GOSPORT – Larry Laczkowski got a call this month from an Evansville man looking for a water pump for a 1949 Ford. He had been looking for a while, looking around. no luck
Someone suggested he try Gosport Auto Supply, where Laczkowski keeps in stock an eclectic and dusty inventory of hard-to-find parts for old cars. Need a carburetor pump diaphragm for a 1957-1974 Ford 8 cylinder? He has a few, $2.15 each according to the handwritten price. There is no UPC code; it is stock number 2643C.
When he got the call about the water pump, Laczkowski went into one of the warehouses adjacent to the retail section of his store. The boxes, old boxes, are stacked neatly and tall. There is no computerized inventory system for the thousands of items. Some have been there for decades waiting for a buyer.
After 35 years, Laczkowski has a good idea of what’s in stock and where it’s located. “I had the water pump, and when I told him, he said, ‘Don’t sell it,’ and hung up the phone. Two hours later he was here.
“I charged him $35. He said he would have paid a hundred or two. He said he looked everywhere.”
Laczkowski recognizes the unique nature of Gosport Auto Supply, 21 E. Main St., which still has some of the same items in stock that were there when he bought the business in 1987. “Everything has dust,” he said. It’s part of history, like the 70-year-old patina of a car with original paint.
Laczkowski has one such car in the 2,500-square-foot mechanic’s garage in the back, beyond the storage rooms. He added the garage shortly after buying the business.
“I realized that no one knew how to do the work on their own cars.” His car mechanic father had taught him how to replace brakes and fix engines. He decided to put those skills to work.
It was not difficult to combine the retail and repair businesses. Only 850 people live in Gosport, so foot traffic to the store is quite low. Laczkowski spends most of his time in the back working on cars and heads to the front desk when a doorbell rings to indicate a customer has arrived.
Most of Laczkowski’s sales are to out-of-towners looking for hard-to-find auto parts. “People call here from all over,” he said. “I’m not sure how they found out about me.”
His classic car collection includes a 1931 Ford Model A, and he works on a wide range of cars from the last century. When I went to visit, there was a shiny black 1950 Ford getting its engine rebuilt, a 1935 Dodge truck in need of new drum brakes, and a 1953 Kaiser Henry J with various mechanical issues.
I also saw Pat Conder’s 1939 Oldsmobile, which needs brakes and ignition work.
He told me he bought the Olds three years ago from a friend who was 16 years old. “We were talking about something else, and he said he was going to sell his car. We kept talking and got a good deal.”
His wife was watching TV when he began to tell her the story of his friend who decided to part with the car. “She sat up straight and said, ‘We’re not buying it.’ But she already had it,” Conder said.
Parked among the classic Fords, Dodges, Kaisers and Olds in Laczkowski’s work garage was a 2016 Cadillac that received new struts and a no-nonsense station wagon that looks like it’s been there a while. Works on all types of cars, not just old ones.
“Is this beyond repair?” I asked, pointing at the van.
“No,” Laczkowski said, pausing. “I can’t locate the parts.”
Got a story to tell about a car or truck? Contact My Favorite Ride reporter Laura Lane at llane@heraldt.com or 812-318-5967.
