Parts records, notes, labels

[alchevy]

I have a list of items that went into my '40 on my website. Don't have all of the part numbers listed, but I do have some items like tire and wheel sizes, front springs from a Mustang II w/o air, etc. After I made the list up, I sent it to a friend of mine to double-check myself and he told me NOT to put in the prices, because I didn't want to know how much I had spent on the car!

OK, with all of this being said...which came first? The Sharpie, the Ziplock bag, duct tape, & WD-40   OR    the first time a car was redone??
or maybe the scond time a car was being redone.

It has been said that there are only two tools you need in a toolbox, WD-40 and duct tape. If it moves and it shouldn't, use the duct tape...if it is supposed to move and won't, use the WD-40.

[entodad]

Wow! I'm impressed by everybody's attention to details.
So far I just toss all of my receipts into a folder and then when tax time comes, I attempt to pull out those that apply to my rent house :?
My next project will be documented! I think, err maybe...ah heck I'll just wing it  

[revhed]

Yeah,I keep all the receipts in a box as well in case I need to replace a part. Don't plan to collate it all as I'd then find the true cost of my build instead of living blissfully in my world of denial.

[revhed]

Yeah,I keep all the receipts in a box as well in case I need to replace a part. Don't plan to collate it all as I'd then find the true cost of my build instead of living blissfully in my world of denial.

[EMSjunkie]

 It was a guy named Joe and he had very carefully detailed every second of a build up of a Street Beast '34 Cabrio!  

BFS57

If he's building a Street Beast, I feel sorry for him  

I'm speaking from experience. the first thing I should have done
was throw away the "instruction manual"  :x


Vance

[47wood]

I keep a note book binder listing everything but try to resist the urge to add it all up.  Reminds me of a 79 year old guy I met while ocean cruising in Mexico a few years ago.  He was on his 10th boat, a 57 footer worth big bucks.  He explained that in the early days for the first few boats he accounted for every part and penny and could even amortize it down to the cost per engine hour of owning a boat.  Said the cost was always a lot more than he thought it would be, and then he felt forced to lie to his wife about it so she wouldn't worry they were spending too much.  So the last couple of boats he kept and listed everything but never added it up.  He's a lot happier now.   Cal  

[Crosley.In.AZ]

interesting replies.

what got me on this subject is since the first of the year I have had 3 fellows contact me about trannys I built for them  1 to 3 years ago


2 were questions on speed-O gears, 1 on a converter.  In all 3 cases these fellows had thought I would have a record of what I built for them.  

My answer to them was I felt it was the owners job to keep a record of parts & pieces  used.

The speed-O gear thing was easy to correct, obviously an item the car owner would not have a record on.  One fellow had a programable speed-O, he had to read his instructions ( not Bob K) on the adjustment of the gauge.

The converter fellow has asked me 3 times now about the stall of the converter.  I give him the same answer each time, probably a 2500 stall for the camshaft used in his engine. I usually give the guys a minimum of 2000 stall converter in a lighter car (glass), this fellow has a bit bigger camshaft.....  The box has a number on it for the converter inside.

I remember the converter guy's tranny , because it took me a while to a camshaft spec from him , rather than :" it's purty healthy" per his engine buidler.  I finally told him that any engine builder worth a crap knew what specs the camshaft had.  Then I finally got the specs... LOL

This got me thinking about keeping parts records and what level of records people keep....

maybe not every engine part on record if you built the engine yerself.  Look at what purple pickup truck guy went through a while back with a cracked block and several reassemblys of the motor.... at the end of it all I bet he was just glad to have a healthy engine let alone a full documented build up

[enjenjo]

Some years back, I had a sideline rebuilding big truck transmossions and rear ends. I was doing work for several fleets, and occasionally there would be one returned for warranty repairs. It dawned on me one day that I had no way to identify a particular unit as one I had rebuilt, or when it was done, and I suspected that one of my customers was, shall we say, less than honest all the time.

So i devised a code I could stamp on the case that would identify it for me, when I built it, and what was done.  About three months later this customer brought a rear end over, all blown to smithereens, claiming it was one of my recently built units.  I looked for my code number, it wasn't there, but there was a tag from one of my competitors riveted to it. I rebuilt it, and charged him list for all the work. He was unhappy, but paid it because I could prove it wasn't my work.

Shortly afterward, he was busted for drug dealing, and caught screwing around on his wife with his secretary. Things kind of fell apart for him about then.

I haven't been marking street rod stuff, but recently I had an episode that had caused me to start doing it again. A car I built has gone through several ring and pinions, broken, not worn out, and the last one does not appear to be one I set up. So I have started marking things again.

[Crosley.In.AZ]

I haven't been marking street rod stuff, but recently I had an episode that had caused me to start doing it again. A car I built has gone through several ring and pinions, broken, not worn out, and the last one does not appear to be one I set up. So I have started marking things again.

======== yep , I mark tranny on the inside under the pan.  All I need to do is pull the pan off.

I built a tranny for a local fellow 2-3 years ago.  After talking to him a few times I became aware that he should not be allowed to own tools, let alone build a whole car.

He had been gone for 45 minutes after picking the tranny & converter up.... he called accusing me of switching tranny cores on him.  He read off the numbers GM stamps on them to prove it.  Problem was he was mis understanding what the numbers meant.

I explained to him for like the 1187th time what the numbers indicated.

[Leon]

While building the Packrod I'm documenting every unique part that may or may not need to be replaced someday.  Part numbers and applications if I know it.  I've got everything in a spreadsheet and found that if I reduce it down everything will fit on a small page that can be carried almost anywhere.  If it is laminated I won't have to worry about it getting wet.

[model a vette]

I used a combination of what others have posted: a small three ring binder (with about 125 blank pages to start), large receipts in the rings, a small ziploc inside to hold box ends with part numbers, business cards and warranties. The entire package is inside a BIG ziploc due to leaky trunk!  
On the blank pages I first kept notes of swap meet "scores" that went into the initial build.
After the first trip I started a diary. A new page was started every season with mileage at start, any maintenance performed and what trips the car took. I also added what parts were changed and any additions done.
Now, when I read thru it I can find how long things lasted and what problems were chronic.

[Phat]

Stamping a code is something i have done for 30+ years.  It keeps the customer honest and wards off theft..  It also helped a guy get his Harley back many years ago.  When i was building ole harley stuff i would stamp my code on every part of the bike(mind you this was when harleys were not yuppie sleds but cheap fun) It also saved me from a big fine at a NASCAR race,they teched my carb and said it was illegal...well i knew it was a little tight on the rules but it had passed before.  I asked to see were it did not meet spec...sure enough it was not my carb and i showed the guy were mine was marked ...I got away that time.
Funny thing i also stamp ever peice of equipment i buy and also got a stolen welder back after many years.
On normal builds i try to use the same new parts over and over again.  Like trans mounts 69 z-28.  Motor mounts 69 z-28 and on and on.  I have the part# stapled to the back side of one of my cabenits near the phone when i call the parts store.  I give most customers a laminated parts list if they get stuck on the road for wheel bearings ,seal ,starters,alt, that sort of thing.  It takes a little more time but also helps me if i dont see the car for 5-10 years.
Freezer bags and those cheap blue containers are great!  Hell my 56 chevy has lived in those now for 6 maybe 7 years LOL :?
Now the digital camera is the way to go on this odd cars  Like my Nash or that ole airflow.