Buying used parts

-
straightlinespeed

straightlinespeed

Sometimes I pretend to be normal
Joined
Oct 21, 2012
Messages
10,630
Reaction score
4,399
Location
Uvita, Costa Rica
Would you guys ever buy used parts or race parts? Reason I ask is occasionally I see used torque converters, which people claim only have X amount of runs. Electric fuel pumps, that say decided to go with another brand etc.. usually for decent prices. Just has me thinking! When do you decide to buy new or when do you decide to take a risk??
 
Some mechanical parts I would not shy away from used.

A torque converter on the other hand, I would not buy because you have no idea of the condition of the trans it came out of. You could end up contaminating yours.
 
I bought some lightly used Crane Gold adjustable rockers for my 340 at the Mopars in the Park show in MN, so far so good.....killer deal too!!!!

Used cams, pumps, converters, no way....everything else is up for the taking :glasses7:

Just so many unknowns with some parts, unless they are from a friend or you know the car they are from.
 
Bad Sport said:
Some mechanical parts I would not shy away from used.

A torque converter on the other hand, I would not buy because you have no idea of the condition of the trans it came out of. You could end up contaminating yours.
Click to expand...
X2! unless you know the guy I would get it cheaked by a converter co.and have opend up to be sure and aroud here that's around $150.00bucks.and tell him you will pay for it after its cheacked and if its bad hold it tell he pays the money if he wont do that it would tell me its bad,, and as far as electrunices ????I wood relly have to know the man like my best frend knowing..hope this helps,,,,,,,classless Artie
 
Converter or pump is one thing I am on the fence about. No problems with intakes or headers. I prefer an intake with no milling. Who knows if it will even fit??

I have ran several used cams and never had an issue. I make sure the lobes are nice and I always put new tappets on regardless. If you must reuse them, they must be reused on the lobe they resided on because of the wear pattern developed between the tappet and cam lobe.

Some cam's used or not fit the bill. A slant six race cam isn't the easiest thing to get anymore. There are few and far between cam grinders that even offer them. I use an ancient racer brown grind.

I save all I can by getting used parts. Racing is terribly expensive as it is. Gauges, fuel cells, harnesses all adds up. You could possibly make a small fortune racing if you have a large fortune to invest.:D
 
Bought and sold lots of parts in past...on convertors only if I know the person and the car it came out of,cams,is why I carry a digital micrometer so I can mic them and chk them out against their specs plus a visual on everything in general,fuel pumps if they are clean ,look good and work[electric ones] yes even at a swap meet I will ask to hook them up to chk the input/output pressure...intakes just a visual..carbs if they seems to work[clean is a factor] and all parts are there and can be had for a decent price[usually figure it needs a kit as a rule of thumb] or I know the person...electronics only if I know the person or is new in box,rocker arms usually just a visual inspection along with the same for pushrods...pistons, rods, same visual and the person selling them unless new in the box..gears,3rd members depends on a good inspection and the person you are dealing with,same with blks and heads...alot depends on 1st..visual, 2nd. the known dealings or trustworthyness of person that is selling 3rd you must have a general decent knowledge and experience of said items you looking at to understand what is good useable or worn out broken pos..and price and if there is some kind of guarantee or refund/replacement[known people or dealings on the net] Yes there is always some risks and yes I have been burned a few times but overall I've had pretty good success,just have to be careful...i have only gotten one bad convertor and was from a friend and a known car that I pulled the part out of that was working just fine[neil chance 4500] but when we got to chkg it found out that had a hairline crack where the snout goes into front pump almost didnt see it,was clean fluid,looked good known to work good but I couldnt sell it as a good one knowing about the crack so it still sits on the shelf in my garage and my friend just gave it to me no charge..was just out my labor,it can be fixed just have never got around to it, got a dynamic 9.5 that I wouldnt trade for any of the others...but most time in a perfect world where money is no prob buy new..lol..but new doesnt always come trouble free all the time either..you live and you learn...
 
Probably have 4 or 5 used torque converters...Mostly are Turbo Action units...All of them have worked fine...In fact the one in my Daughters 71 Dart...got it off ebay for 200 dollars...just picked up a used A1 converter from stock eliminator guy for 300 buys....

One PTC i got ..i send it out to have the stall adjusted...found out the hub was bend...even with that i was into it alot less then what it would cost new..

So I would say..dont buy used converters....makes a better deal for me....LOL

Used camshafts and carburetors is what I stay away from...unless I actually see the carb run, too many carb genius out there that screw them up..
 
Sometimes, there's no choice. Like my friend's stroker Satellite: he spent almost a year before finally digging up a 1000cfm Thermoquad!
 
Bad Sport said:
Some mechanical parts I would not shy away from used.

A torque converter on the other hand, I would not buy because you have no idea of the condition of the trans it came out of. You could end up contaminating yours.
Click to expand...
I will back you up on the converter comment.Bought one off other site but the seller now sells here.Nowhere performed like advertised.Took to converter shop went to dumpster.$250.00 out the door.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
-

Back
Top