I have been waiting for almost 2 yrs to get over head cab light gaskets from my local dealer. I placed an order for 30! In hopes that it would help speed up the making of the gaskets. I know what you guys are thinking that I should just use silicone! But I have installed 3 sets of these lights in cabs already! The factory gasket is preatty thick and squashes flat to seal out water! For anyone that thinks they will want to install factory lights in trucks in the future time is running out on these gaskets. Call your buddy down @ your local dealer and tell them to order you 5 just to have as spares if nothing else! What if the bulb blows in one of your existing lights! Without a new gasket you will be forced to reuse the old squashed gasket with silicone and hope water stays out! My dad and I are constintly calling about factory parts for our First Gens. You guys would'nt believe how many parts are being discontinued daily! They just came back out with new throttle cables for our diesel trucks about a year ago. For almost 6 months they were not available! They are not available threw Napa or any other parts supplier either! If yours breaks a year from know will you have a spare? If we continue to buy from our dealers they will continue to make and suppy! Alot of people do not know that alot of items are still available threw our dealers! I read an ad someone had on here for used door arm rest. These are available new from Dodge! Why buy a worn pad when you could have new! I bought a parts manual for our trucks fairly cheap off of Ebay. I am constantly reading threw it looking for parts that my brother, Dad, or I have had to replace on one of our trucks the last 16 yrs. For some darn reason no one else (Napa,autozone,advance, ect) makes or carries our parts. I am a forklift mechanic at a food distribution center in MD. I understand the difference between aftermarket parts and OEM! I want OEM, I agree somethings it doesnt matter. But in most casses OEM Mopar parts just work and perform better than aftermarket. Another example is emblems, I have bought emblems new off of Ebay in the past. PowerRAM 350's. These are no longer available! But PowerRam 250's are! Once these are gone, they are gone! Believe me for my 1992 Ramcharger its worse! I cannot buy a throttle cable or emblems for it. Please dont think I am trying to gripe! I am just so frustrated I cannot buy what I want and need! Another example is our beloved factory dash mounted tachs! These were discontinued in 1996! If we had kept buying them then they would have made them longer! But then no one wanted them, now look at how hard they are to get and how exspensive they are buy! Does anyone else get what I am trying to say! I love first Gen's so much! I am like a little kid everytime I see one on the road to see how many miles are on it, whether its a 5spd or auto. And so forth. Between my dad, brother, and I we have 5 First Gen diesels, a 92 Ramcharger, and a 1992 D150 gas. Lets keep these things going!

P.S. My dad is actually looking for another! He is looking for a 4x4, 5spd, CC, dually like mine. Anyone in the WV,MD,PA area no of one for sale? Rust and mileage isnt a concern. But price is! Any help would be appreciated! Thanks and God bless. Robert

 

I know what you mean about these parts being discontinued on 1st gen trucks. I run into that constantly. Last I checked, preheater relays are no longer available, and I found out recently that the steering gear mounting brackets that commonly crack on the 4WD trucks are obsolete too, with no aftermarket source.

I plan to keep my 96 forever, but I'm sure I will be running into the same problem with it soon.

 

You just gotta be prepared to fabricate stuff if you want to keep running old iron after a certain point.

 

I understand they cant make parts forever! But certain things should be made for awhile. Deffinitly wearable items such as gaskets. One of the best claims to fame a company can make is how many trucks are still on the road! We hear it all the time on Chebby comercials. Mopar needs to help alittle! These trucks are known for dependability. Thanks for understanding! Robert

 

Well, unless your trying to keep ur truck 100% origianl... YOu have to change with times, use what is available.. Or learn to weld and make things, The big 3 don't care about some guy that needs or wants 30 gaskets for cab lights.. I can't believe you would wait two years for pieces of foam, "No offense" Put a set of aftermarket cab lights on and call it good!! Our trucks are going on 16 yrs old... Those presses and tooling are long gone...

 

How do you use or make do with a broken throttle cable! I dont like different cab lights! Plus the ones I looked at at Napa had a flat base. Not at an angle base like the angle on our cabs! You havent had to find something yet! When it happens to you and your pleading with someone on here to sell you something used just so your truck can run or move then you will understand what I mean. I know a guy who paid $100 for a used throttle cable about a year ago just so he could drive it to work! Please dont insult me, I think I have a good point! Apperantly Chebby and Ferd care about people like me because they sell the rights of these parts to manufactures who make them! Chrysler doesnt do that!!!!!! Thats what I mean! You can build Chevy and fords from a cataloge. Ever wonder why you cant build a 70's, 80's, or early 90's Dodge? Its not because they arent as popular! Our trucks are very sought after in good shape! One day it will be an issue for you aswell! Then you will get it! Robert

 

Dude, I'm not insulting you... Trust me I know how hard it is to get parts.. I am at the dealership to get turned down quite often.. I just redid a whole truck, so I've had my fare share of let downs... I drove 5hrs in a snowstorm one way to buy the last passanger door shell in the mopar parts system... But i did get it for 200 bucks... So I got a deal... But, I hear where your coming from, it is just what we have to deal with, thats what makes these old trucks unique... When something breaks, you just have to get creative and not rely on the dodge dealer to have it...

