So, you’ve finally got your hands on the classic car that you’ve been dreaming about owing.. but now you have a new problem, where, exactly, can you obtain the spare parts you need in order to keep your cherished classic car running?

By their very nature, classic cars, are likely to need a reasonable amount of maintenance work on an ongoing basis, so it’s fairly safe assumption that laying your hands on the necessary parts to keep it in tip top shape and running perfectly is going to be one of your top priorities.

Likewise, because classic cars are ones that are no longer in production you don’t have the luxury of being able to your local dealership to buy any necessary spares as it’s very likely that these are no longer produced or available from the manufacturers either.

Whilst it’s not always an easy task to obtain parts for vehicles which may be up to 50 years or more of age, it’s not impossible.

Here are a few ideas of places that you might want to try in your search for elusive classic car parts:

*Online Auction Websites*

eBay is a terrific first port of call in your hunt for the classic car components you require. It’s usually the case that pretty much everything you could ever need can be found listed on eBay and this is particularly true in the case of car parts. There is, of course, a dedicated section of eBay for cars, spares and accessories called eBay Motors. Naturally, unless you are lucky enough to find the parts you want listed locally you are going to have to pay the delivery costs for them, but often this is worth it to get the spare parts that you need which you simply may not be able to track down elsewhere.

*Specialist Classic Car Dealers*

If you bought your classic car from a specialist car dealer that sells only classic models, such as Inglebys, for example, then you could always try contacting them to see if they have any contacts from which you could purchase spares. Often specialist dealers such as this have a number of contacts who are used to finding hard to source spares.

*Swap Meets / Car Boot Sales*

Another place to check out is a local swap meet where people get together to buy and sell parts. Likewise car boot sales or flea markets can be a good place to browse for parts, although this can largely be a case of trial and error. If you are looking for a specific part then trying to locate it at one of these places is really like trying to find a needle in a haystack. Whilst not the best place to locate specific parts, it never hurts to have a browse at these sort of places for general spares that you are likely to need at some point. If you do strike it lucky then, of course, you are likely to pay the lowest prices at these sort of sales too.

*Classic Car Part Supplier Publications*

You will probably be able to find what you are looking for in these sort of magazines. However, you are likely to have to pay a premium price for the parts you need. As a result this should probably be your last point of call when all of your other options have been exhausted. Check out all of your various other options first and if absolutely nothing pans out, and you really need the part, or components, then go for it. Sod’s Law dictates, of course, that you will probably regret your expensive purchase a week later when you come across the parts for a lot less cash elsewhere.

*Clubs / Organisations*

Like most hobbies or pastimes there are a number of clubs and organisations dedicated to ownership of most of the different makes and models of classic car. By joining the relevant owners club for your car you can greatly improve your chances of finding whatever spare parts you need by accessing the wealth of knowledge built up by owners of the same vehicle and the contacts that they have already made. Of course, being a member of such groups also affords you the chance to network and get to know others who share your very same passion for the same car too. Such contacts are invaluable when it comes to tracking down very hard to find parts. Finding these clubs is as easy as searching on Google, so it is a highly recommended step to take.

*Scrapyards*

Okay, so having to dig around a filthy scrapyard isn’t necessarily a very appealing proposition, but it is amazing what can sometimes be found there. In some instances you can be lucky enough to locate an exact match for your make and model which offers a great opportunity to obtain all of the spares you might need in one go. In fact, nowadays, many scrap dealers have all of their vehicles and parts listed online anyway, so you might even be able to simple locate what you need online, or at the very least by making a phone call to see if they have any of the parts that you need available.

As we’ve seen then, owing a classic car can mean that you have to put in a lot more effort when it comes to getting hold of spare parts for your prized possession. Nevertheless, once you manage to track down the parts you need, fit them to your car and hear the engine of your classic motor purring into life you’re sure to think that all of the hard work and extra effort is well worth it.

Joseph Norton