Reproduction Parts

[DougF]

With Nos parts very difficult to find and then pay for,how many of you are tired of the quality of many of the reproduction parts we are forced into buying? I find that many items, especially rubber, self destruct upon hitting fresh air if not before.
In three years since I completed a body off, I've replaced side window scrapers twice; ball joint boots twice before the car was even completed! The list goes on. The inner tie rod boot needs replaced before inspection(one side was replaced last summer). I should have reused the original, though ugly, they were still in decent condition.
In my previous post I mentioned head light trim rings. Installation took a couple hours with several breaks because of my hands cramping.
How's that movie go? "I'm *&#%! tired and I'm not going to take it anymore"!
How many of you would be willing to pay a couple extra dollars for quality?
I feel better now.

 

[Tosh]

Agree with your list and would add coolant hoses.

T. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/iagree.gif

 

[Bugeye58]

Doug, if I was sure I was getting top quality for my dollar, I wouldn't hesitate to pay the premium.
I, too, have had rubber bits deteriorate during the restoration. I had the hose from the valve cover to the PCV valve on my GT6 engine crack while the engine was still on the stand!
I try to track down NOS stuff whenever possible, but sometimes we just have to bite the bullet.
Jeff

 

[jessebogan]

Boy, it is not just Triumph parts. Over the last few years I have had a mixed bag of cars through my shop, and the cr*p parts quality was pretty much universal. I bought an interior screw kit for a 65 vette from a reputable supplier. Not 1 screw was exactly like the one it was to replace. Corvettes have really well documented parts info, so why were they not correct? I bought a headlamp mainbeam switch bezel for a V12 e type I am doing now. On the top of the bezel it says MAIN BEAM, and the bottom it says DIP. The font was wrong, the letters had been respaced to read MAINBEAM, and the letters did not follow the curve of the bezel. It seems to me it would have been just as easy to tool it up correctly as it was to do it wrong. ARRRRRGGGGGHHHHH!!!!!!!! I wish that there was some way to demonstrate our displeasure with the craptastic parts other than not making future purchases. I have often thought about restoring a car with the sub standard parts that people sell, and condeming the vendor to drive the car every day for a year. Every repair that they had to make, the cost would be paid back to me, and I am guessing that I would turn a tidy profit.All I can say is, keep your recipts, and when a part fails prematurely, write the vendor and demand a free replacement. If we all did that, perhaps they would find a way to improve the quality, and if not, maybe the cost would make them fade away.

 

[Geo Hahn]

[ QUOTE ]
...All I can say is, keep your recipts, and when a part fails prematurely, write the vendor and demand a free replacement...

[/ QUOTE ]

In my experience, both Moss and TRF stand behind their products and promptly replace or refund when problems occur. Thay also track problems and do change suppliers &/or design when needed. However, they are in a competitive market which means they have to try to keep the price low to meet the expectations of many of their customers who want quality parts and bargain prices.

I too use NOS whenever possible & practical (though 40-year-old coolant hoses are neither) but I have to say that parts availability now is better than 1972 when I lived in a town with no less than 3 Triumph dealers -- for that I am grateful.

 

[sammyb]

[ QUOTE ]

Agree with your list and would add coolant hoses.

T. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/iagree.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

Yup -- a brand new looking upper coolant hose had a hole on my '59. I took it off yesterday, and am awaiting a new one from Vicky Brit.

I also went through two TR7 temperature sending units before getting a working one from Vicky Brit last year.

 

[DougF]

In addition to the items I mentioned earlier, I would have to include hydraulic parts.
I have always bought these from TRF with great success. I've always used silicone brake fluid and never could understand the problems experienced by others.
Then I purchased a clutch master cylinder from VB. I couldn't get it to bleed properly. Within six months, I had bled the system countless times. At nine months, I'd have to pump the pedal before each shift. I rebuilt with TRF parts and it has been excellent since.
While rebuilding the unit, I remembered a ride with my friend in his freshly restored AH 100. Surprised to see a Bugeye drive by, we were in pursuit. The Bugeye caught a red light at the bottom of a long steep hill. Thank God his emergency brake was working above and beyond expectation. His brake pedal went straight to the floor with no results. We literally came to a stop one foot from his bumper. Talk about Bugeyes!
So, if you plan to use VB hydraulic parts, DON'T use silicone.

 

[R6MGS]

I am usually a MOSS guy, but recently i've been VERY disappointed not only in their quality but in their service as well.....I was not happy with some items(MGA door trim pieces)and I sent 3 progressivly more angry emails to them, and did not even receive a response!
I've also always had trouble with anything rubber from them...especially coolant hoses and window/windsheild seals.

