Billy I thought the bus frame was LaKosh's idea, especially cause it was non-returnable. Maybe Rudser. GM made many large items call-back items around that time, which meant they would call the dealer to confirm the accuracy and quantity of the order. At least in our zone. For folk's who don't know it, GM used to be the 98% supplier of resto parts in the mid 80's. So you could spend hundreds of hours in a parts dept poring over GM Master Parts books, Parts History books, and just plain ordering anything you could out of a group number to see what would fit or look OK for a Chevy. Often it was a tedious and expensive route as items got tossed and hundreds of hours might only yield a couple of good parts. Just because Chevy listed a part for a Camaro didn't mean it wasn't a "replacement" part that didn't resemble the original very much. Also at that time you could only order Chevy parts from a "Chevy" dealer, B-O-P Cad parts had to be ordered at their respective dealers. So you also had to connect with other GM lines to find acceptable parts to restore a 60's Camaro/Chevelle. It was a tedious task, I remember spending hours and hours in the parts dept at my nearest dealer Keystone Chev (formerly Nickey) they just let me look up and order all my own stuff. Some people thought I worked there. If you persevered, there were a few treasures to be found, like trim rings only sold by Olds, Caddilac smog pulleys, or horn contacts for Corvettes. Nowadays, GM has discontinued about 98% of workable parts, so Chevy dealers now have to call aftermarket suppliers for parts if they have a Camaro or Chevelle in the shop. In fact, GM part labels are now printed and stuck on aftermarket parts as GM still wants a piece of the revenue. But back then, between pushing a baby in a stroller (playing with a $30 Rosewood), nursing a leaky trans on a rusty tow vehicle, and trying to feed the kids and pay rent on 5 garages, the practice of razoring off part numbers or switching wrappers was a common practice for trying to squeak out a living. I remember a few of the people you mentioned that used to write down part numbers at swap meets, I bet they still have a few C10 Pickup bed assemblies in their garage that they got by accident. That was all in fun, but unfortunately yesterday and today, there was and still is rampant fraud in the markets with unscrupulous dealers trying to pass off fake cars and parts, today its Ebay that attracts the majority of them, so folks beware, if a dealer just popped up out of "nowhere" selling parts or cars, chances are they will soon return there, when you find out you've been had. This website is the most fantastic place that gives folks the help they it need. And the efforts and time involved mostly go unrecognized. That's why
