EBAY, 40 years and the last Locomobile hubcap story

[alsfarms]

Ok, we all can and do have our own feelings about EBAY.  I am here tonight to give a hurrah to EBAY.  I have been very slowly working on, gathering, building, restoring a 1909 Locomobile Model L.  This Model was the first shaft drive Locomobile.  When I first started on this project, it had been parked out back of one of my relatives house for probably 25 years and was a car my Great-Grand-Dad originally owned.  I was able to acquire the remains, from a family member in about 1976.  It was missing a lot of major pieces due to the scrap drives of WW2.  I decided I would not start on the dirty work of restoration until I would be lucky enough to locate and procure all the missing big pieces.  To date I have been lucky enough to make some serious progress and have a very decent project now.  I am giving updates on the engine and other brass in a couple of other forum areas here.  In the early 1980's I was in proximity of a few fellow collectors that were telling a story about sneaking into a farmers back yard and lifting the hubcaps off an early Locomobile chassis.  Well, that particular chassis is my Locomobile.  Fellows, I have thought of several ways that I could replace the missing hubcaps over the ensuing 40 years.  I even have a set of recast caps, but I have not been keen to do the finish work and still have a sub standard set of caps.  As a result I have been 40 years patient.  Now back to EBAY.  I decided to send out feelers in many different directions and to watch EBAY religiously.  One not to nice but original  cast brass cap was given to me.  Next probably 15 years ago, EBAY turned up with the second cast brass cap.  About three years ago, EBAY brought on the third cast brass Locomobile cap to auction.  (In the mean time, I was also able on EBAY, to bid and win nearly a set of the later stamped brass Locomobile caps).  Another side bar, the front Locomobile hubcaps are smaller than are the rear caps.  The rear caps are cast differently as the Locomobile rear axle is full floating with the hubcap holding in the axle shaft.  My finds were adding up.  I had two correct rear cast brass caps and one correct front cast brass cap.  Just tonight, my 40 year hunt is over.  I was watching as my last front cast brass Locomobile hubcap crossed the auction block.  No one else bid, I won and now I can sleep better tonight thanks to 40 years of patience and EBAY.  Does it get any better than that?    If you have a good EBAY story, share it!

Al

[mike6024]

I bought my '67 Alfa Romeo as a stripped down picked over parts car. No seats, no bumpers. Engine, trans and rear end where there but the head and carbs were missing. I had never registered for ebay at that time, but occasionally searched for Alfa parts to see what popped up. One day i saw a complete set of bumpers in good condition. That's actually 4 bumpers in total, front and rear; left and right. So I registered for the first time, and bid. At the end i got outbid on those, I had no idea what to expect. ( I think they went for about $450 which would have been a good deal if i were smart enough to bid that high )  But it has turned out to be good source for parts I would never find locally. I have got bumpers, and now have extra, some I could resell if I wanted. I have bought used carbs from Italy on ebay from "Gabrielle" or just Gabe. I bought an excellent used grill for $75, and even a NOS one that I keep stored.

 

Edited January 15, 2018 by mike6024 (see edit history)

[c49er]

Ebay has been the only reason i have been able to finally find all the engine parts needed to rebuild my 1953 dodge truck 413 flathead. it's taken 35 years on this little sidelined project to get all the proper NOS engine parts.... no chinese junk wanted here!.

I have also found many near impossible NOS chrome parts for my 1946-53 Chrysler cars too.

I love Ebay.

Seems though prices are getting pretty high.

[John348]

As a buyer I LOVE EBAY! Seller not so much. I have found NOS things on ebay that I have not seen in 30 years, was not cheap, but it was not cheap at the swap meets

[1937hd45]

Got to love the Locomobile Hub Cap story! Great looking cars, I can picture it with a Toy Tonneau body. Guess it was 20 years ago now that I decided to build a 1937 Harley just like the one Dad bought new. I started with an original rear fender, and found out early that 1937 had a lot of unique one year only parts, a total of 2032 45's were built that year. Thanks to eBay I found most of the parts and within 15 years had a rolling motorcycle, add that to the list of cars that went down the road for kids college bills. 

