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TR2/3/3A TR3A bonnet hinges

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NutmegCT

NutmegCT

Great Pumpkin
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Two years ago I ordered a new set of bonnet hinges for my 1959 TR3A.

One of my originals had come loose; the stud on the bonnet side of the hinge had come out of the threaded hole. I removed the stud and found there were no threads left in the hole.

So I got a new set, either from Moss or LBC company - can't remember, and don't have any paperwork.

After a year of dealing with my cancer, I finally had the gumption today to put on the new hinges.

Opened the box, threaded in the studs ... and voila! One of the studs pulled right back out again. On close inspection, I found the threads in the hinge hole had actually come right out. The hole was smooth.

Has anyone else experienced this? The box is labeled 802-878 (650021/22). This part number is used both by Moss and LBC company.

If I can find others who have experienced this hinge thread failure, maybe I can report the problem and get a replacement set, hopefully from a different manufacturer. I doubt I could just call around with just my own experience, as they're a year old, and I don't have a paper record.

Can't say I was impressed by the quality; the "gaskets" were very thin cardboard, with rough, poorly trimmed edges. The studs (which are packed separately) seemed ok, but there were no washers or nuts included. The hinges themselves were bright and shiny, but the immediate failure of the hinge hole threads wasn't exactly inspiring.

Thanks.
Tom
 
I have always found Moss to be very receptive when reporting product problems, even when the problem was discovered some time after purchase and I called w/o having any evidence of others experiences.

I vaguely recall that the threads on one of mine was less than ideal and I may have used some JB Weld to get it secure in the hinge. But that was too long ago to be sure. Certainly the metal used in these seems less than ideal for holding threads.
 
I had gotten hinges for my boot last year from The Roadster Factory. They seemed to work well, and I put in new gaskets from them at the same time. I do not remember what hardware came with the units. One of the ones I removed did not have a pivot pin, but actually had a machine screw making the pivot...
 
That is a relatively common problem IMO, no matter where you buy the hinges. After having it several times myself, I now always remove the studs, chase the holes with a bottoming tap, and grind away any useless section at the tip of the stud. Clean both threads with solvent, then add a drop of high-strength Loctite to the stud before tightening it into the hole (using a pair of nuts).

Since I've started doing that, I've never had another stud pull out. Even when a friend of mine (who should have known better) tried to help by opening the boot lid until the hinges broke!
 
Let me know what side you are looking for and your customer number or info and we will shoot you out another one. I would love a photo so I can do a product report for our Tech Department. Looking at product history the only thing I show on file is from 2005 and that is photos so everyone knows which side is which :smile:

You can PM me or email me if you want to take this offline.

Shawn
shawn@mossmotors.com
PS I am out early today and off Monday, yes you guessed it - going to Disneyland, so it might be a couple of days before I get it shipped.
 
Shawn - I'll email you at Moss. Thanks.

Tom
 
Just an update. I contacted Shawn and sent some pictures. He immediately sent me a replacement hinge kit - this one with no quality problems at all. Now installed and working perfectly.

Thanks Shawn!
Tom
 
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