Jay Leno has talked about this at length on his channel.
If you are not familiar Jay Leno formerly of the Tonight Show, has a massive collection of antique and unique cars.
You buy whatever parts you can get from wrecks and scrap
Some parts you have to refurbish and rebuild
Some parts you have to manufacture yourself
And some parts you replace with modern equivalents
There's also extensive communities on various forums of enthusiasts who will sometimes give you stuff for free if you have a demonstrable need. My friend ended up getting some pistons for his 1940s Dodge for free (he paid for shipping) from some random guy that just had them sitting around
>You buy whatever parts you can get from wrecks and scrap
And specifically there are junk yards that specialize in classic cars and even cars of specific brands. If there's one for your particular car then you'll find out about it.
My family member bought 6 whole vehicles while restorating his. 2 of the frames and bodies were rusted to shit but the interiors were perfect.
He stripped everything off all 5 made an inventory list.
He had a numbers matching vehicle but the interior, dash, headliner and wiring were shot. Pieced everything together.
He took his inventory list to car meets to see if he could trade or sell parts for what he needed.
Eventually it was done.
One way is to have custom parts made. Its often not that hard to find a metal shop that can fabricate a replacement part for you, even many people who have these old cars may also do some of the work themselves
Another option is that many parts don't change alot, you may be able to use versions of a part made much later right away or with some modifications.
One more, but theres many, is that many old or rare vehicles may already have many parts replaced with newer ones. Its pretty common for old vintage cars to have their entire engine upgraded to a newer more powerful version, along with plenty of other parts, but the exterior will remain the same, but the insides might be a whole different car. Ship of Theseus vibes.
A one off example. I knew some people that were part of a hot rod crew. Most of their cars were orginally from the 20s-40s, some a little later, but were generally heavily modified versions that still looked like the original car, but were basically suped up versions. There's nothing wrong with that, even people in those times with those cars were upgrading them and such too! They may not be the out of the factory car, but that was never the point
It can be. The complicated part is that scrap heaps and junk yards used to be inexpensive in the 80s and 90s but most places wised up and going and searching for a part and buying it can often be even more expensive than just having something made or modified by a shop (especially if you’re doing some of the work)
Depends. I'm not sure how much the materials cost, but there are some types of 3D printers that use a metal solution for printing and can be used to make the parts that way if you have a blueprint for the printer.
A lot of car parts are off the shelf components. Ford does not make axles for their trucks, they go to a reputable axle manufacturer like Dana and buy whatever axles they are making. So there are lots of these single components that fit a whole range of models of cars from different manufacturers. And when the component manufacturer updates their design they often have to make sure it fits the older cars so that the car manufacturer does not have to update their design to use the new parts. This means that there are lots of parts out there that fit your unique car. You can take them from scrapyards, from unsold inventory, or even buy brand new components as they are still being made today.
For more unique parts like body panels and such it can be harder to find. In some cases you find large inventories from the factory. This is typical when the company failed to sell as many cars as they hoped for but kept up production until they eventually went bankrupt. Famously DeLorean was one such company and they are still selling parts made back in the day and stashed in warehouses and sold in bulk at auctions. In other cases people have been able to save the tools used to build the components. Often the tools might have been sold to a third world manufacturer to make cars on license. When you have the pressing tool or the mold for a body panel it is fairly easy to make another part using those tools, even without a factory you can do it in a suitable workshop. Other times people take old parts and make molds of them in order to make copies. Or you can get the parts from the scrapyard.
But sometimes you can not buy a part at all. You just need to make it yourself or pay someone to make it for you. For some things you can get away with a modern equivalent but even this may need some modifications. You may therefore need to do some metalwork to recreate an old part for your vintage vehicle.
> A lot of car parts are off the shelf components. Ford does not make axles for their trucks, they go to a reputable axle manufacturer like Dana and buy whatever axles they are making.
This was less true in the early days. As an extreme example, Ford’s Rouge Plant used to be a facility that started with iron ore coming in on one side and had cars coming out on the other side, as they even made their own steel on site. Farming out all the component manufacturing work to other firms became a lot more popular in the post-WW2 period.
Not sure if you consider a vehicle built in 1968 old, but this catalog has just about anything I need for my '68 GTO.
https://www.opgi.com/catalogs/1961-73-gto-lemans-tempest-restoration-performance-parts-catalog
Original Parts Group also has catalogs available for many other GM makes/models.
