Trouble finding parts

[2LittleTime]

Hello all,  

just purchased a pretty clean '81 Datsun 720.  I'm the second owner and the original appears to have been on top of repairs and maintenance.  Whenever I buy a new used vehicle I usually go over it pretty thoroughly.  I am noticing the local parts houses have very few parts in stock for this truck and what can be ordered is not stocked at their local warehouse either.  Perfect example is I am looking for heater hoses and the one from the water pump to the fitting on the bottom of the intake manifold. Z22 engine.  I find nothing from anyone other than cut to fit. Brake hoses, radiator hoses, motor mounts and simple things like that seem to be in short supply.  I'm curious what happens when I need a wiper motor or a fan clutch.  Brake parts seem to be fairly easily had.  Does anyone have a good supplier for replacement parts for these trucks.  I browsed the forums and did not see any mention of this.  That's not to say this hasn't been hashed out already.  Thanks for the help.

[DanielC]

Although it is getting harder to get OEM parts for a 1970 521, there may be a better supply of parts for a 720 at Nissan dealers. especially hoses, engine parts, gaskets, and a lot of other stuff.

Nissan OEM parts will be more expensive than stuff you get at your typical chain auto parts stores, but the quality is much better.

[datzenmike]

Well it's 35 years old so your pretty much a vintage car owner. This is the bane and beauty of being a vintage owner. sometimes you have to be creative and cut your own hose to fit. Some parts will swap from other vehicles, and much has to be scrounged from wrecking yards..... and ... http://community.ratsun.net/classifieds/category/3-datsun-parts/?sort_key=date_added&sort_order=desc

[bananahamuck]

Rock auto

 

http://www.rockauto.com

 

 

Very trustworthy site,, most people i know have at least 7 or 8 magnets on their refrigerators... Make sure you mix and match the shipping locations and use the latest Rockauto discount code to save 5% more

 

http://community.ratsun.net/topic/56411-rock-auto-discount-codes-go-here/page-6

 

 

give it a look

 

 

 

.

[bananahamuck]

Oh and on the hose, under intake,,,,, yeah ,,, most just compare to longer one at parts store and cut it to fit.

[MikeRL411]

Larger O'Reileys have open display of hoses.  Take what you have [or a damned good photo with dimensions, especially intake and outlet diameters] and spend a few hours matching up the needed hoses with what you can buy and cut to fit.  I did this and found a single current hose that with one cut I got both the upper and lower radiator hose for my RL411.  And it was braid overlay like the original units!  All I had to do for comfort's sake was to fish out the spring steel inner support to the lower hose and put it into the replacement.

[Draker]

Second Rock auto. Have about 20 magnets from them and more coming. Also prices are great.

[Lockleaf]

I don't ever have much trouble getting my parts at work (O'Reilly Auto). But rock auto is good

[captain720]

Rock auto is very good. Although it is often recommended to not go with the very cheapest option, but the middle price point wise on things that you don't want to ever replace again.

 

Pics?

[2LittleTime]

Thanks, guys. Great forum.  Got answers to this question now and just browsing through has clarified a few other things.  I'll get some pictures on here when I get a chance.  Thanks again.