Grahamgl Posted March 25, 2009 Report Share Posted March 25, 2009 Hi, I took the front bumper of my 4A over the week end to have it rechromed. however, looking at it, it has a distortion under where one of the overiders was fitted. I was quoted sums in excess of £100.00 for a straight rechrome by some of the professionals at Stoneleigh, repairs etc being extra. I see in the Moss catalogue that a new front blade in only a little over £100.00. Can someone advise me if the repros fit or or they like the ones for MGB's which are far from perfect reproductions? Regards Graham Quote Link to post Share on other sites
stuart Posted March 25, 2009 Report Share Posted March 25, 2009 Hi,I took the front bumper of my 4A over the week end to have it rechromed. however, looking at it, it has a distortion under where one of the overiders was fitted. I was quoted sums in excess of £100.00 for a straight rechrome by some of the professionals at Stoneleigh, repairs etc being extra. I see in the Moss catalogue that a new front blade in only a little over £100.00. Can someone advise me if the repros fit or or they like the ones for MGB's which are far from perfect reproductions? Regards Graham I think your last sentence sums them up in a nutshell The rears are also the wrong curve and are very close, if not touching the back panel in the middle. Stuart. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ian Vincent Posted March 25, 2009 Report Share Posted March 25, 2009 But I get the impression that Menno is very happy with the new stainless steel bumpers for his TR3a albeit they cost him considerably in excess of £100. I would imagine that they must be able to supply a bumper for a TR4/a. Rgds Ian Quote Link to post Share on other sites
stuart Posted March 25, 2009 Report Share Posted March 25, 2009 But I get the impression that Menno is very happy with the new stainless steel bumpers for his TR3a albeit they cost him considerably in excess of £100. I would imagine that they must be able to supply a bumper for a TR4/a. Rgds Ian I would imagine they do although I havent seen them advertised. Only the sidescreen ones and the 6 ones so far. Stuart. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
JJC Posted March 25, 2009 Report Share Posted March 25, 2009 £100 for a rechrome sounds good value. Is that triple plating? JJC Quote Link to post Share on other sites
stuart Posted March 26, 2009 Report Share Posted March 26, 2009 £100 for a rechrome sounds good value. Is that triple plating? JJC Doubt it Stuart. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tom Fremont Posted March 26, 2009 Report Share Posted March 26, 2009 As noted above, the best bumpers are the originals. I've had a couple of repros on my driver in the past, and while OK for a driver they're way too wavy in the centre, and the finish is too nubbly to qualify as " good ". I was able to get an original on ebay which cost me double your quoted cost to rechrome. * Note that the TR4 bumper is different from the TR4A/5/250 * ( hole spacing is different ) Here are a couple of shots of mine: http://i400.photobucket.com/albums/pp84/im...15L9-6-8056.jpg http://i400.photobucket.com/albums/pp84/im...15L9-6-8001.jpg Quote Link to post Share on other sites
TR 2100 Posted March 26, 2009 Report Share Posted March 26, 2009 Tom, Nice job - and the wheels are . . . ? And how did you set up the spinners . . . ? I had my original undented bumper blades re-chromed, Derby Platers (reckoned to be the best in the business) and the re-chroming cost around £700 the pair. Ouch - but gorgeous. AlanR Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tony Millward Posted March 26, 2009 Report Share Posted March 26, 2009 Tom, Nice job - and the wheels are . . . ? And how did you set up the spinners . . . ? I had my original undented bumper blades re-chromed, Derby Platers (reckoned to be the best in the business) and the re-chroming cost around £700 the pair. Ouch - but gorgeous. AlanR I was gonna ask the same questions... Tony Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tom Fremont Posted March 26, 2009 Report Share Posted March 26, 2009 Tom, Nice job - and the wheels are . . . ? And how did you set up the spinners . . . ? Thanks Wheels are Panasport ( circa 1990, now 3 generations back ) repainted to match bonnet stripe. Spinners were made in Taiwan, bought on ebay from ( I think ) a forum member as new. Intended application unknown, but possibly repro for the now iconic American Racing Magnesium wheel of the period. They came with threaded hubs which don't fit Panasports, so adapters required for fitment; 1 or 2 pc depending on the center hole of the wheel. My driver has these too, but requires (2) adapters vs. (1) for the red car ( Panasport changed the hole diameters from generation to generation ). Such adapters are readily made from aluminium bar stock, and retained by socket setscrews from inside. I've never found a source for these spinners, and count myself quite fortunate to have found another set. My driver came with these, and I've not found a better solution for Panasport centers ( hence the red car's got them too ): http://i400.photobucket.com/albums/pp84/im...250PANELGAP.jpg http://i400.photobucket.com/albums/pp84/im...0LHSIDEVIEW.jpg Quote Link to post Share on other sites