Edited January 15, 2018 by 1937hd45 (see edit history)

[Guest]

My hub cap story started in 1959 when I started driving my Grandfather's 1930 Pontiac.  His hubcaps were all badly dinted.  He used to put the car away in the winter time.  One stove wood piece vertically under the differential and one under the center of the front axle.  To keep the car from tipping sideways he propped a piece of wood angled up under the hub cap.  After 29 years they were totally unsalvageable.  Until eight years ago I was unable to find even another beat up cap.  During the next four years I bought eight caps on e-bay, one NOS, then 2 so so caps,  then two good caps and then three NOS at once.  I am not impressed with their extra charges re shipping and customs but I have 4 brand new caps and a spare that is almost perfect and was able to give three caps to friends that needed them. 

[edinmass]

Back in 2000 I bought a Pierce Arrow from the upper mid west. When I arrived to trailer it home, the door handles and vin tag had been stolen off of it while it was in storage. Fast forward twelve years and my handles and vin tag were on ebay, so I bid a huge amount to be sure and get my stuff back. When it arrived I sent a friend to the seller home to let them know he sold me my stolen stuff, and I wanted my money back. Turns out it was his kid who stole the stuff while working at the garage where my car was stored. He gave me my money back. Sometimes things just work out the way they should. Ed

 

PS That Loco is a great car..........and in the family from new is fantastic!

[trimacar]

Interesting how Ebay can find a thief.

 

I have a good friend  who lives away from here, and  has an early, oddball, high horsepower car.  Over the years he's collected a lot of memorabilia, and since he has a deal with his ex wife that he still owns half a house and storage barn, a lot of the stuff was still there, more or less in my area.

 

One day he calls me, a local antique store has a bunch of stuff on Ebay, and it looks like some of his collection.  I go into the store, look at the stuff, and even recognize a post card I'd given him years back.  I buy the card (it wasn't on Ebay), to verify, my friend then gets the police and show up at the antique store, and he gets his stuff back.

 

The ex-wife's new husband's daughter needed money, and started taking stuff, and her first stop was the antique store in this story.  He was very fortunate to get it all back.......

[Brass is Best]

A friend of mine found a missing headlamp for his 1909 Mitchell on ebay. He bought it over to my shop to compare it to our Mitchell and mentioned he needed a lens. We keep an old box of lens that was a parts store display circa maybe 1920. My Dad opened it up and randomly pulled out a lens. They are all in brown paper sleeves. He pulled the lens out and it was an exact match. Sometimes it can be a very small world. 

[alsfarms]

The stories catching the thief, returning of stolen parts and other stories that involve EBAY are amazing.  The original hubcaps from my Locomobile no doubt have helped to restore other Locomobiles.  I am OK with that.  I am just happy that my 40 year journey to replace the missing cast Locomobile hubs caps can finally be put to bed.  I need to sort out being an EBAY seller as I have plenty of spare parts that need to help other projects along the "40 year" adventure.  I rather like EBAY for a second reason.  That reason is, it puts me in touch with many others that may not really be old car guys but simply desire to get rid of Uncle Joe's left over old car parts that they inherited.  I have also made some right good friends and repeat contacts where we have actually been able to share and work on projects that are mutually beneficial to all of us.  For the moment...Hoorah EBAY.

Al

[trimacar]

I think that's the real value of Ebay, it makes stuff available to us that we'd never otherwise be able to find.

 

Funny things happen in the old car world.  A friend of mine has a nice restoration shop.  I'd brought my Pierce distributor to him to rebuild, and along with it I brought a plastic bag full of points and such.  This bag was hidden in a secret compartment in my Pierce when I got it, must have been thirty sets of points.  I just figured they were all Pierce.  And no, I won't tell you where the secret compartment is, that's why it's called a secret compartment!

 

When I went to pick up the distributor, we were talking, and he said I gotta tell you, I took a set of points out of your bag and used them on another car.  Some oddball car had come into his shop from the 20's or 30's, points were bad, he couldn't find a set.  He thought about the big bag of points that I'd left, dug through them, and found a perfect match.

