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Re: Part numbers and pricing, was: Re: MGA: Optional Headlamp Fla

To: "Dodd, Kelvin" <doddk@mossmotors.com>
Subject: Re: Part numbers and pricing, was: Re: MGA: Optional Headlamp Fla
From: xyzabcde@earthlink.net
Date: Mon, 23 Nov 1998 16:38:38 +0000
Kelvin Dodd said:

>         The competitive market it already at work.  There are hundreds
> of people employed trying to keep parts for our cars available.  Most of
> the time they get it right and we are able to enjoy better availability
> and pricing than on many modern car parts.  Sometimes someone makes a
> GLOF (grand leap of faith) and all hell breaks loose. (It looks right,
> it plugs in, how come the wipers now go backwards?)  The last success
> that I remember was finding that Austin America headlight switches could
> be made into 68-70 MGB headlight switches (the ones with the cute lamp
> design on it).  The original Lucas part had been superceded to the 73-76
> switch by Lucas years ago. (It works don't it).  So for a short while
> originality buffs could get the correct looking switch.  

Sorry, I confused the issue by responding to your original post with a different
idea.  I wasn't talking about finding different replacement parts that will
work, I was saying that there are multiple sources (marque specific) for the
_same_ part (i.e. same part number) that may have different prices.

The MG 1100 light and the MGA light that I used as an example are exactly the
same part with the same part number.  A better example is the Lucas voltage
regulator that went on almost all British cars of the 50's and 60's with
generators.  Mini Mania, a place in California that caters to the Mini but
doesn't carry MG parts carries exactly the same voltage regulator and it may be
cheaper than Moss's or vice versa.  

Those of us with less common cars, like the 1100, learn which other cars used
the same parts to make it easier to find them.  I can walk into Foreign Auto
Supply and ask for a starter or generator (brake pads, shoes, etc.) for a '67
Midget and get one, but ask for one for a '63 MG 1100 and not get one even
though it's exactly the same part!  Someone else mentioned door handles and
badges for a rare car that are the same as the ones on a more common car.

I just think that those of us who have this cross-referencing in our heads would
benefit other people by writing it down and comparing the prices for the same
parts from different sources.  We do that now with the different suppliers of MG
parts, including people on the list (a great benefit of this list!).  I just
think we could add sources other than MG part suppliers and increase our
availability and price options.  I wonder if the people at mgcars.org.uk would
be interested in this?--maybe the Magnette group?

>         By the by, I have a factory parts book for the 1100 if you
 > want
> I can send it to you to copy.

That's very generous (and trusting! ;-)).  I already have one but I can't use it
for price comparisons because it doesn't have prices.  But it does help me to
find what other cars used the same parts.

Notice that none of the MGA people have responded.  That's because they're all
out at junk yards stripping the front turn signals off of all the MG 1100's. :-)

Denise Thorpe
2 '63 MG 1100's
2 '67 MGB's 
and one spare of lots of parts because all four cars use the same part.

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