1964f-85

My Olds was totalled by someone running a red light in 1980.
We went to our Oldsmobile dealer and ordered two front fenders and a bumper, he did some searching and a week later we had our NOS parts.
Not happy with one of the fenders and a blemish on the bumper we went back to see if we could exchange them for better ones.
The dealer said there were no more, their system said none were available anywhere!

Did we get the last ones?

dc2x4drvr

My 71 had new front fenders installed in the mid 80's, guess they were still available then.

MDchanic

I remember in the early '80s you could go down to the local GMC dealer, and if the sharp parts guy was there, he could find and order most any part you wanted for late '60s to early '70s Chebbies. Not every part was available, but if the parts guy knew where to look, a surprising number were.

- Eric

Run to Rund

Back then there were two ways to get parts for older model years: regular parts order, if still in the GMPD system, or by checking the network of dealerships for parts in stock at one, that they had not returned under the 4% max allowable returns each year. I found some parts those two ways, and also a few by giving out flyers with most of the part numbers I wanted any time I visited a new (to me) dealership. I got some stuff from a couple dealers in the Philadelphia area, and some in Picayune MS for example.

oldsmobiledave

In 1992 GM of Canada still had NOS 1971-1972 Cutlass/442 fenders. If I recall correctly they were $450 each at that time.

Run to Rund

So, I guess that really means two systematic ways, and one random, unpredictable way. Yes, you may have gotten the last ones that could be found by the first two methods I cited above.

1969w3155

Back in 1980 when I bought my '66 GTO, I was able to buy the lenses for the front turn signals for 14 bucks from the local Pontiac dealer, they showed 9 sets still in the system...I shoulda bought them all.

joe_padavano

GM routinely drops older parts out of the parts network, but often the dealerships still have them on the shelves. Witness the tailgate window weatherstrip on the 1977-1990 B-body wagons. This has been listed as discontinued for nearly two decades, but I was able to find one on a dealer's shelf a few years ago. In fact, you will often find that some aftermarket vendors will discover caches of discontinued parts like this, snap them up, then sell them at a markup. Classic Industries was offering this same tailgate weatherstrip (advertised as original GM parts) at about 20% more than I paid for it.

66400

1975 I purchased L and R front fenders for 55 Chevrolet passenger car direct from a local Chevy dealership.

Henry

1964f-85

I put a w-30 hood on my 1972 and purchased the chrome hood locks from GM.
That was around 1986.