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MG TD TF 1500 - Chrome part quality

I recently checked out the chrome quality of door handles, door locks and doorlockcovers overhere in the Netherlands and I am not really happy about what I saw. For me, chrome parts must be very nice, beautiful actually: equally chromed, sufficiently covering chromelayer, no pickels and no scratches from the background, nicely covered around edges.
Any recent experiences with such chrome parts from Moss in USA? Would appreciate your comments. Greetings, Huib
Huib Bruijstens

Huib I had a problem with the chroming on the steering column clamp that is just below the steering wheel. The chrome peeled off the copper in one piece. I have since stopped buying parts from Moss that are chromed or I immediately send them out to be rechromed if there is no other way to get the part.
Cheers,
Bob
R. K. (Bob) Jeffers

I have bbeen reporting on the restoration of my 1954 TF and British Marque News has been carrying it. The chrome quality varies by part. Some Moss such as the inside mirror or the license plate lamp are very good and priced right. Also the newer running board strips from China thru Moss are good - not so the earlier UK made ones I am sad to say.

I advise replating good original parts. I ended up replating most of mine even thougfh it cost twice as much - just to get excellent quality. However I am doing a top rate job, and if you are just wanting to do a nice update on a driver, Moss quality may be good enough for the purpose and can be a good price.

Keith in NJ USA
Keith Murphy

Thanks Bob and Keith. Since my current doorlock covers and doorlockhandles are pretty damaged, re-chroming is no option. But before ordering at Moss USA, I really would appreciate some more comments from this BBS members. Suppose some more of you ever bought such parts from Moss USA. Looking forward and greetings, Huib
Huib Bruijstens

I helped a friend install door handles and lock covers from Moss USA a couple of years ago and they were fairly nice for reproductions. They did not look like a triple plated, high quality chrome plating job on a Rolls, but neither did the originals. The re-pros did have the same detail in the handles as the originals and were the same curvature and size. Compared to the pitted and peeling originals he took off, they looked great.

He also had purchased a fender mirror but the plating was flat and dull- did not appear to be real chrome.
The current reproduction bumpers are not very good either

On my restoration I had one set of original door handles re-plated, only not to be able to use them. The chrome plater buffed the detail away, and they looked almost completely smooth and wavy. He made good the cost of the plating, but I had to find another set of original handles. These were returned much better, and the chrome was excellent. I still perceived some rounding of the grooves in the handle -either from the buffing process or the thickness of the chrome filled them somewhat. No one else seemed to see what I was talking about- so I didn't send those back and used them- probably my imagination or I was trying to gild the lily.

As an aside, you probably are aware that the reproduction door handles, locks and lock covers are not interchangeable with original parts. You will have to use the complete set of either for fit. The door handle shafts are different sizes from original to re-pro, as well as the lock shaft bores; and the covers don't interchange.

FWIW
Dallas

D C Congleton

Thank you Dallas for your comments. I feel after reading all the comments that just ordering the doorlock setr unseen from oversees is not a good thing to do. Greetings, Huib
Huib Bruijstens

This thread was discussed between 25/11/2007 and 04/12/2007

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