Rare Parts: Mat's Brake & Alignment

This tale of part sourcing for rare and obsolete vehicles comes from BRAKE & FRONT END advisory board member “Mat” Mathiesen of Mat’s Brake & Alignment of San Louis Obispo, California, you might remember him from this previous post. Mathiesen is someone who, without a great source for hard-to-find parts, wouldn’t even touch older cars. In fact, when he opened Mat’s Brake and Alignment in 1960, and for several years afterward, he wouldn’t even take older or rarer vehicles.
Part of the reason was not being able to trust parts sources. “You get rubber that comes out of India that never lasts,” Mathieson says. “Or, for example, some people sell suspension kits, and you only get half the pieces you need.” This kind of quality, obviously, won’t satisfy customers.
But some years back Mathieson, too, discovered Rare Parts, Inc. and as with others they have saved him jobs. In fact, he recently had a classic 1950 Willys Jeep Jeepster in his shop—a vehicle for which most parts are not available except from this source. Because of them, he was able to not only repair the vehicle but also save his customer considerable money. “The steering gear was in very bad shape,” he says. “It was very, very loose. I was going to send it out to have it rebuilt, but then decided to take it apart and see what it looked like. We found that the bushings for the sector shaft were worn out. I called Rare Parts and told them I needed a set of bushings, and they were able to fabricate them for me. We saved the steering gear, and it saved the customer about $300 - $400.”
He was also recently able to service an odd vehicle that happened his way—an old grape picking machine. The brand name of the vehicle was lost in obscurity—the owner had no idea of the original make. It needed tie rod ends, but without knowing the manufacturer, ordering them was a challenge. Mathiesen was able to pull a tie rod end from the machine, though, and send it to his source. They were able to provide them. You might even be drinking a glass of wine from grapes picked by this machine.
Another time, he had a 60s-era Ford with twin I-beam suspension, and the axles would no longer accept the kingpins—hence, the kingpins were too loose. Ordinarily, this would have been a major problem, as axles for this car were not available anywhere. He was able to pull the axles and send them in, and the company re-bushed the axles and placed the kingpins back in. “We saved the customer a lot of hassle, a lot of money and he can still use his car,” Mathiesen says. “It’s as good as new.”
For more information visit Rare Parts, email rparts@rareparts.com; call (209) 948-6005; fax (209) 948-2851; or write to Rare Parts at 621 Wilshire Avenue, Stockton, CA 95203.