Hey, just curious,

Do any of you keep track of your spare parts, like an inventory, that you refer to before going looking for the part on your shelf somewhere, or do you just rely on memory, keep them all in the same place, to find where you left it?

I've got a good amount of useful spare parts for our Satellites. I've got them in boxes, shelves, cabinets in the garage, or basement, or at the warehouse - it's a little mixed up so sometimes I don't find stuff anymore.
I'm thinking simplest approach is to just gather and organize it all in one place.. then I just have one place to search for stuff.. I keep filters, fluids and other consumables close by in my garage, then the spare parts can go elsewhere.

Do any of you keep a spreadsheet of what you've got?
Any advice that works for you?

Cheers, - Art

I reuse old cardboard boxes and use a sharpie to label the boxes.

I then place the boxes on one or two sets of shelves if the parts are not specifically dedicated to a specific car.
If the parts are for a specific car that is not being driven I place them in the car.
I have a specific shelf for parts to be installed on cars being currently driven.

Even with that I forgot stuff I had and ordered/bought stuff I didn't need because I already had one.

I do not have a spreadsheet but it would probably be a good idea for those that have to deal with my stuff when I kick the bucket. A lot of my stuff just looks like junk to the average person. T/A Steering Gearbox, AAR/TA, washer squirters etc.

Out of desperation I've been doing a combination of what you guys are. I write a number on a box and then list the number, location, and contents on a handwritten list. Plan is to transfer the list to a worksheet but I haven't gotten that far.

This is what I did.I transfered everything into a spread sheet program.I was then able to print out a compete list of what I have and where it is.It's nice to be able to bring a copy with me to the shows so I know what I have and how many I have.It took awhile,but it was worth it.

What you guys are doing is much better then what I used to do.

I did the shelf/pile inventory method. If I thought something was worth saving, it got stuck on a shelf, that is until the shelves got too full, then it sort of fell off the shelf and onto a pile. Back in the 80s & 90s that worked pretty well, I had space, and I sold a lot of stuff. Back then, not much stayed here very long, which helped a lot. When I wanted something I thought should be on the shelf/pile, I would dig through the pile. My success rate in the early years was quite high, but as the years passed, the success rate dropped to about 50% on finding a part I thought should have been there. As a side note, several times I found stuff I was looking for before...

About 20 years ago I pretty much quit collecting parts that were not for a specific project, and the parts for that project were all grouped together. Over the years I've managed to use up, or get rid of the earlier piles/shelves of stuff. About the only stuff here anymore is what is left from the nearly completed project, and what will be needed in the near future for that or a different project. I can actually see what I have now! Gene

Lista cabinets are great for organizing parts.

I highly recommend these steel shelving units from Whalen Furniture. 24" deep x 77" wide x 72" tall with wire decking. Use the interlocking feature & you can build three units out of two. Think I paid ~$160 each at Costco a few years ago. Most of my stuff is stored in bankers boxes, copy paper boxes and plastic tubs that I have tagged but that is about as far as I have gone with keeping an actual inventory.

I would like to find similar shelving in 12"x36"x36"/48"/72". Anyone know of any industrial shelving these sizes?

Ohh....this is so up my alley I am nearly giddy!!!

So look, way back when (circa 1995) when I bought my '80 Diplomat coupe, as I started to take it apart I thought to myself: aha, need to label and record everything...otherwise there is no way I can put all this stuff back together.

I tossed all this into a spreadsheet, which has now gone through numerous enhancements, and today is my 'Mopar Inventory' tracker. Where possible, I include a reference to the Mopar Parts Book (so section, etc.), or if it's an Aftermarket part I toss a URL link to either the manufacturer's Part page, or the reseller's page (typically Summit Racing, or Jegs), the QTY, the purchase price, date, source and possibly some remarks.

Take a peek at the attachment screenshot...for the most part, super easy to find just about anything I can think of, meaning: "hhmm...I could have sworn I had this...or bought that...let me check"!

