I am about to embark on updating a 1972 Cutlass Supreme Convertible.

Trying to figure out the best place to obtain "correct" replacement/reproduction Oldsmobile parts. I want the parts to be of high modern quality, but be as close to original as is possible/practical.

The contenders seem to be: Supercars Unlimited, Fusick, Inline Tube, Year One (though they want $15 to ship catalogue! and no PDF to download) and Original Parts Group (can't seem to get them to send me a catalogue until March and no PDF to download).

Is one company better that the other for different types of parts? i.e. I should buy hoses at one place and suspension at another?

In case it makes a difference, my first project on the car is to have my mechanic rebuild the transmission and reseal the motor. Also, water pump, fuel pump, and HEI distributor. In the process I will have him replace all the various tubes and hoses in the engine compartment so that they look correct and have the correct clips.

Next project will be rebuilding the front end and new springs and shocks all around.

Thanks in advance for any and all opinions.

 

I used Brothers Automotive. Brothers has a lot of engine parts. They and Fusick are the only ones that seem to specialize in Oldsmobile. My sense is that Inline Tube now has a lot of young people working for them that are not very knowledgeable so you need to know exactly what you want and need.

 

No comment on BAP. Most Olds vendors get their emblems from Fusick. I would tend to support the vendors that are "all Oldsmobile". I have used BAP, Year One, Tamraz, Fusick and others. Based on my personal experience Fusick is my vendor of choice.

 

Fusick has been in the Oldsmobile business since 1971. They are the manufacturers for the vast majority of all Olds parts you will find on other retailers websites. As I see you are in Maine, they are also probably the closest to you. Having said that, you will find different suppliers have a different specialty or focus. Some have a broader range of engine, chassis parts etc. Also, others will have generic A body parts that Fusick may or may not carry. For the very specific detail items etc. they are the specialists.
No comment on BAP as well.

 

This is a no win poll FYI. The vendors you have listed all have aftermarket (licensed gm reproductions according to their mission statements) parts. Some of the parts are IDENTICAL but are listed with the vendors own part catalogue number. I've found that no ONE vendor will give you the best value for your buck, so it pays to shop around. I find that OPGI and Year One have amongst the highest prices for similar parts. Fusick has a great paper and online catalogue; their prices have been steadily increasing and their shipping is getting insanely expensive. I bought a lot from ILT and have not been disappointed in their quality, service or pricing. Their packaging and shipping is excellent (slower to Canada). Parts Place lately a lot of folks have been complaining about poor customer service.

There are some sources you should also look at that aren't named; such as

Tamraz - limited choices but good pricing/service and shipping
RockAuto - excellent prices and shipping but only if they all come from the same warehouse.
Steele Rubber Parts - limited selections but excellent quality.
USA Parts Supply - more of older parts, but intermingled with 60-70's cars.
AMK fasteners - good on line catalogue and prices. Good OEM and aftermarket parts
H&H Restorations - reasonable prices, limited selection mostly interior trim.
Supercars Unlimited - speciality market for Cutlass/442
Ground up Restorations -chev - but has interchangeable Olds parts for suspension. Decent prices and quality.
Legendary Auto Interiors - the best interior short of OEM.
NAPA
O'Reilly
Autozone

Sheet metal parts you can look at Goodmark but there are tons of suppliers. All you need to google is "Oldsmobile sheet metal parts".

I have been royally screwed over by BAP (Brothers) several times and so have a lot of our members. Occasionally someone chimes in that they got great service there, but that doesn't appear to be the norm. https://classicoldsmobile.com/forums...html#post17411

 

All those listed are good, you may find some have better pricing or shipping or return policies.

I have used parts place, Y1, fusick, rock auto, opgi with no complaints.

I would also add GM made the best stuff so good used is also high on my list

 

Fusick and ILT. Customer service and selection is very good!

 

fusick and the partsplace

 

This question comes up all the time, if these search engines would only work better on these forums then we wouldn't be repeating ourselves so often. Yet its good to hear as times change and so do companies. One thing that hasn't changed over the years is the amount of bad service many of us have gotten from one vendor already mentioned numerous times in this thread. I will never order anything from them even if they were they only ones with the part.

