At 09:24 PM 7/28/96 -0400, you wrote:
>I'm going to contact the vender that I bought these fulcrum pins from and
>inform him that he's got a real serious problem on his hands. I know he's
>just reselling a part, but it's got to be made clear that these parts are
>lethally defective. I hope he's apreciative of the fact that he is talking
>to me, not my widow and her lawyer.
Dear Paul,
The kind words are about to stop. I fully sympathize with your loss and
damage but the first words out of you mouth are related to a major problem
in this country. The implication that you, or your significant other were
going to SUE someone because this was THEIR FAULT. I, and most technically
literate old-timers in this marque, are familiar with the design problem
inherent in the design of Ricks former lower pins. In fact, had you asked
around, you would have been told to remove these items from your car at your
earliest opportunity. As an Engineer, I can tell you that the design fault
is elementary and classic as it relates to fatigue failure. The fact is,
that your failure in three years is about as common as the OEM equipment in
30 years. Many of these failures occur every year on stock and replacement
hardware. There are only two persons, or suppliers, left that sell the
lower pins. One sells a modified version, complete with Teflon and Delrin
bushings, and the other sells what I think is a stock replacement. In
either case, if either of them decides that the risk exceeds the
profitability, NONE will be available to get your Tiger back on the road.
>From your initial statement, I personally wouldn't sell YOU a set of low
milage Alpine fulcrum pins that I had both magnifluxed and X-rayed.
In MHO, you are looking for the risk level associated with driving a new
automobile, along with the deep pockets associated with that kind of
product. You should thank your lucky stars that Rick, and the handful of
other suppliers, are out there developing selling parts for your 30 year
old, very limited production sports car. They All need all the support and
encouragement they can get, just to stay in this goofy business. I know
none of them are getting rich at your or my expense.
The problem with the Marque is that many of the suspension and structural
components are approaching or have reached fatigue life. If you have
followed my recent Tech Tips in STOA's news letters, I have been harping on
this subject for almost two years. Lower Fulcrum Pins break, Crossmembers
crack open and shock towers tear off, Lower bushing bosses pullout of the
A-arms, Spindles break off at the bearings. These are everyday facts and
risks, every Tiger owner must face, in order to enjoy this magnificent
automobile. Please also note that many of these defects are not detectable
by observation (although I encourage routine examinations) but only by
complete teardown and component non-destructive testing.
If you want to make a positive contribution, you can encourage the funding
of a research program which all Tiger clubs and Tiger suppliers can
participate in to develop re-engineered designs and manufacturing programs
to build replacement components for as many of these highly vulnerable
failure points as is possible. No single organization has the resources to
accomplish this task, nor do they desire to accept your yoke of liability
and responsibility.
Tom Hall, modtiger@engravers.com
STOA (Sunbeam Tiger Owners Association)
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