.39 N and 74˚ 19'31.15 W if you like to use google earth to see how big) and those cars are either waining away (there were a lot more 4 months ago) or the parts have already been taken. So if you see them, TAKE EM. Interior parts are much more important then other parts for a junkyard, with the emphasis on anything dealer specific.

[firefighter_0029]

Power Antennas are hard to find anymore too. When I go I get Door Handles and Antennas, because It seems if I have them laying around they don't break. But, once I sell one thats when I need it.

[jeremy]

interior parts is a damn good recommendation because they are dealer only....door handles, spare alternator/starter is always a good idea to throw in the trunk

[fastbird232]

Hell, even if you don't need the door handles, someone on here will.