GMpartsdirect Equivalent

[Jim S.]

Re: GMpartsdirect Equivalent

Thanks To both David and Duke for your responses!

I didn't mean to start a debate , but I always enjoy reading them on this forum. 99% of the time they are from some fairly knowledgeable people, and I learn somethig new every time !



Jim

[Joe R.]

NAPAonline cross reference?

Duke,

Back a few posts ago you mentioned using the NAPAonline web site to cross reference a GM part number to a Federal-Mogul (Sealed Power) number. I'm not able to do it on their web site. Can you share more specifically how to do it? I see where you can enter the year, model, etc. That's handy but I think the cross reference would be helpful, too.

Thanks,
Joe

[David M.]

Re: GMpartsdirect Equivalent

TRW may be owned by someone else, I don't know. But My brother still works for TRW today. And that isn't even the point. The point is that parts quality differences go diffferent stores. Your Dealer gets the first quality.

David

[Duke W.]

Re: NAPAonline cross reference?

Duke,

Back a few posts ago you mentioned using the NAPAonline web site to cross reference a GM part number to a Federal-Mogul (Sealed Power) number. I'm not able to do it on their web site. Can you share more specifically how to do it? I see where you can enter the year, model, etc. That's handy but I think the cross reference would be helpful, too.

Thanks,
Joe

From the home page menu on the left hand side click "search NAPA catalog".

On the page that pops up, enter the part number in the box at the top and select "interchange".

That's it!

TRW was bought-out by Northrup in a 2002 hostile takeover after TRW got overleveraged, and since then Northrup sold off TRW Automotive holdings to The Blackstone Group, which I think is privately held. I believe that prior to the Northrup acquistion TRW had already sold off some automotive operations, but they got overleveraged when they purchased LucasVarity in 1999. Apparently they were trying to reorient their automotive business from mechanical parts like pistons and valves to "high tech" like automotive electronics to better compliment their aerospace electronics products.

TRW was formed in 1958 by the merger of Thompson Products, and old line Cleveland manufacturer that started out making fasterners in the early 1900s and Ramo Wooldridge, which was formed earlier in the fifties to provide consulting services to the Air Force for military space programs.

Ramo Wooldridge decided they wanted to compete for hardware contracts rather than just provide consulting and the merger with Thompson Products created a business and revenue base to build from. The new entity was called Thompson Ramo Wooldridge, which was later shortened to TRW.

I have a hard time believing that "seconds" could be packaged and sold under the various aftermarket OE replacement brands. A part either meets print or it doesn't. If a valve stem diameter is out of spec, the part is probably going to be returned, and if it's a chronic problem users are going to find other sources. A business cannot sustain itself selling junk for very long.

I haven't bought any vintage Chevrolet engine parts lately. Sometimes you can get non-conforming parts, but if it lasts very long, the manufacturer is going to go out of business. I've also bought parts from GMPD that were clearly non-conforming. Their parts for older cars stated going down hill in the seventies.

Duke

[Jim S.]

Re: GMpartsdirect Equivalent

Duke,

That Napaonline - interchange deal is a neat trick !

I just tried it, and as expected , it gave me the same #s Joe gave me. It is good to know how to "do it yourself" though. Now I can be "Mini-Joe" if I can just fiqure out how to get all the original part #s !

Thanks again,

Jim

[Joe R.]

Corvette part numbers

Jim,

You need the P & A catalog. Here's one on ebay:

http://cgi.ebay.com/1953-through-1972-CORVETTE-Parts-Accessories-Catalog_W0QQitemZ250322696679QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH _DefaultDomain_0?hash=item250322696679&_trksid=p32 86.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1205|66%3A2|65%3A12|39%3A 1|240%3A1318|301%3A0|293%3A1|294%3A50

Or you might try "Corvette by the Numbers" by Alan Colvin. It's available on Amazon.com and probably elsewhere.

Joe

[Duke W.]

Re: GMpartsdirect Equivalent

Duke,

That Napaonline - interchange deal is a neat trick !

I just tried it, and as expected , it gave me the same #s Joe gave me. It is good to know how to "do it yourself" though. Now I can be "Mini-Joe" if I can just fiqure out how to get all the original part #s !

