To some extent we all carry spare parts for our race/track vehicle. It might be nothing more than lug nuts or spark plugs, oil filter or wiper blades. Anyone that has bought a used race car or bike gets a pile of “spares” with the purchase. But are they spares? Just like the old saying, “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure”, spare parts fall in a similar way. In many cases, one man’s spares are another man’s trash.
By definition a spare part is one that is new, rebuilt or serviceable and ready to install. The last part is where many run into trouble, “Ready to install”. Why you ask? Well, is it really a spare if you’ve never opened the box to ensure that new alternator matches the one on the car? Even better, have you done a test fitting? Or that used radiator from the bike salvage yard. The tag says , “2008 Yamaha R1” but is it really? Test fitment will save much grief and wasted money.
As a rule of thumb, all spare parts should be exact duplicates from the same manufacturer. You have a complete suspension for your Formula Ford? Great, does it have rod ends installed? Is it set to the correct length? Are the jam nuts tightened with bushes or retaining washers and hardware? No? Then its not a spare. It’s a part that requires a bunch of work before it can be bolted on the car and used. Might as well not carry that around because it won't help you.
However, if you have a pressure tested radiator, in a box, with a new cap and drain plug, new hoses and clamps, mounting bushes and bolts for your vehicle, then that is a true spare. Ready to install with everything you need to get the job done in a minimal amount of time. By the way, you did remember the five gallon container of water to fill the cooling system, right?
Here is a list of parts that are NOT spares:
- Used Spark Plugs
- Used Ignition Parts (Cap, Rotor, Wires, etc)
- Used Nylock Nuts
- Broken Body Work
- Used Chains
- Worn out Shocks
- Old Water Pumps
- Used Belts and Hoses (Rubber and Old Braided)
- Used/Worn Suspension Parts
You see where this is going. Go out to your garage, unload those boxes of so-called spare parts, figure out what is really a spare, what needs work to become a spare, what can stay home for shop repairs and what is hopeless and needs to find its way to the trash. We bet you thin the herd quite a bit using the above criteria.