Back 3 years?  I guess that I've been blessed because we don't seem to have such trouble with parts around here.

Maybe if the dealerships would pay good enough money for the parts dept people, they'd keep people with the experience to help better.  Alot of times it seems that the people behind the counter haven't even had a license over 3 years...and they are supposed to be the experts.

Maybe you should just order some of your common Savage parts for a 2001 model.  The parts people don't know the difference.  It's funny too....we have an '00 and a '01 and I can ask for 2 oil filters for a Savage and they always ask "what year".  And they look at me funny when I say, it doesn't matter.

What I meant by my use of  "what year" is the sheer ambiguity of that question when speaking Savage.  For almost anything engine-wise it is "all years" with the exception of 4 or 5 speeds.

Still, an experienced part dept. would help.  Ours uses both micro fiche and computer database.

Did it change on the inside or the outside?

Is the old and the new interchangeable?  Or did the rotor change too?  Or is it involving the starter?

I think that we need a new topic where we list the differences found.  Whatcha think?

Impressive site.  The guy put ALOT of work into that....as another amateur photographer the work had to take a long time just for the photos alone.  Very detailed.  I like that.  I tried to do something similar, but I didn't do that well.  His website time was long too.

On the other hand, as a "Shade Tree" there is one problem with his mechanic work.  He used WAY TOO MUCH silicone rubber (about picture 24 of 41).  If that much squished out on the outside it also was on the inside.  And in there it is free to get in the bearings and the oil passages.  Not good at all.  The amount needed to seal the head cover is a THIN THIN coat with all excess wiped off the edges.  The headcover is machined flat and doesn't need much.  Trust me, I've done this job a few times.

He forgot one pic.  I just put it on my site and now I'll paste it here (small I hope).  This is what you need for the job...print out the bolt pattern, tape it to a box and punch holes for all the bolts.  "The Plug", sealer, o-rings, and seals are shown.

I can send the "bolt pattern" picture for printing to anyone that wants it.  I scanned it from my SSM.  A good way to keep ALL those bolts organized.