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TR2/3/3A TR3 Stone Guards

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M

mallard

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Has anybody purchased the stone guards fron 512Classics on ebay.? Did they fit as discribed? I have a set of his small ones that go in the front and they fit quite well. I also have a new complete set from the one of the big three purchased in 1986 that are in perfect shape but they don't come close to fitting. What are you guys doing for replacements? I understand a small amount of fitting is to be expected.
 
Not sure about the individuals stone guard fit on eBay, but if there is another source other than Moss and probably the other two also I would go with them. Over the years, I have purchased about 4 sets and they fit so poorly that it is ridiculous. I have had to bend and fine file them for hours to make them fit.
 
I too have purchased poor quality guards from moss, they told me because so few complain, it wasnt an issue. It is to me.
 
Possibly not just an issue with Moss. The ones I got from Vicky Brit about 12 years ago fit fine. The ones I got from TRF about 4 years ago were okay for the big pieces but the smaller pieces were strangly shaped and would have required considerable massaging. TRF on left, VB on right.


Stoneguards.JPG


In the end I kept my old ones except for replacing the one large one that had taken a bad dent.

Keith, the good news may be that I have not encountered a fitment issue with the big piece, just the small one -- and you say you already have those in hand.
 

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sp53 I agree with you 100% about the quality of the guards. None of the four pieces I have will work without removing at least 1/4-1/2 inch from the edge that should almost lay flat against the fender or body. One of the large pieces can't be used because there is not enough material to fold it over the edge of the fender on the outside. I would have to screw it to the fender on the outside edge. Geo the small piecse pictured look just like yours. The only good news I have is that that they came with the car, and cost nothing. The guards selling on ebay are $300.00 (ouch).
 
Wouldn't you think fabricators could make parts that fit for the same cost as parts that don't
 
There is a rule on vendor bashing so I will say this carefully: I am amazed at how many times I've seen the 'last set of stoneguards that fit' actually sell on ebay! I'm hoping the various bits I have stashed away will yield at least one good set when I tackle this as well.
 
My opinion, they are deliberately made oversize, because there is actually quite a bit of variation between cars in that area (especially if they have been repaired). It is a whole lot easier to make the flange thinner instead of thicker. They are dead soft and easily cut with a file or drum sander. To mark where to cut, hold the piece in place and mark around the edges with a wide tip marker (with one side against the body). Now cut down the edge until the mark you've made is the same width everywhere.

Unfortunately, I trusted the body shop to do this on the last go-round, and they did a lousy job of it. I'll do it myself if I ever bother to replace them.
 
They are soft, and though I have only purchased used ones off ebay, and had some that came on fenders I purchased, there is a big difference between some of them. The newer shiney looking set were set aside after I found how easily an original can be cleaned. These two pictures are of the same stone guard (the one in the center of the bench is on the car). A little steel wool, hammer for small dings, some mothers, and it looks better than the shiney ones I started with -and the difference in fit is noticable. dirty_guard.jpgSame_cleaned.jpg
 
My take on it is the vendors have lost the base line of what a good fit is, and are probably using dies that are out of whack. I have many sets of old ones and they all fit and are the same, but are very dented up. Moreover, the rear fenders are not that different. The top of the big piece on the new ones actually seems to have a step in it with a bunch of extra metal at the top. They are malleable to point, but only to a point. I worked in a sheet metal shop from 18 to about 27 and it took a lot of work to make them fit. I had to re-bend the back tab after I had it bolted in place in order to keep the line right on the fender then pinch and peen that over and re -curl the top doing all this and still trying to have a quality finish. The pieces are odd shaped on a tapper and radius with a bent flange that holds the unit rigged. Perhaps, if we talked to Moss and sent them four that fit they could pass it on because I am sure the fit is something that can be fixed in the beginning.
 
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The ones I bought from Cox & Buckles in England in 1988 have been on my 1958 TR3A since I completed the restoration in 1990. They were a poor fit (not a bad fit) but they still needed a lot of filing, trimming etc. Because they are soft, I took then to have then chromed. Then they buffed the surface and for the last 22 summers they look just like aluminium. The chrome resists pits and dings better than the bare anodized aluminium surface. But they have a lot of small picks and dings (probably by flying sand) and so I asked for a quote to have them reworked (recurved smoothly) and re-chromed. He wanted something like $300.00 for the two large stone guards. So I put them back on.

I have a spare set where the fit is so bad that I'm dicouraged just to look at them.

So I have been thinking, if you get small pits in your paintwork, you sand it and re-spray it.

So now I'm planning to remove the good ones which have been on the TR for 22 years, apply a very thin coating of body putty to fill the pits, followed by sanding, re-spray them with alumimium colour paint and hand buff the outer surface. They should look great again for several more years.
 
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Hey Kieth,I bought a set from 512 and they were as described.They seem to fit great.A pair that came with my progect fit terrible.
The ones from 512 also have a slight bend and crease line at the top of the big fender piece along the scroll,which I think is what originals had, while the poor fitting ones didnt.
Tom
 
I just ordered the two large ones today. I purchased the small ones a couple years ago from them. They almost fit perfect right out of the box. I'll let you know how the large ones are. They are a ton of money though. He did mention that supply is limited. He has plenty of the small ones and one side only of the larger ones. Can only make a few complete sets.
 
I got the new stone guards installed from 512 Classics over the weekend. To do both sides it took around 6 hours to get it right, well close to perfect. The biggest problem was with the bottoms being a bit to long. I had to cut the 90 degree edge at the bottom about 3/8" and fold over the bottem to get the guard even with the body, both sides were the same. Very little filling was needed. If I had to do it again I'm sure I could knock a couple hours off the install time. The thickness was greater on the 512 guards as well.
 
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