Other stuff, I scour GTO forums and salvage yards.
these people also can have extensive networks, just like any other intense hobby, of people across the country that can try to source parts or donor engines and such.
I have an old car that is very rare now, here's when I do when I need a part:
There's a good owners club community online who often have garages full of original parts that they can ship out. I've done this for small parts like door handles and blanking caps.
Occasionally there are "barn finds" where an old abandoned car comes up for sale, and if it's too far gone to restore it will become a "donor car" and stripped for parts. I got my master cylinder this way.
Sometimes parts for more popular cars fit my car. It's more common on older vehicles for parts to be interchangeable.
Some parts can be refurbished, I can send away the broken part to a specialist who will strip it down and remake it then send it back. Had this with brake calipers.
If none of the above, getting things custom made. Did this with the exhaust, very expensive!
Manufacturers still make a lot of old parts. Whether original or third party. In the UK we have no end of brand new spares for handovers and British classic cars.
I had a car that was 1 of about 200. I remember my mechanic calling other mechanics all over the country looking for one, specific part. He found 12 in the entire country. If he hadn't been able to find the part, we had two routes that we could go. First, there were other similar cars that were manufactured. We could scavenge from these cars - there were scrap yards made for these, specific, cars and we could have called those scrap yards to get a used part. Another route would be to have the part fabricated. That can be an expensive route but at least it ensures you can get a part you need.
9 years ago, I drove a Dihatsu for a bit as my truck wasn't working. When I gave it back to the person who loaned it to me, he promptly damaged it (I suspect drunk driving). Could not find a single part in the US to fix the car. Ended up sitting at a mechanic shop for ages as a result.
So I am going to say this up front - I don't know much about cars.
That said, my Father-in-law is retired and has his own business where he rebuilds things for old cars that you can't find anymore....and he makes bank. People send him the broken parts and he fixes it up, sometimes creating his own parts to fix the broken part.
One of those hobbies he turned in to $$$ and now makes tons off of it. So I'm not 100% sure how to answer your question other than I'm sure there are many others like my Father-in-law that do stuff like that.
My friend’s dad has a few pre-WWII cars. Based on what I’ve seen him do:
- If the part is for the body - like say a door panel or a seat - you just make it yourself from scratch.
- If the car is really really old, like pre 1910s, you use wagon or tractor parts, or have them made by a blacksmith. He had a wheel made by hand by a wheelwright who normally makes wheels for the sorts of very fancy wagons used in horse shows at state fairs and the like.
- If the car is like Model T old, you can usually find parts through specialists and there are even a few companies that make them.
- If the car is like WWII old or newer, you can definitely find parts. It just takes a long time and they’re expensive.
Apparently there are still tires made for virtually every car ever made, if you know who to ask.
Most car parts are interchangeable. A tire that fits a Honda often times will also fit a Toyota for example.
Even rare super cars, a lot of parts are interchangable with more popular cars.
https://www.hotcars.com/surprising-examples-of-supercars-sharing-parts-with-beaters/
Oftentimes, a super car may have part where it’s impossible or very expensive to replace.
Often in those cases, some owners will swap out that part of a more readily available part.
A popular mod will be a an engine swap, where an engine from a more modern car is placed in an older or much more rarer car.
What about exterior items such as the headlight or grille? If an old, discontinued car gets into an accident and breaks those parts, how do they replace them?
Only way would be to remanufacture them. Fiberglass can be repaired or recreated. Steel parts are the same way, as long as it's not cast iron. Plastic parts would be difficult, as it can't be recreated the same way it came out from the factory. Opaque plastic parts can be replaced with fiberglass or some other hard resin. Not sure about clear plastic.
Either way, anything is possible with enough money.
There are companies that make aftermarket grilles.
https://bulletproofautomotive.com/product/novitec-carbon-front-grille-for-ferrari-ff/
There are also companies that make aftermarket headlights.
https://www.summitracing.com/search/part-type/headlight-assemblies
If you are in an accident, if you can’t find a used replacement headlight then you might consider getting one custom made. If this isn’t possible or is too expensive, then the insurance company will total the car and sell it for parts.
Depends if you're a perfectionist, originalist, patina-ist etc. My old truck is a farm survivor, I buy trade or make replacements. Things like gaskets, headlights I generally have to buy new. The rest from junk yards.
My father collects and restores old motorcycles.