 

It was no problem for me, he's a good friend who's been good to me working on cars, and was glad the parts helped.  But, shows what funny coincidences can happen, if I hadn't picked THAT week to bring him my project, the other car would have been dead in the water!

[alsfarms]

Yes, things happen in our hobby.  I agree with David.  I have been on goose hunts that have started with a search on EBAY where I was referred to Joe, who sent me to Jim.  Jim said no he can't help but John has the tallywhacker I need on the shelve and yes he is good to help/sell the tallywhacker.  Oh yeah, John really needs a fiddlywinck and I just happen to have an extra and yes I would sell that fiddlywinck.  John is happy and so am I.  Next thing you know you have a big circle of friends and contacts.  That is the best part of this hobby "People". 

Al

[60FlatTop]

I bought this car on Ebay for $850 and have been trying to get around to touching up the paint on the left front fender since '02.

 

The fender doesn't really look that bad does it.

 

This one came from Craigslist. It was $500.

 

My Grandfather said "If you carry fish hooks in your pocket you can't get the money out fast."

Bernie

 

[trimacar]

I guess I have a lot of "coincidence" stories.  I wanted a muffler for my 1910 Hupmobile, and I ended up buying a project 1911 Model 20 that had an original muffler.  I took the muffler apart, and had the ends recast.  Thus, with the ends, one could roll sheet metal and have a muffler.

 

I'd picked up the newly cast pieces, and for some reason carried them all in the garage except one rear piece.  It sat under the seat in my Suburban for a while. 

 

A fellow from out of town, a fellow Hupp Model 20 owner, called me out of the blue, was passing through town, could he come over and visit.  Sure.  So, after the visit, we were standing in my driveway next to my Suburban.  Small talk, and he mentioned "gee, what I really need is a good rear piece for a muffler, mine is cracked in a couple places".....and I opened the nearby door of the Suburban and handed him a new casting.  We were both sort of taken aback, as they say!  The odds of him mentioning, me not only having but having about 5 feet away....fun stuff...

[alsfarms]

Hello Bernie,

I have not used or had much success with Craigslist.  I just can't figure out the search aspect for Craigslist.  It seems to take way more time than I care to invest to check locations around the US for a widget that I need or for that matter even do a general hunt for say "Locomobile".  Any hints or stories comparing the use of both EBAY and Craigslist?  (By the way...nice Buicks!  New iron, I am GM all the way.  Old stuff I really get after the orphans)

Al

[alsfarms]

Here is one of my "odd" EBAY stories.  About 20 years ago, I was deep into duplication of Locomobile parts that I needed to complete my Locmombile running gear.  If any of you have been in that position with parts projects, we have learned to always cast up extra pieces.  It is my feeling, and absolute understanding, that someone will be needing just what I would have extra.  So I then put together, from my stash of duplicated castings, a full set of what I needed for my chassis.  Several other fellows then took almost all the extra parts I had.  Most of these parts went east.  Fast forward almost 20 years, where I see a small group of "no name" castings out west on EBAY.  These parts were part of what I had reproduced but they had, over time and movement, lost their identity.  I decided that I would buy them back as I knew that they were and what they fit.  Interestingly, I paid much less for them than I did when I had them cast originally.  What an "ODD" twist of fate.

Al

[CarlLaFong]

1 hour ago, alsfarms said:

Hello Bernie,

I have not used or had much success with Craigslist.  I just can't figure out the search aspect for Craigslist.  It seems to take way more time than I care to invest to check locations around the US for a widget that I need or for that matter even do a general hunt for say "Locomobile".  Any hints or stories comparing the use of both EBAY and Craigslist?  (By the way...nice Buicks!  New iron, I am GM all the way.  Old stuff I really get after the orphans)

Al

I use Search Tempest. It searches all of Craigslist. You just enter a key word and a few other prompts and it brings up everything, nation wide

[1937hd45]

4 hours ago, edinmass said:

Back in 2000 I bought a Pierce Arrow from the upper mid west. When I arrived to trailer it home, the door handles and vin tag had been stolen off of it while it was in storage. Fast forward twelve years and my handles and vin tag were on ebay, so I bid a huge amount to be sure and get my stuff back. When it arrived I sent a friend to the seller home to let them know he sold me my stolen stuff, and I wanted my money back. Turns out it was his kid who stole the stuff while working at the garage where my car was stored. He gave me my money back. Sometimes things just work out the way they should. Ed

 

PS That Loco is a great car..........and in the family from new is fantastic!

