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I've been into 2 local car spares shops, Halfrauds and a tools and fasteners shop today... Can I find 3/8 UNF copper washers? Can I f*ck? Am I living in the past hoping to walk into a shop and get stuff like this?

What the hell do modern cars use on brake unions?

A decent motor factors will probably stock them , but I would expect Halfords to only hold metric stuff (usually in mixed packs of assorted useless sizes).
Alternatively a hydraulics supplier?

Unfortunately the internet revolution makes finding imperial stuff in high streets more and more difficult as ti puts tradiditonal shops out of business. However the flip side is that it does allow us to get more obscure stuff easily.

Ive tried 2 'locally famous' motor factors and neither had them...

You'll have to give Rich a ring Tom.

That is an absolute last resort Mark

I hate the idea of paying for postage when the cost of postage comes to more than the items. I am sure I have Yorshire roots...

If it's any help FROST do a mixed box of imperial copper washers.
220 washers in the box, but not cheap though.

These guys?:
http://www.atfltd.com/company_profile.html

I work next door to Halfords and Screw fix... Screw fix do a massive box of sizes I would never need for £19.99, Halfords at the other side of town sell a medium box for £8

But these guys seem good http://www.namrick.co.uk/

Also CompBrake, but don't know if they have a 'shop'
www.compbrake.co.uk

GraemeC wrote:These guys?:
http://www.atfltd.com/company_profile.html

I work very near Allthread and went in earlier as my 3rd place of call... nothing that small

Namrick are good, but again you'll pay postage.
Their mixed 'assortment' of UNF nuts and bolts is handy too.

GraemeC wrote:Also CompBrake, but don't know if they have a 'shop'
http://www.compbrake.co.uk

I got my brake bias adjuster off these guys, really good stuff for the price. They'd just set up when I bought it so their shop was empty.

tomkidd wrote:I work next door to Halfords and Screw fix... Screw fix do a massive box of sizes I would never need for £19.99, Halfords at the other side of town sell a medium box for £8

But these guys seem good http://www.namrick.co.uk/

Namrick are very good, I do alot with them through work as we require quite a few 'ye olde worlde' sizes for some older designs we use...

while on the topic "Am I living in the past"

Try buying coachline's not so easy nowadays, i have been to two well known factors that used to keep extensive amounts of coachlines.

I even still have the bodyline catalogue with all the different thickness's colour's part numbers etc.

Guess what they dont have any these days.

I've owned my own motor parts and accessories shop for the last 6 1/2 years or so. When I bought it, we had plenty of coachlines on a stand as well as many other bits and pieces. For the last few years many things have been getting harder to find, coachlines being just one item.

The situation was not helped by one of my suppliers in Midlands going bust about three years ago. They stocked an amazing range of imperial nuts, bolts, washers etc. But the fact they went bust was probably due to cheaper parts being available on the internet and undoubtably a lack of demand. Trends over the last few years have seen many people move away from self maintenance. Indeed more of my trade is in accessories, cleaning products and consumables.

It is also not viable to find a supplier and buy up large stocks of oddments. Such items invariably move slowly and take room and money. I try and keep some stocks of bits and pieces, but in view of what I've said there is a limit.