Allan is about right on in my opinion.

I will add

The parts place makes a lot of parts other companies carry, and they carry parts other companies like ILT and Fusicks makes so I too would suggest to shop around. They tend to be inexpensive and I get great customer service from them but I am local so that may make a difference.

I have also been treated very well by Supercars and Fusicks both of which are mostly if not all Olds so you get great info from them.

ILT has some great odd, hard to get parts but be careful, what they list as a part for 70 - 72 may not be completely accurate. If you are trying to do a crazy detailed restoration some of their parts are not correct for specific years (i.e. an AC compressor belt guard for 1970 is really only for Toronado's not for the a-bodies, some manifold elbows are incorrect for certainly applications like W30 vs manual trans etc.) But they have more of these detail parts than anyone and with an assembly manual you can figure it out (most of the time)

And as mentioned its not unheard of to go to Walmart, Autozone or Menard's and find the correct part on the hardware shelf or the right can of paint.

OPG and Year One are so huge their customer service, though not always specifically knowledgeable about our cars, is fantastic - great return policy, tracking etc.

Body parts - good used if at all possible.

A lot of your first projects can be had at local parts stores, you would just use ILT for the correct reproduction hose clamps and fittings if desired

 

Year one and Fusick good quality, Year one's return and customer service has been excellent!

Pat

 

X2 And Allan nailed it too. I picked Fusicks because of their long lasting commitment to our cars but for the most part if Year One has it it's best for me due to my location and if need be I could cut shipping out of the equation and pick it up myself. Supercars Unlimited is another long time distributor as well. Inline tube is great because of their variety of parts that those mentioned prior may not have or carry. To be honest the is probably no one source for any one car out there to be restored although OPGI claims to be that one

 

ILT does a great job on fuel lines. Mine fit better than the originals!

 

I have had good experiences with ILT and Fusick both.

 

i find fusick to be the best for the olds stuff. i had issues with brothers in the past as have others and i recently bought something from the parts place and they sent the wrong part and i got the absolute worst customer service, they tried to blame me even after i proved they where wrong. so i'll never use them again. year one and opgi seem to be really high so i wouldnt order from them unless the absolutely had something that no one else has. as said earlier M & H has exremely nice wiring harnesses. performance years is great for the cross over stuff from pontiac. just my experiences

 

i vote fusicks and ILT as both ive had no problem. The one part ive bought from tamraz was a steering wheel which was excellent!

 

I think it depends what you need. While redoing our '54 Super 88, I bought many parts from Fusick. IMO, their customer support has been second to none, though as it was stated previously, their shipping charges seem a bit ridiculous. So, figure out what you need and order as much as you can at one time to minimize shipping costs.

 

I agree that Allan is correct. His post is spot on.

 

lokk for a bopc swap meet in your driving limits more then likely they will have oem parts there.

 

I have been restoring Olds cars since 1992 and I believe the following are the best to deal with:

Fusick, not the cheapest, however they have the best quality, great customer service, fast shipping, and warranty. His Argent paint for SS II is the best match for those wheels. Also, they have the correct soft rubber cowl seal for W25 hood option.

Super Cars Unlimited, not the cheapest, however, they have good quality products, and hard to find parts, and good customer service. High cost of shipping cause they are in the Northwest, I am in Florida. They have the best match for Gold engine paint.

In-Line-Tube: why them, well they make an awful lot of Olds parts especially for 68-72 A body and it is good quality. Not all there stuff is "correct", however most is, you just got to know what you are looking at. Pricing seems to be fair and good shipping.

Alternate to In-Line Tube for fuel/brake line parts is The Right Stuff and Fine Lines, had real good service and quality parts from them.

Soft Seal has better rubber products in my opinion that are better quality than Steel Rubber Products.

Iowa Glass for windshields and for an added cost they can date code your windshield.