foster461 Posted March 26, 2009 Report Share Posted March 26, 2009 Thanks Wheels are Panasport ( circa 1990, now 3 generations back ) repainted to match bonnet stripe. Spinners were made in Taiwan, bought on ebay from ( I think ) a forum member as new. Intended application unknown, but possibly repro for the now iconic American Racing Magnesium wheel of the period. They came with threaded hubs which don't fit Panasports, so adapters required for fitment; 1 or 2 pc depending on the center hole of the wheel. My driver has these too, but requires (2) adapters vs. (1) for the red car ( Panasport changed the hole diameters from generation to generation ). Such adapters are readily made from aluminium bar stock, and retained by socket setscrews from inside. I've never found a source for these spinners, and count myself quite fortunate to have found another set. My driver came with these, and I've not found a better solution for Panasport centers ( hence the red car's got them too ): http://i400.photobucket.com/albums/pp84/im...250PANELGAP.jpg http://i400.photobucket.com/albums/pp84/im...0LHSIDEVIEW.jpg The spinners do look neat. Are those 205 tires on 15x6 wheels on the green car ? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tom Fremont Posted March 26, 2009 Report Share Posted March 26, 2009 The spinners do look neat. Are those 205 tires on 15x6 wheels on the green car ? Thanks, Stan. My wife refers to the Valencia Blue car as green, as have others - so maybe it is.. The tires are 185 HR 15 Dunlop SP Sports, now in retirement ( storage ) having been replaced with 195/65 HR 15 Michelin Exaltos concurrent with fitment of 3.45:1 differential. I had to have the Dunlops for their inimitable tread which I ogled from the days when they were current fitment. Quiet running, but nowhere near the grip of the Michelin XAS. I seem to recall they supposedly have a great grip in the wet, but I don't live in the UK... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
TR 2100 Posted March 27, 2009 Report Share Posted March 27, 2009 (edited) Thanks Wheels are Panasport ( circa 1990, now 3 generations back ) repainted to match bonnet stripe. Spinners were made in Taiwan, bought on ebay from ( I think ) a forum member as new. Intended application unknown, but possibly repro for the now iconic American Racing Magnesium wheel of the period. They came with threaded hubs which don't fit Panasports, so adapters required for fitment; 1 or 2 pc depending on the center hole of the wheel. My driver has these too, but requires (2) adapters vs. (1) for the red car ( Panasport changed the hole diameters from generation to generation ). Such adapters are readily made from aluminium bar stock, and retained by socket setscrews from inside. I've never found a source for these spinners, and count myself quite fortunate to have found another set. My driver came with these, and I've not found a better solution for Panasport centers ( hence the red car's got them too ): http://i400.photobucket.com/albums/pp84/im...250PANELGAP.jpg http://i400.photobucket.com/albums/pp84/im...0LHSIDEVIEW.jpg The American Racing Equipment wheels for the TR range had a threaded stub on the wheel, lefthand and righthand, for the spinners. Later ARE wheels had a plain wheel centre to which you could attach a short threaded tube, taking the place of the cast-in threads. There was quite a variety of spinners and tube lengths. I'm not sure whether any this style had left and right threads or whether they were all right thread - I susepct the latter. The very similar Eagle wheels had the threaded stub cast on but all with righthand thread. Spinners are available for these if you look around, as they are the same as the spinners for VW 8-spoke wheels - EMPI is the name to search for on eBay. They are plain, unfortunately, only the genuine Nokofs of the period have the punched lettering for right and left side. AlanR Edited March 27, 2009 by TR 2100 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Bully Posted May 1, 2009 Report Share Posted May 1, 2009 I have been following this topic for a while, as I also needed some good quality bumpers for my TR4A to finish an excellent rebuild. Anyway, Harrington have just started making stainless steel units for the TR4A, so I brought some. Placed order last Friday, and they turned up yesterday (Thursday - only 6 days from order !!) Quality is fantastic, good quality stainless and a high polish - hard to tell from original. Cost me £638 including delivery, so a comparible price to repro units. I highly recommend them Bully Quote Link to post Share on other sites
