There seems to be some confusion with some sellers, be it intentional or otherwise, in the description they use for older or obsolete parts. The current trend is to describe parts for older or collectible vehicles as being NOS( New Old Stock) or being Rare. This is being done in an attempt to make some parts seem more desirable than others. To the unsuspecting or inexperienced buyer this can lead to a great deal of frustration and expense due the higher prices these legitimate NOS or Rare parts generally bring.

To give you an example, I recently saw an auction for a lot of 200 electrical terminals listed as NOS with clear photos of the parts. The problem being that every one of these connectors and terminals are available at any auto parts store for considerably less money. To make the problem worse part of the connectors being listed as NOS were in fact normal everyday Scotch Lock connectors. To my knowledge there has never been a vehicle produced using Scotch Lock connectors from the factory. They are normally used by Shade Tree mechanics to make a quick electrical connection by taping into an existing wire. A very cheap and lazy way to do electrical wiring in a hurry. Theses are not NOS parts. Never have been and never will be.

I also recently saw a set of cylinder heads for a B/RB big block Mopar listed as Rare when in fact they are not. The casting number was listed as 915. They were painted all pretty and listed as having all the machine work already done. The starting price was $750.00 dollars. Good heads? Yes. Desirable heads? Yes. Rare? No. These heads would be perfect for someone doing a concourse restoration on a big block Mopar however they are far from being rare. I would venture to say that just about every machine shop in business probably has a set of them lying around collecting dust in a corner. They are in fact readily available for much less money than these were being listed as.

The definition of an NOS or Rare part is simple. They are hard to find and generally command top dollar in any market. NOS parts are factory original (not reproduction) parts that have been tucked away somewhere and have remained so for many years. They are not parts that were or are sold at your neighborhood auto parts store. They usually are in the original factory package and have some sort of production date to verify their age. This date and part number should be verified by any potential buyer prior to paying the asking price. Some sellers will describe their parts as NOS or Rare in an attempt to inflate the selling price. Don't fall prey to this misrepresentation. Do your home work. Educate yourself. Remember that knowledge is power so arm yourself with the knowledge pertaining to the parts you're looking for or where to find the information to keep from being taken advantage of.

There are times when only NOS parts will do. However unless your doing a concourse restoration or restoring a vehicle that will be judged for authenticity you really don't need to use NOS parts. It wouldn't be cost effective due to the increased cost of NOS parts. Some of these parts are very hard to come by and are available in very limited numbers. Reproduction parts will serve just as well at a considerable savings and are more plentiful to find. Ultimately you have to choose which category you fall in. Are you doing a factory correct restoration or just restoring a vehicle to enjoy and drive without worrying about how authentic the parts are? To be honest I think most of us shopping on Ebay are just looking for the correct part at a reasonable cost and not building a show competition car. Though some parts are not being reproduced for the aftermarket, most are and are more available and affordable than NOS parts.

I wrote this in an attempt to help keep some of the less experienced enthusiast from being taken in by those who want to take advantage of your lack of experience. To me that is part of what our hobby is all about. We need to share our experience and advice with each other and help keep our hobby alive. Let the collectors and competition restorers pay the big bucks for the NOS stuff. We as hobbyist don't need them. We drive and enjoy our vehicles so for the most part reproduction parts are just fine for the majority of us. With a little knowledge and common sense we can help keep each other from being taken advantage of.

Please use this advice to your advantage. Hopefully I have helped some of you broaden your knowlege base and given you some usefull information. If you feel this has been helpful please take the time to vote accordingly. Pass on your knowledge and experience to others and help keep our hobby and passion for our vehicles alive and well. Good luck and keep the oldies on the road for all to enjoy.