Hello and Questions

Hi everyone....the name is Les and I have a '68 E-type and a '79 B roadster.

The B is up for a redo, and I'd like to ask you for any information/contacts/advice you have for obtaining:

New Hood (top).....new interior (total and complete).....general mechanical parts.

I've dealt with Moss many years ago, but I don't want to spend large amounts of money on this project. I understand there are various levels of quality when it comes to interior carpets/seat kits. I want something middle of the road.

One other topic....rubber bumpers.....the front bumper has a crack in it, can it be repaired and if so, how......second, I see that at least one person on this forum has painted their bumpers. Sounds like a good idea! What paint is used and does it hold up.

Anyway, many thanks in advance for any assistance and glad to be on the list/forum.

Les.

Hi Les, welcome to a great forum! I'm not a MG guy, but I have delt with Victoria British several times for my Spitfire and have been happy with the quality, service and cost. (Not the cheapest probably, but certainly not unreasonable). They have a Web Site at
https://www.victoriabritish.com

Their number is 1-800-255-0088 Last time I called them I was able to get a free catelog. (They service MGs, Triumph, Sunbeam and a few others, but unfortunately not Jaguar)

Another Place I've had good luck with is British Parts North West (in Oregon, I think) I don't know if they have a web site (check the links section here?) but their phone # is 503-864-2001 My impression is that they do not have quite the inventory or range of parts that Victoria has, but usually, if I can get a part there it is generally less than Victoria. So far I've not have any complaints about their quality or service either.

Hope this helps!

Larry
78 Triumph Spitfire
(over here slumin' in the MG forum )

Les:

Tops/Hoods:Depending on how much $ you want to spend (which is sort of proportional to the quality and how well it holds up I think) you can get tops from J/C Whitney, Moss, Victoria British (not sure what brand JC Whitney carries but I think MOSS/VB's basic black vinyl are the same make - I could be wrong)... there is also another company that produces the mohair and cabriolet versions (https://www.prestigeautotrim.com). I've not seen any of the mohair ones here in the states, but I have seen them in the UK and they're really sharp looking. If you have a daily-driver the cabriolet option might make the living conditions in the car a little more modern (quiet, brighter, etc).

Interiors: Prestige also carries interiors & seat covers/kits. Moss/VB do also (I'm sure you realized that). Brit-Tek (https://www.brit-tek.com) carries interior kits, and their overall prices seem to be pretty good.

Another suggestion: you might go around to places that specialize in auto interiors. The carpeting and such might be best done via the mass market folks (moss/vb/brit-tek, etc), as their pretty much fool proof... The seats and other trim might be done for less or even the same amount by a professional shop - and you're pretty much assured of a pro quality job when you're done. I struggled with the same problems doing an airplane interior and settled on the local interior shop - they ended up doing it for about $50 more than a mail-order do-it-yourself interior, and the quality was far better. Just an idea.

The bumper question might be best put to a decent custom paint shop. I've heard a lot of people tell tales about how you need special paint, etc... we used to put a flex-additive into paint for painting fiberglass on airplane parts. My bumpers (the red car) are painted with the same paint as the car but with careful preparation of the bumpers. Again - ask around for recommendations from paint shops that deal with that stuff.

FYI - The rubber caseings over the bumpers is fairly flexable compared to a modern plastic/rubber bumper - particularly around the sharp radius curves (just in front of the radiator, for example). You might take the time to fiberglass the inside of the bumper in those areas to stiffen them up.

Good luck - welcome to the forum, let us know how the project goes!

I dealt with Victoria British for years when I owned my Midget. You get free catalogs when you order-they send 'em four times a year. Good service, but I have no idea how they compare to Moss, price-wise. We use Moss now on the MGB and for my Miata-their service is great, they also send catalogs quarterly. As for quality of parts, depends on what you want. THe basic tops from Moss are made by Robbins, who make great stuff. Costs start around three hundred bucks. The least expensive MG carpet set starts around the same price (I went and checked). But they can get much more pricey depending on wether you want vinyl piping, wool carpets, etc. etc. etc. Hope this helps.
-William

Another idea is to try and find a Moss distributor that offers a discount on Moss parts. There are a few in my area that do this, and I'm sure there are others. The idea is that they get a discount on large orders, and only place orders once every couple of weeks. For example, a place in Oregon, British Auto Works, is offering 15% off Moss prices through December 18th. I believe they ordinarily offer a 10% discount. I have been impressed with the quality of Moss' interior products, and they do offer a choice of leather or vinyl (but I'm sure you knew that...)

Previous post has the right idea. I generally order my stuff through Little British Car Co., which sells Moss parts at discounted prices. It's a strictly online business. That's www.LBCarCo.com.

Use the Moss catalog to ID parts. You can just plug the Moss parts numbers into the LBC search site, and it will price them for you. Or you can scroll through their online category. Very convenient, and I've found service to be excellent. They also have sales and specials from time to time.

I also order from VB, as from time to time they'll have something cheaper or something Moss doesn't have. (For instance, they carried the chrome inside door handles I was looking for for my 66B, but Moss doesn't.)

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Kim de B:
Previous post has the right idea. I generally order my stuff through Little British Car Co., which sells Moss parts at discounted prices. It's a strictly online business. That's www.LBCarCo.com.

Use the Moss catalog to ID parts. You can just plug the Moss parts numbers into the LBC search site, and it will price them for you. Or you can scroll through their online category. Very convenient, and I've found service to be excellent. They also have sales and specials from time to time.

I also order from VB, as from time to time they'll have something cheaper or something Moss doesn't have. (For instance, they carried the chrome inside door handles I was looking for for my 66B, but Moss doesn't.)<hr></blockquote>

Thanks for the tip Kim. I had not heard of them. Will definitely check them out next time I need parts (which, with Little British Cars won't be long )
George

[ 12-06-2001: Message edited by: Wingtip ]</p>

Many thanks for the info on obtaining parts/new interior etc. However, I'm still wondering whether or not anyone has had success in repairing a split in the rubber bumper. Mine has a 4inch split in it (front bumper, just in front of the drivers side turn signal).

Anyone had any luck in reparing these things, if so, what glue should be used?

Someone also suggested reinforcing these bumpers with fiberglass....comments?

Les.