RE: New in the can motor
With regard to spares, I used to horde everything I could find. One day, I realized that I had literally thousands and thousands of dollars of all sorts of parts...wiper motors, windshields, cab tops, cargo covers, cab frame assemblies, hoods, doors, fenders, bows, troop seats, filters, tires, brake parts, extra radiators, gauges, steering wheels...on and on. In my humble opinion, I eventually got smart about this. I no longer stock parts for my trucks. First, I have so many different series of trucks (M939, M809, M44A2, M44A3, MUTT) that doing so became cost prohibitive. When I was mainly into the M44A2 series of trucks, and owned several, it made more sense. Second, I finally realized that, rather than having thousands and thousands of dollars tied up in parts that I may or may not ever use, why not just buy what you need when you need it and pay a few dollars more at that time. For example, I'd rather pay $40 for a new deuce wiper motor when I need it than have a few hundred dollars in ten wiper motors sitting in my garage for years until the time I need one. Don't get me wrong, if I find an absolute bargain on an item, I will but it. CARNAC/MEDLOG had one of the new push button light switches for sale for $10 at Aberdeen this past year...brand new...I bought it. It works like a dream. I really did not need it, but I could not pass that price up. I only keep on hand the basic essentials and service items like filters and parts that wear. Don't get me wrong, if you saw my garage, it looks and smells like a motor pool! I have many parts, but I no longer actively seek to replenish what I use...I'll just buy it when I need it.