How to Work With Rolling Bones Hot Rod Shop for Your Project Build
I've been pulling parts from Rolling Bones Hot Rod Shop for about six years now. They ship reasonably fast, their prices sit somewhere between real vintage and junkyard, and most of their catalogs are searchable. The whole thing is a website where you can browse new old stock parts, reproduction pieces, and a handful of hard-to-find hardware for 1930s through 1960s hot rod builds. It's not the biggest catalog out there, but if you're building a roadster or a coupe from that era, it's worth keeping open in a tab. The shop focuses on early Ford parts more than anything else. Model A, Model B, Model TT frames, and flathead engine components make up the bulk of their inventory. If you're chasing something for a 1932 Ford hood hinge or a set of correct studs for an L-head engine, you'll likely find them listed. They also carry some ignition parts, switches, and interior trim that reproduces originals rather than guessing at them. I've ordered ball joints, tie rod ends, and various small block hardware from there without major issues. One thing worth understanding upfront: they don't carry everything. Their catalog is selective by design. You won't find carburetors, headers, or modern performance parts here. This is a vintage reproduction and NOS-focused operation, and it shows in both the pricing and the depth of what they stock. When I needed a correct steering box for a '32 Tudor, I had to check three other suppliers before settling on what I could actually use. The shop's site lists what they have; it doesn't pretend to have everything.
Ordering Process and Real-World Timing
Adding items to your cart and checking out works like most small e-commerce sites. Select the part, choose quantity, enter your address, and pay. Shipping usually comes through UPS or USPS depending on package size. Most orders I've placed have arrived within five to eight business days for domestic US addresses. Parts that are back-ordered or sourced from a third-party supplier can take longer, sometimes two to three weeks. The site will flag items as out of stock or special order, so read the product page before adding it to your cart. Payment goes through a standard credit card processor on the site. No PayPal disputes or weird workarounds. I've used Visa and Mastercard without problems. For larger orders, like a full suspension kit for a roadster, the shipping cost adds up. A complete front end with radius arms, ball joints, and uprights can run over a hundred dollars in freight if it crosses multiple boxes. That's not unique to this shop, but it's worth factoring into your budget before you start a build.
A Specific Problem I Faced and How I Worked Around It
Last fall I was assembling a flathead V8 swap into a '34 Ford coupe frame. I ordered a set of correct intake manifold bolts and a gasket kit from Rolling Bones Hot Rod Shop. When the bolts arrived, two of the six studs were threaded incorrectly — the threads were cut too coarse, like someone reused a bad die on them. The gasket kit was fine. The bolt issue was a one-time defect in that batch. Here's what I did instead of going back and forth with a return. I took the two bad studs to my local machine shop and had them re-cut to the correct pitch. That cost me about twelve dollars and twenty minutes of my time. I called the shop's support line, described the issue, and they offered a partial refund on those two bolts rather than making me ship them back internationally. I kept the refund and moved on with the build. Their response time was about forty-eight hours, which is normal for a smaller operation. They didn't apologize profusely or offer coupons. They just handled it. This is the kind of thing that happens with reproduction hardware. Most of the time the parts are correct. Occasionally a batch has a quality control gap. The workaround is usually faster than the return process, especially for small, inexpensive items. I've learned to test-fit critical fasteners before I commit to an assembly. It saves a lot of frustration later.
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What the Catalog Doesn't Tell You
The product photos on the site are functional but not always detailed. Some images are stock shots, others are taken in a warehouse setting with decent lighting. You won't always see the part from every angle. If you're ordering something that needs to mate precisely with an existing component, measure your current part first. Write down the thread pitch, the overall length, and any mounting hole dimensions. Then compare them to what the listing specifies. Most pages include basic measurements, but not all of them do. One counter-intuitive thing about this shop: their NOS (new old stock) sections can be more expensive than their reproduction equivalents, and sometimes less reliable. A reproduction part made from modern materials might outlast a seventy-year-old part that's been sitting in a box. I've seen rusted NOS bolts snap when you apply torque. A newly made steel equivalent will often hold up better. The nostalgia factor is real, but so is metallurgy. Don't assume older is always better, especially for structural fasteners.
When This Shop Isn't the Right Call
If you're building a modern small-block Ford or a Chevelle with an LS swap, this isn't your place. The catalog is tuned for early Ford platforms and a narrow window of American cars from the Depression era through the mid-1960s. For anything outside that range, you'll spend more time browsing than finding. I've had friends look here for Mopar parts and walk away empty-handed. It's not a general automotive supplier. It's a niche operation that does one thing reasonably well. Another limitation: international shipping. The shop does ship outside the US, but the costs are steep and delivery times stretch to three to five weeks. Customs documentation adds another layer of uncertainty. If you're in Europe or Australia, you're better off checking local suppliers first. The part numbers might match, but the freight alone can eat your savings.
Final Notes on Using the Shop
I keep Rolling Bones Hot Rod Shop bookmarked and check it when I hit a specific part search. It's not my first stop for every order, but it's a reliable one for flathead and Model A/B related components. The pricing is fair, the customer service responds within a day or two, and the quality is generally consistent. Just go in with clear expectations about what they carry and what they don't. Measure before you buy. And if something arrives that doesn't fit, test it first before you assume it's defective — sometimes the issue is with the rest of the car, not the part itself.
