Yesterday, I discovered damage on the seat of my BMW i3S and was quite upset — so much so that my wife noticed I was bothered and told me she was sorry that I was so annoyed. That’s when I realized: Why am I – someone who rarely gets upset about anything – letting seat damage bother me? I’ve never in my entire life given even an inkling of a damn about a damaged seat, but now I do? The answer is simple: This BMW i3 seat is rare, and finding a replacement (or even just the fabric to repair it) is nontrivial.
And it’s not just my BMW i3. I also own a 1985 Jeep J10 pickup — one of only 1,500 built in 1985, and probably one of under 50,000 built with that generation of grille and interior. By now — 40 years later — the truck is hyper-rare.
This is not a good thing. It means that anytime I break an interior trim piece, or scuff the grille or bumper, or even see discoloration in the dash, I’m bothered.
I could have it much worse. Even though the specific trim of my i3 and J10 means certain bits are hard to find, at the very least it’s not too hard to find mechanical components, since both vehicles are — at least mechanically — largely identical to hundreds of thousands of other vehicles built on the same platform. My J10 shares many Jeep Grand Wagoneer components, my i3 is one of 250,000 i3s built worldwide. I’ll be able to at least keep these cars on the road, even if it means I have to fabricate my own AC vents.
But my friend Brandon has it worse. He has an absolutely stunning Jeep J4600 (that’s it below). It’s the heavy-duty version of my J10, but a bit older and with the cooler “Razor” grille. It’s going to be the perfect farm truck for him functionally speaking. It’s got a torquey V8 (rebuilt, thankfully), an unstoppable T18 four-speed transmission, and stump-pulling 4.10 axles. But there’s a problem: He simply cannot get new brake drums — I mean that they simply do not exist.
Check out this post on FSJ Network; someone is considering buying a 1971 Jeep J4600 like Brandon’s, and user tgreese replies:
The main issue for these mid-weight trucks with the Dana 60-2 (semi-full-floating) is the 12″x2″ brakes. The drums have been gone for decades
The parts have been gone for decades!
Luckily, Brandon’s drums are in good shape, and given that this is a farm Jeep, I bet he’ll never have to replace them. But still. What a pain in the ass if he does.
My colleague, Jason, drives a Nissan Pao, and though he can get replacement mechanical bits since the Pao is mechanically similar to a Nissan Micra, finding trim is tough. In fact, I had to bring him a vent window all the way from Hong Kong! Watch as a I battle a large huntsman spider in the video above.
This is the kind of stress I just don’t want in my life. I don’t want to have to track down (via a forum/Facebook group/swap meet) a tattered old “Muscle” grille for my Jeep J10, pay over $1000, and then have to worry about parking it in LA parking lots. I don’t want to have to worry about spilling something on my BMW i3 seats. Brandon doesn’t want to have to worry about using his brakes too much. And Jason can’t just send someone to Asia to snag Pao parts. This just isn’t worth it.
This is a major reason why I’m considering parting with my beloved Jeep J10 and keeping my 1989 Chevy K1500 4×4 five-speed. What use is that J10 if I have to baby it? Do I really need the stress of worrying about tearing my door panel or cracking my AC vents or busting my grille? What if someone dings my front bumper; where am I going to get a replacement?
Meanwhile, that Chevy? I can get any part I want for it for nothing. I won’t even care if someone bangs into my bumper or if I break my grille — it just doesn’t matter. Look at how insanely cheap a new rear bumper is:
Look at how cheap a new grille is!
And if there’s a trim piece I need, I can go to any junkyard and find five trucks with the same parts. In fact, my local LKQ is stocked:
If you want stress-free motoring, which is the best kind of motoring, buying a rare car isn’t the answer, because there are very few things more miserable in the car world than having to be hyper-careful with your car, and then if something happens, having to spend weeks tracking down parts that you’ll have to pay an arm and a leg for.