Thanks again,

Jim

You can also input the year/make/model to find OE replacement parts. Also F-M has most Sealed Power and Speed Pro parts in their online catalog along with good technical information. The same applies to most other manufacturers/brands. The F-M online catalog is not easy to use, but the information is there with a little effort and practice.

Duke

[Joe L.]

Re: GMpartsdirect Equivalent

Duke,

That Napaonline - interchange deal is a neat trick !

I just tried it, and as expected , it gave me the same #s Joe gave me. It is good to know how to "do it yourself" though. Now I can be "Mini-Joe" if I can just fiqure out how to get all the original part #s !

Thanks again,

Jim

Jim-----


There are interchanges for things like most engine and some driveline parts. However, there is no interchange for most Corvette parts since they are not available in the general aftermarket (i.e. Kragen, NAPA, Pep Boys, etc.)

[Jamie F.]

Re: GMpartsdirect Equivalent

I sorry David but I have to agree with Duke here. I've been in the OE and aftermarket parts business for over 25 years, and worked for some of the companies mentioned like Lucas, LucasVarity, TRW, Denso, and many others. I have sold all the retailers, big groups, and companies mentioned, etc. There is no way any of those companies are sorting through parts and sending "seconds" to certain customers. There is actually no way any of those companies would even burden the cost of doing the sorting!
As to your Brothers experience of poor parts recently from one supplier, all I can say is if I had a $1 for every time I've heard that story from a tech, parts manager, store owner, I would have a new ZR1 parked in my garage with the proceeds!
Perception of parts is such a subjective experience. I can't tell you how many times I have been told by one tech that he doesn't use so-and-so's parts because they are junk and swears by another so-and-so company, all the while I know I am providing the same EXACT same parts to both of these suppliers! All I do is tell them to go ahead an continue to buy from where they are happiest.
As Duke said the number of base manufacturers these days is so small that there are not that many sources of parts, but many distributors of these same parts.

[Tom H.]

Re: GMpartsdirect Equivalent

I have a hard time believing that TRW ships flawed parts to NAPA or anyone else. I have used a lot of NAPA parts with good results, also from some of the other parts houses. That just doesn't seem plausible to me. I don't believe that NAPA would accept flawed parts, and then sell them to people, knowing that they will have to stand behind them when they fail.

[Loren L.]

Re: GMpartsdirect Equivalent

I have a brother that works for TRW making car parts. Once tested the first quality parts go to a one of the big 3. The flawed ones don't go to the trash they are package to go to NAPA, Advance, Auto zone, Pep boys etc. The parts do start out at the same place but they have first, second and third qualities. Another brother owns a garage ASE certified. He swore by Napa but now is disgusted with their quality, performance and fit. Something like a valve you don't want to have to put it in two or three times.

David

My mental picture of the inspector sitting if front of 45 different barrels, all bearing the name of retailers of valve lifters, and him throwing the pieces at particular barrels is coming out a little fuzzy and won't hold the horizontal hold.

[Jim S.]

Re: GMpartsdirect Equivalent

Jim-----


There are interchanges for things like most engine and some driveline parts. However, there is no interchange for most Corvette parts since they are not available in the general aftermarket (i.e. Kragen, NAPA, Pep Boys, etc.)

Joe,

Good Point ! I hadn't thought of that ! There go my hopes of being a "mini-joe" !

Glad we still have the original !

Jim

[David M.]

Re: GMpartsdirect Equivalent

So you are saying my brother is not telling the truth about his job. He goes to work and does this every day and gets paid for it. The parts go to different suppliers according to the test results of the part. The part is not totally bad it is just not up to first quality specs. He does this every day.

David

[Duke W.]

Re: GMpartsdirect Equivalent

Give us an example - a specific part, and what criteria are used to "grade" them and differentiate them for different marketing channels.

Duke

[David M.]

Re: GMpartsdirect Equivalent

First let me say I have no interest in nor nothing to gain from either aftermarket parts nor GM parts. I have just been buying parts for years and have used both and now after the years of experience I would not buy anything but factory parts after seeing the difference. I know that on some parts you don't have the choice of factory and I am forced to buy the aftermarket knowing I will have to replace it very soon. And I just happen to have brothers that work with these parts that gives me more info. When my brother that works at TRW gets home tomorrow I will get him here to give you all the details you request. He should be available around 6 or 7 pm.

David