That would make for a GREAT TV show, sort of an American Pickers & Dog the Bounty Hunter using some of the old cast members from Sons of Anarchy. 

[1912Staver]

I have had pretty good luck with rare motorcycle parts on Ebay, but not nearly as much with vintage car parts.  Motorcycle parts seem to be a lot easier to ID , as long as the seller is even a little familiar with the particular make and era. 

 Car parts seem a lot harder for people to identify, even in relation to general era.  a front spindle from the late 1940's often looks much the same as a front spindle from the teens. And due to the volume of parts on Ebay a buyer would likely look at thousands of listings before finding something rare and needed. Parts like hubcaps are comparatively easy because of the typical cast or stamped in name.  I get the impression a substantial quantity of early parts end up in scrap because someone ends up with them , either in an estate clean up or direct inheritance and has no idea what the parts are or fit. It may be one of 4 or 5 of something surviving but unless there is a way of connecting to one of the 3 people in the world who need it, the potential piece of gold ends up being sold for a few cents a pound. 

 Picture something like a rear end . There has been thousands of different versions of the conventional shaft drive , leaf spring rear end. How would anyone ever describe a 75 year old ,unknown fitment , big chunk of steel and cast iron.  The likely hood of it ending up with someone who needs it is remote.

 

Greg in Canada

[60FlatTop]

2 hours ago, alsfarms said:

It seems to take way more time than I care to invest

 

There is a key to searching. Search Tempest works well. I am half heartedly looking for a 1970 Thunderbird and use it to check.

 

A big factor, in my instance, is that computers have been an everyday part of my life since 1974. Back then and over the years I have had formal training in computer applications and network systems. I have conversations from time to time and recognize more intuitive experience than training on computer stuff.

 

It is a wash, the time I don't spend on searches is due to the time I spent in classrooms. Both the '60 Electra and the '86 Electra are the product of very specific search techniques that I use.

 

In the case of the 1986, it was a car I learned about when the first owner (or estate) had it up for sale.

86Park Avenue Conv by Car Craft-Silver-autoTrader.pdf

 

Then the second owner bought it, listed it for $6,000. Then dropped it to $4,000. I was also watching an H&E Eldorado convertible conversion in NC at the time. Somehow the second owner blew the engine and transmission, got agitated and dropped it to $500 all upset. I called and made arrangements for the purchase two hours after the price drop. Some luck, some skill. Once I paid the "entry fee" I got to mix in another $9,000 to fix everything, everything. I figure another $3,000 will have it finished to my complete satisfaction. So be careful what you search for.

Bernie

 

 

 

[JV Puleo]

Al... do you have a set of four, 1/8NPT right angle priming cups in that pile of stuff

 

Joe P

[lump]

I too like eBay very much, although it can really be a pain some times. But I do have a few cool eBay stories.  

 

To me, the coolest part of all is that it brings those very uncommon parts together with the very, very few people who want them. For example, I used to sell stuff at Hershey each year, and always noted how hard it was to sell obscure old parts, even really great parts for really cool cars. Then eBay came along. I recall buying an old cast-brass Pierce Arrow hubcap at yard sale for $15, and thinking to myself that I would have a heck of a time finding anyone who would actually need it (based on my history of selling parts at a swap meet booth).  But my son had been telling me about eBay, so I gave it a try. The hubcap sold quickly, for many times what I paid for it. The small profit was nice, but my overwhelming reaction was satisfaction with the knowledge that the seller said he had been looking for that cap for quite a while. So finally, there was a way for a very obscure car part in one part of the world, to be connected to a person who needed it very badly from quite a long distance away. 

 

Now I have several friends who spend much of their time seeking items to buy at swap meets, yard sales, flea markets, etc, so they can list them for sale on eBay. 