I’m keeping my i3, because 250,000 of them were made, so if I do need to replace something like a seat, I can find a replacement, it just will likely be from Europe. The J10 though? It’s a truck; what’s the point of a truck if I can’t use it? If I’m bummed anytime something breaks? If I can’t service it easily and cheaply?
Who am I kidding. That J10 has my heart. Rationality be damned.
In terms of staff cars, I must have the final bosses of rarity: a rotary motorcycle, two JDM imports, a Euro diesel that was never sold in the U.S., an old transit bus, and a Honda Super Cub imitator so rare that not even the manufacturer can tell me how few it built. 🙂 I suppose the Plymouth is also probably rare just due to all of the rest of them rusting away.
Parts? I buy ’em when I find ’em.
Yes. Though smaller, you still have a fleet of eccentric and esoteric vehicles. Best wishes going forward!
My solution for the difficulty in finding ‘correct’ parts to restore a car is to not restore it. I just customise it instead, that way if you can’t find the ‘correct’ grille for the car, adapt something else or make one from scratch, and it just has to look like you wanted it that way, rather than ‘original’. My Valiant ute project already uses parts from at least 4 different Valiant models, plus parts from several Fords, BMW, Mercedes, and it’s barely even at the stage of being a rolling shell.
This is my internal monologue whenever I drive any of my cars. Oldsmobile Cutlasses are common, but 1968 was a unique year with a lot of unique parts. I keep waiting for technology to make it easier and cheaper to reproduce weird pieces, but I know there are things I can never replace if they break.
And project BRAT is even worse. I’ve learned there are plenty of parts for early 1980’s Subarus that just don’t exist and so many of them rusted away in the 90’s that it’s rare to see one in a junkyard.
But hey, it beats driving a Ford Escape.
I hear you, Sid! I’m seriously hanging out for 3d printed interior parts for our Brumby, that old plastic is just turning to dust!
At least the old EA81 engines are nearly unkillable, other than the stupid core plugs in the cylinder heads.
I used to deeply care about keeping my car perfect, I’ve largely given that up. Do I try to keep them nice? Yes, but at the end of the day they aren’t Faberge eggs, will never really be collectable or worth much at all, and I have actual living beings I care deeply about that depend on them to get places.
Damage and wear tells the tale of the thing over time, it’s like an antique rocking chair, stripping it down and filling in all the nicks and scratches may make it look brand new, but now it’s no longer the charming 100 year old thing that has had generations rocking in it.
So, for those of you who are a bit late to this article, the first headline image was of some arrows pointing towards the derriere. Now, both cheeks are bright red.
Might I suggest that Autopian hire CarTalk’s former sexual harassment investigator, Pat McCann, to get to the bottom of this?
I’m kind of glad for all these reasons to have fairly common cars now. I had more interesting cars for a long time. But at this point, I need something reliable and economical. Doesn’t make me any less of an enthusiast to not currently have unicorns in the garage.
Case in point: our old Fit had a rare paint color. It got totaled after a not terrible front end collision because the paint cost more than the rest of the parts. My old Cruze had underbody aero panels and a grille shutter unit unique to the Eco trim. Thankfully nothing happened to those.
I have always wanted an E31 850 CSi, but for this reason I will probably never buy one. And that makes me sad.
This is why, when I had the time to do it, the project car I chose was an E30 325i. Parts are everywhere, everything is well documented including work arounds and substitute items.
And then there is that whole being able to use RealOEM… *drools*
This is precisely why I don’t complain about parts sharing. Go to any in depth YouTube video about, for example, the ’04 to ’06 Ford GT, and invariably someone points out the turn signal stalk is identical to their old Focus, or the key fob is shared with literally every other Ford at the time.
GOOD. That means the parts are readily available if they break. Now, I don’t have a GT; I have a 1972 Olds Delta 88 convertible (convertible production: 3900) and a 1983 Monte Carlo SS (production: 4714), so I know searching for parts.
Now, the SS is fairly easy. Almost everything is reproduced. Almost. The cruise control mechanism is different on the ’83 to the other years, therefore the control stalk is different. The 84-88 stalk is $35, the ’83 stalk is $180.
