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There is a big difference between OEM & NOS parts. OEM parts are the same as were put on at the factory. NOS only means that it was bought at a GM parts dealer. I was buying NOS parts for Corvettes that were 30 years old. Parts were NOS but may or in most cases are not exactly like original. I have learned the hard way that parts change but will work & have the same PN. Be careful to know which you are looking for.
OE - Original Equipment
OEM - Original Equipment Manufacturer
NOS - New Old Stock
Aftermarket - part made by a different company
OEM and NOS parts -Both were created by in our case by GM OR the company that created them for GM
So an NOS AC Delco dist cap is the company that made it for GM
NOS - is a part that was made to replace the original part OE
Sometimes the NOS part can have design changes in it and may not appear in the original part
Splitting hairs but is my explanation.
I'm glad this was clarified before it got out of control.
NOS should always be the first choice.
There was a time when you could make a lot of money with NOS parts. You would locate a bankrupt dealership and buy everything in his inventory for less than $1.00 a box.
A couple of the items were worth hundreds of dollars - maybe even thousands.
This is NOS
Now with computerized inventory the era has passed.
I'm glad this was clarified before it got out of control.
NOS should always be the first choice.
There was a time when you could make a lot of money with NOS parts. You would locate a bankrupt dealership and buy everything in his inventory for less than $1.00 a box.
A couple of the items were worth hundreds of dollars - maybe even thousands.
This is NOS
Now with computerized inventory the era has passed.
that nos part has no value to me. it was not on any of my cars!
you have to know what you are purchasing when you buy nos parts. a example is I have several nos 091 coils in sealed delco cartons. until I pull the string on the carton I don't know if I have a c1 or a c2 style coil. from reading comments the c2 owners have made about the rarity of the coil, a c2 owner would be very disappointed finding a C1 style coil. it took me less than a minute on ebay to find another nos part that changes make it of no value on the car it is posted under. I see a 5 hole 781 horn relay. not correct for a 55(3 hole), but perfect for a 59.
OE - Original Equipment
OEM - Original Equipment Manufacturer
NOS - New Old Stock
Aftermarket - part made by a different company
OEM and NOS parts -Both were created by in our case by GM OR the company that created them for GM
So an NOS AC Delco dist cap is the company that made it for GM
NOS - is a part that was made to replace the original part OE
Sometimes the NOS part can have design changes in it and may not appear in the original part
Splitting hairs but is my explanation.
You might be splitting hairs but the money for a OE part can be hundreds more than NOS. I was making a point that NOS may not be the same as a OE part.
You guys forget that just becouse it's a NOS part doesn't mean it's the same thing as a assembly line part. Most NOS parts had running changes though out its service life making them differ from what was used at the plant
They did this with a lot of parts if you bought all new fiberglass front end for your 65 corvette in in 1969 you got a black glass 67 surround a set of parking light panels and upper and lower nose panels that had provisions for the grill mounting and surround trim for a 63 64 and your right side inner fender was 66 67 and headlight support bar was 67 and your hood was 66-67. I know I bought one then, the entire front cost about $525.00. I will take all the wrong parts today for that money!!! That is why so many corvettes have the wrong panels on them today from repairs all the way back to the 60's.
I agree that OE parts are best, but examples of these parts in good condition are very difficult to find. For me a NOS GM part is about as good as I can reasonably hope for when looking for a part to replace a missing or broken piece on my old Corvettes.
Another thing: some old NOS stuff you stumble across may be still NOS and in the box for a reason. I've seen a lot of defective or 'second' quality NOS stuff over the years. Probably why it got re-boxed and put back on the shelf 40-60 years ago.
You can not make a blanket statement with any accuracy that a NOS part is the same as an OEM part. There are too many variables and it all depends on the part you are talking about.
When parts are made/ordered for a new year's model extra pieces are made in order to stock the warehouse with replacement parts if needed. From then on it's all about supply and demand. Some of those parts first made might be enough for the 5 year period, or the lifetime of the car. Other parts might have more demand and a re-run is needed. Then, it might be from the very same tooling, or as some noted, it is revised for an improvement
In either instance they all have the same part number and same packaging so for many parts it is impossible to tell if it is from the original run or a replacement run.
There are times too when more than one supplier will make a part both for assembly and later replacement. You gotta love the Corvette policeman who determine that a part is original and another not, even if both were made for assembly but with a very small difference because of the supplier. Kind of reminds me when the "expert" from another brand I had would determine if a part was a factory part of not. Funny part was that he did not work in the plant, but ran a truck for the company. I'm sure same is true for a number of the Corvette parts, unless actually there at time of assembly it can merely be a judgement guess by the policeman.
Throw in the sleazeballs that sell NOS parts (but not the box) so they can foist some Chinesium crap onto the next buyer by picturing it beside (or in) the box in an online ad...or cobble together parts to make a seemingly OEM/NOS piece - like the wrong rear casing on a one-year-only 63 alternator; then you get an appreciation for how hard it is to wade through the BS to keep a car original, or even, quasi-original..
Another thing: some old NOS stuff you stumble across may be still NOS and in the box for a reason. I've seen a lot of defective or 'second' quality NOS stuff over the years. Probably why it got re-boxed and put back on the shelf 40-60 years ago.
Some of that can be caused by self where and people dragging it to swap meet to swap meet for years on end
Some of that can be caused by self where and people dragging it to swap meet to swap meet for years on end
Amen to that! I am going to the Turlock swap-meet this Saturday, where I've been going off and on for 30 years. Haven't been in 5 or 6, but I fully expect to see the same vendor there I've seen for the past 25 years, with the same pair of now- very- shelf -worn '56 Chrysler tail lights, priced at the same outrageous $650, on very aged-yellow tags. Back in the early '90's, the lights were like new. 6 years ago, not so much!
When I see the stupid money paid for a wing nut; and people paying big $$$ to rent a certain rare air cleaner for national judging (yes it actually happens) I just have to laugh...
Last edited by Frankie the Fink; 01-24-2017 at 04:21 PM.
I need a neutral safety switch for my '58 but I'm not prepared to pay $600.
I'm a nut about originality but even I will stop at a certain point.
If I had an NCRS car that would be a different issue.
Richar Newton
Reason I did go that way is the fact that a friend of mine in the 80s ran his street rod into the garage wall destroying the front end just just getting it back from body shop .
I look at it this way tried for a while to get used part they are extremely rare and finally ran it down in Calf at Corvette Stop .
Safety reason for sure not NCRS
I've bought some of the rarer '63 parts from Corvette Stop...they are not cheap by any means but you can usually negotiate with them quite a bit and their stuff is rock solid.
01-23-2017, 10:29 AM
New oem verses nos parts