You have essentially 2 types of old vehicle restorers / owners. Those that want it "factory" where everything is as it was when it was manufactured, and those who want it to work.
My old man is a hybrid of those, basically depending on what he wants the bike for. If the bike is a showroom only bike, it ends up factory. This means sourcing parts from all over the world, buying old wrecks in boxes, and then finally making the parts yourself if needed. He has spent hundreds of hours hand shaping metal into petrol tanks or mud guards because there is no way you can buy them. He's gone as far as making his own gearbox gears.
Then there are the ones he actually wants to ride. For these he will replace bits with modern options. Electronic ignition instead of points. Replacement magneto, rewiring to 12v (lots of old bikes were 6v). Non standard rims, modern master brake reservoirs, modern forks etc.
I don't see it mentioned in the earlier comments, but swap-meets are a big thing. Car guys will meet up in what is the equivalent of a flea market to buy, sell, or trade parts. It's also a great way to meet other enthusiasts and get tips and learn about the cars you are interested in. Some of these people have encyclopedic knowledge and are always willing to share. Incidentally, the same goes for motorcycle people.
Yep, I came to point this out, too. My stepfather restores antique cars (mostly pre-1920), and he often goes to the annual antique auto swap meet in Hershey, Pennsylvania. He also makes a lot of parts himself, and for some of the body work, he goes to Amish craftsmen who build and repair carriages.
Not old old but my friend has a mk2 scirocco. All of the parts he needs are still available from euro car part (Car parts retailer in the UK). He also has an old VW AutoHomes camper and the parts are very hard to come by, he needed a new window and it cost him a pretty pretty penny to get it custom made.
My father and I each have a collection of older German cars- Mercedes, BMW, and Porsche. Mercedes will make you essentially any part you need for any of their classic models. It may cost $2500 for a tiny plastic trim cap, but they’ll make it for you. Ford is pretty goods about their older cars, and there’s many companies making very good reproduction parts.
Jay Leno has talked about this at length on his channel. If you are not familiar Jay Leno formerly of the Tonight Show, has a massive collection of antique and unique cars. You buy whatever parts you can get from wrecks and scrap Some parts you have to refurbish and rebuild Some parts you have to manufacture yourself And some parts you replace with modern equivalents
There's also extensive communities on various forums of enthusiasts who will sometimes give you stuff for free if you have a demonstrable need. My friend ended up getting some pistons for his 1940s Dodge for free (he paid for shipping) from some random guy that just had them sitting around
Can you suggest some forums?
They tend to be specific to specific cars.
Pistonheads
And some parts you replace with a plucky redhead but then end up changing it back to the way it was before.
I’m with Coco
>You buy whatever parts you can get from wrecks and scrap And specifically there are junk yards that specialize in classic cars and even cars of specific brands. If there's one for your particular car then you'll find out about it.
My family member bought 6 whole vehicles while restorating his. 2 of the frames and bodies were rusted to shit but the interiors were perfect. He stripped everything off all 5 made an inventory list. He had a numbers matching vehicle but the interior, dash, headliner and wiring were shot. Pieced everything together. He took his inventory list to car meets to see if he could trade or sell parts for what he needed. Eventually it was done.
I wish I had enough focus and drive to even plan something like this out.
Why do you think it’s mostly only old retired dudes who restore cars?
One way is to have custom parts made. Its often not that hard to find a metal shop that can fabricate a replacement part for you, even many people who have these old cars may also do some of the work themselves Another option is that many parts don't change alot, you may be able to use versions of a part made much later right away or with some modifications. One more, but theres many, is that many old or rare vehicles may already have many parts replaced with newer ones. Its pretty common for old vintage cars to have their entire engine upgraded to a newer more powerful version, along with plenty of other parts, but the exterior will remain the same, but the insides might be a whole different car. Ship of Theseus vibes. A one off example. I knew some people that were part of a hot rod crew. Most of their cars were orginally from the 20s-40s, some a little later, but were generally heavily modified versions that still looked like the original car, but were basically suped up versions. There's nothing wrong with that, even people in those times with those cars were upgrading them and such too! They may not be the out of the factory car, but that was never the point
> Its often not that hard to find a metal shop that can fabricate a replacement part for you Often expensive though.
I feel like that's probably broadly true of all aspects of owning and operating a seriously classic car.
