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'68 BSA Victor Build..... Bloody 'ell mate... You 'effin daft or sommat?!?

46th Georgia said:
Have you ever used a Chinesium front fender for a 65 Mustang? I had probably 16 hours cutting, welding beating etc. in it and that was BEFORE filler. 'Effin junk. I'd rather repair rusty beat up O.E. stuff any day.
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Last F-150 I had got the front crunched by the son. Took the insurance money and bought repop fenders, hood, grill and bumper. By the time I was done cuttin', beating and welding, I swore I'd never buy ropops again. Guess that lesson didn't take huh? :rolleyes:
 
Running an Indian-made Enfield, I see a lot of adverts from India. A fact some suppliers like to make, uhm, less obvious. On ebay, they'll put a Union Jack (our equivalent of Old Glory) and sometimes it even says 'UK supplier' but look at the sellers address and it's Delhi or elsewhere in India. I've bought a few bits'n'pieces from India but it always feels like taking a punt.

Bought an alloy inner chain-case . . . completely fine, good alloy, fits perfect. Bought a saddle and it's . . . fair enough, slightly squint, signs of rust. Bought a Smith's chronometric speedo replica . . . it was very cheap, the needle is under-damped and waves about but it still works and looks lovely.

So overall I've been fairly lucky but you kinda have to think about what the part is and how much you can afford to lose, I guess.

With the Enfield, your choice often comes down to a cheap part from India or spend more and buy from Hitchcocks. I think for the BSA you might have a few UK options like Draganfly, Burton Bike Bits, etc?
 
Yes, I have always avoided buying Indian aftermarket stuff. From what I have seen it ranges from "OK" to "absolutely abysmal". It seems a complete lottery what you end up with quality wise. Snag is the cost of returning anything to India is prohibitive and presumably you pay UK duty and VAT on the transaction anyway.
 
Well, they're nothing if not predictable...

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Raymond said:
I think for the BSA you might have a few UK options like Draganfly, Burton Bike Bits, etc?
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You would think so, Raymond, wouldn't you? I've checked all of my sources for the last 2yrs... Feked, Draganfly et al. A few, such as Draganfly list 'em, but they've never actually been in stock.... never mind the cost.
I think "long term out of stock" is a polite British way of saying... "sorry dude, you're screwed." :wink2:

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No doubt that all consumers are annoyed and offended by sub-standard or otherwise unacceptable products are sold online. I have had occasion to voice complaints with eBay sellers, Amazon, as well as run-of-the-mill online vendors. I have had eBay sellers refund the full purchase price without asking for the product to be returned, Amazon diligently responded to negative feedback and provided full credit without asking for a return, normal sellers not so much. Sticks in your craw when you get shafted, don't it?!
 
Sometimes you win though. Quick story...

Bought a Chinese motor for my compressor on Ebay. It was free shipping from a warehouse somewhere here in the US... don't recall the exact location.
Motor didn't work. You turn it on and all it did was give a loud hum for about 10 seconds and the it would pop the thermal protection switch. Contacted them to get it returned for a refund. They sent me a shipping address in China. Fuck that. 5hp motor weighed about 30lbs or so. Shipping would be more than the 150 bucks I paid for the motor.
Filed a complaint with Ebay. Ebay gives the seller 2 wks to resolve before they rule (that was prolly 4yrs ago? Might have changed since). Twice a day they (Chinese seller) would email me with offers to just junk the motor and accept partial refund. Their first offer was 10% of the price I paid... fuck that. At the end of the 2wk period their offer was all the way up to 50% and getting increasingly nasty.... nope.
On the very last day (to resolve), at midnight, they refunded me the full price... to avoid Ebay ruling against 'em. Yes, I win.

Was carrying the motor up to the trash bin when I heard a distinctive "tink" sound from the motor. I though to myself "that's a familiar sound." Took it back down, reinstalled on the compressor and it ran... actually ran just fine. Shut it off and restarted... and nothing. Back to original problem.

Took the motor apart and, just as I suspected, the centrifugal switch was stuck in the run position... didn't return to "start" as it's supposed to. Found a burr on the shaft it slides on. Filed that off and it's still on the compressor running it little heart out today as we speak.... 4yrs and counting.

So I got a free motor... all because they wanted to be dicks about it. I didn't feel bad in the least keeping the money. Fuck 'em.
 
Jim said:
Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but a nickel solution is for "high dollar" chrome where they first copper, then nickel and finally chrome plate.

On cheap chrome they skip the nickel bath. That right? 'Cause this ain't high dollar chrome.
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My understanding is that the copper give it a base to sand out flaws. The nickel gives it color and the chrome gives it reflectivity and hardness, I may be wrong, but I think cheap "flash plating" skips the copper.
 
Jim said:
Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but a nickel solution is for "high dollar" chrome where they first copper, then nickel and finally chrome plate.

On cheap chrome they skip the nickel bath. That right? 'Cause this ain't high dollar chrome.
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Without being an expert on the matter, I believe that's right. I would not necessarily presume that the nickel plate is not part of the process used by the Indian platers, regardless of the overall quality. Is the "nickel water" rust stain removable with polish or fine steel wool?
 
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