The times may be a' changin'.

Since 1980 I have relied on Advance Auto Parts carrying a good supply of parts for Z cars. They are based out of Roanoke, VA which of all cities I've been to has the highest number of Z's I' ve ever seen. When I go down there to visit it's routine to see daily driver 240's zipping around town. A real time warp city.

I've always assumed that the Advance chain carried a lot of Z parts because the company owners grew up in Roanoke and saw Datsuns as still-relevant cars.

Today I went to Advanceautoparts.com to order a new intake/exhaust gasket for my '70. In a surprise move, their online inventory has dropped almost everything: no 240Z brake rotors/drums/steering parts/intake-exhaust gaskets. They still have clutches and alternators but that's not much.

I think they still carry these parts for the '75 and up Z's but I suspect the economy may have caused them to drop the 240Z lines. Better start stocking up what you can from elsewhere.

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Bryan Little
Datsunzgarage.com

1970 240Z - enhanced F54 L28 w/P90, Weber DCOEs, 4:11 R200, Nissan T5 5-speed

Now THAT's scary. I have bought Z stuff from Advance several times this year, and they guy always seemed proud that their stocks and parts programs go waaaaayyy back to cover even Roadsters.

Maybe it's time to build a separate storage shed in the yard, to start collecting odd bits?

Isn't there a guy there that is the historian for the international Z car club, or something like that. That could be a good reason there are alot of Z's. I'll have to look into that. Well Auto Zone and NAPA seem to have Z parts so you know. Of course MSA is always there. Just Think, someday we'll just have to make our own parts.

When the recession hit last year and the part suppliers started going bankrupt I worried that 40 year old import parts would be the first thing to go. Hopefully this isn't the start of a trend.

Advance may have the parts in their store computers and just don't sell them online anymore, but it's a bit creepy.

I suggest using Rockauto.com. I think they drop-ship from individual suppliers around the country...meaning you can get almost everything. Fast too.

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Bryan Little
Datsunzgarage.com

1970 240Z - enhanced F54 L28 w/P90, Weber DCOEs, 4:11 R200, Nissan T5 5-speed

I just saw your follow up thread to this. The guys at that store told you correctly.



I work at an Advance Auto Parts here in Tuscaloosa, AL. I can tell you that you ALWAYS need to call the store to find parts and not the website. Our website, simply, sucks. They are working on it, but it has a long way to go in those regards. Another reason I say this is because, if you find a competent store who knows what they're doing, they can and do use outside sources for parts and can pretty much get you whatever you want. I have bought almost everything I've needed for my Z so far from work, and that's been quite a lot. Water pump, head gasket set, battery, a few suspension pieces, etc. You just have to find someone that goes farther than looking up stuff in the computer and saying, "Nope, sorry."