Thanks Guys!

A taller filter wouldn't matter at all - I have plenty of room under the hood!

It's annoying that you can't search by size on most of these sites, but when you pull up a particular part number THEN it gives ya the dimensions!

I get a whole day off in a week (first one in three weeks!) so I'll see about running a filter down then, I really appreciate the help as I've been working a lot of overtime and I have a lot to do when I finally get a day off so I wasn't looking forward to wasteing time chasing a filter down!

Thanks again, it's much appreciated!

Steve

The olny place that still has books is napa. If you know the measurements they can find it.

great thread! thanks!

The only computerized program that I have seen do this (search by dimensions) is Donaldson "Toolbox". It was one of those fairly bland DOS style programs, but it worked OK.

You could imput "10" in the "Outside Diameter" field, and then "0.25" in the range field ... and simarly for inside diameter and height fields.This would give you a list of all filters within those parameters. Unfortunately, though ... there were no pictures.

Keep in mind that Donaldson is primarily a heavy truck / equipment line, but they do list passenger and light truck as well.

So the resulting list of part numbers may include some fairly "bizzare" results ... filters that are closed on one end with a 5/8" bolt-hole for example.

The last time I looked, you had to be a distributor ... and had to order this program on CD.

This is a good tip, for I have missed a few rear frame height measurements myself and an old Moog book will give you all the specs. that one needs to correct the problem.

Simply start with the original spring that was in the rear of the car, then find the Moog corresponding part number. Then go to the index in the rear of the book. There you find the break down of that part number and other springs that you can replace it with to adjust for, height , load, loaded height, even variable ratio springs which create a great ride... Oh yeah! A real livesaver to know about. Big Don.

The local NAPA store typically knows what the parts are for my 56 even without the catalogs. How the guys in there know this stuff...is beyond me.

The only problem is they are not open late or past noon on Saturdays. I work 3 days a week and have dialysis 3 days a week. Not much chance to catch them open to get what I need.

Auto Zone is useless unless it is in their computer.

The local O'reilly is a mixed bag. If the older guys (no older females) are there...they know how to find things in the catalogs. If it is high school kids (male or female) and it is not in the computer they are lost.

An example was I wanted halogen sealed beams headlights for my truck. I tell the kid it is a 1956 FORD F-100. The idiot is looking over in the chevy car catalog.

Worse than that...the truck was parked in front of the glass door about 15' from him.

One of the better parts people at my old NAPA was a girl about maybe 30 (still a girl to me).. she learned from the old guys. Even the old guys there mostly learned behind the counter, they weren't old enough to have been wrenching 30 years ago. But, you have to work there long enought to learn something, and care enough too...

O'reilly's has a catalogs. Alot of catalogs. Wix, Moog, A1 Cardone, BCA Bearings and National Seals and so many more. They also have access to alot of vender sites. Along with cross references for most major brands. It is a toss up at O'reilly's on the parts person that you get. Young doesn't mean stupid but choice wisely. The computer can look parts up as far back as 1963 but not many things are listed until 1968.

A part of cultivating the parts guy...when he gets replacement catalogs ask him to hold the 'old' ones and give them to you. That's how I got a full 3 tiers of paper books on relevant parts and services. All he does is toss them out anyway. I lucked out when my local NAPA store went online 100%; my guy there called and gave me their complete catalog set AND the rack....for nada. No he calls me every now and then asking for a lookup!
You can also go online and request vendor catalogs..never had any turn me down!

For simple stuff I go to the Zone,they let me use the computer on my own,I can do anything but get my own part,but,I do print it out for them For more esoteric stuff I go to O'riellys and have a good relationship with the store manager who's brother owns a machine shop they both speak hot rod,drag and dirt

here in the north (canada) where i work, canadian tire, our computer goes back to 1961 and we can get most of the chassis and engine related parts for the listed cars, and if we don't have it in stock we can get it usually the next day if you order before noon, the other day i had a customer come in looking for a battery for a 1960 Impala with the 348 2 barrel, of course our computer doesn't go back that far,so we tried the matching game to no avail, then i called my supplier(depot) and they found me the correct part number. napa here is pretty good to they can get most parts for any vehicle make model and engine size. and if you have to order parts they usually show up in the same time frame we have. they still use the catlogues at napa, the most common book i use is the champion spargplug book for cross refrencing plugs and the fram book for cross refrencing oil filters. if you can lay your hands the old cataoluges they usually will give them away, i had to update the books and my manager told me to toss them but i kept 'em n gave them to my shop teacher. not to sure how carquest is here.

jordan

i have found parts on ebay, and internet sites. you can't beat the part stores though for face to face info and discussion. if you find a good parts store use it often, they can do a lot of the searching for you and that is a help. they gain interest on your project and you get some friends along the way. you can't beat that. i have even had one guy stop by my garage to show me how to do a few things, and it only cost me a few beers! good luck...

You do not want to know how many broken used parts in "NOS" boxes I have purchased on Ebay.

Do not expect the feedback or dispute systems to make it right either.

That part of Ebay works in India or Pakistan these days and seems to have little understanding of the English language.

I work for a Carquest auto parts store here in Charlotte NC. We have a full line of print catalogs still. If anybody ever gets stuck, shoot me a PM and I will be glad to do a little digging.