Steve Gregori in Sanger, Calf. For Pwr. Brake booster rebuilds and plating parts. My shipping cost were high, however whoever he takes the parts for plating is the best I have ever seen. Steve has never lost a part that I sent him and I sent him thousands of parts ( nuts, bolts, rods, brackets, clips, tubes, you name it) to be plated!

Gardner Exhaust, if you want a correct quality exhaust systems, excellent customer service, and well packed to protect against damage during shipping this is the "Man". The most correct systems on the planet for Olds exhaust systems!

D and R Classic Automotive for spiral shocks.

The Parts Place, well they make even more Olds parts than In-Line Tube. Good quality, correct parts, and fast shipping. Never had a problem and spent thousands of dollars with them over the years and not a problem. Only bad thing was I bought a drive shaft from them for my award winning F-85 W31 and although it was good quality I had to have it rebalanced.

SS396 web site, they have a lot of parts that also fit an Olds. Example is there Alternator fan/pulley kit that even has the correct "WB" coded bolt with captured washer for the adjusting slot in the upper brkt.

Millimum Industries in Lansing, Illinois, they make the best/correct mastic
cotton cord impregnated rubber for the inner fender plate splash shields, the frt. bumper splash/air dam, and radiator side seals. The BEST

Patton Glade (on ROP.com, For Sale section) for the mat that goes over the fuel tank. Good correct product at a low price.

The Carburetor Shop in New Smyrna, Fl. for recoloring, rebuilding Q-jets.
Small two man shop who understands your carb, excellent service, and good customer service. They have carb. rebuild kits for modern fuels.

quadrajetparts.com, for all your Q-jet parts. They have the most parts that I have ever seen!

Legendary Interiors, not cheap, however the best for interior panels/seats. Their quality is way above anyone else!

Bob Reeve and Carlos at Carshine Restorations LLC in Jackson, MI for your body/paint work. Bob is an "Uber Metal Man". He was able to save all the sheet metal on my award winning 70' F-85 W31. He painted my car in 2000 and I just had a customer who was picking up a Q-jet I had just finished look at the my car and remarked about the 13 yr. old paint and could not believe it was 13 yrs. old. Bob is very honest and also is a great person to deal with. You will not be disappointed if you have him and Carlos refinish your body/sheet metal/painting. I drove 2800 miles round trip twice to have him do my car and was well worth the cost for the excellent quality work I recieved. Remember in the end it is not the cost , but the quality of the product!

 

Fusick: Never a drama, very professional, great gear.

US Parts Supply: Deadheads, unprofessional, arogant, happy to slip in the incorrect items that are ordered etc etc. I have a thread on them.

Happy to tell how it is.

 

I agree with the above....stay away from US parts.....always send the wrong thing, lousy customer service, jerks when you try to talk to them....never again will I buy from them. Have good luck with Fusick and OPGI....wish the Paddock was still in business.

 

Hi everyone
Thank-you Dave for the nice post. After thirty five years of restorations I like Fusick the best. Also we use ILT and Parts Place. ~BOB

 

The best parts are always the originals... the worst thing a guy can do is "restore" a car with cheapo off-shore parts.

 

Thanks to all that posted (and voted) for the positive feedback! It sincerely pleases me to know that you have been happy with our products and customer service. July of this year will mark the 25th year we've been a full time supplier of parts exclusively for Cutlass and 4-4-2's - so we must be doing something right Those of you who haven't purchased from us, I would ask that you give us the opportunity to prove ourselves. We truly do aim to please!

Greg Rollin,
Owner Supercars Unlimited

 

I see OPGI referenced in this thread. I was more than surprised to learn that, as of the summer of 2013 at least, OPGI brake parts are manufactured in China.

