Posted by Matt Wilson [162.158.69.102] on Sunday, January 01, 2017 at 22:07:04 :
I see flathead engine NOS parts going for 1/2 to 2/3 of new part prices (sometimes less than 1/2 the price off new ones). Things like pistons, rings, bearings, etc. Is it worth it to pay the extra money for new parts?
One might be inclined to think that new parts are made of better materials and perhaps using better methods that will result in longer-lasting parts, but I wonder if that's really true. I wonder if any of these new parts have benefitted from significant updates in materials, coatings or otherwise, or if manufacturers are still making them to the same specs, or similar modern equivalents to the old specs, that they used 50 years ago. If the new ones are no better than the old parts, then is there any reason not to buy NOS parts? Some folks would say that things were built better back then anyway. For occasional, around-the-town puttering, it probably doesn't matter, but assume for a moment that it's going to be a rebuild for a truck that will be driven a lot, and doing the kind of work these trucks were built to do. Which parts would be better?
Another viewpoint might be that some materials degrade over time, even just sitting on a shelf, but I don't think the kinds of parts I mentioned above would be subject to that, at least not to any significant degree.
Your thoughts?
Follow Ups: