I struggle with finding good parts almost every day at my shop, even for some of the modern engines. The rule of thumb for me, is that if it’s not OEM, I will most likely have problems with the said part, or I may even have a come back…. with an unhappy customer. I’ve learned this lesson many times. I ordered in some U-joints the other day, and got the Sierra equivalents since they have always been made in Singapore, the same as the Mercury Marine part. (This is one of the few aftermarket parts I buy) When I looked on the box, they are now made in China! So they have went the cheap route… I’ll be sending them back and ordering the Quicksilver ones.(Lesson learned again)
I have been turning to E bay quite a bit to find parts for the older engines I work on, especially OMC. Their usually much cheaper, and will be of much better quality than the current stuff. I look for parts in the OMC or the SysteMatched box.
.