 

[Guest]

You guys are scaring me. I'm just finishing up rebuilding my rear halfshafts. The two large gaiters that cover the inner U-joints were OK, and one of the bellows type gaiters that cover the slip joints was good also. But the other one had a nice big hole in it, looks like someone put it there intentionally as a way to get grease into the joint. I just got a replacement gaiter yesterday from Moss, along with a few other pieces. It looks decent enough, the rubber is very thick and firm, guess we'll see how it holds up.

 

[TR4nut]

I think all the vendors struggle more now in getting us good and high quality parts. In the mid-80's and early 90's I did most of my purchases through TRF, and used Vic Brit when I wanted to go cheaper and not exactly NOS. Never bought from Moss for some unkown reason.

Now fast forward after about a 10 year absence, and most of my purchases are through Moss - mainly because I haven't caught them out of stock, but also because even TRF is getting bit by bad repros (I had two items that were nearly throw away from them).

No stones to cast on any of the suppliers - I'm glad they are in business and I hope they stay that way. But the big learning for me is that the cheap toys that I played with a few years ago are now getting truly rare, and the parts are more difficult to get too.

At least we now have the Internet, so we can all participate in globally consoling one another - also I'm pretty sure if I needed to build a TR piece by piece I now have Ebay to turn to.

Randy

 

[eyesie]

Bought a new hood badge for my TR4 from Moss. The attachment pins were wrong size & not even close to the right location. This xmas, a trunk handle for TR4 had a slew of washers to make up for the incorrect shaft length.
p.s. I sent a hood badge back a few years ago cos it didn't follow the curve of the hood. Now they don't fit & the price increased from $35 to $105. This is garbage!!

 

[ichthos]

Over the past year I have had to buy many parts to put my TR6 back on the road. I have used Ebay as much as possible to buy NOS and used items, but I have also ordered from Moss, Victoria British, and The Roadster Factory. I am glad all three companies are in business, but I have especially had problems with Moss. I restored a Bugeye a number of years ago, and mainly used Moss. I used to prefer them because of the service and quality parts- I see neither of these characteristics obvious anymore. I am to the point now where I only order from them if I have to. I have seen and increase in lack of service and bad/incorrect parts, and can share many examples of this over the past year. For instance on my last order yesterday they sent me the wrong water pump. It was frustrating trying to get the parts guy to realize they sent the wrong part. (Someone put the wrong pump in the wrong box - it didn't even have the same bolt pattern.) In the meantime, I have been charged for another pump, and have more down time on my hands.
Kevin

 

[swift6]

Their is an organization that is attempting to dedicate itself to improving the quality of replacement parts. It's called the British Motor Trade Association. You can find out more at https://www.britcar.org

It is primarily made up of shops that provide service to owners of British cars of all sorts. However, Moss (who seems to be one of the biggest offenders in this thread) is also a member of the organization. So is The Roadster Factory, Victoria British, British Parts Northwest, Mini Mania etc...

I've watched from the sidelines as this group was formed and developed (it's only been a couple of years so they are still growing and refining their mission). However, I have always wondered just how effective it may be when the largest supplier, who in a way dictates the quality of parts simply because of their buying power, is a member of the organization that is trying to force an improvement in the very parts that they themselves are responsible for pushing on us. It's just always rubbed me the wrong way.

Moss representatives have stated in the past that to get the quality the price would be too high and no one would buy the parts. However, I keep hearing from this forum and others that an increased price for increased quality would be preferable to having to replace the same part multiple times, each time hoping that the part will work this time. It is especially frustrating to the folks who are trying to run a business and having to give away their labor in order to replace a brand new part that failed.

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cheers.gif

 

[dizzplaced]

What bugs me is when the part description is, well, just plain BS. I got the TRF wilton wool carpet set with hemp padding because the description stated it would return that "familiar british car smell" which the original padding had that I removed. BS. It has no scent whatsoever.
The part descrptions in the VB catalogs really irritate me. Usually read like this "We're warning you. Buy this part today before your engine blows up or priceless restoration catches on fire" or "Why bother rebuilding those old, antique, factory original parts? Throw them away and get our excellent Chinese made repro part."

 

[MadRiver]

The one thing that has always bothered me is when they go to the effort of creating a relatively good piece, but then don't go *all* the way. Years ago when my father was completing his XK-120 resto, the front bumpers were trashed. We could have repaired them but decided to try out the Moss offering. They weren't bad -- the chrome was high quality -- but there were some subtle differences in the taper on the outside edges. There would have been no real difference in cost to get the correct shape -- the original was not materially different or terribly complex, just slightly so. My question is why go to the effort if you're not going to get it just right? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/nonono.gif

In the end, it's a bit of a crap shoot -- sometimes I get stuff that I'm completely happy with, and sometimes I get something I can't or won't use at all.

