It was a warm, sticky summer afternoon at Maryland’s Capitol Drag Raceway back in the mid-1970s. I was fresh out of high school when a ’63 Chevy II roared up into the staging lanes for a smoky stage.

If you’re a hobbyist or work in your home garage, you’re probably not going to run into snap rings or C-clips daily. But when you do: You better be prepared. You can shell out big bucks for a set from ...