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Stainless shiny bits ?


Mike R

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I am constantly disappointed with the quality of chrome parts from whatever supplier. This includes bullet mirrors, bumpers, door handles, windscreen wiper boss. All of these have pitted in very short time. My latest was the headlight trims bought from one of the usual suppliers which is pitting to the point of needing replacement at around a year with only limited wet weather exposure.

 

On the positive side I have now a set of shiny stainless steel bumpers and a set of shiny stainless bullet mirrors. Both of these remain shiny with no attention over a few years and I am pleased.

 

So my suggestion is to ask whether the shop could consider sourcing stainless alternatives to a lot of the chrome trim bits ...

Tailgate chrome trims, headlight surrounds, door handles, petrol cap etc etc.

 

Anyone else support such a move ... And willing to spend hard earned pennies on such things?

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Herald headlamp cowlings in stainless… nice but heavy…. but as I mentioned in an earlier thread on the subject I’d love to see Herald overriders, particularly rear ones, in some kind of material that doesn’t rust from the moment they’re fitted. 

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I would certainly support this if the parts could be made in stainless steel at reasonable prices.

 

2 years ago I replaced just one Herald bonnet catch with a new one bought from one of the larger Triumph parts suppliers. The chrome on it is now in worse condition than the original one on the other side.

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Yes, that's exactly what I mean .... Original chrome bits look tired, but if you change for new, after a year or two are worse than the original bits. I've found that on many different chrome bits from different suppliers. Hence the question.

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I agree that a lot of the repro stuff out there is crap, and this is becoming a growing problem within our hobby.

 

The one item I would love to see reproduced in a more durable form would be Herald 1200 headlamp trims, particularly in "long peak" style, I have one long peak and one short on my car, the first is a NOS item sourced at an auto jumble in the 1980s and is perfect, while the second is a repro short peak item sourced at a show, which is now starting to pit, which annoys me every time I look at it.  :angry:

The long term solution is to have a pattern made (perhaps by modern scanning and resin-casting methods), have some cast in brass, and then properly chromed. I for one would be prepared to put some serious wedge up front for these, if someone with access to the facilities would do it, but I guess the economics of it, with so few decent 1200s around, would be prohibitive. I know Dave Pearson at Canley had some repro items made, but I think he lost out on the job and is not going there again.

 

Someone was going down the brass casting route and posted about it on the club Facebook page, and I contacted him but heard no more.  I might reach the point where I have a go myself, and have done a bit of preliminary research on pattern makers and brass founders. If anyone else is in the same boat, I would be interested to hear from them.

 

Regards

 

Steve C

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Hi Steve, I asked how much the longer peaks would cost, this was the response I got.

 

"Aaron this is an issue its all down to getting the mold made then these can be made in brass I would say before chroming £100 each then add on the chroming then £150 put this is down to the mold issue"  

 

there are some picture in of them on the triumph valuations page on facebook  https://www.facebook.com/triumphvaluations?fref=ts

 

I have taken some of the pictures off the valuation site so you can see.

 

 
Aaron

  

 

 

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