Parts is Parts

We are standing in the plumbing isle of a major home improvements store looking for a pipe tap in the tool section. Of course we won't find one. They probably don't carry them ... and even if they do, there aren't any employees around to ask ... and even if there were, they probably wouldn't know a pipe tap from a horse's pituitary. Yeah ... they've got a big fancy pipe die machine for threading the ends of pipes; but nothin' for threadin' the freakin' holes. The only reason we are even looking for a pipe tap is because the guy at the auto parts store sold us the wrong water pump. They didn't have the right water pump, and we didn't want to wait for a special order. We just needed a pipe tap to thread the heater hose hole so we could use the wrong pump to fix the truck. It just wasn't meant to be.

While we were standing there in the plumbing isle, a guy walks up; and I can tell by the way he's digging through the fittings bins that he's one of us - a chicken militia kind of guy. I threw out the bait, "Come on Andy, let's go. We're not going to find a pipe tap here." The guy's eyes light up and he turns to ask, "What do you need a pipe tap for?" He didn't ask "What's a pipe tap?"; he knew. He just wanted to know what we were going to do with it. We had a ten minute discussion on parts modification, engine swaps, bio-diesel. I would have stayed and talked for an hour, but we were in a hurry. I still thought we might be able to find a tap ... somewhere ... at 6:30PM ... on a Sunday night (optimism knows no bounds).

On parting, he said, "If you find that tap, don't forget the Teflon tape ... it will probably leak."

I said, "I'll probably just JB Weld it."; and that started another discussion on the amazing repairs we'd done with the epoxy of the gods. It's nice to meet a kindred spirit when you're feeling a little down. I got to thinking about what it is that makes a successful home mechanic. None of us works in a vacuum. There's this underground network of knowledge, loaner tools, and junk parts. We feed off of each other; we inspire each other. But behind it all is a network of tool and parts suppliers; and a good parts guy is worth his weight in gold.

(Let's see: hundred seventy pounds, twelve troy oz to the pound, $950.00 an ounce. You do the math. Never mind, I'll do it myself: 170*12*$950.00 = $1,938,000.00. Hmmm, right in line with any wrongful death settlement. Maybe these parts guys aren't that different from the rest of us.)

I was reminded of the importance of a good parts guy at the museum on Saturday when I received this package:


It might not look like much at first glance, but these are parts to repair an antique self-propelled rail crane. There isn't a local antique self-propelled rail crane parts store where you go and pick this stuff up. You need a good parts guy who's willing to take the time to search industrial suppliers' catalogs; a guy with a good working knowledge of the equipment you're working on; a guy with an idea of where you might be able to find the right stuff. At the museum, that guy is Bob Schnabel; and whenever I need oddball parts or supplies, he always knows where to go. In a pinch, he even knows people who can make the stuff that can't be bought. He's the guy behind the scenes providing the magic that gets things done. So here's a big Thank you! to Bob ... and all the other parts guys out there - the mechanics' unsung heroes. Without you, it would all come to a screeching halt ... and fast.