Re: Rubber Components

[Philip J Wardle <wardle@domain.elided>]

David Luke XL/EE wrote:

> Does anybody know where you can buy decent rubber components?

> (cut)

> Has anyone bought these (or any other Stag rubber bits) and found
> them to be good/bad?

Rubber components are widely accepted as being more problematic than almost
anything else, because it is hard to tell the likely wear characteristics
from a casual inspection prior to fitting. Whenever possible, try to get
confirmation from the suppliers as to whether they are sourced from the
original manufacturer, or whether they are reproduction parts. With
reference to any particular part where there is any doubt, it might be worth
a specific enquiry to either (a) this forum, or (b) one of the clubs
catering for the Stag, to see if anyone is able to provide this information
independently.

> I have also rebushed the entire front suspension with polyurethane.
> This turned out to be a great move. They sharpen the car up a treat,
> and look undamaged after nearly a year.

Everyone who tries them seems to agree on this, the polyurethane bushes seem
to work particularly well with the Stag set-up (also the similar Insbruck
cars). I'm putting them on my own car at the moment in the course of its
restoration. I'd be interested to hear from anyone who installed them
sufficiently long ago to have clocked up significant mileage too see if
there was any longer term wear, but I would expect anything significant.

> (cut)

> Rather than concentrating on things like inner wings and windscreen
> drip channels, SOCTFL would be better advised ensuring the quality
> of more rudimentary service parts.!!

SOCTFL has concentrated primarily on trying to ensure continuity of supply
of parts that are essential to keeping the cars on the road and this has
tended to mean body panels, especially ones concerned with the repair of
crash or corrosion damage that would otherwise force a car off the road due
to MOT failure. As part of our recent initiative to improve the quality of
these parts, we are now promoting a quality check scheme (the SOCTFL
"tick"), which is a symbol that is applied to parts that SOCTFL has
approved. Of course, we have no control over spares introduced to the market
by suppliers who chose not to work with us under this scheme.

So far, SOCTFL has not got involved with rubber components (with the
exception of cooling system hoses), but in the future we would like to
encourage suppliers of these and all other parts to offer them for approval
under the SOCTFL "tick" scheme. The idea would be that you, the consumer,
would then be able to have confidence in the parts you are buying, and the
supplier would benefit from increased sales.

I should clarify that SOCTFL does not manufacture or supply parts itself,
but it facilitates their manufacture (tooling, production engineering, etc)
by providing funds to reputable companies to cover the often substantial
investment required. SOCTFL operates within terms of reference laid down by
the Committee of the Stag Owners' Club and is funded by members
subscriptions.

It is, of course, operated by a group of part time volunteers, all with busy
full-time jobs, and there's a limit to the number of projects we can take on
at any one time. I'm afraid there we'll never be able to cover all the
components that go into a Stag, it's always going to be a matter of
priorities. However, we see the expansion of the SOCTFL "tick" scheme as one
way to leverage our influence with suppliers more effectively.

Hope this helps,

Phil Wardle,
Director,
SOCTFL