TR 2100 Posted May 1, 2009 Report Share Posted May 1, 2009 I take it you are still admiring them but haven't tried to fit them yet. Please let us know when you do, and confirm the fit is good. AlanR Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Bully Posted May 1, 2009 Report Share Posted May 1, 2009 Hi Alan, you're right, I haven't fitted them yet, but compared to my original bumper, fit would not appear a problem. Will let you know how it goes. Bully Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ChrisGrainge Posted May 1, 2009 Report Share Posted May 1, 2009 Please do let us know - with pictures if possible (!) as my bumpers are in a dreadful state, and these look pretty good. Thanks Chris Quote Link to post Share on other sites
stuart Posted May 1, 2009 Report Share Posted May 1, 2009 The finish is amazing quality although the 6 ones leave something to be desired in the captive nuts Stuart. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Badfrog Posted May 2, 2009 Report Share Posted May 2, 2009 Hi all, Just installed the new bumper from Moss. Everything OK except for the chromed nuts: the holes are a bit tight. Need somme careful filing. Like most UK stuff: it's adaptable.... Good chrome though. Badfrog Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Menno van Rij Posted May 3, 2009 Report Share Posted May 3, 2009 The Harrington bumpers are expensive, I know. But, they're s/steel ones. Scratches etc. can be polished out. The repro ones I was offered were 'doubtful' to say the least. And remember: when I started looking for them, the GBP vs.euro rating was a lot different then! The Harrington's TR3A bumpers were cheaper than the TR4 bumpers (no rear bumper). Rechroming was not really an option. Due to environmental laws, (re)chroming is restricted, making it very expensive to rechrome parts in Holland; a lot of the stuff goes to the Eastern European countries with less restricted laws... And not all classic car restorers I spoke, are satisfied with the result... Hence the Harrington ones. Fitting-wise I had no problem at all! A little bending to match the brackets on the front, the rear overriders were a perfect fit first time. Can you see the difference? I suppose you can. Remember, the original bumpers that came with my car were twisted like a rollercoaster, dented and scruffy. So I can't make a fair comparisson. I'm sure someone with experience can see the difference! Am I satisfied with the product? Yes! And I would buy it again, even at a cost. Menn Quote Link to post Share on other sites
stuart Posted May 3, 2009 Report Share Posted May 3, 2009 I have fitted a stainless front blade with rechromed overriders (Rechroming done by London chroming) and it was very hard to tell the difference between the finishes. Stuart Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Chris59 Posted May 3, 2009 Report Share Posted May 3, 2009 Can someone here please give me a link to "Harrington", for the stainless steel bumpers ? Thanks, Chris. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Rhodri Posted May 3, 2009 Report Share Posted May 3, 2009 http://www.groupharrington.com They were unaware that the TR4 front bumper is different to the TR4A- over riders- and are planning to make these. Rod Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Bully Posted May 15, 2009 Report Share Posted May 15, 2009 Well, finally got around to fitting the Harrington Stainless Steel bumpers yesterday to my TR4A. It's hard to tell the difference between the chromed fixing bolt head and the stainless steel bumper. Over riders are good too. Fit is very good, holes in the right place etc. A few points though: 1. the fixing holes are a little small, and will require filing larger and to shape to accept the fixing bolts, 2. if you run your finger along the edge of the blade, you can tell it is cut, but this is hard to spot by eye 3. the rear bumper has no captivated nuts. I'm still very impressed, and would recommend them. Will try to upload some photos next week Bully Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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