John,
Well said! This has been my philosophy during my 4 1/2 year restoration. The
parts I had to purchase were either not rebuildable or had so much damage,
wear, etc. that it was just beyond my means and/or capabilities. But, I
refinished, repaired and reused as much of the original car as I possibly could.
Many of the parts and components were hand built by my brother and me to match
as closely as possible the original parts, the upholstery panels fall into this
category. I think my philosophy pays off in the quality of the restoration. In
concurs competition, I have gone up against cars that have been "professionally"
restored (one TR3 owner rumored to have spent in the range of $30000.00!) and
beaten them. My car has taken two 1st in class awards in the two shows entered.
The car just looks like a labor of love rather than a labor of "big bucks.
I also was blessed with a very complete and nearly original car!
Jim Bauder
'58 TR3
Palo Alto, CA
john matthews wrote:
> 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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