Nissan 370Z Forum - Akebono small parts

Ok so im in the middle of tearing down my sport calipers and doing a rebuild and paint. My bleeder valve caps are deteriorated. And i apparently destroyed and lost a few of the cotter hitch pins for the spring rods. Time to get creative.

I cant find replacements for the caps. Anywhere. Looking around... boom. I discover Vaccum hose caps. There rubber and a perfect fit. Found at all auto stores. And they are cheap. Vacutite and Dorman branded. Part no. 47392
These are slightly alil taller than the oem caps but not by much. If it bothers you, you can easily trim these sucks down. I think with the extra bit of length, these are easier to take off the bleeder valves.
http://www.the370z.com/members/urdel...valve-caps.jpg

The hitch pins.. again went to all stores and nothing. Searched the interwebs. $10 for an oem pin. $10 for 1 pin. F THAT. Home depot had some pins. They are a bit taller in the loop end. And the metal is skinnier. These wont work. They are crap. I look up on my shelf at my r/c car. Boom.. i found the replacement clips.
These are the pins that hold the body onto the r/c car. They are perfect in every dimention. And you can buy 15 for that same $10. These can be bought at hobby stores. And you get get good prices on ebay for a lot of them.
http://www.the370z.com/members/urdel...otter-pins.jpg

I hope this post helps everyone out. I read a bunch and i know quite a few of us run into this. These small parts were not meant to last. And will need to be replaced eventually. Please feel free to add to this.