Relative merits of different suppliers panels?

[Rod1883]

Hi,

 

I'm looking to buy a significant number of repro inner body panels for my TR2 rebuild and I was wondering what peoples experience and advice might be on the following:

 

Should I shop around to buy the cheapest panel from the Register approved reputable suppliers resulting in potentially some panels from one, others from another etc, or should I choose one supplier and stick with them even though this could be a lot more money?

Do you get what you pay for - for example the TR Shop floor panels and inner sills are much much cheaper than those from Moss. Does anyone have experience of these and could you offer any thoughts?

 

Thanks

 

Rod

[Andrew Smith]

Rod

 

If you have to buy a significant number of repro panels (bear in mind the time/cost of making them fit, from any source) I would suggest staying with one supplier for the economies of scale, you should be able to negotiate a reasonable discount in this current climate. Better still, scour the land (if not world!) for good used panels or NOS, but you will pay a premium.

 

However, I would listen to the advice on here regarding reputable suppliers rather than rely on the Register’s 'Recognised Supplier Directory' which is out of date and is no guarantee of a quality product or service, just that they jumped through sufficient hoops when the list was first produced many years ago and as I say, it hasn't been reviewed for a number of years - but it is a starting point I suppose?

 

Cheers

Andrew

Edited August 13, 2008 by Andrew Smith

[pfenlon]

Hi,

 

I'm looking to buy a significant number of repro inner body panels for my TR2 rebuild and I was wondering what peoples experience and advice might be on the following:

 

Should I shop around to buy the cheapest panel from the Register approved reputable suppliers resulting in potentially some panels from one, others from another etc, or should I choose one supplier and stick with them even though this could be a lot more money?

Do you get what you pay for - for example the TR Shop floor panels and inner sills are much much cheaper than those from Moss. Does anyone have experience of these and could you offer any thoughts?

 

Thanks

 

Rod

 

When I rebuilt my TR3A myself which had been rolled and had heavy frontal damage, I sourced inner wings used and new old stock but it took a long time,

 

prices ranged from really fair to outragiously stupid, I bought floors from TR Bits. Is more than 1 manufacturer making floor panels? perhaphs the office

 

could answer that question. It would be interesting to know.

[stuart]

Rod As always if its at all possible then repair what you already have, failing that then good second hand is next, then if all else fails buy new as the time taken to get repros to fit can be extrordinary.

TR Shop 0208 995 6621 will probably do you the best deal on a load of panels and they do also have some expensive originals as well and some original second hand. TR Bitz 01925 861861 also have some second hand.

Be careful with some of the new floors as they can be a bit on the thin side (20 swg as opposed to original 18swg)

North Devon metalcraft also do some panels ( one of the few who do rear panels) but they can be a nause to deal with.

There are a pair of front inner wings on ebay at the moment( for a 3a but would easily adapt back to 2)

Right hand front inner wing

Left hand front inner wing

I think he may have a boot side panel as well.

Stuart

[Alec Pringle]

Hi Rod,

 

original Stanpart panels are always going to be a better bet, even if they need repair. However, tread cautiously, not everything that's offered as 's/h original' is genuine. Repro panels have been around for 30 years or more, and a seller may be offering, in all good faith, an old panel which isn't actually Stanpart . . .

 

Shopping around for repro panels is fraught with pitfalls too, I'm afraid - it's unrealistic to expect much help from suppliers if you're trying to match up panels from several sources. On the other hand, most TR suppliers are pretty reasonable if you go to them for all your repro panels and run into a problem.

 

Cheers,

 

Alec

[vivdownunder]

And Rod, if practical, take your old mudguards with you when chasing down any replacements to see if you are getting a match, or an acceptable tolerance. I've seen three original TR2 LH rear mudguards together that varied in length by up to 1/2 an inch.

 

Remember one of the most important tools used in the assembly of an early TR body was one you don't see on the production line these days.... a mighty big rubber mallet !.

 

Regards,

 

Viv.

[stuart]

And Rod, if practical, take your old mudguards with you when chasing down any replacements to see if you are getting a match, or an acceptable tolerance. I've seen three original TR2 LH rear mudguards together that varied in length by up to 1/2 an inch.

