Spitfire Graveyard
Posted By : Michael Charlton, 13-Nov-2002, 03:41pm
To answer the question of any info on the Spitfire graveyard.
Bought a perfect hard top from Graveyard
and they threw the fittings in as well.
Seemed pretty helpful, but isn`t everyone who is in business for a profit.
The price was exactly right for a genuine hard top, (not a `placky one` that are being offered these days)
Michael
Bought a perfect hard top from Graveyard
and they threw the fittings in as well.
Seemed pretty helpful, but isn`t everyone who is in business for a profit.
The price was exactly right for a genuine hard top, (not a `placky one` that are being offered these days)
Michael
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Spitfire Graveyard
Posted By : David Styles, 29-Oct-2003, 05:21pm
Needed a new heater valve as mine had started leaking,...
the one they sent me leaked worse than the one I took off.
they claimed that they had "reconditioned" it.
Anyway... looks like you can be lucky or unlucky with em, I was unlucky....
I haven't taken the same risk since, I'd rather go to a reputable trader personally...
but you never know, you may be one of the lucky ones !-
Spitfire Graveyard
Posted By : Jason Chinn, 29-Oct-2003, 06:25pm
Rate this trader using the online poll here -
http://www.tssc.org.uk/onlinepoll.asp?poll=toptrad...
Just a thought, why were you buying a second hand heater valve? Was it a Delaney Galley one? They are frighteningly expensive but the other types are pretty cheap -
http://www.canleyclassics.com/partfinder.asp?partn...
J-
Spitfire Graveyard
Posted By : Ben Ferguson, 29-Oct-2003, 10:10pm
I suppose its always a risk buying used parts. I've had nothing but top customer service from them so far, needed some carpets for my Herald, they didn't have any out of a car already, so took them out of a Herald being broken while I waited, and then gave me them for a tenth of the new price! The boss is a very nice guy, helpful, and most importantly not a miserable b**ger like most people at scrap yards! Just ordered some SUs off him which should be arriving in a few days, which he says are in excellent condition and come with a year's guarantee. I'll have to wait and see what they are like, but I'm taking his word for it at the moment!
Ben-
Spitfire Graveyard
Posted By : David Styles, 30-Oct-2003, 05:23pm
ah yes,... the second hand heater valve... it was for a Herald 13/60....
I was new to the world of Triumphs then, Didn't know any traders or know that I could buy new parts !
So I phoned em up... just picked em out of a mag by chance... !
The heater valve only cost a few quid, and a few quid p&p...
probably less than a tenner all in.
things we do when we ae young eh ??!
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Spitfire Graveyard
Posted By : Tim Willis, 30-Oct-2003, 10:23pm
I used to do a lot of trade selling second hand parts. Trouble was people expect the kind of guarantee that comes with new bits. If you buy s.hand parts make sure you are capable of setting them up or spotting if they are duff in the first place. By the very nature of the Spitfire Graveyard some parts are bound to need attention. These are effectively end of life cars, I got fed up advertising stuff at sensible cheap prices for people to then complain that it was scratched or a bit rusty. It makes more sense for me to keep stuff and use it in the workshop (if it is good) saving me the expense of buying the new part, which is a bigger gain than the money made from selling it.
I wish I had a pound for every time I was asked for good s.hand door seals, and rear wheel cylinders!! Some people are so tight, but then because our cars are valued at a more sensible level they attract people who think they can do a full rebuild for &163;150.
If you buy s.hand parts think about what you are buying. Is it really possible for someone to guarantee that your carbs won't leak from the floats, or be out of balance, or that the chokes won't stick? No, but they may be perfectly usable and tuneable with the proper care and attention when fitting.
Without being too harsh, before parting with your cash for something like a bodyshell you really ought to check it out thoroughly. I would have thought the 'while you wait' sill was enough to put you off.
