Parts suppier
May 15th, 2018 | 08:19 AM
#2
Registered User
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 14,503
From: southeastern Michigan
I don't think there's an Olds enthusiast alive who doesn't know about Fusick.
I think they are a great place to buy parts, but with some caveats.
1. Their prices can be high, so it pays to shop around before buying from them. Weatherstripping is a good example. They get theirs from the same places you and I would (Metro, Soffseal, Steele, etc.), but they mark up the price. Buy directly from the supplier to save money.
2. They do support the Olds hobby closely, but the degree of that support varies by model. If you've got a Cutlass or 442 made from 1964 to 1972, you're golden. If you've got, say, a '62 F-85 or a '71 Toronado or a '74 Cutlass, though, you're in the wilderness. Their big car support in particular is spotty, but that's typical overall no matter where you try to buy parts.
Getting back to the Toronados for a moment, their "Big Car 1961-up" catalog generally goes through about 1975, but try to find any parts for a second generation Toro (1971-1978). All their Toro parts are first generation ('66 to '70). I understand that parts availability is driven by demand, and the later Toros are not collected to the degree the first generation models are, so parts availability is much less.
3. I wish they would do a little more research as to what cars their parts will fit. For example, I have a '78 Toro, and I have found that some parts that they show as fitting early or mid-'70s full-size cars will also fit my car, a late '70s model, but I have to figure that out for myself. I'm glad the parts are there, but a little more information about the parts they sell would be helpful. It's as though the post-mid-'70s models don't exist.
I think they are a great place to buy parts, but with some caveats.
1. Their prices can be high, so it pays to shop around before buying from them. Weatherstripping is a good example. They get theirs from the same places you and I would (Metro, Soffseal, Steele, etc.), but they mark up the price. Buy directly from the supplier to save money.
2. They do support the Olds hobby closely, but the degree of that support varies by model. If you've got a Cutlass or 442 made from 1964 to 1972, you're golden. If you've got, say, a '62 F-85 or a '71 Toronado or a '74 Cutlass, though, you're in the wilderness. Their big car support in particular is spotty, but that's typical overall no matter where you try to buy parts.
Getting back to the Toronados for a moment, their "Big Car 1961-up" catalog generally goes through about 1975, but try to find any parts for a second generation Toro (1971-1978). All their Toro parts are first generation ('66 to '70). I understand that parts availability is driven by demand, and the later Toros are not collected to the degree the first generation models are, so parts availability is much less.
3. I wish they would do a little more research as to what cars their parts will fit. For example, I have a '78 Toro, and I have found that some parts that they show as fitting early or mid-'70s full-size cars will also fit my car, a late '70s model, but I have to figure that out for myself. I'm glad the parts are there, but a little more information about the parts they sell would be helpful. It's as though the post-mid-'70s models don't exist.
May 15th, 2018 | 08:32 AM
#3
delete
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 2,807
From: Long Island, NY
One good thing about Fusick, while a lot of the parts are the same as available from other guys, they won't carry parts that they don't consider to be of good quality. I spoke to them at the Olds Dustoff on LI, which they attend every year. I asked about repro sport mirrors. They said they don't carry them because the housings are porous, which I've heard elsewhere as well
May 15th, 2018 | 01:10 PM
#4
Old(s) Fart
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 48,407
From: Northern VA
I have mixed feelings about Fusick. On the one hand they by far have done more than any vendor to support the Olds community. They have spearheaded the development of several otherwise impossible to get parts (ie, Jetfire radiator hoses). On the other hand, they also put significant markups on common parts. Selling Anchor motor mounts for ten times the RockAuto price seems excessive (and yes, they even come in the Anchor box).
May 15th, 2018 | 03:46 PM
#6
Registered User
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 14,503
From: southeastern Michigan
Rockauto's price for Anchor part number 2328, motor mount for a 455 in a '72 Cutlass: $2.36.
Fusick's price for the same motor mount, same part number: $23.50, almost exactly 10 times more.
Just for fun, I checked a few other sites:
Amazon: $8.13 with free shipping if you're a Prime member.
Advance Auto Parts: $8.99
Summit: $6.99
eBay: $4.99
There will be an additional charge for shipping, but then, that's true for Fusick as well. Fusick adds a $3.00 handling charge plus $12 shipping for orders under $50. So to buy two motor mounts from Fusick will set you back $23.50 + $23.50 + $3.00 + $12.00 = $60.
To buy the same two motor mounts from Amazon will cost you $16.26 if you're a Prime member. From Advance, the total will be $17.98 plus your local sales tax. Summit would charge $7.99 for ground shipping for a total of $21.97. For Rockauto, shipping to my address is $8.89.
To summarize:
Amazon: $16.26 (Prime member)
Advance: $19.47 (using my local sales tax rate)
Rockauto: $13.61
Summit: $21.97
Fusick: $60.00
One of these things is not like the others.
Last edited by jaunty75; May 15th, 2018 at 03:54 PM.
