Boy Jim do I agree...
It seems as though the company's are getting parts remade for a price point.
Quality is secondary. It isn't necessarly common only to Triumph parts
however. The sealed Front wheel bearings in my Pontiac Bonneville lasted
240,000 miles before one went bad. The replacements, made in China, lasted
8000 miles or about 4 months. The company's are more than happy to replace
the part, but personally I hate doing repairs two or three times because of
junk part failure. Makes you want to just go down to the junkyard and buy a
used one!
Sorry Just venting..
Steve Harris
I've found the same thing to hold true with replacement bearings and
synchros. I have a box of old bearings and synchro cups that came out of
old boxes that I am saving for use in my own stuff.
(Heavy sigh)
Why is it so hard to get good quality parts any more?!
That is the reason I don't like to work on these cars for people any
more. Who can afford to do a job twice when the crappy parts fail
prematurely?
For example, the rubber seals on the outside of my Porsche are 15 years
old and look new. I can't get a new TR seal to last 3 years without
getting hard and brittle. Or what about the new door panel clips that
don't hold as well as the old ones? Has anyone tried to fit a new
aluminum windshield frame capping? If you get new engine pistons, be
sure to have your machine shop mic ALL 6, because they can vary a great
deal! The OD switches sometimes don't work right out of the box.
Transmission bushings aren't made to proper spec and need massaging to
work at all. Hood release cables that fail within a month after you
install them due to sloppy build specs. (Not to mention our clutch woes)
My point is, if you go to the trouble to remake a part, can't you make
it out of the proper materials, to a specification at least equal to the
original? Just because a part looks about the same doesn't mean it will
fit and perform properly.
I love these cars after driving and owning them for 20 years, and would
like to see them on the road in the future. My frustration has increased
after buying my 944 turbo, and seeing how good the restoration parts are
for it. Everything fits and performs as it should. I basically don't
think that BMH is taking care of business, and we are paying the price.
I just don't know what to do about it.
Just venting
Jim
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