TR6 Another Newb Question

I see the big three for parts ( TRF, Moss, BV ) - any one stand above or are they all the same as far as quality of parts?

From your list above, I would recommend Moss (just my personal experience).
Also, there is Rimmer Brothers https://rimmerbros.com in the UK that are also very good.

I would have to give a qualified "it depends" answer. So read while bearing in mind that these are personal opinions based on my experience. Others will have different opinions so it's the proverbial "your mileage may vary" caveat. To a certain extent, all three use many of the same sources and I have found from time to time what I consider to be better deals with Victoria British but by the same token that I felt that I have to be somewhat more selective when sourcing from them. Maybe it's just me.

Roadster has done a great deal to source from OE suppliers and to initiate manufacture of what had been NLS parts. You can get good deals from them if you catch their sales. The down side is that they do seem to suffer more from backorders than the other two. For the most part, quality and fit is good. The only thing that I can think of off hand that I got from Roadster that didn't fit were cables and knobs for the ventilation system on my TR6. The knobs were sized correctly but the hex section at the end of the cable where the knob attached was not. It was a matter of the hex stock used for the replacements being metric sized at 6mm while the originals were 1/4" (~6.35 mm) hex stock. Their supplier had screwed up by using the wrong size stock and nobody caught the error before the cables were released into the wild.

Moss is somewhere in between in my mind. They do seem to have a deeper inventory and have long term relationships with sources in the UK. I first ran across Moss back in the early 70s from time spent growing up in a BL dealership. We could get some stuff for T series MGs, XK120/140/150 cars through BL channels. But if you really needed to get parts for your T series, even pre-war British cars, we would send you to Moss. Moss bought TriumphTune many years ago and has a pretty good sized operation in the UK as well operating as Moss-Europe. You can find some stuff out of the UK operation that doesn't show in the US catalogs/websites. I've had more fit problems out of Moss, but still we're talking minor and very few. I do know that there has been a fit issue with the OE Triplex windscreens for TR4 through 6 they sell lately, but Moss has stepped up and refunded money on the broken ones and quickly shipped non-Triplex replacements. In the back of my mind I wonder if Roadster hadn't already become aware of this since I know that they had stopped selling the OE Triplex windscreens a while back.

All seem to be reasonable to deal with but if you told me I had to pick a favorite, I'd pick Roadster but it would be close decision between them and Moss.

Another few to check out that are UK based are Rimmer Brothers, Revington TR, and Racestorations. Rimmer offers mostly stock parts with some bits of performance and accessory stuff. Revington is similar but with more performance stuff. Racestorations is pretty much built around performance. Rimmer and Revington are pretty good to deal with, Racestorations seems to be more temperamental. If they got up on the right side of bed, no problem. If they got up on the wrong side, all bets are off.

In the US a couple of performance oriented suppliers are APT-Fast and Richard Good at Good Parts. Both are great to deal with in my experience.

I suspect we all have had unpleasant experiences with various vendors. In my case, it's mostly been with Moss.

Also worth noting that Charles Runyan, owner of TRF, is a genuine Triumph enthusiast. He owns several of them (including a very rare LHD TR5 and an even rarer "TRS"), and uses the same parts he sells (as much as possible) when restoring them. Last time I saw him in person, he had driven his personal TR3A from PA to CA for VTR/Triumphest. Also a family business; looks like his son Albert is slowly taking over more and more of the day-to-day business.

To the owners of Moss, we are just a "profit center" and not a very good one at that. We once had a Moss rep speak at a club meeting, where he explained that they weren't making enough money on MG and Triumph, so were going to branch out into Miatas and something else (I forget what).

I bought a front apron from VB a few years back (everyone else was out of stock). It was so poorly made that I would have had to take a cutting torch to it, just to push it into place on the car! Someday I might try cutting it apart and welding it back together in an attempt to make it fit; but I sure wasn't happy. It also wasn't complete, the turn signal holes were not finished to size and there were no captive nuts.

