V
USING THE CATALOGUE
In addition to the fact that the various factory part numbers do not fit into one simple and
compact part number format, providing original factory part numbers in our catalogues requires
a method for dealing with supersessions. A supersession occurs when a parts supplier
decides to change the part number of a given component. Supersessions can occur for a
number of reasons: The specifications of a part may be upgraded. A new component, a water
pump for example, may be designed to fit several models instead of having several different
pumps. This process is called rationalization, and it is a way of reducing inventory by
manufacturers and distributors, but rationalized components often differ in appearance from the
original components, something that does not always appeal to classic car enthusiasts.
Sometimes, a misguided manufacturer decides to implement an `'easier-to-use'' part numbering
system, as Lucas did a few years back, creating a real nightmare for those who are using the
old system. Keeping up with supersessions is a big job in itself. British Leyland (now Rover
Group) supersessions, are printed in a number of large volumes which cost hundreds of dollars
to purchase. Listing supersessions in a way that customers can find listings for the parts they
need is an even bigger job. TRF is the only parts company in the world which provides a
significant body of British part numbers with built-in supersessions. Even price lists from Rover
Group include only a few months worth of supersessions.
TRF handles part number supersessions very simply and elegantly through the computer
program that we have written to produce our price list. To show you how this works, let us take
an example from our current price list. One of the bulbs in a TR6 tail lamp has the Triumph
part number
. This part number is no longer available from Triumph, now a part of
Rover Group, and TRF supplies this bulb under the Lucas part number which used to be
LU382
. However, Lucas changed the part number a couple of years back to
LULLB382
. Here
is how we handle the problem of listing these parts: If you look up
502379
in our price list, you
will find the description
LULLB382 SUPPLIED
along with the current price of
LULLB382
. If
you look for
LU382
in the price list, you will again find the description
LULLB382 SUPPLIED
and the current price of
LULLB382
. If you look up
LULLB382
, the latest part number, you will
find the description
CON BULB, LUCAS, SINGLE FILAMENT
. You may order the bulb under
any of the part numbers in the supersession chain, and you will receive
LULLB382
. You will
also find the price for the part by looking in the price list for any part number in the
supersession chain. This system allows us a simple and easy-to-use method for including a
complicated chain of part numbers in our price list. This is my definition of the word elegant!
We at TRF find that we must keep a close eye on manufacturers since we supply
components to customers who often care as much about how the parts look as they care about
how they function. Sometimes a new component will function perfectly, but it looks vastly
different.
Sometimes we can solve this problem, and sometimes we can't. When Unipart rationalized the
Triumph plain washers to only a few sizes which allowed the same washers to be used for all
metric and Imperial bolt sizes, we arranged to produce all of the correct Triumph washer sizes.
But, when Lucas superseded some of its black metal horns to red plastic ones, there was little
we could do, as we have not yet developed the technology for producing new horns. On
the other hand, when Rover Group superseded the TR6 gearshift lever to a large plastic item
which did not remotely resemble the leather-covered original, we were able to find a
manufacturer which could duplicate the original knob perfectly. Sometimes, a manufacturer
supersedes a part to another part which will not work for the original application, and we
always try to sort these out before they get into customers' hands. Regarding part number
supersessions and the TR6, The Roadster Factory is owned and run by Triumph TR6
enthusiasts ( In fact, individuals on the staff had five frame-up restorations going on over the
past year!), and we attempt at all times, to provide you with the best available parts to keep
your TR6 running well and looking as original as possible. A basic rule is that if I wouldn't want
to use it on my own car, I wouldn't want to sell it to you.
To get back to the main point of this section, TRF has devised a part numbering system
which can include any Triumph or MG part number along with the part numbers of any original
equipment suppliers. The system also includes an easy-to-use method for dealing with the
part number supersessions. The result is a vast and growing historical reference which should
be useful to anyone who is attempting a high quality car restoration, and it will also function as
a useful reference to concours judges, catalogue writers at competing companies, and
automotive historians who study British cars as an academic discipline. If it performs these
duties well, then we are very glad to have been able to put it all together.
THE COVER DESIGN
The design of the cover of this catalogue is by John Hastings who joined TRF's
Publications Department this summer, and we look for a lot of good work from him as time
goes on. This catalogue cover was actually one of his first assignments in his new position.
TRF's catalogue covers tend to be graphic designs rather than photographs as found on
covers of catalogues from many British parts companies. This is purely a matter of taste, and
TRF has considerable graphic talent available to us, so that is the route we usually take. In
addition, Triumph factory publications all tended to use graphic cover designs, and it is our
desire to maintain the factory's image.
The design of this cover is inspired by the designs of covers used on the TR6 Owner's
Handbooks which were provided in the gloveboxes of all cars delivered to North America. The
covers of the North American editions of the handbook were blue up to 1972 and purple from
1973 up to 1976. TRF has used both of these designs for catalogue covers over the past five
or six years, but the cover for this catalogue attempts to provide a recognizable connection to
the design used on the cover of the early TR6 owner's handbook rather than a slavish
imitation, and we believe that we have been quite successful in this attempt.
