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TR4/4A TR4 decisions, decisions...,

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SCguy

SCguy

Jedi Warrior
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I just got an estimte for rechomimg of my TR4 bumper. $225 plus shipping, A new front bumper from Moss is $170, but are they any good? The original needs sraightnening.

Also, should I recover my early TR4 seats ( I would need covers, foam and new hard to find seat rails $$$) or go for comfort with the seats that VIctoria British sells or (possibly) miata seats. I could alway hold on to the originals.

While I've be trying to stay true the what TR4 should be my car will in no way be concours.
 
I bought a front bumper {face bar only} from moss for my TR-3
It was good quality nice chrome, ETC. The only problem was that when I recieved it, it was for a 58 & up widemouth apron My car is a 56 smallmouth. I may have mistakenly gave the wrong part number or they may have shipped the wrong part, I`m not really sure. In any case it was years ago. To answer your question YES I was satisfied with the quality of the bumper although disipointed it didn`t fit my car correctly.
Kerry
56/7 Tr-3 TS 12909 L.O.
 
Of course everyone has an opinion.

I had a great old chrome and plating shop (50 years old)redo mine and I'm glad. Original steel and structure, just greatly improved and repaired. I paid nearly $200 for the front--it was cracked and twisted. I really liked partonizing the old muscle car pros that stay around. They assured me I'd never be happy with the new "steel." Maybe they were wrong, but I'm glad I kept the old one and fixed it.

As for seats, that's tough because the new ones are safer, and I suppose you could use a shoulder belt with them.

Just don't know. I lean toward the old ones, and restoring those, but I do wish I had shoulder straps.
 
SCguy said:
or go for comfort with the seats that VIctoria British sells
Click to expand...


Larry, I have the Victoria British seats in my TR6 and there are + and - for them.

Since I think we share the same floorpan, let it be known that the VB seats do not fit the holes in your floor. I originally drilled new holes and supplied fender washers underneath to install the seats. Not a pretty result.

That said, the seats are beautiful, comfortable and look good in the car. They are of a good quality (the key word is good, not great).

Now that I have new floorboards, I designed a bracket to properly install the seats that make them stable and fit well and use the original floor holes. If you are interested, I can post a pic of the bracket.

I have a less than wonderful back (amongst other problems) and the VB seats make a long trip almost pleasurable.
 
I replaced my main bumper bar on my 4A, thru one of the big distributors, which was relatively inexpensive. I was surprised to see that the base metal was of a thinner gauge than the original, the chrome was just OK and the oval mounting holes were a little off and undersized. Will anyone else but me know.... probably not
I also found the same was true when replacing the wheel covers.
The orig.bumper was chipped and bent (I'm still hanging on to it though I'm not sure why)
The wheel covers will eventually be stripped and re chromed
 
I prefer the original steel whenever possible.

A good plater can rechrome it to any level that you want. Most "off the shelf" Asian-sourced bumpers that I have seen are NOT triple plated...at most they are chrome over nickel.

The old steel is heavier and usually fits better.

Plus, if you are "green", consider that the domestic plater has to abide by strict EPA rules regarding his operation...the overseas suppliers pretty much dump their waste on the ground or into the rivers...
 
Larry, aftermarket chrome is crap and Moss is no exception. If you really want a good job that you won't be having to rechrome every two years, get it done locally.

I've had brand new Moss MG bumpers rust in the sealed packaging on the shelf.

The problem arises because people are too darned cheap to pay for a high quality job om a replacement bumper, although I have urged Moss to carry a good one even at twice the cost of a cheaper replica.
 
Larry,
The replacement bumpers I bought from Moss UK were thinner than the original and not quite the right shape. I trailered one of my TR3s with its new bumper one day when there was salt on the roads. The next week the bumper was covered in orange spots! Personally I would always go for re-chroming.
Seats are down to personal preference, I suppose. Originality over better comfort. For me I like the look of the original and find them perfectly comfortable. If you use a tonneau cover make sure it will fit over the Miata seats. Othere than that it just depends on what YOU prefer.
Nick
 
I'm leaning towards modern replacement seats in my TR4 - take a look at the setup on this UK TR4A:

Ralley Clone TR4a

The seat brand is Ridgard, not sure if they market in the U.S. but I like the black with white piping. I actually sent an email to Ridgard about this style and was advised they don't fit well in TR4's, but from the pictures I think they aren't too bad.

Randy
 
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