Gracious List Members,
Every year I see this subject come up again and again so this time I just
thought I would put in my thoughts on the matter.
Having just completed a rebuild of a TR-6 for someone else I spent quite a
bit of time at my local parts supplier. I happen to be one of the lucky ones
who has a choice of two local Triumph parts houses that deal in both new and
used parts.
First, I believe Teri-Ann is correct when she admonishes us to refurbish our
old parts ourselves. Many of the parts on these cars were built to a fairly
high quality standard when new, and will polish up nicely with a few extra
hours. This retains not only a proper fitting part, but one that is actually
"correct" for your car. I suspect some of us given the pressures of modern
living are all to willing to take the "easy way" when trying to accomplish
the goal of getting our cars back on the road.
Second, the best way I have found of getting quality auto parts for my
Triumph or any other car I have worked on is to develop a trusting
relationship with a supplier who knows what is available. I have found my
local suppliers to be quite willing to match the Moss catalog price for a
given part (provided it was a part they would source from Moss.) Other times
they have honestly told me about the quality differences in suppliers, or
been willing to sell me NOS parts when available for critical applications.
If you do have a local supplier please patronize them. They are much more
likely to be able to improve the overall quality of the parts supply since
they purchase large quantities of parts and see which ones are returned
frequently. Even if you do mail order parts it might benefit you to
cultivate such relationships with small suppliers as they might have sources
for NOS parts, or have the part you need in stock when the "big three" are
waiting for the next shipment from overseas. Most importantly these
independent shops are often owned by folks who were around when Triumph was
still producing cars, and they have a wealth of knowledge only rivaled by
sources like the team.net lists.
So, remember the environmentalists mantra.....
Reuse-
(old parts are not always bad, check the spec)
Refuse-
(to accept inferior quality parts regardless of supplier)
Recycle-
(when you need to clean out your garage make sure cores and useable spares
find a good home)
Just my 2 cents.
Cheers,
John Matthews
'61 Herald
'63 TR-4
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