Jump to content

Recommended Posts

In a FB thread for the Tr5ers was discussing bad suppliers and bad parts.

Not that I am in need right now but was wondering if there is maybe a list of worst repro parts ?

Would be good to know the danger areas.

Certainly would keep cowboys on the hop but ...No need to necessarily name names just maybe know what needs consideration as you go?

What are the parts where we are most at risk?

Tony

Link to post
Share on other sites

Hi Tony

Good question, no simple answer..........

 

The issue is sometimes owners themselves choosing "pattern" parts rather than OE spec items then blaming the supplier!

 

All the major suppliers can provide parts - not all of them to the original spec, some better, some worse.............. ask for OE spec items - eg bearings - Chinese copies at £x each, or Timpken/RHP/SKF at maybe £3x

 

It can often be better to have original parts restored rather than replace them...................eg water pumps, fuel pumps, brake calipers, shock absorbers, metering units, etc

 

Regularly - we are our own worst enemies expecting everything from one source when shopping around (internet and telephone) can provide solutions

 

If it's cheap, there is a reason................but cheap doesn't always mean rubbish.

 

Ebay - buy at your own risk........that's not to say there are no bargains, but ..............................

 

Shop around for availability and if in doubt, ask pertinent questions. You usually get the quality you pay for...............

 

Good luck

Ian

Edited by cvtrian
Link to post
Share on other sites

 

Mine was more a rhetorical question about particular items that are bad at the moment.

Lets see if anyone else chips in?

 

 

Tony - I totally agree, as long as supporting information is produced, including price paid and source of parts, rather than anecdotal info.

There are plenty of threads on this forum giving quality parts information as the starting point.

 

Ian

Edited by cvtrian
Link to post
Share on other sites

Ok I will kick the ball off here.

I had a replacement steering rack and after only a couple of years the gaiters have torn.

So I asked about replacement gaiters and if any particular qualities, If not I will just buy some universal types.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Thats why I think it might be worth buying universal ones maybe?

But I seem to remember having seen a mention regards a reliable brand?

You will get trouble with almost any repro rubber items. The rubber is just not made with the original process.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Modern Accelerator Cables for TR5 and TR6 - Rubbish.

 

No inner liner, hence metal runs on metal and no matter how much oil or grease you put in it, it is still so rough that one I tried made the car undriveable.

 

Took the cable to the bike shop and the chap looked at me and said, I know what you want. A chap with a Morgan was in here this morning asking could I make him an accelerator cable. He looked at the product, new and unused and said this is rubbish material. We used similar donkey's years ago.

 

So, that's what you are faced with. New products made with little or no research or knowledge of application.

 

Dave.

Link to post
Share on other sites

In fact I shortened my old one that became long by fitting a collet at the pedal end.

T

Modern Accelerator Cables for TR5 and TR6 - Rubbish.

 

No inner liner, hence metal runs on metal and no matter how much oil or grease you put in it, it is still so rough that one I tried made the car undriveable.

 

Took the cable to the bike shop and the chap looked at me and said, I know what you want. A chap with a Morgan was in here this morning asking could I make him an accelerator cable. He looked at the product, new and unused and said this is rubbish material. We used similar donkey's years ago.

 

So, that's what you are faced with. New products made with little or no research or knowledge of application.

 

Dave.

Link to post
Share on other sites

I would fully support the comments made on rubber parts. I completed the restoration of the rolling chassis of my TR4a about eighteen months ago. The ball joints and track rod ends were new, supplied by one of the main suppliers. A couple of weeks ago I had the front wheel off and noticed a problem. The ball joint rubber was split. Further checking revealed that the track rod end boots were also split. All the rubber covers have now been replaced by ones supplies by balljointboots.co.uk which seem much better. Fortunately the metal parts seem reasonable quality.

So the original boots had covered a grand total of about 50 feet, the car having been wheeled out of the garage a couple of times. The photos below show how bad they are.

 

Barry

post-12172-0-44137200-1526715110_thumb.jpg

post-12172-0-98153800-1526715121_thumb.jpg

Link to post
Share on other sites

Hi Tony

Good question, no simple answer..........

 

The issue is sometimes owners themselves choosing "pattern" parts rather than OE spec items then blaming the supplier!

 

All the major suppliers can provide parts - not all of them to the original spec, some better, some worse.............. ask for OE spec items - eg bearings - Chinese copies at £x each, or Timpken/RHP/SKF at maybe £3x

 

It can often be better to have original parts restored rather than replace them...................eg water pumps, fuel pumps, brake calipers, shock absorbers, metering units, etc

 

Regularly - we are our own worst enemies expecting everything from one source when shopping around (internet and telephone) can provide solutions

 

If it's cheap, there is a reason................but cheap doesn't always mean rubbish.

 

Ebay - buy at your own risk........that's not to say there are no bargains, but ..............................

 

Shop around for availability and if in doubt, ask pertinent questions. You usually get the quality you pay for...............

 

Good luck

Ian

Sorry even pattern parts are the responsibility of the supplier.

 

Unless you specifically buy something and use it in a way it was not intended for, then it is most certainly the suppliers fault for advertising the item as fit for purpose.

 

Being cheap does not excuse it as being unfit for purpose. If it isn't up to the job the vendor should not advertise it as such, let alone blame the purchaser for buying the cheapest item!

 

When it comes to ebay then buyer beware if it is overseas.

Likewise the relationship between price and quality is not linear: indeed at either end of the curve there is likely to be no link between cost and value. There again the world is full of people who will pay £100 for jeans that cost the same to manufacture as £10 supermarket ones!

Link to post
Share on other sites

I still think if the suppliers are 'named and shamed' they will eventually have to take note, and do something to ensure parts are of a satisfactory quality.

