The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop Where to find engine parts for our truck (1951 GMC 100)

We have a 1951 GMC 100 that we are looking for various parts (starter, brake master cylinder and just regular tune-up parts).
We are not having much luck at the local parts store.
Where can we find these things?

Lots of specialty vendors will sell those kind of parts. Chevy's of the 40's, in Vancouver is just one. Many mechanical parts are the same between GMC and Chevy trucks. You might try RockAuto also.

Thank you. Looking on ebay .

Before buying specific parts, verify exactly what engine you have and what year it is. These trucks often have had their original engines swapped out over the years.

My 1950 3100 actually has a 1951 engine. In my case that made no difference but a later year or different displacement would.

Below is the write up I did on the OldGMCtrucks web site in 2016 on how I overhauled my 1952 GMC starter at home. Your '51 starter should use the same parts. If the starter isn't too far gone this should work for you.

The starter on my '52 150 GMC began making funny noises a few weeks ago. I decided to overhaul it myself, with a little help from my buddy Bill.

Some research showed that the most likely starter for my truck was part number 1107108. I got on O'Reilly's web site and found the following BWD (Borg Warner) parts:
Starter drive (Bendix) SD212
Drive end bushing SB65
Commutator end bushing SB0
Brushes (set of 4) X265
Brush spring (need 4) SC204

Removed the ground wire from the battery, then all wires from the stomp starter switch.

Took the starter apart and cleaned everything up well. Under a layer of paint from a previous overhaul, I found the starter part number 1107108 as I hoped and a build date of Aug 3, 1952, newer than my truck. Painted all the exterior parts.

The Maintenance Manual warned against using Emery cloth on the commutator. My buddy Bill (retired electrician at an Exxon gas plant) said that was because the dust will conduct. I used regular garnet 220 grit sandpaper to clean up the commutator and then Bill used a modified hack saw blade to clean out the gaps and undercut the mica insulators.

We cut the old bushings out with a small chisel, folding the bushing material into the center of the hole. Then we carefully installed the new bushings using the back side of a 9/16" socket as a driver and tapping gently with a hammer.

Replaced the springs and brushes one at a time so I could look at the other 3 to make sure I was putting it back together correctly. Left the brushes slightly loose in their holders. Installed the commutator end plate onto the armature and then tightened the screws holding the brushes once they were properly positioned.

Used a small dab of high temp grease in both bushings and on the pivot point of the arm that throws the starter drive in.

Bolted everything else back together and re-installed the starter.

A tip for getting the starter back in by yourself. Get a 2"-3" 5/16" bolt and nut. Put the bolt through the hole in the top end of the arm that activates the starter switch and turn the nut on a few turns. Makes a good handle to hold the starter while getting the nut on the top mounting stud. Once the nut is on the top stud a few turns, crawl underneath and install the underside bolt all the way tight before you finish tightening the nut on the top.

Don't forget to wait until all the starter wires are installed before connecting the battery ground cable.

By the way, I've been running this 6 volt starter on 12 volts for 3+ years now.

WORKS GREAT!

The master cylinder and distributor parts are the same as same year Chevrolet parts, although many on this web site say that getting a reliable condenser for your distributor at FLAPS is unlikely. You might consider this.

R&S, Sorry to be a little late to the conversation this morning. Since your topic is really all about engines and needed engine parts, I have moved the thread over to the Engine Shop for further conversation and help from fellow Bolters.

Otto's suggestion on identifying your engine is a very good one as it's important to confirm before you start buying parts. I would suggest you ask that question in a new post in the Engine Shop forum. Folks will be along soon to help on that too.

Have you tried a napa auto parts?
I ended up getting a few parts from them. They had in stock or a day or two. Starter, master cylinder, brake cylinders , brake shoes, ect..
I usually had the part number handy if they had trouble finding it.
Todd

From experience on a variety of 50-80 year old vehicles, there is no single source and I look EVERYWHERE. The internet has been a game changer, but I tend to find parts on all of the above - I like Chevs of the 40s; The Old Car Center in Southern BC (being up on the wrong side of the 49th, it's still shipping to me); and eBay can be useful for obsolete parts. In Canada KMS Tools even has some stuff for Chev trucks. I have even found parts on Amazon (usually by searching a part number). Don't forget places like Summit Racing, Speedway and other standards as well because sometimes they actually have direct replacements. Yes, I have also found some parts at NAPA.

Some direct sale manufacturing shops will have parts as well.

Sometimes you have to keep checking. Recently I was having a heckuva time finding a remote Bendix vacuum brake servo for our first fire truck (its a F### but the part is actually a GM part used on GM trucks) and all of sudden, a new one popped up on eBay. It is installed and working. Similarly, running boards for my 3/4 Ton 3600 (longer than the 1/2 tons, and very hard to find - 1/2 ton running boards are typically mislabeled on vendor sites as fitting the longbox when they do not).

The thrill of the chase is part of the fun.

If you're in a better location than I am, you may have wreckers and swap meets. I have none of those!

I've bought parts at O'Reilly's for my old truck. "brake drums, brake shoes, brake light switch, etc.

That's a very intelligent thing for us to do. Not sure my overly confident mechanic husband will do that. My son on the other hand has already been trying to. He has no real knowledge of these old tucks, but he knows the concept of engines. If he's not sure about something, he'll look it up.

Nothcoast, I like your way of thinking. I'm not one to give up too easy. Being the "go for" girl, I am the one that is better than my "boss" at finding things he usually can't. He has some great people at some of the auto parts stores being he sometimes spends a fortune in there on other people's vehicles. My son is the internet person. He's started messing with them in his high school days. He's one of those types that will take something apart just to see how it works.

Bill, thank you so much for the great information. Like I said before, I really like this site. All you guys are great help. 😁‼️😁‼️

And don't forget to give the folks at Jim Carter's Antique Truck Parts a try, too. Jim has been an early and long-time supporter of this web site. And he's just a nice guy anyway.

If you know exactly what you're looking for, Ebay can be a valuable, affordable resource. Lots of sellers there buy up entire inventories of oldtime auto parts stores and/or warehouses and auction the contents on Ebay. Quite often, those sellers have no idea what they have, or any idea of its real value. I've made several buys of stuff that the resto-ripoff places have advertised at grossly inflated prices- - - -and a lot of it is actually much better quality than the offshore-made junk that's on the market these days. Tuneup parts in particular- - - -original equipment Delco-Remy (not AC-Delco) points and condensers, distributor rotors and caps, spark plugs, etc. Shop carefully and use a "make offer" option if possible and you can find some real bargains. Watch out for "Spark Surplus", however- - - -I've had some bad experiences with them.
Jerry

Kanter auto parts has a great inventory of engine parts. I bought some Studebaker & Diamon T parts from them a few years ago. Real good to work with but expensive. Egge is another old time supplier but I never have used them


George

Kanter products should be a very, very last resort only . Junk rocker arms, junk lifters, Springs will sag worse than the original ones you're replacing, all rubber suspension parts disintegrate as soon as you open the package. Absolute crap.