I responded to this thread earlier but apparently I was too long in
the word; so now for the shorter version.
You have to agree with Dan's word:
"The point is:
For the most part, YOU are the QC on ANY part you get!"
Basically when you buy a part; you're getting a part the falls into
one of these categories; NOS, new remanufactured, substitute new part or
used.
NOS are getting very scarce and pricy; some NOS parts need to be used as a
tooling master or at least an example of the original part.
New Remanufactured parts are just that; Rick and Curt are doing their best
to keep parts available. England has been stepping up its production of
these parts due to increased demand but profit margin will drive which parts
become available.
Substitute parts are functionally equivalent parts but may not look the same
as the original part; the point here is that they are available and probably
mass produced for other applications.
I gave Tiger Tom a rubber molding that was similar to the under the
bonnet part with the vendor information and he quickly entered it into his
catalog. SS lists that part as ET70; it maybe the same vendor or not but
the part is available. I also helped Tom with a couple other parts; I
brought some SS caliper pistons to SUNI I, but Tom did not warm up to them
until the stock piston supply started to dry up.
Used parts are used and maybe coming off a decommissioned Rootes product.
The origins of today's Sunbeam parts can be many including individuals
making a commitment to just make a part because they have the expertise to
do so. This is one reason why it is so important to record, document and
communicate any new part, it's part number and vendor, you happen to find
that will help us all keep our Sunbeams on the road.
Thanks and much gratitude to all the Sunbeam parts vendors, Rick, Tiger Tom,
Curt, Tom Hall, CAT Parts and many other who have worked long hard hours to
sustain our enjoyment of these British cars.
Ron Fraser
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