Steve:
Welcome to the list. I'm glad you found the TR6 you wanted.
You'll get many replies and opinions in response to your questions. Here are
mine:
I support (have spent much $$) at the Roadster Factory, Moss Motors and British
Parts Northwest. In my opinion, they all need to be kept in business or we
won't have parts for our beloved cars. TRF tries to maintain originality,
produces many parts on their own and their quality is excellent. On the down
side, so many things that I've needed from them have been on back-order for too
long. The owner is devoted to the hobby. They are based in Pennsylvania.
Moss seems to have a slightly larger inventory, but their quality is
inconsistent and their prices seem to go up every three months. I think it's
part of their business model. Moss has an outlet in California, New Jersey and
England.
BPNW, in my opinion, has superb customer service and are very responsive when
things go wrong. Their parts are of excellent quality and their prices are hard
to beat. They are family owned and are in Oregon (I think).
Victoria British is the last resort. They don't really have "customer service",
they just know how to type a part number in their computer and mail it out. In
their same complex, they also sell parts for Chevy trucks and such.
As for the parts you asked about:
I purchased standard poly bushings and heavy duty (standard height) springs and
shocks (forgot the brand, but check their website) from BPNW and I'm very happy
with them. You should also know that Good Parts also sells "upscale" suspension
parts that might interest you.
As for the panel kits, to the best of my knowledge, the one at TRF is made of
and designed to replicate the OEM. Others carry a plastic version which is
probably more rugged, but you'll have to decide on the issue of originality.
Hope this gets you started. Like I said, you'll get lots of opinions and some
will be more opinionated than others, but in the end you'll be better informed
for having joined the list.
Bob Fabie
'75 TR6
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