Great service & rubbish products

[tim wood]

We’re pretty good on this forum moaning about poor quality goods so I thought I would recount any experience I’ve just had.

A few years ago I purchased a long manifold system from Classic Fabs. It fitted beautifully and is a work of art. During some routine checking recently I noticed that one of the down pipes was touching the torsion bar. With a lengthy email exchange with Rhona at Classic Fabs she provided full details of how this may have occurred, what the issue could be and how it could be fixed. They even provided photographs of my manifold on a test rig to show that it was made to specifications. This is all well outside any warranty period and shows how customer service should be.
The problem, as could be expected, was with the engine mounts. These are less than 2 years old, haven’t done much work but we’re clearly distorting under engine weight. Interestingly when removed they didn’t look in too bad a shape. Maybe the wrong hardness of rubber.
Once these were replaced the job was sorted..

So as I say examples of excellent back up from Classic Fabs but poor quality from nameless others.

Rant over

Tim

[rfs1957]

A timely topic, as it happens, thank you Tim.

Mine went quickly out of shape over a 2 year period circa 2017, bought from THE usual, and so I’m about to need another pair - not because they’re breaking up but just because, as you say, lots of other stuff goes out of alignment when they go seriously out of shape.

So, what is the received wisdom about where to buy decent replacements today ?

[dlgis]

That’s a coincidence, we recently had to adjust the concentric cam on a rob beere reaction plate to stop one of the downpipes touching and I’ve long suspected my engine mounts aren’t in the best shape.

How difficult a job is it to replace the engine mounts ?

[cactusman]

It can be done but isn't easy. You will need to Jack the engine up a little. One side at a time. DO NOT JACK ON THE SUMP! Block of wood right up to the engine block. You only need to lift an inch of two. If you buy new mounts from the "usual" supplier be aware that the bolt on the top of the new one is metric...yes...metric...so your old unf bolt won't fit...at least this was the case with mine...!!!!
And while we are on the subject of inferior new bits...yet another sovy reservoir bottle split on the weld seam...why in the world is it not possible to blow mold a bottle whole...it can be done for pop bottles that withstand high pressure for probably a few pence each yet the repro parts idiots still can't make a safety critical brake part without an obvious seam weld holding the two halves together...or not! Come on the usual suppliers...make a Sovy bottle in one piece with no seam....then I won't need to buy a replacement every couple of years...or is that the plan I wonder....rant over.

[mgcjag]

Hi Julian....as discussed befor the bottles supplied by SNGB are blow moulded....not made in two half's and joined together....Steve viewtopic.php?f=4&t=14329&p=117009&hili ... ld#p117009

[rswaffie]

Hi Julian,
Did your bottle split where the spigot for the hose is by any chance?

[Allrand]

That's where my clutch bottle split, made a complete mess of my paint work below the bottles, data plate, kick panel & reservac area. Required substantial stripping to do paint correction. I note that the clutch bottle spigot has no metal insert, as the brake bottles do.

[dlgis]

I had a number of the round type bottles split or leak at the spigot, and having already resprayed the area after the first leak, and I now need to do it again

So my solution, albeit not a cheap one, was to buy 3 aluminium bottles. The clutch one has been in for 2 months with no problems, and the 2x brake for two weeks with about 160 miles done so far with no problem.

https://claytonclassics.co.uk/parts-upg ... eservoirs/

[cactusman]

Darryl that's what I need!!! I shall ditch the cheap nasty plastic asap!!!

[rswaffie]

I went through a few sets of the plastics ones, they either leaked at the spigot and/or from the top as the caps didn’t seat properly (unless you replaced the seals with much thicker items). The final versions I fitted came with the hoses pre-attached, but even those still leaked if the slightest pressure was put on the spigot. Paintwork ruined in the areas mentioned in the other posts above🤬🤬
I realigned all the pipe work connected to the hoses to try and reduce any pressure on the spigots which seemed to help, but had I kept the car, I was looking around for alloy items like those in the link. If only they’d been available when I looked a couple of years ago, it would have saved a whole heap of grief.

[dlgis]

Happy bottles

[cactusman]

I've messaged Clayton Classics I'm guessing £££ but they look beautiful...

[cactusman]

Interesting to note that the plastic one supplied by SNG actually mentions the strengthened insert in the spigott tube to "prevent splitting". Julian Barratt.if you read this...it.doesnt! I've had 3+ let go in the past ten years and all split either On the sharp radius curve where the spigot becomes the base, or along the base itself...not where the strengthener insert is...the best way to reduce the chance of splitting is to remove the obvious seem strongly suggesting the bottle is molded in two halfs...pop bottles are made by the million daily and have no seam and dont split....surely it's possible to make a better bottle than the ones currently available...

[mgcjag]

Julian ..did you not see my previous post...the bottles are blow moulded....not in two halves and joined....suggest you contact SNGB directly rather than rely on them seeing your post....Steve

[cactusman]

Didn't see the previous post Steve...but whether or not they are blow molded in one piece there is an obvious seam on all the ones I've bought, and not just SNG. It's the seam where they split. Suggests the seam is the weak point and indicates a poor mold at best...and it's not just me with bottles that split....I'll drop SNGB a mail...but if the machined ally ones are not ludicrously expensive I'll give em a try...