chrome

[SR]

ithink quality is getting worse martin ,i just fitted a rear floorpan , and i didnt trust the thickness of metal that makes up side of sill, i didnt need it anyway because the whole sill has been replaced ,but very thin metal, on the other side ill use some thicker stuff,steve

[custommartin]

.............and, obviously Steve, the price of parts is getting cheaper as the quality gets worse............right?

[jonathon]

It is a constant problem that the quality of panels/parts in general is getting worse. I mentioned this problem when' venting my spleen' on TMS forums.
The reason for the poor quality in my opinion is that in general Minor owners are not prepared to spend the required amount which would ensure a half decent quality.Whilst we all like a bargain and value for money,not paying to maintain the quality will eventually lead to the demise of these parts,and in the end those who sell them the traders. What you have to insist on, is that when you are prepared to pay reasonable money, that the deal is reciprocated with an improved product. I must add that traders in general are the backbone of Minor ownership, as they are prepared to invest substantial amounts of money having new patterns produced for obsolite parts etc etc.
I suggest that next time you meet your parts supplier you tell them you are not satisfied with the quality of what is on offer,and what can they do about it, but remember its a two way street.
You may wish to review my utterings on TMS as I think there are several threads on which you may agree. However there are also some which you will disagree with, but, hey, if you say nothing things will never change. Be warned

[Onne]

Better 5 pounds good spent than losing 1

[Cam]

I would MUCH rather pay double for a panel that is the correct thickness, material and actually fits properly than a flimsy poorly fitting item covered in surface rust! Maybe we are in a minority? (pun in there somewhere - albeit a BAD one!)

[jonathon]

I think that maybe we are Cam,why else are we so badly provided for.
Cannot say too much at the moment as a result of forum restrictions, but the future looks bright, in several areas.

[Cam]

Excellent news!

[bigginger]

I've tried to apologise for that comment JLH - For the record, it was made light heartedly and seemed to become of greater import after subsequent posts by other people. No offence was meant, and if the comment was taken as meaning offence I apologise unreservedly.Long may you continue to vent whatever you like wherever the law allows.
Sorry

[Chris Morley]

Cheap parts are a (very) false economy if they leave you stranded on the hard shoulder. No doubt some Minor owners are skinflints but many of us would happily pay for true quality - IF it came with a guarantee. It still amazes me that a company like Henrics went to the wall when their panels had such a good reputation...... :(

Personally I've always bought the 'best' (i.e. most expensive) components on offer, but I've been let down on several occasions, noteably with 'genuine Lockheed' wheel cylinders which stuck after 3 years. Speaking recently to Nigel at Chertsey Minors it became clear that many of the 'genuine' wings available at the moment are rubbish and some of them are actually worse than the cheaper reproduction items because of the amount of fettling needed to fit them. As these wings aren't cheap compared to the reproductions I doubt that 'tight' minor owners are mainly to blame - more likely it's an issue of quality control.

Specialists and parts traders need to kick up a stink if they suffer damage to their reputation due to the supply of poor quality parts. Of course the individual Minor owner also needs to make the specialist aware of any problems with these parts - if you don't moan the assumption is that you're happy with the parts you've bought.

We can only hope that better quality panels & parts do become available. We also need to support the specialists and parts providers whenever it's possible because the alternative (generic parts available from motor factors) are often of poor quality. I would agree that they are very important to the continuing use of the Minor.Without the specialists I guess that Minor ownership would become a more difficult and very frustrating experience.

[jonathon]

Believe me Chris we do complain.
In my posting on TMS I clearly outlined the problems of Heritage parts, and hoped that no more pressings or tooling would be sent there. Alledgedly they do not care two hoots over quality. I've just fitted four new wings to a saloon, the rear offside was 20mm!!!!! yes 20mm short, you could see where the wing was incorrectly formed, but do they care, the fronts are as bad, more like thrupenny bits around the headlight and the headlight mounting rings are a lottery when it comes to positioning. Now I'm not venting my spleen, but fuel tanks, why are they charging this rediculous price, not long ago these were £55 , now £130 plus and made to a lifetime production i.e they think only so many will be sold in the next 5 years , so thats your lot, even if they run out.
Please don't take this the wrong way, but why doesn't the MMOC do something, they represent the largest cohesive group of owners and must surely need to show their teeth!!.
So far as getting the quality of product, make a noise and complain, start a lobbyor something, only action will cause change. Believe me, although I do not by any means claim to represent traders, we are doing our part.