We varied the blue colour slightly from that used on the cover of the the early handbook so
that it would be strong enough for use inside the catalogue to call attention to the illustration
plate numbers while providing a matching inside and outside colour scheme. When the
second volume of the catalogue is published, it will almost certainly use a similar cover design
in the purple colour used on the later TR6 handbooks.
ABBREVIATIONS USED IN THE CATALOGUE
Certain terms and abbreviations may need explaining to users of this catalogue.
Term or Abbreviation
Definition
A/R
Means
as required;
used in the
No. Off
column when the
number required is variable (e.g. adjustment shims).
Comm. No.
Refers to the commission number of the car, which is usually
found on your state auto registration and on a plate
attached to the L.H. front wheelarch under the bonnet
(hood) or on the L.H. door post on later cars.
L.H.
Refers to the left-hand side of the car as you sit in the car.
L.H.S.
Refers to car models with steering on the left-hand side of the
car as in the U.S.
No. Off
A British engineering term referring to the quantity required for
the application in question. We use the term as a column
heading in this catalogue.
NSS
Means
Not Supplied Separately;
refers to items listed in the
catalogue which are available only as a part of a larger
assembly. In cases where this is applicable, we list
NSS
in
the
No. Off
column of this catalogue.
P.I.
Refers to cars with Petrol Injection (Fuel Injection).
R.H.
Refers to the right-hand side of the car as you sit in the car.
R.H.S.
Refers to car models with steering on the right-hand side of the
car as in many European applications.
HERITAGE APPROVED
he Roadster Factory is a
British Motor Heritage Approved Supplier and Distributor
of
components for Triumph and MGB sports cars. British Motor Heritage is a subsidiary of
The Rover Group, which you may know as British Leyland.
British Motor Heritage
was
originated in 1975 to preserve the Heritage of the British Motor Industry. To this end, it
maintains the largest museum collection of British cars in the world at Syon Park, London, and
it maintains a large archive of engineering drawings and specifications and photographs at
Studley Castle in Warwickshire. There is also a museum of British commercial vehicles at
South Ribble in Lancashire.
y the late 1970's
Heritage
, as it has come to be known, was beginning to approve
suppliers on a worldwide basis to help individual enthusiasts with the maintenance and
restoration of British cars. The Roadster Factory was founded in 1978, and we were
approved by
Heritage
as a supplier of Triumph sports car components in August of 1981. The
main support that was given to us, at that time, by
Heritage
was permission to use factory
logos and excerpts from factory manuals and catalogues, access to the Triumph factory
engineering drawings of components, and permission to reproduce any components which had
become unavailable from British Leyland (now Rover Group).
y the mid-1980's, it became quite clear that Rover Group, with most of its energies and
efforts aimed at production of viable products for the new car markets, would not be able
to maintain a full supply of components for even the latest Triumphs, MG's, Austin-
Healeys, and other marques in which there is considerable enthusiast interest on a worldwide
basis. Therefore,
British Motor Heritage
began to concern itself, more and more, with the
production of components which would meet OEM specifications and which would be marketed
under the
Heritage
name. To aid in this enterprise, Rover Group is generally committed to
allowing
Heritage
the use of any existing factory tooling for the manufacture of new parts after
they have officially discontinued offering the respective components. To date, The Roadster
Factory has received hundreds of new components that were produced by this method on
original factory tooling or on new tooling that has been produced by
British Motor Heritage
to
produce components of OEM specification.
n the early 1980's when production of Triumph and MG models ceased, the U.S. dealer
structure for these marques began to fall into disarray. Some dealers continued their
interest in the old marques and did an excellent job of aiding local enthusiasts in their
maintenance and restoration. But, most turned their attention to other makes and models of
new cars. This led immediately to the great success of a few enthusiast-oriented companies
like The Roadster Factory. There were literally hundreds of thousands of cars on the road in
the U.S., and the enthusiasts who owned them needed the parts required to keep them there.
Over the past several years, therefore, Rover Group decided that the best way to market
components in the U.S. for the
Heritage Models
was through the
Heritage Approved
Suppliers
rather than through their old dealer system. In recent years, therefore, The
Roadster Factory and several of the other suppliers were awarded distributor contracts by
Rover Group and Unipart.
he Roadster Factory and the other
Heritage Approved Suppliers
in the U.S. are now
the direct link between the enthusiasts here and the MG and Triumph factories in
England. Purchasing your parts from
Heritage Approved Suppliers
will insure that the
parts you put onto your car are made to the correct specification for the best possible fit,
function, and appearance. Purchasing through the system will also insure that money is
available for new projects such as the MGB body shell and many TR6 body panels, which have
become available over the past year or so. As long as the interest in the cars remains strong
and the demand for components is good, nearly any component can be made available.
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