Parts, hmmm...parts...
That's kinda why I bought the whole 9 yards...tube, bolts & seals rather than just the bolts & seals.
This stuff is going away and it's not gonna be like with my '54 Pontiac where there is still a ton of really weird and wonderful parts still surfacing out of us old fart's parts piles. Back in the day the General really did support the cars for a very long time as the average person actually kept and maintained their cars for a very long time.
By the time our fave B & D body came to the end of the assembly line...1996, GM did only what was required by law. Now, since the "economic downturn" and subsequent destruction of American automotive life as we knew it, we'll be lucky to find a damn 1/4-20 bolt, much less something with a valid part number or made in the USA. Checked the manufacturer origin on your latest GM parts purchase? The water pump cover o-rings I just bought are made in Mexico. The brakes in Canada, and I am happy to get the one made in Canada vs China!
Oh, you ain't experienced nothing yet. I cannot wait for the guy who showed up at the weekend cruise with his top dog factory blower Mustang when he tries to get the $2.00 part the keeps it all together when it craps out in two years and there are none. Crystal ball what you think you will need and become a parts horder. It will all make for a very interesting estate sale. At least that's what I tell my son. Someone like us will be happy. I only wish I could be there too!
When someone offers a real part for sale, or free, say thank you and buy it if you need it or think you will. Harvest the best from the cadavers in the junk yards while they are still reasonably free of rot. If you read carefully you know what replacement parts are crap and a waste of your money. You also know what seems to live forever...until yours dies, like the damn blower control module in my Fleetwood and the "new" one is not a quality Japanese piece like the original. But I digress...
Richard Snipes
4501 Safari in Jax, FL