[Healeys] Getting decent quality parts

[Greg Lemon]

Tadek, while I certainly can't get in the mind of "the average healey parts 
buyer" at least here in the US we have two major suppliers of parts, Moss 
and Victoria British, and many mid-level to minor suppliers, Moss and VB 
have big catalogs listing hundreds if not thousands of parts for our cars, 
you may have one or both, if you look in the catalog for most parts there is 
a parts diagram (usually a reprint of the factory) and a two or three word 
parts description and a price.  You have both books, looks like the same 
part, described as the same part, you buy the one that costs less.

Many of the mid a minor distributors get there parts from Moss (not all) and 
so they get the same thing that the bui boys sell.

I am now restoring a Triumph--some of the mid level guys, including the 
Roadster Factory and British Parts Northwest, list both tri-metal and single 
metal main bearings--so you can choose, this is a much better way for the 
buyer they have the knowledge and the choice.

So because of the way Moss and VB list the parts in their catalog I can see 
why they go with the cheapest to compete, but they certainly could list the 
parts where options are being manafuactured for the higher and lower option 
quality parts.  Maybe the bean counters don't want them to carry so much 
stock, which is actually somewhat understandable as they also sell service 
and same day shipping and stock a relatively large variety of low volume 
bits already.  Maybe they don't want to add even more pages and complexity 
to their catalogs, but I doubt they would mind adding pages as long as what 
they are listing sells.

So we can vote with our wallets and go to the guys that offer the quality 
bits and or let the guys that don't know that we want them.  But for now 
that is the way it is.

Greg Lemon