About Jim Carter, Classic Chevy and GMC Truck Parts
The Jim Carter GMC & Chevy Truck Parts Story...Past, Present and Future
Our Showroom a few years back
The Jim Carter Truck Parts Company has been providing Chevy and GMC truck parts and helpful information for many years. Although many of our customers are miles away and even in other parts of the world, we still maintain a modest showroom where people can come in and visit when they are in town
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The Early YearsJim Carter Truck Parts is a company that grew from a life long interest in older American vehicles. The roots were set in the mid-1960s with a strong appreciation of the Ford Model A. To supply parts for a total restoration of a 1930 Ford Coupe and to help with college expenses, a small in home used parts business began. |
Ford Model A
The part time business was supplied with used parts from Midwest salvage yards, swap meets, and occasional finds of New Old Stock items. Well placed national ads provided the needed customers and business took off!
| Model A Ford | 1957 Metropolitan |
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1957 American Motors MetropolitanAfter my college years, I obtained employment with a national corporation where I worked for 15 years. I finally dropped the Model A business. However, I kept my original Model A, but began a hobby collecting and selling related special interest vehicles. I was in love with Chevrolet cars of the '40s, Studebaker, Avantis and early Ford Thunderbirds. One day in 1978 IT happened! I had a 1957 American Motors Metropolitan for sale. A potential buyer wanted it, but lacked adequate cash. We finally negotiated the sale. I took partial payment and his 1950 Chevrolet 1/2 ton truck. |
Hard Work & Dreams
While having a new home built the next year, the '50 became my "trash truck". I hauled construction scrap daily to a local dump. It was a great little truck. It was always ready for work and never failed its duties. A year later the house was finally completed. Now, I needed to find something I really wanted to do. That little truck had been growing on me. How about a complete restoration like I did on the Model A during my school days?
The Rest of the Story
While restoring the truck I found many other truck owners with the same needs. They required rubber parts, bed wood, tailgates and straight sheet metal. While on parts hunts I purchased additional Chevy truck parts for other truck owners "Parts Wanted" lists. This made the restoration much less expensive and I now found myself in a very small, but growing truck parts business. This was almost like the old days with the Model A parts operation.
Then, I got daring. After a few well placed ads selling bed parts in national magazines, I knew something was starting to happen. Items sold and people requested other parts. I found myself back in salvage yards on Saturdays and attending local swap meets. Next, I needed to hire a part time employee and then made the BIG decision. I refused my company's request to transfer to a growing city 1,000 miles away. This made me look as if I did not want to grow with them, and maybe I didn't. I quit!
Now, I had to either get other employment or try harder in the General Motors truck parts business. Yes, you guessed it - I was totally committed to the new business - sink or swim!
Since jumping out of the "security nest" in 1981, I never looked back. I spent my time learning, researching and providing the personal touch that our customers love. Growth soon required two additions to the barn behind my house and buying some local rental houses for storage. I even had to hire a local body shop do the final touches on the original little '50 1/2 ton. It is now in our showroom.
Here we are many years later. Our 15 year old large two story building has had a major addition. There is a separate structure just for bed wood production. We have 18 employees five days a week, eight phone lines plus five special fax order lines from overseas countries, and several UPS trucks and U.S. mail pickups each day. Oh yes, we still do the used parts thing! A salvage yard three miles away has about 40 GM trucks from 1936-71 for finding those special requests.
We are registered with General Motors to reproduce their trademarks and logos on all parts that require it. We hold the hundreds of other parts we reproduce to the high standards as when the GM factory produced them.
When you need restoration items for your 1934-1972 Chevrolet or GMC, please give us a try. The solid growth of our company relates to the trusted reputation we have earned, and the quantity of new and used merchandise we stock. We are here when you are ready for us. Call Today! 1.800.842.1913
