Advaned Auto parts GENIUSES!!

..............and the more computerized it gets the worse it is, which should be the opposite, as no one has to print hundreds or thousands of paper catalogs.

When I was in this business, "we" had a reputation for "getting anything." We hoarded old catalogs. I left around 83? but we had parts books back into the 30's and sometimes older.

Here's a true story. Nice tall cowboy of a customer I knew back then only pretty much used OLD trucks. I think the newest vehicle he had was about a 40. So he comes in one day, and gets "Nick" the old guy who'd been with the company since year 2---1932.

'Hey Nick how are ya," He booms. "Say, I don' spose you can get me a ring and pinion fer my ol' Model A?" (Model A? AA? Ford truck, flatbed)

Nick plays it cool. "Oh, I think we STOCK those!!!!"

Now I knew we had a Model A ring and pinion, on a bottom shelf, about 1" of dust, in a great big black and orange Timken box, probly been there since 1932, anyhow.

So Nick goes back, plays it cool, dusts that box all off, brings it up front and proudly dumps it on the counter. "Sure, we have that in stock," 'says.

Well of course we DON'T have it in stock, not really. It was there for years, and we never intend to REstock it, either, but the customer, now, he's thinkin' anytime I need a fender, a door, gears in the transmission, why these here guys........................