The Dark Wob

cros wrote: ↑Sat Jun 22, 2019 2:15 pm Classic car parts really are of the shittiest quality. I shall speak to my MP about it.

They are for BL stuff, maybe Ford as well. Everyone knocks BL stuff but the bits were always good. If it came in a BL box, it would fit first time and last as long as the original. Now it's cheap Chinese rubbish.

If you wanted that part for a 1973 R107 Mercedes, you'd order via your local dealer, a few hours later a grey haired Herr in Sindelfingen would locate the part, blow the dust off and it would be on its way. It would cost 4 times as much as your Chinese rubbish, but would last 20 years.

I was surprised that BMW didn't take control of BL Heritage as it was, rinse the cheap shit suppliers out of town and build up a nice little niche supplying good quality Mini and MG stuff.

Also, old Kraut metal is well served by companies like Febi Bilstein, Lemforder etc.

Eddie Honda wrote: ↑Sat Jun 22, 2019 4:22 pm

cros wrote: ↑Sat Jun 22, 2019 2:15 pm Classic car parts really are of the shittiest quality. I shall speak to my MP about it.

I hope you are in the constituency of East Yorkshire.

No, I'm not. What's he been up to?

Where were those track rod ends from?

I've mostly shopped between Moss/Midland Sport Classics/eBay sellers. Some stuff has been identical between retailers, others different. Generally I've found Midland Sport Classics stuff that is different, to be a bit cheaper but a fair bit crappier in quality. Same with eBay.

Moss I've found generally quite good. They do sell crap stuff, but they usually have both crap stuff and then the better stuff for a bit more (or a lot more). If they can that is. Some stuff they can only get hold of the crappier quality stuff.

Those track rod ends are a good example looking on Moss.

Two options, OE:
https://www.moss-europe.co.uk/track-rod ... soc=112467

Aftermarket:
https://www.moss-europe.co.uk/track-rod ... soc=112468

I guess if you only do 250 miles a year in your MGB and take advantage of the MOT exemption, the aftermarket ones would probably be more than suffice.

cros wrote: ↑Sat Jun 22, 2019 5:02 pm

Eddie Honda wrote: ↑Sat Jun 22, 2019 4:22 pm

cros wrote: ↑Sat Jun 22, 2019 2:15 pm Classic car parts really are of the shittiest quality. I shall speak to my MP about it.

I hope you are in the constituency of East Yorkshire.

No, I'm not. What's he been up to?

The Rt Hon Member for East Yorkshire is Sir Greg Knight MP. He is chair of the All Party Parliamentary Historic Vehicle Group. In other words, it'd be right up his street.

I serviced our heirloom MGB, but it would not start afterwards. After some time checking everything I had done I realised that the new rotor arm was faulty. This also happened with a Freelander I had. They don't call it Shitpart for nothing

I thought it was old Johnnie Prescott with his two Jags. Though I can't see him carrying out repairs.

I have discovered a gap in the vast array of shit you can buy for MGBs. There seems to be no extending mirrors for when you're towing, so I bought a pair of used Raydot strap-on jobbies off eBay. They proved impossible to attach to the existing ones, so the scrap box has been raided...
One other discovery is play in the front lever arm shock absorbers. The choice is between cheap reconditioned ones which will probably be just as bad within a short time, expensive new ones, or a telescopic conversion that does away with them altogether- even costlier. Anyone got thought on this?

I have but haven't got around to making a decision yet.

I suspect that replacement telescopics will be cheaper than new lever arms so would probably bite the bullet as I plan on keeping it.

Decent telescopic kits on the front are expensive. I'd go lever arms.

Do you have a MGB car part retailer near you? When I got a replacement lever arm unit from my local Moss, they were quite happy for me to check it didn't have any massive amounts of play in. Well the first one did, so I sent them back to find a better one.

I ended up taking it back as the fault with mine was that it just had leaked all its fluid out. Took the back plate off, filled up and then sealed the back on with some spare special RTV for gearboxes (doesn't hardened in oil, so doesn't bung up the mechanism).

Box of distributor bits has arrived at work. Thanks!