Start that petition now!!!!!

[Cam]

Yeah, the fuel tank issue is an odd one. I bought an MGB tank (twice as big as a Moggy one) for about £46 from the MG centre in Birmingham and it's really good quality and a perfect fit. I was very pleased with it. Now, as I understand it the MG centre is the same company as the Minor centre (they even use the same warehouse at the back to store their bits). Also I have bought sills (outer, inner and centre membrane), castle rails, splash panels, etc, etc from the MG place and all the parts were stamped 'British Motor Heritage' and they were really good panels. Nice and thick, fit correctly and have a decent paint covering. HOWEVER!!! When I bought a moggy rear valance from next door the panel was thin and had surface rust! When I came to fit it it was MILES out and I had to remake the bumper bar mounting hole!!

I don't get why the MG bits are fine and the Moggy ones are shoddy if they are coming from the same place?!?!?

We DO need to be proactive about the panel issue as I will be needing a large amount of panels for my '52 which I should be starting on this spring..... I don't want inferior panels however cheap they are. I just want good quality thick steel correctly formed and will pay for it!!

[Onne]

Yeah, otherwise you can start all over again in some years time, and we don't want that do we Cam. There are more projects to attend to!

[Cam]

Exactly!!

[SR]

perhaps one of the main suppliers is selling panels of good quality/thickness of metal,has anybody had some like this ,where from?

[rayofleamington]

Cam - you need a time machine so you can get all the panels from Henrics. The hardest bit was removing their paint prior to welding, or trimming the panel back as they were decent guage steel.

[Cam]

Yeah. I wish!



Seriously though, does anyone know WHO at the moment supplies the best panels?? Experiences folks?

[jonathon]

Henric let most of its tooling go to LMC Hadrian. As a company these are our chosen panels, they generally fit well and are of a decent guage. You know my views on Heritage panels, this leaves the overseas panels of C Ware in Bath. Personally although the fit is ok'ish the quality of steel is dreadfull, all of the panels we have used in the past were covered in rust under the thick primer, requiring shot blasting before use. They were also the worst to weld, due to the high inpurity content. There are other companies such as Veng who supply thin guage panels of a reasonable quality.but they require some work to fit and look good, but so do all of the others. I can not see how the Heritage and C.Ware panels can demand the cost that they do. In my opinion if your going to do a job then do it to your best ability. Heritage will only listen to minor owners if they present an argument cohesively, hopefully with the MMOC backing. I notice that quite a few contributing to this forum are quick to complain to E-Bay about illegal trading, (quite rightly) so lets transfer this motivation to those who quite blatantly care not for a fair price for a fair product. Posters on this topic have all been in agreement that they would willingly pay for quality , so insist on it NOW!!!!.
Remember, those of you who rely on traders to do your repairs /rebuilds, are paying good money,in some cases, many thousands only to have, inferior panels fitted in the knowledge that they will not last the test of time. I do have more to say on this topic from a professional stance, but wish to enlighten you in a few weeks time.

[Cam]

Thanks for that Jonathon, and we look forward to hearing your comments in a few weeks!

[wibble_puppy]

hi all, have been following this thread with great interest (and some alarm) as my own dearly beloved is shortly to be temporarily retired pending its great restoration (part me, part Mid Sussex Minors and part a paintshop) - hopefully it will emerge in true Chitty Chitty style completely revitalised, if not possessed of a kindly and playful spirit capable of bringing about the reunification of families and the soldering of hearts truly destined for each other.

Some bits of the van, including for sure the front wings, are going to need replacing. I really need to know which make of panels to ask for! All info gratefully received.

I totally agree with the rest of you that I'd be prepared to pay a good deal more for the best possible parts - I so don't want to have to re-do the job a few years down the line.

Cheers and happy pootling,

juliet

[Kevin]

Speak to your local people at ESM as they dont just sell spares they have workshops as well and should be able to tell you what they currently find the best.