Store? Chronologically. The longer I've had it, the deeper it is buried!
Find is a whole 'nother problem. Which building is it in?
everything I have is stored in bubble envelopes with a tag, then noted on paper and the list is then in the box and in a notebook for that specific car. Neat, clean and organized..."I hope"
I use plastic totes for storage of xtra parts try to keep like parts together mark totes stack them up they stay hi and dry the only problum i went from one tote to fifty thank goodness i have them marked![]()
thats what i did, i pull a starter off, clean it up and repair/replace parts, paint and store. same with generator, headlights, etc. so soon oh so very soon i will be able to assemble my painted model kit haha. Sure if i had the frame first i would have somehting to put all these parts on but i didnt... It gets interesting storing essentially 4 cars in a 2.5 car garage... thankfully VW Ghia parts look nothign like model A parts haha so thier all just on a few shelves in the garage. I have accumulated doubles and triples of stuff unfortinately but ones always better than the other. OInce the truck is done and running i will be selling off alot of the spare parts.I use 1 quart or 1 gallon double zip lock bags, left over silica packs from electronics (ask your friend for them, you'll have too many) and rubbermaid containers.
I put the part, without packaging if new, in the bag. Usually will include the end tab of a box if available for identification.
Toss in a silica pack if rust can be an issue and seal.
Use a Sharpie marker to label the outside of bag as to contents.
All bags go into Rubbermaid double flip top stack-able containers. I prefer the half heights ones for most parts as it keeps me from tossing parts on top. There is only one layer of parts. Easy to go through to find a part. Container is labeled and put on shelf.
On a major resto I will use different containers for each section.
I started using this method when I changed to doing parts cleanup and overhaul as I disassembled the vehicle. Everything being bagged was ready to be installed. I have found this method more fun on both the disassembly and assembly phases as there is an immediate gratification. (pull the water pump, overhaul it and bag it. Pull a fender, overhaul it and store it. etc. When it is time for assembly it is a nice clean operation of already to go parts.)