Misc car work
Swapped the drivers seat belt unit I rebuilt a while ago. Had to pull up the side plastic liner to get to the hardware
While I had the hatch open, one of the bumper/aligners was jacked a little. Pressed it down and it popped out. Slider tabs broke off from age. A chunk of the tab is the small piece in my hand. Pen to the upper right shows where it came from.
I had been grabbing pieces off junked cars for as long as I can remember. I store the parts in a climate controlled room hopefully slowing the degradation process. Over the past few years, I've finally been able to consolidate the parts together and create an inventory database. Now i know what I have and where it is. The spring launched out as the part popped out. Luckily was able to find it.
Grabbed the worst of the parts from storage. There's a crack across the bottom in the center of the replacement part, but the tabs looked good. Laying them side by side, can see the years of impression set into the right side of the part to the right, where the pen is pointing. I'm sure someone is making SLA's of these by now.
Its a challenge maintaining an old car w OE parts driven/used so much. Perpetual repairs. Metal parts.. fine. Its the plastics and rubber. Then exposed to the southern sun or heat soaked engine bay. Not a favorable condition.