Bill,
If a panel is BMH supplied, it is the same panel whoever you buy it from (and
is more or less the same price whoever you buy it from in my experience). The
MG BGT wings I bought a couple of years ago had a hologram sticker on the
inside to prove their authenticity - a bugger to get off, but I guess that is
the idea, to stop them being peeled off and stuck to something else. Ask your
supplier who makes the panels they plan to supply you with - many suppliers do
both BMH and pattern parts.
I have been told (no personal experience) that the copy panels tend to be a
good fit for simple panels (e.g. sills that only curve in one plane), and the
metal quality is comparable with BMH stuff. For the more complex panels (e.g.
wings) they can require a bit of "pursuading" to fit, and the curves do not
match exactly the originals. However, they can be about 1/3 cheaper. I must
say that the MG BGT wings mentioned earlier from BMH (which are bolt-on, no
welding) fitted perfectly. Steelcraft are a well-known supplier of pattern
panels in the UK, and I have used their sills - I got those welded on for me
(I can't weld), but the welder did not mention any problems.
As with all these things, you pay your money and take your choice. Want panels
that are a perfect match - go BMH. Want to save some money, and don't mind
doing a little fettling on the more complex panels - go pattern.
Richard & Daffy
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