 

[Guest]

It also pays to shop around for parts. For instance, when rebuilding my engine recently, I decided that I wanted to use chrome-moly head studs. I purchased the appropriate set from a large west coast vendor and luckily got in the wrong set. I say luckily because when I returned them for credit, the correct ones were backordered from the manufacturer, ARP. Well, stupid me, I just called ARP direct, they had the studs in stock, and were 1/2 the price! That was almost $100 savings!
Another area of interest to many of us is bumpers. Until recently, repro bumpers were not available and NOS was almost extinct. I see where the Kansas vendor now lists every chrome bumper for all TR6's. Has anyone tried any of these?
NAPA has been a good choice for me for most gaskets. The brands they handle are, to me, far superior and cheaper than whatever it is the big three vendors offer.
Electrical parts I try to get the real deal made in the UK, especially points.
Rubber goods, hopeless...

Any of you have any pearls for parts locations that might help us all?


Bill


ps, I really don't intend to bad-mouth any particular vendors and usually will try to avoid mentioning them by name. They all gotta make a living and where would we be if no one sold us replacement parts anymore....

 

[jessebogan]

I know, I am eternally grateful that I can get any parts at all for 45 or 50 year old cars. But, and this is a big but, I can't help but wonder why the manufacturers don't try just a bit harder. I think it is because they know that we really don't have any other choices. I would rather fix British cars, but it is bad enough having to overcome the ravages of time without having to redesign parts that I buy that are sold as being fit for what I am doing. I own a 66 anglia. I can't buy spit for that car in the US. The owners club makes and sells most of the parts to keep it running. They flat refuse to sell any of them to the USA, due to product liability lawyers. Thank god for ebay. See, it could be worse. Perhaps we, as owners, and club members could be better about reporting bad parts to the venders. I don't mean the sales twinkie, but write letters to the boss. If they got a steady stream pouring into their office stating that we are willing to pay a bit more to get quality, maybe then they would listen. I am not above writing "defective" with an indelible marker on bad parts before I ship them back. At least that way they can't just put it back on the shelf. So far, no one has refused my refund over doing that, but you have to decide for yourself if it is worth it.

 

[AngliaGT]

I remember reading in the Roadster Factory catalog how the
parts they were havbing remanufactered,were made to our higher standards (than other suppliers).
After buying a transmission tunnel cover,I'm not sure.
No instructions,had to call them 3 times to clarify things.
As to Moss - sometimes you get a brand name NOS -type part.Other times,it's a "Made in Taiwan" piece of ****.
So far,I've had good experiances with British Parts Northwest.Hopefully,this will continue.
I wonder if they use these parts on their own cars?
Or do many of them even own British Cars?

- Doug

 

[MadRiver]

On the flip side -- I guess I'm feeling generous today -- sometimes you get great service. A few years ago I was heading up to see my dad for Thanksgiving. My Healey had gone to live with him during my divorce (not enough storage space in my current digs, and it's always wise to hide the LBCs during a divorce!!) and it sadly wasn't running because the carbs were all gummed up. I planned to tear down and rebuild the carbs that weekend, and completely forgot to order rebuild kits. I got to my dad's place on Wednesday night and remembered. I called Moss, got a very nice sales guy who was knowledgeable about British cars, and they sent out the kits right then for delivery Friday morning. Sure, it cost me an arm and a leg in shipping, but Friday morning, the delivery guy showed up and I spent the day rebuilding my SUs. So, often they do right by us. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif

 

[dizzplaced]

I will say that customer dissatisfaction with parts does eventually get through to the vendors. I'm new to restoring Brit cars but I've been restoring WWII & Korean war vehicles for quite awhile. The few reputable suppliers were selling substandard, poorly made, horrendously matched replacement body panels for years. Through the internet, a large group of restorers formed a collective & basically demanded either the tooling be corrected or we'd stop buying their products. At least long enough to do them financial harm anyway. Several of the group members even gave the manufacturer detailed drawings of exact material and design specs. The boycott worked. We can now finally get solidly made, properly designed, reproduction parts. The prices went up about 25% and well worth it. The vendors said because most of the stuff is made in the Phillipeans it was extremely hard to oversee the production and design quality so they took what they were sent. And we did too...for awhile anyway. I guess it all depends on what we as Triumph owners are willing to accept.