 

 

[trimacar]

5 minutes ago, lump said:

Now I have several friends who spend much of their time seeking items to buy at swap meets, yard sales, flea markets, etc, so they can list them for sale on eBay. 

 

And, that's very doable...you're going from a neighborhood market to a global market....I know someone who does this religiously (and I don't mean just on Sundays!).

 

One more story.  Edinmass came through my town once, we went out for supper, and he was telling me about the 5 gallon Duplex oil can he'd just found, "Made Expressly for Pierce Arrow"....and of course I'm a Pierce memorabilia collector, so was jealous, as I have some cans, but at the time not a 5 gallon.  Ed told me how rare they were and so forth.

 

The next day, I was trying to figure out a way to find a 5 gallon Duplex oil can.  There had to be one out there somewhere.  Half heartedly, I pulled up Buffalo Craigslist, hey, I thought, that's where Pierce was made so...OH MY GOSH, here's one for sale!  It looked a little dark in the pictures, but I was dying to have one, contacted the seller, bought it and he shipped it to me.  I have a little secret for cleaning lithograph cans, and after testing a small place, went full bore, and it cleaned up very nicely.

 

Again, what are the odds?  Ed visits, mentions a can I don't even know about, and within a week I have a similar can in my grubby little hands!  The fates were good to me for sure!

[Grimy]

21 minutes ago, trimacar said:

my grubby little hands

David, are you confessing to having Small Hands?

 

More seriously, would you kindly share your 'secret' for cleaning lithographed cans? Please..?  (You knew someone was going to ask)

 

Cleaning instrument faces and speedometer numerals?

 

Thanks in advance!

[alsfarms]

Alright,  here is a picture of the Locomobile script hubcap that has been the source of a 40 plus year search.  SUCCESS AT LAST!  Yes this cap is nickel plated which would put it 1911-12-13-14-15.  However, the nickel will be stripped and the resulting brass hubcap will be polished and it will be a perfect match for my car.

Al

[Harold]

It's nice to come across a buyer who is motivated by doing the right thing rather than by the mighty dollar.  

 

In the pre-PayPal days, I listed a Dodge shop manual on eBay at a very low opening bid.  It ended-up being a 'one-bid wonder' which was somewhat disappointing.  When I received the buyer's check, it was for $10.00 more than the bid price.  I contacted him and offered a reimbursement, but the buyer told me that the selling price was too low and I should keep the extra money.

 

It wasn't a huge transaction, but thinking about it still makes me smile....

[trimacar]

1 hour ago, Grimy said:

David, are you confessing to having Small Hands?

 

More seriously, would you kindly share your 'secret' for cleaning lithographed cans? Please..?  (You knew someone was going to ask)

 

Cleaning instrument faces and speedometer numerals?

 

Thanks in advance!

Of course I will, please leave small unmarked bills at......oh, wait, that's another project I'm working on.   Let me dig up, I think I have before and after shots, then will share...

[8E45E]

17 hours ago, mike6024 said:

I bought my '67 Alfa Romeo as a stripped down picked over parts car. No seats, no bumpers. Engine, trans and rear end where there but the head and carbs were missing. I had never registered for ebay at that time, but occasionally searched for Alfa parts to see what popped up. One day i saw a complete set of bumpers in good condition. That's actually 4 bumpers in total, front and rear; left and right. So I registered for the first time, and bid. At the end i got outbid on those, I had no idea what to expect. ( I think they went for about $450 which would have been a good deal if i were smart enough to bid that high )  But it has turned out to be good source for parts I would never find locally. I have got bumpers, and now have extra, some I could resell if I wanted. I have bought used carbs from Italy on ebay from "Gabrielle" or just Gabe. I bought an excellent used grill for $75, and even a NOS one that I keep stored.

 

 

For Italian cars, www.ebay.it has been an EXCELLENT source.  I've dealt with some GREAT vendors in Italy who are more than willing to help.