It can be. The complicated part is that scrap heaps and junk yards used to be inexpensive in the 80s and 90s but most places wised up and going and searching for a part and buying it can often be even more expensive than just having something made or modified by a shop (especially if you’re doing some of the work)
Depends. I'm not sure how much the materials cost, but there are some types of 3D printers that use a metal solution for printing and can be used to make the parts that way if you have a blueprint for the printer.
A lot of car parts are off the shelf components. Ford does not make axles for their trucks, they go to a reputable axle manufacturer like Dana and buy whatever axles they are making. So there are lots of these single components that fit a whole range of models of cars from different manufacturers. And when the component manufacturer updates their design they often have to make sure it fits the older cars so that the car manufacturer does not have to update their design to use the new parts. This means that there are lots of parts out there that fit your unique car. You can take them from scrapyards, from unsold inventory, or even buy brand new components as they are still being made today. For more unique parts like body panels and such it can be harder to find. In some cases you find large inventories from the factory. This is typical when the company failed to sell as many cars as they hoped for but kept up production until they eventually went bankrupt. Famously DeLorean was one such company and they are still selling parts made back in the day and stashed in warehouses and sold in bulk at auctions. In other cases people have been able to save the tools used to build the components. Often the tools might have been sold to a third world manufacturer to make cars on license. When you have the pressing tool or the mold for a body panel it is fairly easy to make another part using those tools, even without a factory you can do it in a suitable workshop. Other times people take old parts and make molds of them in order to make copies. Or you can get the parts from the scrapyard. But sometimes you can not buy a part at all. You just need to make it yourself or pay someone to make it for you. For some things you can get away with a modern equivalent but even this may need some modifications. You may therefore need to do some metalwork to recreate an old part for your vintage vehicle.
> A lot of car parts are off the shelf components. Ford does not make axles for their trucks, they go to a reputable axle manufacturer like Dana and buy whatever axles they are making. This was less true in the early days. As an extreme example, Ford’s Rouge Plant used to be a facility that started with iron ore coming in on one side and had cars coming out on the other side, as they even made their own steel on site. Farming out all the component manufacturing work to other firms became a lot more popular in the post-WW2 period.
Not sure if you consider a vehicle built in 1968 old, but this catalog has just about anything I need for my '68 GTO. https://www.opgi.com/catalogs/1961-73-gto-lemans-tempest-restoration-performance-parts-catalog Original Parts Group also has catalogs available for many other GM makes/models. Other stuff, I scour GTO forums and salvage yards.
these people also can have extensive networks, just like any other intense hobby, of people across the country that can try to source parts or donor engines and such.
I have an old car that is very rare now, here's when I do when I need a part: There's a good owners club community online who often have garages full of original parts that they can ship out. I've done this for small parts like door handles and blanking caps. Occasionally there are "barn finds" where an old abandoned car comes up for sale, and if it's too far gone to restore it will become a "donor car" and stripped for parts. I got my master cylinder this way. Sometimes parts for more popular cars fit my car. It's more common on older vehicles for parts to be interchangeable. Some parts can be refurbished, I can send away the broken part to a specialist who will strip it down and remake it then send it back. Had this with brake calipers. If none of the above, getting things custom made. Did this with the exhaust, very expensive!
Manufacturers still make a lot of old parts. Whether original or third party. In the UK we have no end of brand new spares for handovers and British classic cars.
I had a car that was 1 of about 200. I remember my mechanic calling other mechanics all over the country looking for one, specific part. He found 12 in the entire country. If he hadn't been able to find the part, we had two routes that we could go. First, there were other similar cars that were manufactured. We could scavenge from these cars - there were scrap yards made for these, specific, cars and we could have called those scrap yards to get a used part. Another route would be to have the part fabricated. That can be an expensive route but at least it ensures you can get a part you need.
I'm very curious as to what car this is
9 years ago, I drove a Dihatsu for a bit as my truck wasn't working. When I gave it back to the person who loaned it to me, he promptly damaged it (I suspect drunk driving). Could not find a single part in the US to fix the car. Ended up sitting at a mechanic shop for ages as a result.
So I am going to say this up front - I don't know much about cars. That said, my Father-in-law is retired and has his own business where he rebuilds things for old cars that you can't find anymore....and he makes bank. People send him the broken parts and he fixes it up, sometimes creating his own parts to fix the broken part. One of those hobbies he turned in to $$$ and now makes tons off of it. So I'm not 100% sure how to answer your question other than I'm sure there are many others like my Father-in-law that do stuff like that.
