IV
USING THE CATALOGUE
ARRANGEMENT OF THE CATALOGUE
The sections of this catalogue are arranged in a classified order similar to that of most
other catalogues produced by The Roadster Factory and to that of most catalogues that were
produced by Triumph. There is also A Classified Table of Contents, but most regular users will
become accustomed to the catalogue arrangement, and reference to the Table of Contents will
become infrequent.
Nearly all parts, including most hardware, are illustrated in this catalogue, and the best way
to find what you want is to find the Plate which illustrates it. Once you find the illustration of
the item that you desire, simply use the number on the illustration, or Plate Number as we
would call it, to find the part number, written description, and quantity required (No. Off). Be
sure to read descriptions carefully, including those of any alternate items and associated parts,
before you select the item required.
Within sections, descriptions of items are listed in a format of indentation which clearly
indicates what parts are included in assemblies or kits. We have tried very hard to insure
accuracy here, but in some cases, usually when parts were not available for us to examine, we
could not be absolutely sure. If we could not be sure if an item was included in an assembly,
we usually did not indent the description. We hope that you like the page format and that you
will find it easy to use.
A philosophical question of sorts arose during the development of this catalogue format as
to what No. Off to list for an item which was a part of an assembly or kit if more than one
assembly or kit is required for the car. Should we list the number in the kit or the number
required for the application? We decided that No. Off means the number required for the
application rather than the number in the kit. Thus, if fourteen plain washers were included in a
fender mounting kit, and it takes two fender mounting kits for a car, the No. Off for the kit is
two, and the No. Off for the washer is twenty-eight. Another example, which may make more
clear that we have chosen the correct solution to this problem would be a front hub. Two front
hubs are required for a car, and each includes four wheel studs. The description of the wheel
stud is indented under the description of the front hub in the catalogue because the wheel stud
is included in the hub assembly. The No. Off for the hub is two. Should we list four or eight as
the No. Off for the stud? I think that everyone will agree that eight is the number to list,
because that is the number required for the application, and it would be doing the customer
who is looking to buy wheel studs a disservice only to list the number required for each hub
rather than the number required for the car.
PARTS AVAILABILITY, PRICING,
AND ORDERING
As mentioned in the Introductory Note above, this catalogue is meant to be a complete and
permanent reference for the TR6 model, and many parts are listed which have been
discontinued by the Triumph factory (now a part of Rover Group) and other sources. To
discover whether or not a part listed in this catalogue is available, simply refer to the current
edition of our Triumph Components Price List. We send the Price List out periodically, usually
annually, to customers on our current mailing list. Information regarding ordering and Order
Forms are also included in the Price List. Orders are accepted by mail, by telephone, or by
telefax, or you may call at our Western Pennsylvania location in person. Current hours and all
other information is included in the Price List. If you have lost your Price List, or if the
catalogue has come into your hands without a Price List, please telephone for a free
replacement.
You may help us to decide which unavailable TR6 components are in sufficient demand to
warrant remanufacturing by filling out one of our New Part Survey Forms found in the back of
your copy of the Price List. If you send us a form, we will consider reinstating the part along
with requests from hundreds of other enthusiasts, and we will notify you when and if the part
comes back into stock. As hundreds of new components become available every year, the
chances of our making a part that you want are very good, especially if other enthusiasts are
also looking for the same item.
COMPANY POLICIES
A full discussion of company policies regarding ordering, shipping, methods of payment,
back orders, merchandise returns, is available at this link, .
PART NUMBERS USED
IN THIS PUBLICATION
It may occur to users that the part numbering system used in this catalogue is rather
cumbersome and hard to use, even that competitors have part numbers that are much easier
to work with. Certainly, it is true that numbers which consist of two or three digits, then a dash,
and then two or three more digits are easier to work with than an eight-digit Lucas or Girling
part number preceded by an alphabetical prefix. Easier for customers, easier for salespeople,
and much easier for data entry people at computer terminals. As a former library cataloguer at
the university level with years of experience in using both the Dewey Decimal and Library of
Congress classification systems, I myself am probably the best qualified person in the British
parts business to devise an easy-to-use numbering system for Triumph and MG car parts.
Why then does The Roadster Factory persist in using a cumbersome system of original factory
part numbers?
The answer to the question posed at the end of the previous paragraph is given in the
question itself: We use original factory part numbers for British car parts at The Roadster
Factory because they are original factory part numbers, and we believe that the original factory
part numbers have value to our customers. We have great reverence for the way things were
done at the Triumph factory in Canley, Coventry and the MG factory at Abingdon-on-Thames
over the years of their existence, and we know that enthusiasts and specialty garages and
parts shops all over the world do their part number research in original publications from
Triumph, MG, Girling, Lucas, Armstrong, Lockheed, and other such companies which supplied
the parts used to construct the TR6 and other British car models. That is why we used factory
part numbers in this catalogue and that is why you can find prices or references for over
twenty-thousand Triumph, MG, Girling, Lucas, Armstrong, and Lockheed part numbers in the
current edition of The Roadster Factory Price List. If you have original factory publications, you
can actually use them along with our price list without even referring to TRF catalogues in
many cases. Try that with the home-made part numbers used by any other British parts
supplier.
Even though we have designed this catalogue to be the only parts reference you will ever
need for your Triumph TR6, we have used Triumph part numbers whenever possible. Even
though we believe that this catalogue will be very easy to use, it is, more than anything else a
research publication. We have tracked down a great deal of information, and we have
published it for the use of our fellow enthusiasts. If you are using an original Triumph factory
spare parts catalogue or a reprint and some questions come up, our catalogue will often
answer it for you. You will find that the part numbers listed in this catalogue match the ones
listed in the factory publications nearly every time. However, we have, in some cases used
Lucas, Girling, Lockheed, or Armstrong part numbers instead of the Triumph part numbers for
the same components. In these cases (The Lucas fuel injection components are an example
in this volume), the original-equipment manufacturer's part numbers were more accurate, more
complete, or more specific than those listed in the Triumph factory catalogues. The Triumph
factory catalogues are generally marvelous, but there are some cases where sections slip into
obscurity and ambiguity. Truly, no stone was left unturned to provide complete and accurate
listings for this volume, and I would especially like to thank Ron Unsworth at the British Motor
Heritage archive at Studley Castle in Warwickshire for his help in finding answers to many
questions that could not have been answered without information that he provided.
To understand statements made above it is important to realize that most British car
companies, including Triumph, did not manufacture many of the components used to assemble
the cars. Instead, the parts were sourced from suppliers of specialty components such as
Lucas for electricals, Girling and Lockheed for brakes and hydraulics, Armstrong for shock
absorbers, Borg and Beck and Laycock for clutches, Vandervell for engine bearings, AC for fuel
pumps and filters, and dozens of others. In some cases, spare parts were sold to the public by
both Triumph and the supplier which made the parts for Triumph. These suppliers to Triumph
are usually called original equipment manufacturers or OEM suppliers. Because Triumph had
its own part numbering system, therefore, and because the OEM suppliers each had their own
part numbering systems in addition, many components have two part numbers, a Triumph part
number and an OEM supplier's part number. This process is further complicated when the
same OEM supplier's part number happens to fit a Triumph, and MG, and a Jaguar. You then
get MG and Jaguar part numbers in addition! One of the best uses for my background as a
librarian at The Roadster Factory has been to devise a part numbering system which can
include all of the Triumph and MG factory part numbers plus any OEM supplier's part numbers
that we wish to use. In fact, our part numbering system will handle any part numbers that we
wish to add to it. If you are not bored by this subject, you can find more discussion in the
introduction to the price list which should always accompany this catalogue.VIII