I also maintain separate Project Spreadsheets, where I track all the project details. So my current 408 W2 stroker build has all the parts info and assembly specs & blueprint details captured in it.

So - when you look up whether you have a part or not, and see the ones you are looking for - how do you track where they are located.. ?

That's definitely an amazing spreadsheet - and I see the Tabs for each category of parts.. super thorough. Definitely something for those with lots of flow-through, sellers or those who build a lot.. In those circumstances, like selling, any estimate of how much time you spend updating it? Per week, or per month?

I've settled - at least initially - on the "Put it all in labeled boxes and cluster them on shelving" approach.. I have hand-written lists I think I'll enter into a basic spreadsheet to make it searchable and easier to verify what parts I have..

Cheers,
- Art

Very, very nice Diplomat360. Spreadsheets are my favorite software pkg. You dun good. 25 years of tracking parts and especially prices is impressive. Plus I would think that it would force you to stay organized, too.

At one point I took a Microsoft Access database class with the intent of using my parts for the data to learn the program. Problem was that I could never get past the concept of a database being anything other than a flat file.

At work we would take photos of everything in the box and tape it to the outside. Made it easier for us before we had to get a forklift.

I just recently got finished completely sorting nuts, nuts, fasteners, cap screws, Oe fasteners, fine thread, etc into a dedicated toolbox. I had bags and bags of anything and everything, it's an amazing feeling when you can open a drawer and have some guidance on looking for something.

For car parts I have my own system on memory, but it's really only for one car so it's not bad. If you have too much to memorize, consider selling for the next generation to utilize.

Well, I'm no seller of any sorts. Just a DIY guy who happens to be an IT guy by profession, so this sort of stuff comes really easily to me. I spent a few years developing big database programs, so doing a spreadsheet seemed like an easy way to get to a manageable way of tracking things.

Heck, to tell you how old the darn thing is, it's actually a Lotus 1-2-3 spreadsheet, which means anything other than Lotus 1-2-3 trying to open it today has a bit of a problem...LOL, so I need to start thinking about "migration".

Anyways, for what it's worth, I took a quick pass through this you guys and got an Excel version of it crafted. Some tiny clean-up (you know, to protect the "innocent", so I got rid of the private stuff, like Invoice #s, etc.). The move to Excel format dropped all the 'Product Page' URL links, which sucks...but if you want to bring that back just query it up and update the cell, easy to do. Take a look at the attachment, if you can use it, by all means have a go at it.

I did leave all the information in there, so for what it's worth there is a quick way to see how the prices have gone up over the years. Keep in mind that this is all specific to my 1980 Dodge Diplomat (or similar years F/M/J-body cars), while the engine is all small block stuff.

The actual parts that sit on my storage shelves are categorized per the spreadsheet TABs, each box and/or bag has a PART# printed. That way whatever I drag out, I just punch in the number into the spreadsheet search to see the details.

You bet, thanks!

The benefit here is that at least I can always account for a cost of any particular project/change I'm working through on the car. Adding items today is a slow trickle kind of a thing anyways, so this doesn't take much time.

Diplomat360's spreadsheet is pretty impressive!!

I only have stuff stashed away in boxes and shelves. I know what I have and usually where it is. I'd rather not know how much I spent on things
My worst habbit is keeping fasteners in ice cream containers. It used to be easy when it was only mopar but now they're other makes involved and they're all mixed together so it's gone from knowing what nut, bold or clip is for what to more of a trial and error thing.. the mopar stuff I can still usually pick out pretty easily for the older cars anyway.

i have "stuff"..............it is in "there"...........

All of my extra parts are in storage totes and labeled. Larger parts like deck lids, doors, dashes etc are upstairs in the rafters.

