RE: Stag MkII air cleaner gaiter problems

["Bret Cravens" <bcravens@domain.elided>]

         Reply to:   RE: Stag MkII air cleaner gaiter problems
Tim - My gaiter is in OK shape, but I believe it may actually be the original.  I'm just piggy-backing on your post and its potential responses to comment that I ordered every piece of rubber that I could from SNG Barratt a couple of years ago, as well as a few bits from Stag Specialists in Arizona (USA).  My car leaves its garage only for a month or so a year.  And yet, most of my rubber has gone bad.  When I received the parts back when, I was surprised to find that the replacement seals were of a foamier substance than original rubber.  Most of the seals, which I spent hundreds of dollars on, are now cracked and tear easily.  Very disappointing.  Also, I ordered a pair of replacment rear tail lamp lenses from Barratt's because my old ones were cracked/crazed and yellowed.  Again, my car is inside most of time, and my "new" lenses now look worse than the originals ever did.

Is this indicative of the state of quality in repro parts?  FWIW, I live in central USA (Kansas).  I don't believe our climate here is one to rot garaged cars.

Tim Buja wrote:
>I purchased a new gaiter from Rimmer Bros. last year to replace the old
>gaiter that had split and cracked in several places.  This is the
>rectangular rubber piece (p/n 156028 on page 05-06 of the Stag repair
>parts manual, rev D April 78) that connects the upper section of the
>air cleaner to the intake duct that draws air from in front of the
>radiator.  After only 6500 miles, I've found that the new gaiter has
>already split on the corrugations.  On two occasions since my engine
>rebuild, I've found the gaiter turned inside out and sucked inside the
>rectangular duct that holds the intake air temperature control flap
>valve.
>
>Has anyone experienced similar problems with this rubber gaiter or have
>another source for this part?  I didn't really expect the new part to
>fail after only one season...
>
>Tim Buja - Rockford, Illinois, USA - 80 TR8, 73 Stag, 72 TR6
>