The Delta 88 mechanically parts aren’t a problem. 455, Turbo 375, 10 bolt rear, all easy. Literally everything else is binary: there is either one source, or there are zero.
I never understood that complaint either, especially when it was for components that don’t matter. Like why do you want the trivial things to be unique to the car? I’d rather manufacturer’s use tried-and-true parts for the small things, and focus on the styling/drivetrain for the good bits.
Those Delta 88 were big-ass beasts. I learned to drive on a 1975 Delta 88 – one of my high school friends used to complain that I had a lead foot even driving around town, and then one day he drove it and said the throttle was like an on/off switch. And that was with the 350, not the 455 – driving your car must be a hoot.
It’s funny; with the big block and a 2.73 axle, I barely need to touch the throttle at all.
Ah old-school one-pedal driving – just use the brake pedal. Sounds like you have mastered the art of driving this beast around town. ????
Maybe I’m silly, but aren’t there places that will make custom cast metal parts? Brake drums are fairly simple molds and the machining required seems minimal.
So if I were the owner of a Dana 60-2 axle, I’d try to pool others and have a batch of drums made. Would it be cheap, probably not. Would it break the bank, I doubt it. Yet, if you need them, it may be the only option.
https://www.sndfoundry.com/cast-iron-brake-drum/
Once upon a time, before Soichiro died, Honda had parts for everything they’d ever manufactured. Now? Not so much.
I have a 98 VFr800 and getting parts for it gets harder and harder every year. I’m done with Hondas, I think, that are older than 5 or 6 years.
BMW, on the other hand, seems to get it. I can get just about everything for my 1967 R60 and 1984 R100. I also have an ’05 and some of the parts have even been revised and updated with more reliable or robust replacements.
I’m not sure what BMW is like for auto parts, but if they’re anywhere near their bike support, an E92 M3 might be in my future. Porsche seems equally great about parts support.
But the Japanese and American manufacturers? Planned obsolescence seems to be the path. I have an F150, of which they made millions. Parts support from Ford is miserable. The interior is all brittle, but no interior parts are to be had, from what I can find. Bummer. I love my truck and after 25 years, I’d hope that Ford would support it.
The worst? Ducati. I had a 95 916 and Ducati acted like they’d never heard of it. I had to find a 996 parts manual and hope that those parts fit my 916.
I’ll keep my expensive German stuff. At least Zee Chermans acknowledge that folks want to keep their vehicles on the road and provide support.
I have a 90’s Honda RVF400. Finding OEM parts to replace all the perished rubber bits was impossible.
Not wrong but for small batch manufacturers like Ducati it would be too expensive to keep producing parts. Likewise for mass production due to number if parts. Costs are prohibitive driven by tooling and storage costs.
To be fair, I don’t think a lot of 916’s were made, at least not in comparison to their volumes now. I have a 907 though so I know of which you speak.
A big part of my issue with a 95 is that it was built while Ducati was still part of the Texas Acquisition Group era, assuming I remember correctly. ’96? You bet. Prior to that year? Ducati gives us a shrug. You know. Congrats. 907s are dead sexy.
Not as sexy as a 916, but thank you. Would like to find one of my own but they don’t seem to trade hands often, it’s a moot point anyway because I can’t afford one presently.
I think the window for getting a cheap one was about ten years ago. I sold mine for 2.5x what I bought it for in about 2008. Full documentation and service history. I did a valve and belt service and full maintenance interview on mine before I sold it.
I loved it, but I’m 66 and can’t really fold myself up like that for long anymore. I bought a GS with the money. But good lord, I miss going out to the garage, having a beer and just gawking at that thing.
Sourcing parts for my 1984 Honda Nighthawk 650 was one of the reasons I decided it was time to let it go. I had stopped riding it as much, sure, but things change and I may have eventually picked it up again.
