I did send Bob an off list reply about my experiences with some of the
major vendors, although maybe I shouldn't have done it off list. Nothing I
haven't said on list but I figure maybe more open opinions might be
garnered off list.
But on these steering rack boots, my experience perhaps demonstrates part
of the problem. When I bought my 71BGT back in the early 80s, it had split
steering rack boots. Back then, the only supplier I could find was a local
BMC (Jaguar) dealer, and the nearest "local" dealer was about 200 miles
away in Rapid City, SD. So I drove over there and found myself a good parts
supplier. Except the boots were an astronomical $40! I figured it must be
quality rubber for that price. And maybe it was - the boots are still on
the steering rack, in good condition, which is now installed on my 72B.
Two years ago, I had to replace the boots on my 67BGT. Now, the cost is a
lot less - I think I paid about $15. No doubt a cheaper material but they
are still holding up at this point. The point is - people want cheaper
parts. And cheaper parts begets cheaper quality. Just look at the Heritage
body parts versus the repros being sold by the vendors. I'll bet they sell
a lot more of the repros.
David
72 B
67 BGT
At 11:30 AM 5/5/2002 -0500, Bob D. wrote:
>I just did a little spring maintenance on my '71 B, and boy am I mad. First
>I discovered that the steering rack boots, that I replaced two years ago,
>had numerous splits. Of course the holes are on the bottom of the boots, so
>all the oil can drain away. I put a new set on, of course these are made of
>the same crappy rubber that failed on the first ones.
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