 

Ok, sorry. I have been there myself. But I should just face it. Its only going to worst. My dad and I drove 28 1/2 hours striaght to Mt Morris ILL and back home. Just to pick up a parts truck! And drove 7 1/2 hours to Detroit MI to pick up my dually. Because it was exactly what I wanted. Again, anyone out there know where I might find a first gen, 4x4, cc, 5spd dually. Really cheap! Thanks, Robert

 

i'm with freight train, i would love to be able to get new gaskets for my cab lights, the reason i don't go to a different style cab light is because i like the FACTORY lights, that's why i have a 1st gen dodge and not a 2nd or 3rd gen. i have become creative replacing parts, just wish it was easier

 

Gaskets are pretty easy and the dies are cheap to have made. Have someone make up 500 or 1000 of them (price will be cheap -- in quantity) then keep a few for yourself and sell the rest on eBay or whatever.

Alot of other stuff is gonna be harder and much more expensive to get made. Like exterior door handles. The pot metal they use in those always gets brittle and breaks after a while. Get some door handles now and set them off to the side, soon they'll be worth a small fortune. Grills are also something that are gonna be an expense.

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This is nothing new to the AMC people, there are very, very few things we can still order from the dealers. There are three main dealers in the US (one in Cali, one in Ohio and the third one in Texas) for our parts. They were not factory dealers, but they were just guys who looked at what needed to be made and they made it or had it made. Body panels, valve covers, belts, fasteners, you name it. They now have little home based businesses selling the stuff to AMC people. We'll soon have the same here, its getting to be that time for our trucks where we need to start taking care of ourselves because while there are alot of these trucks out there, its not enough for them to care about, just like with AMCs. Most people who have an Eagle still drive it.

Because Mopar is not going to help. They dont care. They won't care. You will not be able to make them care. Trust me on this, I and many others have been there, done that with AMC's successors. Save your breath, put your effort into something that will do some good. In fact, if they find out you are making certain parts and marketing them in various ways (like stamping their part number on them, or referring to your part as replacing that part number, etc), you are likely to wind up with a letter from their lawyers for violating some patent, trademark or copyright. Then you'll get to choose between driving your truck or fighting off lawsuits.

Hate to rain on anybody's parade, but thats just the way it is.

 

I think there is an aftermarket source for the bracket at http://www.dodgeconnection.com/catal...66/4541374.htm. Someone correct me if it looks like it wouldn't work for our trucks.

 

[QUOTE=keith1992;2313991]Gaskets are pretty easy and the dies are cheap to have made. Have someone make up 500 or 1000 of them (price will be cheap -- in quantity) then keep a few for yourself and sell the rest on eBay or whatever.

Alot of other stuff is gonna be harder and much more expensive to get made. Like exterior door handles. The pot metal they use in those always gets brittle and breaks after a while. Get some door handles now and set them off to the side, soon they'll be worth a small fortune. Grills are also something that are gonna be an expense.

I agree, I guess I was trying to point out to people that alot of parts are still available. I know Mopar doesnt want you to keep a 16 yr old truck on the road. They want you to spend $40-$50k on a brand new one. But believe it or not if the parts they do continue to sell are still selling on a regular basis they keep producing them. Its all about profit and revenue. I agree, people take it upon yourself to stock up on items! Then you wont be that guy going to swap meet 3 or 5 yrs from now hoping to find that item just to make your truck able to drive! Maybe not quite as hard as you AMC guys but Mopar parts for muscle cars up until the last 2 or 3 years were very hard to get your hands on. My dad's 1971 Cuda for example! Goodmark just came out with both front fenders and quarters! Not to mention miscellaneous in between! When in doubt guys, call your dearler and ask! I am fortunate enough to have a buddy @ my dealer who will even do dealer searches for me!

 

I have been ordering many different parts from dodge and parts are going. But I wish I could make a list of parts that I think I would need and buy them for the future. I wish I had a list of what dodge could still get and go from there.

 

I appreciate the link, but it's not the part I was referring to. I meant the bracket that the p/s gear mounts to, on the outside of the frame rail. The bracket in the link mounts to the inside of the frame rail as a reinforcement. Thanks though, that piece interests me too.

 

You think you have it bad? Try restoring a Checker station wagon.