I probably got one of the last set of NOS fork bushings when I rebuilt those. A few months later, all gone. My starter rotor was worn out and quickly ate any replacement brushes I put in there. No longer available, either as a complete starter or anything other than basic rebuild parts.
My 98 VFR is getting like that.
The weird thing with BMWs is that the common maintenance parts from the dealer are rather pricy, but oddball part that you can only get from the dealer (or a junkyard) are usually priced so low that you find yourself asking “please repeat that price” God help you if you need one of their wheel-rims – it can be cheaper to buy a set of 4 new ones in the aftermarket than it is to replace one of their official rims.
My stupid 60 year old C10 is easier to buy parts for than my 99 Prelude. Rubber parts are basically unobtanium now.
I *like* driving oddball stuff that isn’t regular traffic but I *love* BEING ABLE TO FIX STUFF
At first I wasn’t sure what you meant by “pain in the ass”, but that top picture really tells a story!
Well, it was obviously involved in a rear-end collision!
Also, Brandon should just update the axles on that J Truck anyway. I’m assuming he also has the old closed knuckle front end. Get some stuff from a newer Waggy or a Ram and he’ll have a nice brake upgrade and more serviceable parts.
Wag axles will be half-ton/five- or six-lug and too narrow, Ram will be too wide. ’70s International -may- be the same. Of-course wide axles can be narrowed.
Part of why I parted with my 2 door XJ was 2 door specific parts getting hard to find. I had spare side glass in my shed, but the gasket for that glass? Unobtainium.
I have owned two Mazda Millenias – one NA 2.5 and one rare supercharged 2.3 – only 160k were built between 20-30 years ago. I ultimately got rid of the last one because it took nearly a month to source a single lower control arm. It’s already impossible to find badges from the one-year-only Millennium edition, in any condition. Heaven help me if I needed a supercharger something more critical; it’s just going to get worse as time goes on.
I’ve already bought spare tail lights for my CRZ, not because I need them, but because the car is only 10 years old and the car is already obscure.
I can’t remember the last time I even thought about the Mazda Millenia, so that’s pretty cool, actually.
I’ve made the terrible decision that will likely come back to bite me, both my daily driver and my backup vehicles are rarer and have many specialized parts, as well as being terrible winter vehicles. my gen1 insight is my daily, and it was such a pain to find a reputable place to get a clutch master cylinder when mine went out last month, and my backup is a 1990 Honda Hurricane 600, which despite hurricanes being relatively common, 1990 had different carburetors, and mine need to be rebuilt pretty badly. however, I love them both and intend to keep them for as long as possible.
Around here, it’s the opposite. The vultures at the DIY junkyards strip popular models like GMT400/800 the moment they hit the yard, good luck finding the parts you need. Something like a Grand Wagoneer will sit untouched for ages until the yard just crushes it, almost intact.
My Travelall has two curved panes of glass in the rear that are unobtanium. Recently a glass manufacturer quoted us poor saps $1500 a side, plus shipping, to make new ones. Luckily I found a junked truck at one of the IH specialty shops with the pane I needed and was able to buy and install it for half of that price.
And don’t get me started on Lockheed drum brakes, which were an option on these trucks, and are now rarer than hen’s teeth. Mine does not have this option, thankfully.
Half the fun of owning something like this is the hunt for parts. I’m lucky I have the time and the budget to indulge myself (within reason).
My fathers 60s IH truck has the brakes I believe you are talking about. All parts are fully unobtainium. I’ve suggested we swap in something slightly more common, but he is not currently onboard with that idea.
I have the D series Travelall, where all the glass except the windshield is flat panels. But replacing my windshield was almost $1000 between glass and moulding last time I checked, which hurts. But to be fair, new cars have windshields worth way more than that. I’m just used to 90s and 00s stuff that was cheap cheap.
And David, the solution is to worry less. Things happen, the first cut is the deepest. But you can drive that truck and be in love even if the bumper is twisted and about to fall off.
