• Hi Guest!
    If you appreciate British Car Forum and our 25 years of supporting British car enthusiasts with technical and anicdotal information, collected from our thousands of great members, please support us with a low-cost subscription. You can become a supporting member for less than the dues of most car clubs.
    There are some perks with a member upgrade!
    **Upgrade Now**
    (PS: Subscribers don't see this gawd-aweful banner
Tips
Tips

Ok, admit it!

Share this page

Rut

Rut

Obi Wan
Country flag
Offline
How many of you with restorations or major repairs have ordered the same parts multiple times? UPS just dropped off an order from Moss that included my second ribcase gasket set, my third shift fork grommet, and my second set of wheel bearing seals, not to mention my fourth set of rear axle O rings. I've got to start taking these things out of the paper bag so I can see what I've got! Luckily, it's all small inexpensive items...how do y'all catalogue your purchases?
Rut
 
Guilty. I'm rebuilding a Midget now using spares in the basement that includes many "duplicate" items that were ordered for other cars.
 
Rut

guilty as well. I inventoried everything that cane with Bugsy II. And then even though everything is in large tubs I can't find parts when I need them. It's a case of I thought I had one of those but darned if I can find it when needed.

So order something I already have on hand.
 
Not exactly on topic, but I live across the street from a True Value store that was started as a hardware store nearly 100 years ago.
I admit that when I need something it's often less trouble to walk across the street and buy another one rather than try to find the perfectly good ones I've already bought at that store and put away "somewhere".
They love me over there!
 
Rut said:
How many of you with restorations or major repairs have ordered the same parts multiple times?
Click to expand...

Nerd boy that I am I'm pretty good at knowing exactly what's on my shelves. In truth I only order the bits when I'm about to use them -- a more expensive option than waiting on the sales in some cases, but cheaper than buying stuff twice... :grin:
 
My problem is that I order things that I know I will eventually need to try and "save on future shipping costs". But then I don't get to the project until much later and I've forgotten that I ordered something. I have a smart phone with me ... it would be easy to put stuff in Evernote, but why should I do that when I can remember what I've ordered ... right?
 
Trevor Jessie said:
but why should I do that when I can remember what I've ordered ... right?
Click to expand...

I learned a lesson about myself when back in my college days -- if it's not written down, I won't remember it. So I make up for my mediocre memory with lots of notes. :grin:
 
Guilty your honour - though for the most part nothing big. I have also bought more than one in the expectation that I will botch the first attempt - and, Rick, my final solution to finding tools and parts is to go get one at the hardware store - guaranteed I will find it within an hour of returning to the house.
 
JPSmit said:
Rick, my final solution to finding tools and parts is to go get one at the hardware store - guaranteed I will find it within an hour of returning to the house.
Click to expand...

When I got old enough to have my own tools I finally appreciated my dad's annoyance at my misplacing his tools. I'm a bit OCD now about putting tools away... finish a task, all tools get cleaned and put away, even if they're coming right back out.

I put it this way to a friend recently: "you don't have to fix your failings, you just need to work around them." I'd never find anything if I didn't take extraordinary measures to keep things where they belong. :smile:
 
If you still use them, you can never have too many axle O-rings or gaskets. I like having multiples spares of the same part that's hard to get locally. I ALWAYS need them on a holiday weekend. I just go upstairs to my personal parts stock and BAM, done!

Then again, I worked in parts for a LONG time so I'm conditioned to have stuff "in stock".

I don't think I really forget if I have them, I forget that I already used them....
 
Guilty.
 
And I thought I was the only one!:highly_amused:

Anyone need a set of black carpets for a mid 60's spridget??

Kurt.
 
guilty.....but I am getting better....I now track all my purchases on an Excel spreadsheet! Scott in CA
 
You know it may be related to our ages. It is also easier in many cases to simply reorder than take the time to look for the needed widget. Too much stuff in our lives, too many projects, brain too full. In my '30s I thought that at age 63 I'd be kicked back and coasting into retirement. Instead working harder than ever to stay competitive and relevant. Our kids, well we just run rings around them.
 
I remember the big ticket items. It is the little seals, grommets, etc. that I forget. And I do blame it on my kids and all the other stuff I have to keep track of. ;)

Once I get the "Free Midget" complete, then I am cleaning out all my spares. The pile is shrinking.
 
Back
Top