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Spitfire Graveyard
Posted By : Dean Whitehead, 30-Oct-2003, 11:02pm
I bought my car from the graveyard,the gearbox was a bit dodgy,i knew this at the time,it was a case of see how it goes,anyway i took it back,they changed it for me,i went to pick it up and there was a prob with the slave cylinder,richard the owner asked me to come back later,seeing iwas on foot(i live in sheffield) he offered to get and pay for a taxi for me. Anyway ive had no problems with the car,i always go back for bits n bobs,and they really are great with me.
At the end of the day this is a SCRAPYARD and a scrapyard dealing with parts for cars at least 30 years old,i honestly dont think they are out to "rip" anyone off,they just deal with very old parts for old cars,you get what you pay for.
Like the previous post said the owner is a character,in my opinion places like the graveyard should be preserved,going there is a unique experience and a pleasure.
dean -
Spitfire Graveyard
Posted By : Adrian Lee, 31-Oct-2003, 08:18am
I bought a pair of HS6's off them,off a 2.5s,put new needles etc etc in them and they are fine.Like the previous messages ,they are a scrapyard ,if you want new then buy new,if not then don't expect new.I seem to remember someone complaining about a gearbox cover they bought off them not being mint,what can be expected of a piece of compressed 30 year old cardboard?I use them and have no problem at all about doing so.-
Spitfire Graveyard
Posted By : Dean Whitehead, 31-Oct-2003, 05:36pm
Like i said earlier,places like this should be preserved,i think its a case of properly checking what you buy,i find it a really handy place to have nearby,going down there is always good fun,its worth a couple of quid just to go round the arches!!
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Spitfire Graveyard
Posted By : Ben Ferguson, 31-Oct-2003, 07:13pm
Just got my carbs today from the graveyard(funnily enough, delivered by a guy working for parcel force who has a stag!). They looked pretty manky at first, but after a good dose of gunk they came up looking really shinny! The only thing is, I ordered them over the phone, and they've sent me waxstat ones
other than that they are fine, but i'l have to
convert them. Have'nt asked them yet, but knowing their good customer service, they will probably send me some used
(but perfectly useable!) jets (all you doubters out there I am a starving student and only replace thouroughly worn out
things!)
But again, perfectly happy with their service and honesty
Ben
Spitfire Graveyard
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Spitfire Graveyard
Posted By : Peter Rose, 16-Nov-2002, 06:14pm
The Spitfire Graveyard is absolutley great for parts. Good prices and good service, always a friendly smile and an abundance of truly helpful advice.
Usually a lot of stock to make your choice from.
They are great for PARTS......
They are great for PARTS......
Spitfire Graveyard
Posted By : Colin Lindsay, 20-Nov-2002, 11:08pm
Been ripped off VERY badly by this lot three times- twice, the parts they've supplied have come straight out of the box and onto the skip, a cardboard
tunnel cover and a wiper motor, neither of which were fit to use. A recent purchase of a Herald convertible bulkhead in supposedly excellent condition
turned out to be a left hand drive saloon bulkhead with no floors, crudely covered up with filler to disguise the left hand drive side, and is now
lying rusting along the back of my garage. I couldn't even be bothered posting it back to them - at my expense too. No way would I deal with them
again.
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Spitfire Graveyard
Posted By : Graham Reeks, 21-Nov-2002, 01:04pm
Points taken from Colin. However I have only ever dealt face to face with the graveyard. They're reasonable enough if you try to bargain with them, and if you delve around in the arches long enough you can often find what you're after. e.g. Rotoflex shock-mounts I got for &163;15, anti-roll bar &163;10. It's worth visiting them just for the experience of seeing so many Triumphs in parts stacked tens of feet high! Be prepared to bargain.-
Spitfire Graveyard
Posted By : Martin Flint, 23-Nov-2002, 09:13pm
hmm, what can we say.
1st time I went, great, very helpful, although a bit expensive on interior trim (&163;20 for window winder, extra for the plastic disc)
2nd time, "yes we've got all the parts in" Get there, only 3 out of about 10 things I wanted.
