Substandard counterfeit-copy parts?

[paddy]

If you look at the castings of old Girling master and slave cylinders, by that I mean ones at least 20 years old, you will see that the name GIRLING is well defined. Also look at the cast in part no on the slave, same well defined no. Then compare them to the equivalent modern parts available today. The numbers are all blurred and indistinct and look as though they have been knocked up in a shed. They are obviously castings taken from a casting, and crap at that. And thats why they dont work as they should.

If anyone has any old vs new photos for comparison it would be really useful.

I'm comparing my new brake m/c with original clutch m/c: the writing on the newer one is definitely less distinct but there's not a lot of difference. Also the surface is smoother on the older one. Is this a case of the genuine moulds simply deteriorating over time, or differences between batches, or is it a real fake (so to speak)?

Paddy

[fatboyoz]

Is it possible to have the original master and slave cylinders sleeved with stainless steel? If so, they should last for many years.
Colin.

If you look at the castings of old Girling master and slave cylinders, by that I mean ones at least 20 years old, you will see that the name GIRLING is well defined. Also look at the cast in part no on the slave, same well defined no. Then compare them to the equivalent modern parts available today. The numbers are all blurred and indistinct and look as though they have been knocked up in a shed. They are obviously castings taken from a casting, and crap at that. And thats why they dont work as they should.

If anyone has any old vs new photos for comparison it would be really useful.

I'm comparing my new brake m/c with original clutch m/c: the writing on the newer one is definitely less distinct but there's not a lot of difference. Also the surface is smoother on the older one. Is this a case of the genuine moulds simply deteriorating over time, or differences between batches, or is it a real fake (so to speak)?

Paddy

[512BB]

Fatboy,

It is possible to have the cylinders slieved with stainless. A company in the UK specialises in carrying out such a service, called Past Parts, in Suffolk. If anyone wants the details, I shall dig them out.

Paddy,

I shall look out an old stock Girling item compared to a more modern item and see if I can photo the difference for you. May take me a couple of days though. Stand by Robbie to post pics for me please.

Leslie

[paddy]

I shall look out an old stock Girling item compared to a more modern item and see if I can photo the difference for you. May take me a couple of days though. Stand by Robbie to post pics for me please.

That's great, no hurry.

Thanks - Paddy

[worzel]

Hi

In the case of hydraulics why not get the cylinders resleeved with stainless inserts- there seem to be quite a few firms offering this service.

John

[fatboyoz]

John,
That's a good idea, why didn't I think of that?
Colin.

Hi

In the case of hydraulics why not get the cylinders resleeved with stainless inserts- there seem to be quite a few firms offering this service.

John

[summerinmaine]

Is it possible to have the original master and slave cylinders sleeved with stainless steel? If so, they should last for many years.
Colin.

SOP for dealing with sketchy Amal carbs from our old BritIron. Works great.

[Uboat]

Hi,
I agree with the opinion that refurbished parts are better than newly manufactured. I had my Girling master break cylinder refurbished with a new sleeve, and when I got it back from the UK it was better than new, for 125 pounds. The guys that did the job also rejected the repair kit which I bought from PM, as not original and too low quality. (Classic Car Automotive in Cheshire did the job)
/Ulf

[bcmc33]

It is possible to have the cylinders slieved with stainless. A company in the UK specialises in carrying out such a service, called Past Parts, in Suffolk. If anyone wants the details, I shall dig them out.

I did consider going down this route but had no response from Past Parts and could not wait so ordered from Burton as the 'best option'.

I shall look out an old stock Girling item compared to a more modern item and see if I can photo the difference for you. May take me a couple of days though. Stand by Robbie to post pics for me please.

Below is a picture of the old and new master cylinders. The genearal surface finish of the new part is not as good as the old part. The markings on the new part is not the same size or as distinct as that on the old part - something I find quite strange as the producer of the new part has clearly made no attempt to copy the markings from the old part.

[john.p.clegg]

..and while talking about repro rubbish girling parts,I thought my master cylinder caps were looking a bit tired ..so off to Fleabay and a few quid later nice new ones were fitted,looked the part but I've never bought such a pile of sh*te in my life,they are crap,the flats rounded off just by fitting and removing a few times.....sourced replacement plastic one (64474601) and they're much better...(even though that took some fettling...)

John

[oldelanman]

If you've bought parts which you believe to be manufactured by Girling, particularly safety critical items like master cylinders or seals, and they turned out to be substandard or faulty, why not get in touch with Girling themselves and explain your concerns. They should be able to tell you if they actually still make the part in question or if they have sold on the drawings and licensed the production to someone else. If they do still make it they should be able to confirm that they supply to whoever you bought it from. If they no longer make it and have not licensed it out then your suspicion that is counterfeit is probably justified and you should inform Trading Standards or whoever it is that polices this sort of thing. That way, if enough people do it, some action may be taken to get the junk off the market. I would hope that so-called reputable suppliers would not knowingly sell counterfeit parts but who knows - maybe that's all they can get in some cases!
I guess we are all guilty of looking for a bargain but if it looks too good to be true ..... it probably is.

[JJDraper]

I've just replaced a starter solenoid that failed after two months.. I suspect the coil failed as the symptoms were initially sluggish 'pull in' - turn key, slight pause, then it pulled in and the starter was energised. After a week of this, it failed completely - not even a click. At first I thought it was a reappearance of the the poor earth, that prompted me to replace the solenoid in the first place. No, it was the new solenoid, bought from a local motor factor. Re-fitted the old, Lucas unit and instant joy! Maybe I just got a bad one, but it makes you think...

Jeremy

[david.g.chapman]

I have had success in the past with refurbishing original electrical switches etc. that have started to fail. Often the item can be taken apart by drilling out the pop rivets that hold it together. If you carefully prise apart the item and note how it all fits together inside, you can then clean everything up, re-grease bits if applicable and put it all back again.

If electrical contacts are eroded and burnt, you can re-tin them with a good flux and a soldering iron after cleaning up with emery. The resulting solder coat is not as good as the original plating, but should last some years (well my window switches still work after 5 years anyway)! Aim to build up the profile of the contact with solder to match the original profile when the contact was new.

Just use M2 or M3 nuts and bolts to secure the case - or imperial if you are that way inclined! - and you are off and running. If bolts can't be used tack glue it with epoxy, so you can crack it open again in future.

Dave Chapman.

[paddy]

Thanks to Leslie here are some side-by-side photos of different slave cylinders.

Paddy

[512BB]

Thanks Pad,

The picture shows 4 slave cylinders that I have. 1st left shows a NOS one with the Girling no on the arm. 2nd left shows a very dodgy new replacement part bought from a Lotus classic supplier, believe it or not. The numbers are barely discernable, in fact they are unreadable, and the casing looks to be PAINTED! The 2nd from right slave is 100% correct as far as I am conserned, even though it has been butchered to use in a race application, and the one on the right is another old stock, correct one with the numbers on the arm, but again, a different casting from the one on the far right.

So gents, and ladies, I think you really need to do your homework, and ask a lot of questions before placing your order with your favourite supplier!

Leslie