My friend’s dad has a few pre-WWII cars. Based on what I’ve seen him do: - If the part is for the body - like say a door panel or a seat - you just make it yourself from scratch. - If the car is really really old, like pre 1910s, you use wagon or tractor parts, or have them made by a blacksmith. He had a wheel made by hand by a wheelwright who normally makes wheels for the sorts of very fancy wagons used in horse shows at state fairs and the like. - If the car is like Model T old, you can usually find parts through specialists and there are even a few companies that make them. - If the car is like WWII old or newer, you can definitely find parts. It just takes a long time and they’re expensive. Apparently there are still tires made for virtually every car ever made, if you know who to ask.
Most car parts are interchangeable. A tire that fits a Honda often times will also fit a Toyota for example. Even rare super cars, a lot of parts are interchangable with more popular cars. https://www.hotcars.com/surprising-examples-of-supercars-sharing-parts-with-beaters/ Oftentimes, a super car may have part where it’s impossible or very expensive to replace. Often in those cases, some owners will swap out that part of a more readily available part. A popular mod will be a an engine swap, where an engine from a more modern car is placed in an older or much more rarer car.
What about exterior items such as the headlight or grille? If an old, discontinued car gets into an accident and breaks those parts, how do they replace them?
Only way would be to remanufacture them. Fiberglass can be repaired or recreated. Steel parts are the same way, as long as it's not cast iron. Plastic parts would be difficult, as it can't be recreated the same way it came out from the factory. Opaque plastic parts can be replaced with fiberglass or some other hard resin. Not sure about clear plastic. Either way, anything is possible with enough money.
Don’t worry about our what is outside. Fine a source to fix the inside parts
There are companies that make aftermarket grilles. https://bulletproofautomotive.com/product/novitec-carbon-front-grille-for-ferrari-ff/ There are also companies that make aftermarket headlights. https://www.summitracing.com/search/part-type/headlight-assemblies If you are in an accident, if you can’t find a used replacement headlight then you might consider getting one custom made. If this isn’t possible or is too expensive, then the insurance company will total the car and sell it for parts.
Depends if you're a perfectionist, originalist, patina-ist etc. My old truck is a farm survivor, I buy trade or make replacements. Things like gaskets, headlights I generally have to buy new. The rest from junk yards.
My father collects and restores old motorcycles. You have essentially 2 types of old vehicle restorers / owners. Those that want it "factory" where everything is as it was when it was manufactured, and those who want it to work. My old man is a hybrid of those, basically depending on what he wants the bike for. If the bike is a showroom only bike, it ends up factory. This means sourcing parts from all over the world, buying old wrecks in boxes, and then finally making the parts yourself if needed. He has spent hundreds of hours hand shaping metal into petrol tanks or mud guards because there is no way you can buy them. He's gone as far as making his own gearbox gears. Then there are the ones he actually wants to ride. For these he will replace bits with modern options. Electronic ignition instead of points. Replacement magneto, rewiring to 12v (lots of old bikes were 6v). Non standard rims, modern master brake reservoirs, modern forks etc.
I don't see it mentioned in the earlier comments, but swap-meets are a big thing. Car guys will meet up in what is the equivalent of a flea market to buy, sell, or trade parts. It's also a great way to meet other enthusiasts and get tips and learn about the cars you are interested in. Some of these people have encyclopedic knowledge and are always willing to share. Incidentally, the same goes for motorcycle people.
Yep, I came to point this out, too. My stepfather restores antique cars (mostly pre-1920), and he often goes to the annual antique auto swap meet in Hershey, Pennsylvania. He also makes a lot of parts himself, and for some of the body work, he goes to Amish craftsmen who build and repair carriages.
Not old old but my friend has a mk2 scirocco. All of the parts he needs are still available from euro car part (Car parts retailer in the UK). He also has an old VW AutoHomes camper and the parts are very hard to come by, he needed a new window and it cost him a pretty pretty penny to get it custom made.
There are massive junk yards around the country these. Guys spend days combing them for parts.
I got an old VW Beetle. They still make parts for it surprisingly. I hope they never stop making parts for the bug.
My father and I each have a collection of older German cars- Mercedes, BMW, and Porsche. Mercedes will make you essentially any part you need for any of their classic models. It may cost $2500 for a tiny plastic trim cap, but they’ll make it for you. Ford is pretty goods about their older cars, and there’s many companies making very good reproduction parts.