 

Craig

[alsfarms]

Here is a previous EBAY purchased Locomobile hub cap.  Note:  this cap still has the original paint so I know how to finish the rest of the caps.  It is so nice to finally have a full set of hub caps for the car, two fronts and two rears.  I am about 50% Danish and watch the Danish EBAY hoping to some day purchase a Nimbus motorcycle.  I want to check out EBAY. IT.  I also peruse EBAY.UK looking for parts for an Alvis.  The good thing about the Brits, they at least speak a language I can also speak, (mostly).  Is the language barrier a problem dealing with Italian vendors?   I have decided that being mostly a buyer EBAY is OK.

Al

Edited January 16, 2018 by alsfarms
spelling (see edit history)

[alsfarms]

Joe,

To answer your question, no I do not have any right angle 1/8" NPT primer cups.  Have you considered a 1/8" street elbow then install a straight priming cup?  I have just put a set of straight primer cups on the Locomobile, getting ready for first smoke.

Al

[JV Puleo]

Yes.. but don't have straight ones either. I do have a set of right angle cups with 1/4 NPT thread... at this point, I'd be happy with either type. Actually, since I'm probably still years from running the engine and they aren't actually critical to it running, I might as well wait and keep looking. If it's anything like your hubcap quest, I've still got 35 years.... except that I'll be 101 by then!

 

jp

[hddennis]

A few years ago I  found a pre-war tether car on eBay bid up to $143,00 and offered the seller $1000.00 to end the auction early thinking I might be able to double my money. Sold it over the phone 12 hours later for $5000.00, I LOVE eBay!

 

After hunting for years and buying the contents of 10 rear axle for my 1917 Maxwell I'd just about given up on finding enough good parts to reassemble my rear axle.  Stumbled across an auction on eBay listing a 1916 Maxwell rough basket case. I called the seller hoping he might have parts to help me out. At first he seemed annoyed and wanted to know how I found out he had a Maxwell for sale. Turns out he listed in on eBay Australia and he was from New Zealand and eBay accidently listed his car worldwide. Long story short he knew the whereabouts of N.O.S. Maxwell parts imported to New Zealand nearly 100 years earlier. He sent me a list of Model T parts he needed and we made a trade. If not for that mistake by eBay I'd still be hunting. Did I say I LOVE eBay?

 

Howard Dennis

[1937hd45]

I've never checked out other country eBay sites, but did sell a car to a buyer in Italy once. It was a fair amount of money and pre PayPal days, and there was some concern on my part about scams and bank account security. My bank told me things were ok and just have the money wired, then there were the shipping details. I told the buyer I could bring the car to the docks in New Jersey for an additional fee. He said not to worry the truck would be there Thursday at noon to pick it up. Eleven forty five I heard the backup beeper and a rollback was in my yard. Fellow winched it up and it was gone. Easiest auto sale in my life. Bob .....................Yes, I LOVE eBay too!

Edited January 16, 2018 by 1937hd45 (see edit history)

[1937hd45]

This is one of the better Forum threads in a long time, so I better add my Locomobile hub cap story. I really enjoy knowing what my friends have under restoration and what things they collect, makes for more fun at a swap meet. I spotted a nice early Locomobile rear hub cap at a local meet one Spring. I bumped into two brothers that were into Connecticut built cars and told them were the hub cap was. Not any more said Billy, it's in Doug's pocket, it was a really nice maybe NOS cap. Then there was the Lozier hub capo I bought at a Hot Rod swap meet for $10.00, that was eBayed and lives in New Zealand now. Bob ..........................one more reason I LOVE eBay

[Buffalowed Bill]

I've been enjoying reading about the good things that eBay have us to accomplish, that probably wouldn't have been possible previously.

 

About six or seven years ago a good friend, who is a car collector, had an accident with his 1939 Railton. The accident wasn't his fault, but of course that didn't make it any easier to deal with. Fortunately there was no structural damage and confined to the front end, and the car's aluminum fenders. My friend was able to find a well respected artisan who could do the work, and who his insurance would work with.  

 

My friend had mentioned several times how fortunate he had been that there had been no damage done to the car's very large, unique  and rare headlights. I'm really not sure why the headlights were to remain with the car, but at some time they were removed, and remained with the car when it went for service. Before my friend left the serviceman's shop, he mentioned how rare and, maybe even irreplaceable, they were. Now aware of their importance the shop owner  slid the box, that they were in, under the car, where they wouldn't be disturbed.

