We are both happy and sad to announce that our fellow Porsche parts supplier Parts Heaven, has closed its doors, Sad because Al finally deciding to retire and rent his buildings. Happy to be able to announce that we have purchased his parts inventory, and it is headed our way (so large we do not know where we are going to put it all!). Coming our way are literally TONS of clean dry California rust free 914 924 944 and 968 parts Believe it or not Al was contemplating scrapping them all as no one really wanted them (moving and packing expense) and he had to get his three buildings ready to rent (so much rent that he can retire comfortably and not worry about anything!

We will miss him as he was (and is) genuinely a nice guy, and we depended on him for many of our hard to find rust free used parts (like California 914 fenders and doors!).
With all of the older guys and their 914 parts collections now beginning to retire, we hope that there are some youthful guys out there who would want to take up the cause and move these businesses into the new generation (hint?). At least we still have Rich out there, but for how long?

Wonderful news! Sounds like everyone will be happy! Thank you for stepping up and buying the inventory to save it from scrap.

Understand what you are saying. I have a lot of clean Texas stuff. I am trying to get rid of it for shipping but a some point I am going to have to toss it. Suspension, axles, cut pieces parts car are all going to have to go to the scrap yard. When health changed, it was a wake up call.

Rich is also trying to sell (has been for a while). I'm pretty sure he has the largest 914 parts collection in the world.

Rich is a true 914 hoarder and we love him for that, his biggest problem is that he does not have an elevator in his three or four story building!!!!!!!!

It is ashamed that someone with deep pockets and young cannot step up and buy all of these places and combine them into 914 central and be the absolute king of everything 914.

Any young guys out there who have made a fortune in software?

OH NO, Say it ain't so.

First EASY and now PartsHeaven. And then there was ONE.

The problem with 914 parts is they generally cost more to store than they are worth. My friend Rob owns DC Auto. 140,000 sq/ft indoor and all his 914 parts fit in less space than a 2 car garage. It’s just not worth it to him compared to what the other models bring.

I wonder what that really would mean? Thinking about other car models that have gone that way. The Delorean company inventory is under one roof now - One can buy a brand new 'factory' Delorean for example. Didn't the Auburn/Cord/Duesenberg stuff all go to one shop also? What others?

What might the real value of all the AA - Bontempi parts in the USA be? Not sure a youngun' could be interested or well enough capitalized, but maybe an old guy doing it as a retirement hobby. Real world pricing, not blue sky. Fair market value that someone could make a margin on not just beater parts or parts with no demand or real value that cost more to warehouse than they are worth.

I routinely give away any 914 stuff we have, either to friends or in a free pile at a swap meet. It's hard to make money selling 914 stuff, unless it's super rare or NOS, every 914 guy has parted 2-3 cars and has a garage full of heavy, greasy stuff. Kudos to AA for trucking all that stuff across the country.

I have an empty lot next door if someone would like to erect a metal building for 914 warehouse?

QUOTE(SirAndy @ Oct 4 2019, 02:07 PM)

QUOTE(dr914@autoatlanta.com @ Oct 4 2019, 12:38 PM)

At least we still have Rich out there, but for how long?

Rich is also trying to sell (has been for a while). I'm pretty sure he has the largest 914 parts collection in the world.

Been to Rich’s place many times and am amazed at his inventory, bought a few big ticket items from him also. Great guy but not the healthiest looking dude out there. My first thought was if his place ever caught fire it would burn down because there is no way the fire dept could ever make entry do to the ceiling high stock piles everywhere.

He also has the highest prices out there but he always has what you are looking for. My guess is any asking price would be unrealistic as he is a true hoarder.

My sentiments as well.

Pelican also has some of there parts. I just bought a used clutch arm

How do yu make a small fortune in the parts business. Start with a large one.

Yes Bay area real estate will force these places to close eventually. When you can make more on passive income than running a business.
Yes there is money to be made in the long game, but it is speculation as to how much.

We have a running joke out here:

When you go to HPH and ask for a used 914 body part, let's say a drivers door for a 75, his response will be "what color?".

^ Does that make Rich the "Vasek Polak of 914s"?

When buying and selling 356 and early 911 parts we have it down to a ratio that works.
1/3 of the stash sells in a year
1/3 of the stash sells in 5 years
1/3 of the stash you will die with

1/3 of the stash pays for 2/3 to all of the buy price
1/3 of the stash is the gravy over the next 5 years
1/3 you can make art with

So when you go look at a stash you have to see enough good parts to make these ratios work. If it's all heavy greasy hard parts, it's a no go. Like when someone shows me a garage full of old used engine stuff, I tell them I have several rooms of that stuff overflowing, and it doesn't sell. But when a guy has a pile of NOS wheels to go along with the stash, you're onto something. Here is an interesting article I wrote about buying parts, it even has a shout out to Scott!

https://unobtaniuminc.wordpress.com/2014/07...sche-barn-find/

We did two 40’ box trailers on a parts buy. The trailers were so packed they were bottomed out on their springs. Then when we unloaded, the shop floor and parking lot were covered for a week. Pretty much shut down productivity the whole week while we cleaned and sorted. Then i had to sell a bunch of parts quickly to make back what we spent. It was a lot of work.

Sold 50-356 engines to a guy in California. The shipping company lost the whole batch. Fun times!

Yeah, sad but everything changes eventually, new era, different time. I noticed many changes just since 1983 when I had my first 914 to when I just bought another one in 2019

How the heck do they lose 50 engines?

I don’t know but I think they are in a warehouse, sitting next to the arc of the covenant.
Buyer was the one who set up shipping (my rule) but was covered through insurance.

You haven't worked with shipping companies much.

Rich is still buying odd parts. I sold him a smog bracket for 75,76 car a few months back

Nice guy.


Bob B

That's why shops a lot of times have a hard time doing it, it slows down the real operation. They count hours in terms of billable hours, and it becomes murky when you're sorting parts. Luckily, it's all we do, so if it takes a month, that's just what we're doing that month.

I started cherry picking parts of the last few cars I stripped because most of the 914 parts don't sell for enough to cover the labor to pull them. Once you clean them, store then, ship them you break even.

I joke around that I make more on steering wheels and hose clamps than any other part because the 911 guys will pay reasonable prices.

The 914 market won't/can't sustain pricing like the 911 market does and because of that these collections of parts no matter how enormous are destined for scrap unfortunately.

Ah, so the wise will see this current predicament as a future business opportunity. If most of them are tossed, then the few that remain will become valuable. Hang to those 1.7L parts and misc parts that have no value today ....

Q. What does one do with what looks like 100s of old pistons and cylinders.

A. Pay storage on them til you DIE!

Good to know they had their "top men" on it...


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fdjf4lMmiiI

Exactly! Time and space = money. Even with 911 parts, the cost of storage can easily outway the appreciation. It's best to turn the parts for money and buy more parts then turn for money, rinse and repeat.
It's easy to be envious of the big stashes but when you leave something sit for a long time, you have lost the opportunity to reinvest the money.