I regret not having done some kind of a list and location of my parts from the very beginning. I have parts for three cars and they are located in my attic, my dad's attic, and one of my spare bedrooms in bins. The bins are mostly by vehicle but not completely. Had I at the very least kept a sheet with simply the location things would be so much easier. I've actually forgotten I had a spare part and purchased a new or NOS one only to accidentally come across that part later when looking for something else

Most things that will fit in totes are in totes...

I have tape on the totes with the contents and what car they are for...

This having parts for multiple cars is becoming a pita...

Longer or bigger and sometimes heavy items are just stored where the totes for the rest of that car are...

I made specific shelves behind the base cabinets for all trim and long items...

Everything in the basement was designed around having simple easy to get to storage for parts of the cars I'm working on...

Most of my items for Carlisle are stored in totes marked with the car they were removed from...in storage and not at my garage...

I try and keep parts that are alike like cam and lifters together in one cabinet and bearings, oil pumps and timing sets in another cabinet.
Gaskets sets, intake manifolds and carbs. in the center part of the shop where I can store 4 cars inside, two on lifts with two underneath them when I add another lift in their :soon luck:
Bigger parts like blocks, radiators, brakes, starters, headers parts and alternator in another part of the shop storage area.
You all know the old adage that a man can never have enough money, sex, HP, traction, race cars and race car parts and so on, correct
BTW, I hate looking for a part I just set down and then can't find it 5 minutes later
That has been happening way to much lately, the last ten or so years

bought a rotabin to put all my smalls in,seatbelt bolts,door handles,window cranks.just turn a layer and find what ya need.still not full but no more hunting through totes

Btw, thanks for the template, Darius.

Just imagine how many cars we could put together if we were to pool our parts.

I put it in boxes and wrote on them. I know where everthing is but what I need it seems like lol. Really do know where 98 percent is at.

"...TRRANNSSSSSFORRMMMERRRS...here to save the day..."

Here is what my "Mopar World" looks like (shop/storage)...nothing fancy, just a 3 car house attached garage, and by grace of my lovely wife the permission to use the un-finished basement washroom as storage area for the "really important stuff" lol! (well, mostly things that the garage temp swings or humidity levels would take a toll on)

I will tell you this: that steel pegboard you see on the wall in between the tall stand-up cabinet and the parts-washer has been a real sweet add-on. Sturdy (I build a frame to which the individual panels are attached first before the darn thing went up on the wall), and I literally have the just about all the engine accessory pieces hanging up there, nicely out-of-the-way, given that tight space in this small workshop.

Oops...hit the limit of 4 attachments...here is that last one with the steel pegboard.

Some of you guys have the "I'm gonna need that someday" sickness as bad as I do. Lots of 32 gallon Rubbermaid bins here. A couple years ago when I moved here I gave a lot of stuff to the Boy Scouts for their scrap metal drive. I have already regretted getting rid of a couple items.

AndyF - you have rugs in your shop?

It might be like the old Johnny Cash song LOL!

A while back I saw someone had what appeared to be a chandelier. That was an especially nice touch. Except keeping them clean are such a pita.

"One Piece at a Time"

I hear that some peeps put all their inventory ON THE ROOF and HOOD of any car in their barn !

that's called "Flat Surface Syndrome" DoC...........and don't forget the trunk lid. that area "stores" lots of "stuff" as well !

What is even better is when I had my Challenger on the rotisserie. When you roll it over upside down it becomes a wonderful 6'x16' shelf with plenty of additional storage underneath as well....lol.

LOL - flat surface syndrome works really well when you want to just reach over and grab stuff - you can see anything you need all spread out in front of you..

Plastic bins - do you guys use them to keep moisture or corrosion out? .. or is it really just a handy way to pack, label and handle stuff?

I've got mine in cardboard boxes and milk crates, but that's in my dry basement or garage - I'm now moving stuff to an unheated warehouse for the winter... My hunch is everything will be fine, but what say you all?
- Art

I have had bad luck with moisture build up in plastic crates stored outside.

Inside they work ok.