It is all well and good if you complain and they supply another one as replacement, but what if that's poor quality too??

How many times do we take the replacement part and say "OK, I'll see how I get on"??

 

And as we (either physically or metaphorically) leave the store, politely holding the door open for another TR owner on his way in, to buy .....guess what???

 

Will the guy on the counter say to him "Sorry, can't sell you one mate, the last customer just told us they are poor quality"!

 

Only we can make the 'news' travel, and so protect all our interests.

Link to post
Share on other sites

I still think if the suppliers are 'named and shamed' they will eventually have to take note, and do something to ensure parts are of a satisfactory quality.

It is all well and good if you complain and they supply another one as replacement, but what if that's poor quality too??

How many times do we take the replacement part and say "OK, I'll see how I get on"??

 

And as we (either physically or metaphorically) leave the store, politely holding the door open for another TR owner on his way in, to buy .....guess what???

 

Will the guy on the counter say to him "Sorry, can't sell you one mate, the last customer just told us they are poor quality"!

 

Only we can make the 'news' travel, and so protect all our interests.

m

 

Hi John,

It seems a good idea, but not in every case it is the supplier who is to blame, and he cannot defend himself or his business on the forum.

I think the PQI initiative is a great tool and the best approach, but how many of us have raised a PQI?

Just a thought.

Best regards,

Waldi

Edited by Waldi
Link to post
Share on other sites

Much as Waldi is a sensible guy and has been buying a lot of stuff, I'm inclined to agree with Johns sentiment.

If I sell rubbish its my look out and basta. !

Would I sell dangerous food?

But people can sell rubbish brake pads???

 

The point of this thread was not necessarily to shame people but someone like Waldi has been fitting loads of stuff so whats wrong with showing a list of the stuff that will waste everyones time. Look at steering gaiters. Whats the point of people not being pre-warned about such stuff?

 

Poeple dont like naming names, but who sells has a duty to be in under the magnifying glass. I recently published some stuff in another group and some people shirked. I understand but isn't honesty the best policy rather than worrying about being politically correct?

Link to post
Share on other sites

 

 

The point of this thread was not necessarily to shame people but someone like Waldi has been fitting loads of stuff so whats wrong with showing a list of the stuff that will waste everyones time. Look at steering gaiters. Whats the point of people not being pre-warned about such stuff?

 

 

Hi Tony

if you use the search facility on this forum you will discover plenty of previous comment about steering gaiters, (and other stuff/parts), along with suitable alternative sources, which was one of the points mentioned in my earlier post.............and a great feature of this forum. And if you don't know, you can always call on the collective experiences of members and ask.........

Link to post
Share on other sites

Hi cvtrian Thanks.

Of course.

Mine was more about starting a thread to chat about the worst parts, but of course this forum is a serious thing and people rightly answer a question with a straight answer. Mine was more about finding out which parts are really bad? Maybe hearing some horror stories and just being general. Thats why I kicked it off with the gaiters thing.

Seemed an interesting topic but I probably was being too generic and relaxed. ;)

Link to post
Share on other sites

Like most of us, I've also experienced short-lived rubber components, but the closest I got to an expensive episode was when I rebuilt a Spitfire engine a few years ago. As a matter of course the I always do the first start up without the rocker cover fitted, so that I can check that the rockers are all getting oil. In this case there was no oil at all. Stripped the rockers off and discovered that the oil feed hole in the rocker shaft was 30 degrees out, so didn't match the hole in the pedestal. Canley Classics didn't believe me, usual excuses...never had a complaint before etc. Only after I had sent them the offending item did they agree that I was right and sent me a properly machined one. Mike.

Link to post
Share on other sites

So we buy rubbish parts and because we are in general handy guys who can fettle this crap..but what about the chinese copies in the brake and other safety related parts that look ok but the internal parts aren't up to it

But then we are told we don't have to have an mot!

After just completing a 3year total resto i could have done it in half the time if the sodding parts fitted out of the box!

All i can say is rebuild the original standard triumph units...they look great quality compared to the suppliers offerings

Rant over!

Link to post
Share on other sites

That original Triumph parts (probably all English cars at the time actually) had great quality is a fact.

 

When I grew up all we could hear about UK cars was their bad quality, so much so that most of them was taken off the market in the 70s, Japanese cars on the other hand was so good, and took over.

 

My first car was a 12 year old Toyota that I partly had to restore due to collision damage, rust and general wear and tear. The metal itself on the Toyota was thin and rusted through very easily, in addition to that a lot of screws, bolts and nuts was rusted together and often broke off when dismantling, so for me a 17 year old lad with little experience at the time I struggled to get it apart, together was easier as the Toyota parts fitted nicely.

 

When I some years ago bought a Triumph that was more than 40 years old I expected more of the same trouble I remember having with the Toyota, as the car was more than 3 times the age!

 

But not one bolt or screw was stuck, not one broke off, most things could be taken apart and repaired, not like the Japanese which was not built to be repaired but a complete new unit must be bought, I guess this comes down to the use of quality materials and well engineering.

 

So who got the best quality? I think the quality of the British cars was actually good at least well engineered with good quality materials, the bad assembly practices on the other hand....

 

 

The quality of the new parts is a result of the race to the bottom in regards of the demand from the public of cheaper and cheaper parts.

 

This problem could maybe partly be solved if the suppliers actually inform customers of the differences of a good quality expensive parts rather than the cheap and bad parts.

 

The parts are usually marketed with just price, with no explanation how much better it is than the cheap parts, without information most people will assume they are the same, and choose the cheap part.

 

 

 

Magnus

Edited by TRseks
Link to post
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

Please familiarise yourself with our Terms and Conditions. By using this site, you agree to the following: Terms of Use.