 

The work took a bit longer then expected, but was finally completed. Everything was done to my friend's satisfaction, including matching the patina of the car's original paint. The headlights had been reattached during the repair process.

 

After inspecting the work, but before my friend left the man's shop, the shop owner related a story that he hadn't really intended to tell my friend. It seems as though at some time while the car sat waiting repair, a front tire had gone flat and chassis crushed the original headlights. Feeling responsible for the tragic occurrence, but not knowing where to turn he searched everywhere, to no avail. Desperate the shop owner turned to eBay and like magic an identical pair appears. The owner bought them, restored them, including plating and installed them at no additional charge!   

[alsfarms]

Gosh, 1937HD45....I missed out on the Locomobile cap you saw at the swap meet.  At least the McGee bros. were into Locomobile and could put it to good use.  If you ever run across another, try heading it west to me!  I have another near miss EBAY story for you all.  This story involves me getting some plating done  on some of the bright parts for a 1957 Corvette.  I had a good relationship with a small chrome plating shop about 200 miles from me (just about everything is 200 miles from me and I am OK with that) and had left some hard to find pieces in the shop owners hands for plating.  You all know how that feeling is when you leave something in someone elses  hand then you turn and walk away hoping that nothing goes wrong, well that was me that time.  I made the journey back to the shop on the predetermined day most anxious to have the Corvette trim back in my hot little hands.  The owner was not himself that day when he saw me and I immediately knew something was not going to be good.  As the story turns out, a newer employee had the wire up job which is part of the preparation for the plating process.  He simply did not do it the proper way and my part was buried in the muck on the bottom of his tank.  He said not to worry as he had gone to EBAY and had purchased a replacement part and had me fixed up with that part with not additional cost.  In this story, I was very happy with the responsible nature the shop owner took for his patrons, and his ability to use EBAY to keep his name clean and me happy.  It was a good outcome for me and the Corvette.

Al

Edited January 16, 2018 by alsfarms
spelling (see edit history)

[chistech]

Been restoring my 32' Oldsmobile Deluxe Convertible Roadster. Nothing is repopped so original parts must be found. I'm constantly checking and over the last 16 months have gotten a lot of the little parts I needed like a pair of NOS tail light lenses with chrome rims, gaskets, and even a very rare Stromberg EC-2 carb all rebuilt that I purchased for a spare. The carb was cheap for under $300 too. I've been sending out the chrome for this car to be redone and the cost has been the largest cost of the whole restoration. I needed to have both bumpers done and got a price averaging $1,750 ea. Low and behold, one day a pair of rechromed 32' Olds bumpers show up on eBay. I called the guy and asked him what he wanted to get and he told me $700. I offered him the $700 and got two perfectly chromed bumpers (not even a single surface scratch) for $730 delivered to my door. He told me that he had many calls and others wanted to offer him only $400 for the pair. I feel I got them extremely cheap at the $730 yet others were trying to get them for next to nothing. Pros to eBay and the seller for helping me get the bumpers, cons to the guys out there trying to get rare parts worth thousands for basically nothing. I saved over $2000 buying those bumpers on eBay and I still have my originals.

[alsfarms]

How similar will you Olds be to a Chevrolet roadster of the same vintage?

Al

[Luv2Wrench]

I bought a muffler for my 1913 Metz Model 22 that was listed as a "foot heater" for a Model T.   I usually search through all the Model T parts because I find that if someone doesn't know what it is then it usually gets labeled as a Model T part.   That strategy has worked more than once.

[36 D2 Coupe]

As a buyer, eBay has been good to me. I have been able to buy an original clock that mounts in the glove box door on our '36 Dodge coupe. Missed the first one I saw offered but didn't make the same mistake twice. Bid very heavily to get it and haven' seen another since. That was about 10 years ago. Same deal for an original trunk rack for the Dodge. I paid what I thought was quite a lot at the "Buy It Now" price but I have never seen another one offered. In both cases, I am sure I would never have found these accessories without eBay. So yes, I am very happy and lucky, thanks to eBay.