large body parts and truck freight

[dju]

hi all, one of these days (soon I hope) I will get my old mustang project going. I was planning on picking up some of the parts that need to be replaced like the full floor board and then setting them aside until I have the additional money to have them installed. this way I don't have to come up with all of the money at one time or hope that I can save up for it and not be tempted to spend the money on other things.
so my question is for those of you who have had large items shipped to your house truck freight, what pointers can you give to when it comes delivery time? did you have to take off work to be home when it's delivered? did you have to go to the trucking company to pick up the parts? what about any extra fees like having it delivered to a house instead of a business? any other suggestions you might have?
I have a local mustang parts supplier however I have found that some of the larger suppliers have more options, for example, NPD has 2 different full floor boards; an import version and a US made of heavier steel version. since the fllor boards are part of the unibody I am thinking I would prefer the heaveir steel version and I don't know if the local guy has these additional options that just aren't listed on his website.

thanks for any words of wisom ya'll might have,
dj

 

[cmayna]

DJ,
I wonder if it's best to buy such items now and let it sit versus buying it when you are ready to use it. There are tons of what if's that I can think of. What if:

1) You decide to postpone finishing your Mustang
2) Your girlfriend or wife or both push you to spend the Mustang money on her/them.

etc, etc, etc,

I also look at it from a warranty period point of view. You finally decided to install the floor pan only to find out it was produced incorrectly. Unfortunately, you waited too long to find this out and the warranty has already expired.

This is just food for thought.

Back to your original question:
When you order an item that requires trucking, find out when you place the order, who the carrier will be and will it be a residential delivery. Get the Bill of Lading # and contact the carrier yourself just to make sure everyone is on the same page. You can then ask the carrier if there is a additional fee for residential deliveries.

 

[Midlife]

I typically cut up large body parts with a chain saw and stuff them into plastic bags, then place the bags along the edges of abandoned roads so I won't get caught. Be sure and wash your clothes and truck well to get rid of any blood.

 

[dju]

Cmayna, some good things to think about. I will consider them when I decide to get this project going. I'm going to start with the disassmbly part of this when I get some cheap wheels/tires to roll the car around. current wheel sizes are not common enough anymore to get used tires for them. I have a couple leads on some wheels but I would never had thought it would be so difficult to find some cheap steel 15" wheels.
Midlife, some more good advice, have you ever thought about throwing them into the fire to burn them?

thanks,
dj

 

[AzPete]

Another thing to think about is the surface finish of the new sheet metal while it waits for install and paint.

Mid....I have heard that feeding the pigs with them works better........

 

[stangg]

I would never had thought it would be so difficult to find some cheap steel 15" wheels.

I used the compact spares from newer cars... Our local junk yard had a small pile of them so all's I needed to do is match up the bolt circles and get similar diameters. Most are 17" rims. I got 4 completely diffferent spares and had to enlarge the center on one, and also slot the bolt circle on one or two. For a garage roller it was more than adequate. best of all they only charge $5-10 per spare (~2005) I still have the best one saved to serve as a spare tire for long trips. I think that one came from a Jeep but not certain. Trace the bolt circle from one of your good wheels on to a piece of cardboard and head to the junkyard to see what you can find. For that matter any '94+ Mustang, Explorer, Ranger, etc... spare should fit.

 

[manley]

It might be worthwhile to find a friend who works at a place with a dock and ask if you can have the large parts delivered there. It should save you some money that can be used to purchase more parts! Obviously, not all residential areas are accessible with a tractor-trailor and you may have to meet the driver somewhere anyway. This happened to me. You may be able to request the parts be delivered by a straight truck. Can't hurt to ask. There may be additional fees if a lift gate is required and you may be able to schedule a delivery time window. Every extra little service will cost you though.


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