 

Remember one of the most important tools used in the assembly of an early TR body was one you don't see on the production line these days.... a mighty big rubber mallet !.

 

Regards,

 

Viv.

Blimey Viv only half an inch different, luxury! One of them i had to try and fit was so far out to that particular car that in the end I cut the wing in two halves across the centre of the arch , fitted the two halves to the car and then welded them back together with a "V" steel filler strip in the gap! Someone must have rescued it from the factory skip as it was an original and had never been fitted. Perhaps thats why

Stuart

[steve clark]

Before you do anything have a word with Walter Petchey <wpetchey@yahoo.co.uk> . He has lots of imported TR parts from a single wing to a complete shell. He is in Essex.

Steve

[Ian Vincent]

Blimey Viv only half an inch different, luxury! One of them i had to try and fit was so far out to that particular car that in the end I cut the wing in two halves across the centre of the arch , fitted the two halves to the car and then welded them back together with a "V" steel filler strip in the gap! Someone must have rescued it from the factory skip as it was an original and had never been fitted. Perhaps thats why

Stuart

 

I wasn't going to tell anyone but that's exactly what I had to do to get my RH rear wing to fit - but I cut a strip out instead of adding it in. And like the man said "There's no such thing as a bad weld since the angle grinder was invented".

 

Ian

[stuart]

I wasn't going to tell anyone but that's exactly what I had to do to get my RH rear wing to fit - but I cut a strip out instead of adding it in. And like the man said "There's no such thing as a bad weld since the angle grinder was invented".

 

Ian

It would be interesting to take a set of measurements of say fifty sidescreen cars at International and see what the differences can be in the shells. I have done quite a few cars and I have a set of measurements on file but its only a guide as there is always some differences between each car, even good unrestored ones.

Stuart.

[BrianC]

Stuart,

Perhaps if you provide a diagram and set of dimensions to be taken this is something everyone could do on their own car at home.

[Alec Pringle]

Hi Stuart,

 

there was a small-scale exercise like you're suggesting back in the late 70s, when C&B were first looking at reproducing sidescreen wings. A modest number of individuals with original unused panels brought them together and compared dimensions, and a few cars known to be original and untouched body-wise were also measured - there were, of course, far more one-owner or full-history unrestored cars about then than now. The difference in wing dimensions was significant, albeit not entirely unexpected. As I recall, something around 1/2" height difference, and 3/4" length difference. This is no small amount when it comes to fitting, as you know better than most !

 

But then I grew up as a kid listening to my Uncle Tug's regular tirades about TRs in his bodyshop . . . "Stan bl**dy Part, the bloke who given a tape measure, a foot rule and a micrometer still couldn't manage to measure his own bl**dy tackle" was one of his favourite rants, "Triumph TRs, every bl**dy one an individual, because you'll never find two bl**dy cars with identical bl**dy panels" was another.

 

Says it all really . . . which is why I have so much sympathy for those trying to keep us in reproduction panelwork - Standard Triumph couldn't manage it then with hard tools, so how are small scale reproducers going to achieve it now with soft tools ?

 

Cheers,

 

Alec

[stuart]

Stuart,

Perhaps if you provide a diagram and set of dimensions to be taken this is something everyone could do on their own car at home.

When I get a bit of spare time I will try and work out how to post a diagram with relevant points that can be measured on a fully built car.

Stuart.

[BrianC]

When I get a bit of spare time I will try and work out how to post a diagram with relevant points that can be measured on a fully built car.

Stuart.

On pp5,6 of the TR2/3 workshop manual (edition 3) there are plan and side elevation diagrams of the car with various dimensions, although not of the actual panels and openings. Perhaps this could be scanned in (or lifted from a PDF) and your measurement points superimposed. If you send me a rough hand-marked copy or drawing I could have a go at producing something and collect/collate any measurements from owners. Mind you, I think Alec is right - the number of cars which have not been repaired or restored, either in part or entirety, is likely to be very small, and how many current owners (apart from Don ) know what changes have occurred during their cars past life? Also, given the known variability of original StanPart panels and factory fitting/adjustment practices, I suspect we will not get a great deal of consistency. Could be an interesting exercise though.