Ouch. That price for the D series glass is steep. I was able to get new glass and installation for my C-series for under $500—mainly because the cab is essentially the same thing as a Loadstar, which IH made from 1960 up until about 1980.
Definitely look into finding used glass from a junked D-series. Installation would not be as hard as you think, and the rubber is available through Clesters or any of the Light Line dealers. I think I paid a guy $150 to rope in the windshield on the Travelall—it’s more difficult due to the curves.
My eventual solution for the rear axle will be something from a more modern Chevy truck, where I can trade up to disc brakes.
Congratulations on your ‘Holy Grails.’
Plinkington will manufacture a windshield for a 1975 – 1981 Scirocco. If I commit to buying 100 of them.
Business opportunity there. Assuming your potential market even numbers 100. 😀
Also buy 100 bricks, and tie a note to each one…
While I get your frustration, it comes with the territory of having a unique/rare/survivor car, which some people enjoy for the sake of being different. I like OBS Chevys but I’d walk past a row of 10 of them to see the J10 because the J10 is more unique.
I’ve put my money where my mouth is by owning my 1985 Ford LTD. Mechanically it’s the same as a Mustang so most mechanical parts are easy to find, but trim parts are impossible. I accidentally backed it into one of my other cars recently and broke a tail light. I had one spare light and it was not in as good shape as the one I broke, but I had no choice to put it on the car and I have no idea how/if I can find another one. It’s frustrating, but I still prefer owning this car compared to a similar Mustang because of the uniqueness factor.
Condolences on the taillight.
Thanks. Even worse because it happened as I was taking it to Radwood 🙁
The seat “damage” to which DT is upset over would not be noticeable to 99.9 % of people. It looks like very minor pilling to me. is anyone else seeing something that I’m missing?
It’s rough to the touch while the rest of the seat is smooth!
So it’s a tactile issue for you, not an aesthetic one?
It may be possible to restore sheen/smoothness with careful ironing over a release sheet. I’d do a search about that. Somewhere there is a MSDS on the cover stock that should include melt temp.
Maybe there is just some dried cleaning product on it. Or something.
Yes, always try the simplest, least potential damage fix first. I’d try a good vacuum, steam clean. Then if still not right, you would need a good magnifying glass to see what is causing it. He mentioned it seemed like it was over brushed. That may have frayed surface fibers, that may melt back.
Thanks to the movie industry and the need for maintaining props and costumes, LA is home to a lot of experts in conserving and restoring fabrics. Lots of fabric conservators at the museums as well. A little networking and you could probably find someone, and it would make a good story too.
Okay, didn’t read this one yet either, but that graphic is so hilariously perfect! LMFAO
By the way, if there isn’t SOME ink spilled in SlackTales re: header graphic, I’ll be surprised!
Yup, learned that pretty quickly once I got my first car, a rare and dilapidated example of a formerly expensive car: my beloved 1989 Renault Espace Quadra Forged By The Devil Himself. Everything in that car was made of fragile filaments of the purest unobtanium in (in)existence. Couldn’t be more contrasting with my current daily driver, a Renault 4. That’s likely the easiest classic car to maintain in my neck of the woods, since it was one of the most popular cars around for about 3 decades. Everything’s cheap and easy to fix, lots of spares are still being made to this day, and the supply of used parts seems endless. For its 34th birthday back in January I decided to pamper her with lots of small fixes and a couple bigger ones before inspection (as well as all the normal pre-inspection stuff), all for under €500 – even factoring in the €37 inspection fee. Too lazy to do the math to check if the yearly road tax fee (€20) takes the total cost over €500, but you get the picture.
I’ve spent an embarrassing amount of money on 1966 AMC Rambler 770 wagon taillight bezels. Like 1/3 of the value of the car.
Not to sound like a Cat Poster, but only you can determine your car’s value!
Wow! Your car brings back memories for me from when I was a wee lad!
My Dad’s first brand new car was a 1966 Rambler American 440 wagon. It had a tiny 199 CID I-6 engine with a one barrel carburetor! 🙂 We went everywhere in that thing!