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Where Is Everyone Buying Drivetrain/Axle Parts Now?

Sean

Sean

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ECGS seems to have the most usable site (though even they are limited in what they carry compared to 7-8 years ago online).

Looking mostly for gears, axles/ujoints, lockers, bearing kits, pinion yokes/flanges, etc. for Dana 60, Ford 9" and 14B.

WTF happened to Randy's? Finding parts on their site now is like looking for a needle in a haystack!
 
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Ronnie J said:
I use Dennys driveshaft , good references to dana #s and , good pricing on what they do have , gearsets usually are motive from amazon.
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Actually almost bought from them the other day but found the Spicer part from Drivetrain America for a bit cheaper. Denny's did seem to be decent though.
 
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willis_racing said:
Quick Performance for miscellaneous Ford 9" parts, they carry some other stuff too.
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so quick perf is right down the street. one day i stopped in to talk to them and they have added a lot of off road / truck pulling to their mix now so not just 9 inch any more. going to go get a set 14 bolt gears tonight actually
 
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mobil1syn said:
and thats why your local shops are closing or dont carry product
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I hate to say it, but that was/is going to happen regardless. Look at what Amazon is doing to retail sales in general and what the internet has done over the last 20 years. Brick and mortar are in a precarious position. And it's not just your local shops that will lose out. Eventually, monopolies will form and dominate entire markets and the consumer will get shafted on the pricing once the 'sell-at-a-loss' online retailers kill the competition. Then we'll all be forced to pay whatever they say. And in spite of our claims to a capitalistic model, what is usually the case is crony capitalism more accurately described as corporatism....and those fuckers are protected by the very government that's supposed to protect the rights of the people and ensure free trade.

But I digress.....
 
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Sean said:
I hate to say it, but that was/is going to happen regardless. Look at what Amazon is doing to retail sales in general and what the internet has done over the last 20 years. Brick and mortar are in a precarious position. And it's not just your local shops that will lose out. Eventually, monopolies will form and dominate entire markets and the consumer will get shafted on the pricing once the 'sell-at-a-loss' online retailers kill the competition. Then we'll all be forced to pay whatever they say. And in spite of our claims to a capitalistic model, what is usually the case is crony capitalism more accurately described as corporatism....and those fuckers are protected by the very government that's supposed to protect the rights of the people and ensure free trade.

But I digress.....
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Yeayyyy socialism !
 
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mobil1syn said:
and thats why your local shops are closing or dont carry product
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I never had local shops.

Your local shops closing because the .gov your neighbors voted for regulated them out.

The local manufacturers making aftermarket parts were mail order before there was internet. That stuff never really got sold at retail. Is it really that big a deal that Vatozone doesn't have an MSD distributor for your SBC behind the shelf or that you gotta call before 10 and pickup at 2 if you want an OEM style one?
 
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Sean said:
I hate to say it, but that was/is going to happen regardless. Look at what Amazon is doing to retail sales in general and what the internet has done over the last 20 years. Brick and mortar are in a precarious position. And it's not just your local shops that will lose out. Eventually, monopolies will form and dominate entire markets and the consumer will get shafted on the pricing once the 'sell-at-a-loss' online retailers kill the competition. Then we'll all be forced to pay whatever they say. And in spite of our claims to a capitalistic model, what is usually the case is crony capitalism more accurately described as corporatism....and those fuckers are protected by the very government that's supposed to protect the rights of the people and ensure free trade.

But I digress.....
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youre 100% on point and i am not sure what the answer is to be honest.

for general items, yes. amazon is convenient as hell, but i have been making more of an effort to buy locally if i can. was just having the conversation with the dude at napa about this over the weekend.

for specialty shops its about creating a local culture. while you may miss out on that marginal 15% who are going to buy the cheapest no matter what, you can develop relationships and leverage that 85% to keep you in the game.
 
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arse_sidewards said:
I never had local shops.

Your local shops closing because the .gov your neighbors voted for regulated them out.

The local manufacturers making aftermarket parts were mail order before there was internet. That stuff never really got sold at retail. Is it really that big a deal that Vatozone doesn't have an MSD distributor for your SBC behind the shelf or that you gotta call before 10 and pickup at 2 if you want an OEM style one?
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just because theyre not local doesnt mean you cant develop a relationship with a shop that relatively close.

i have access to more offroad part inventory in a 20 mile radius from my house than you probably have in your entire state, so somehow the local companies are making it work.
 
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mobil1syn said:
youre 100% on point and i am not sure what the answer is to be honest.

for general items, yes. amazon is convenient as hell, but i have been making more of an effort to buy locally if i can. was just having the conversation with the dude at napa about this over the weekend.

for specialty shops its about creating a local culture. while you may miss out on that marginal 15% who are going to buy the cheapest no matter what, you can develop relationships and leverage that 85% to keep you in the game.
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Same here. Trying my best NOT to give Bezos any more money.

I hear ya....back when I built my first buggy in 2006, Poly Performance was one of my go tos for a lot of parts....the service was excellent. What I notice now is that they are substantially higher priced than anyone else on just about anything I want and even on sale they're not competitive. The price has kept me from reaching out to see what the service is like. I get that places are having to raise their prices to stay afloat. I just wonder when coupled with the massive inflation and wages that aren't keeping up how long this shit show of an economy can continue. I'm afraid the answer is only into the very near future, then a depression the likes of which we've not ever seen takes hold. Meh....too dismal an outlook; or too realistic.:laughing:
 
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SLOWPOKE693 said:
Mitchell Differential isn't local???

I used to use them for everything axle related when I was building rigs out of my shop in Freetown. I miss that place......
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Mitchell is still around. There's a couple other places like them in CT that I can't remember the name of right now.

These kinds of places have been selling mail order parts since before the internet. They aren't in the business of creating inventory for retail sales. They build runs of common stuff as they need it and make the rest to order. The same goes for most of the aftermarket suppliers.

The decline of retail in favor of eCommerce sites and hub and spoke warehousing is mostly tangential to these sorts of places who never really had that much sales through retail. Sure maybe a couple of them had local retailers who sold their stuff on consignment but that's small fry compared to having your shit listed as "ships from manufacturer" on Summit, Jegs, and god knows how many other platforms.
 
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ECGS

Kartek

Wide open design

Branik

Amazon

Facebook marketplace and there's still good deals from stubborn OGs on Craigslist


everyone else only gets attention on black Friday sales
 
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Sean said:
I hear ya....back when I built my first buggy in 2006, Poly Performance was one of my go tos for a lot of parts....the service was excellent. What I notice now is that they are substantially higher priced than anyone else on just about anything I want and even on sale they're not competitive. The price has kept me from reaching out to see what the service is like.
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Call them, their salesmen like to make deals on the phone.
 
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Funny the timing of this thread.

Thought i had nailed some great ebay deals on 5spd rebuild parts. $250 order vs $367 (both USD). Trouble was no shipping to Canada, so I'm at the mercy of a freight-forwarding company. Their estimate will eat all the savings and then some. (We'll see when it actually arrives).

In summary... Rockauto, Amazon, and Summit racing (when you meet the $300usd free shipping criteria) - have been the cheapest for me.
 
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Tech Tim said:
Parts for Dana axles: Northridge4x4.com
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Looked there specifically....they may carry a lot, but what's actually listed on the website is mostly Dana 30/35/44 & M series Jeep stuff....

Tried a Spicer part number for an empty 60 carrier for example...didn't recognize it.
 
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