Dear Listers:
I'd like to put in a plug for British Parts Northwest and raise a warning
flag about possibly Bad Parts getting distributed. I recently ordered 12 new
rocker arms and a shaft from BPNW (at a good price) and installed them in my
'74 TR6. After a few miles I noticed the valves were too noisy so I adjusted
them and they were still noisy. When I adjusted them again I noticed that
they were too loose even though the feeler gauge indicated they were ok, so
I took a look at the tips where they contact the valve stem and hoo boy - 11
of them were big-time pitted and cupped. This was after only about 1,000
miles. The one which wasn't pitted looked like it had been machined and
hardened on the tip and in the bore, whereas the other 11 were just castings
- the difference was obvious.
So, to get back to BPNW, I sent the rocker arms back requesting a refund and
they promptly made the refund and promised to look into why the rocker arms
cupped so badly and so soon. This is excellent business practice and they
get my recommendation which I pass on to you. These are good folks - give
them your business.
About the rocker arms - I ordered 12 new ones from TRF and got six of the
"good" ones and six of the "bad". I have them in the car now and will
probably be sending them back soon as the "bad" ones are already starting to
cup after only a few hundred miles. We'll see if TRF responds as well as BPNW.
It's my theory that someone somewhere is manufacturing cheap knock offs of
these rocker arms. Besides pitting and cupping (and also wearing rapidly on
the rocker shaft) the tips don't reach out quite as far or contact the valve
stem as well as the better type. So beware when you buy new TR6 rocker arms
- if they don't have an obvious machined and hardened tip and bore you've
got some of the cheapos and will probably have trouble with them Real Soon.
Jim Sudduth
jims@autodesk.com
'74 TR6 CF20076U
Berkeley, California USA
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