The 'E' Type Forum

I bought new Headlamp mouldings from SNG Barratt for both sides on my 69 -OTS to be refitted after the bonnet been repainted, today the firm which makes the renovation called me regarding the parts I bought.

They weren't satisfied with the quality of the parts so I visited them to see what was wrong and I was surprised of how bad 3 of the mouldings fitted.

On one part the chrome has fallen of (right one at pic.1) and it was the thinnest chrome surface I've seen. I've got it on my fingers and couldn't almost get rid of it.
Two parts which I suppose should be identical differs about 15 mm in length, could bee that one of them has like a knee in the middle and they are very twisted.

The firm now order the parts themselves from their usual supplier(do not know which one), so at least that problem is solved.

I do not want to miscredit SNG Barratt in any way since I haven't talked to them about it yet and it will probably be solved without problems but is this a common problem with some suppliers or have I had extremely bad luck with these parts? Maybe some suppliers to SNG doesn't always deliver what is expected.

Edit: I've been contacted by SNG Barratt regarding this so it will be investigated...

Hi Peter,

Unfortunately I have the identical experience with these mouldings for my SIII OTS (These parts are identical for SII and SIII). How did you solved this problem in satisfying manner?
Thanks and best regards
Holger

Re the chrome plate....the actual thickness is microns....very thin....however it should not peel off. Correct plating requires (for steel) I believe a nickel layer followed by a copper layer, then a second nickel layer and finally the chrome finish layer. Cheap plating misses out some or all the under layers. I can only speculate but I would suspect this may be the reason it flaked off...chrome does not bond well directly to steel. As to the profile....I had a similar issue with the chrome finishing strips that run round the rear window rubber of my FHC ....they are simply wrong...

If you have a problem with parts not fitting or quality then you need to contact the supplier.....I know that SNG really want to know of any issues you may have with parts supplied by them...Steve

If it’s any consolation, it’s not just Barratts.
I’ve had problems with poor quality chrome from other suppliers.
I understand suppliers like Julian’s dilemma however when predominantly purchases are based on price.
I’ve just had two brand new door handles re chromed at Howells and the finish is all together far superior and you can notice a perceptible difference in the “depth “ of the chrome. The downside is that this adds about£100 to the cost of the handles.
One for Julian on a constructive note, I wonder if there is a market for items like the headlight trims and other bits in their raw un chromed state so that way you can bend , shape and tweak them to fit properly and then send them off for chroming?

Simon