 

Inl over fusicks definetly for restore parts...fusicks has a lot of generic fitting parts

Supercars over the rest for mechanical parts

 

here is a dumb question what is INL?????
I just wish all of the parts supplers had more 64 f85 parts ie body. interior trim lenses etc. I know they do not make these although now I do not need many (although body panels would be nice) parts as I did have a doner car many yeas ago and do not have much body rot but after all these years scoping the net just to see whats availaibe like a previous post had said depends on what you need . lastly I did have a bad experience with kantar out of New Jersey

 

I just use inl short for inline tube/motor city muscle cars

 

I am totaly thumbs down with year one,they seem to have just a lot of generic parts also...back in the 90's they had a thick catalog with all types of olds parts mechanical parts also...from what i see now they have limited parts and are overpriced

 

One of my all time favorite places to shop back in the day was from the jc whitney catalog, they had just about everything parts,tools, electric sock you name it...a lot of the stuff was top quality brand names also. I miss that kind of way to shop

 

It kind of depends on what you plan on doing with your olds. If you are not planning on showing it and are just looking to keep it driving nicely down the road, I do allot of shopping through amazon.com. Many of the same parts that you find on the other sites can be found there for MUCH lower prices. And if you become one of there premium members (I forget what the one time fee is, but it's not much) you get free 2 day shipping no matter what the size/weight of your order is.

 

I just did a frame off on a 72 442 vert, and kept a spreadsheet comparing the costs and availability for over 450 individual parts I had to buy for that car, (it needed everything). I compared Fusick, ILT, and Brothers, and had subsections for new and used ebay items as well as other vendors like Auto Zone, O'Reilly's and Rock Auto. My overall findings:

1) No matter what, stay the hell away from Brothers Automotive Parts. They had better prices on PUI interior parts, convertible top mech parts and other oddball parts but you will have trouble with them sooner or later - I promise. I had items billed but not shipped for months, items double billed, wrong items shipped, unnecessarily lousy customer service attitude, lies about shipping times, and worst, a huge problem I had with a 4 speed shifter hump. It hurts just to think about those guys. Don't do it!!

2) Prices between my two main viable suppliers - Fusick and ILT - seem to go back and forth, but generally they come out the same for any order more than about 10 items.

3) The real net savings comes from waiting till you find out everything you will need and ordering all at once to save on freight. Of the approx. 10k I spent on Brothers, ILT and Fusick, about 1000.00 were freight costs alone.

4) All vendors have a couple of items that only they seem to have - or catalog well enough to find. For example, I found a few at The Parts Place that no one else had.

Good luck. I'm going to be getting started on a new resto in the next week and this time, not a penny to Brothers!!!!

 

US Part Supply customer service is awful.They act like it was an inconvenience to even talk to me.Just wonder if the owner know how they treat their customers.Might be the owner I was talking to though.lol

 

The best place to buy quality parts at a reasonable price is right here on this website classicoldsmobile.com and meet some great people with the same interest and tons of knowledge.

 

Don't forget to mention Billions and Trillions.
Give them a call for a part. I promise you it will be an experience you will never forget!!!

Mike

 

And we were doing soooo well till you brought that up... B&T sux That's why we don't even consider him.

 

I voted for Fusick's but I also buy from the parts place, BAP and inline tube. Have not bought from Supercars, but I will give them a shot the next time I need something.

 

Am currently swapping a 455 into a '72 Supreme, where a 350 once was. As some of us are aware, engine and frame mounts are an issue. I discovered (after making the mistake of purchasing said items from ILT / Motor City...) via Greg Rollins at SUPERCARS UNLIMITED, mounts and application thereof are year specific... I have purchased other items from ILT without issue but the across the board / generic motor and frame mounts they offer didn't work together (not even close) My polite attempt to return the items to ILT / Motor City was met with arrogance and dishonesty. Disappointing and the reason they are off my vendor list...

Thanks to Greg Rollins at SUPERCARS UNLIMITED!

 

I have yet to use Fusick because their online site isn't user friendly.
I have ordered from Supercars, OPG,the parts place and (not my favorite but had a 30% off coupon) for Year one.

 

Engine mounts are generally not an issue. It's really easy to find info about them too. Contrary to what you might have been told, the engine mounts are commonly 2261 for SBO and 2328 for BBO from 1968-1973
Here's a link to Anchor Industries where you can check out the issues.

What year 455 are you swapping into your car?