I'll add Ted Schumacher (TSi) and BFE (British Frame and Engine) to the list of performance suppliers. I've not dealt with the new owner of BFE (Brian Howlett) yet, but I hear he's a good guy. Ken (the founder and former owner) only sold out because he was in poor health (and has since passed away).
https://www.tsimportedautomotive.com/
https://www.britishframeandengine.com/

IF Joe ever gets his website back together, I would also heartily recommend Joe Alexander, of Alexander Racing Enterprises.
https://www.gasketinnovations.com/
ARE is also a family business, all 3 of Joe's sons are involved both in racing Triumphs and in ARE.
BTW, Joe is being inducted into the British Sports Car Hall of Fame in a couple of weeks, a well-deserved honor.

Don't forget, though, they sell mostly to the vintage racing crowd. A part that works well on the track may not work so well on the street. In addition to potentially short life, they may also shorten the life of other parts.

This is kind of off-topic, but I wanted to share this photo of two of Joe's sons, at the Kastner Cup race last year. Yes, that white car is actually a TR4, wearing a vintage fiberglass body known as an Ambro.

You should tell us more about your vehicle and need for parts. For example are these to keep a car running or for a full restoration?
For my money TRF has the best quality on parts but again many of the parts from TRF and Moss are from the same supplier. I don't buy from VB due to poor quality on past parts. They are cheaper if that is your criteria.
TRF is often more expensive unless you shop their sales or get in their investor program.
Moss has a better stock of parts for immediate needs and also an excellent web site for looking up parts.

I'll throw British Parts Northwest in there as well as Goodparts.

Cheers
Tush

charleyf said:

You should tell us more about your vehicle and need for parts. For example are these to keep a car running or for a full restoration?
For my money TRF has the best quality on parts but again many of the parts from TRF and Moss are from the same supplier. I don't buy from VB due to poor quality on past parts. They are cheaper if that is your criteria.
TRF is often more expensive unless you shop their sales or get in their investor program.
Moss has a better stock of parts for immediate needs and also an excellent web site for looking up parts.

Click to expand...

Well, i'd call it a rolling restoration. The car has real good bones. All the body panels and floors are amazingly free of rust. A very small section of one of the frame rails was repaired correctly. Car has 53k on it, my friend knew all 3 previous owners ( they all worked for the same company ). Mechanics have been maintained good enough that she's a driver. Repaint is 10 footer. Interior needs complete redo ( last owner did ehh job with seat and panel kit ). I plan on going thru as I drive. Plan on detailing one section at a time. I'm so excited to own this car and to work on it. Here's a few pics.

The Roadster Factory. They are passionate about Triumphs, they are great people. Like many small businesses, they occasionally screw up - but will go above and beyond to make it right. It has been many years since I had backorder issues with them - i.e. anything more than a week or so on backorder.

The main difference, to me, is quality. TRF buys many components from the same suppliers as the others - so no difference. But Charles and team have their own supply channel for components they deemed of insufficient quality. Price on these bits is higher - but so is the quality. Interiors, for example, are sewn by an outfit in Indiana PA. TR4A turn signals have chromed instead of black stalks - little details that make a difference. Etc.

If you happen to drive by (although I see you are in RI), you can visit for a tour of the facility.

Donrissa,
I would suggest that you get on the TRF email list. They will send you out a weekly list of their specials. It is a good way to get parts for a cheaper price. Best way is to go over the car and get your list and then sit and wait until a special comes up for that part. those prices are mostly 30 to 50 off regular prices. Over a year there seem to be almost a complete array of parts on sale.

I like British Parts Northwest. They don't carry everything--mostly serious mechanical parts, not trim, body, or interior stuff--but they have the lowest prices overall, in my experience, and quality as good as you get these days. I also use TRF and VB. I do not buy from Moss, as I am tired of the supercilious attitude of their customer "support."

That said, I recommend strongly that, as much as possible, you restore existing parts or buy used, restorable ones. Overall, you will get better quality, it usually will cost less, and you learn a lot. Also, a lot of parts are generic, especially things like seals and bearings. If you can get the number off an old one, you can buy them almost anywhere; you don't have to depend on car-parts suppliers.

Were it not for TRF and Moss, we couldn't have these cars. I have experienced unuseability (without significant mods) on parts from both, along with insouciance and unresponsiveness regarding the problems. I have also experienced helpfulness from both. In short, picking one over another is really not possible. If a series of bad parts are out there, you will probably be able to find out on this forum. Check in advance here on big ticket items.
Bob