3rd time, needed seats for GT6 (mine knackered). Ring them up, "yes I've got 2 in black vinyl, 1 is very good, the other is mint, we'll get a few down for you and you can choose when you get here". I get there, all seats still up on racking, he goes up to sift through them in the half light, "here you go.."
Two busted sofas later he says "well they looked mint up here" (in the dark!)
so an 80 mile trip wasted, I left to return the other 80 miles home.
Richard, if you're listening, please think of your customers.-
Spitfire Graveyard
Posted By : Scott Marshall, 30-Jan-2003, 08:11pm
Quite agree, they sent me a radiatior for my GT6 - it lasted 8 miles, - sent it back - they now refuse to reimburse.
DO NOT USE-
Spitfire Graveyard
Posted By : Colin Lindsay, 02-Mar-2003, 01:07pm
I agree - the Herald bulkhead and gearbox tunnel cover went straight to the skip. I will never use them again, nor recommend them to anyone.-
Spitfire Graveyard
Posted By : Dean Whitehead, 26-Apr-2003, 05:35pm
I think they are excellent, I bought my Spitfire from them, they can't do enough to help me with it, I really can't fault them.-
Spitfire Graveyard
Posted By : Allan Norman, 29-Oct-2003, 04:52pm
Got totally ripped off by the Spitfire Graveyard. The extremely good condition bodyshell I brought from them for &163;400 is a rust ridden, crash damaged waste of money. The new sill they put on (whilst I waited despite being told it had been put on a fortnight earlier) was tack welded with no bracing at all.
Having spend ages trying to try and rub it back and discovering more corrosion I got a mechanic in who confirmed the bodyshell had been involved in a crash at some point and all it's good for is donor parts. Also the panel with details on was removed when I bought it, which I think is illegal.
Long and short is that if I'd joined the TSSC beforehand I wouldn't have got ripped off by those cowboys.
DON'T DEAL WITH THEM, THEY'RE ABYSMAL-
Spitfire Graveyard
Posted By : Philip Brammer, 29-Oct-2003, 10:49pm
I found them very helpful and the boss a real character. Bought a 1500 engine from them recently which seems a good buy and am waiting for an overdrive to come in. I will bear in mind your experience when dealing with them in future.
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Spitfire Graveyard
Posted By : Jason Chinn, 01-Mar-2003, 04:02pm
Never used them but never heard anything good about them either - I guess a trader of last resort.
The phrases used by some of these guys always amaze me. I recently saw an advert for some "NOS parts, recently removed from my car" err NOS - New Old Stock ie never fitted! Same goes for "Mint" really, people do use some odd words to describe stuff. Buyer beware!
J
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Spitfire Graveyard
Posted By : Matthew Hazelwood-Smith, 14-Dec-2002, 05:51pm
I've never been to or used the Spitfire Graveyard, and don't think I will after the other messages!
If I were you I'd spend a bit of time looking through classified ads. I have owned two Spits, one I found in a local free ads the second on autotrader. Try the following places:
http://www.autotrader.co.uk (excellent site!)
TSSC
Triumph World (have a web-site too)
and even your local press
Be prepared to look at a lot of junk though! It took me 6 months to find my 2nd car, but it is well worth the wait. (beware cars often not as described!).
Good luck!
If I were you I'd spend a bit of time looking through classified ads. I have owned two Spits, one I found in a local free ads the second on autotrader. Try the following places:
http://www.autotrader.co.uk (excellent site!)
TSSC
Triumph World (have a web-site too)
and even your local press
Be prepared to look at a lot of junk though! It took me 6 months to find my 2nd car, but it is well worth the wait. (beware cars often not as described!).
Good luck!
Spitfire Graveyard
Posted By : Anthony Simpson, 20-Mar-2003, 04:05pm
During the two years I have been rebuilding my MkIII GT6 I have brought a number of things from Spitfire Graveyard with no real problems. Like with all
scrapyards its best to actually go visit and see what you are buying before you part with any cash. Only slight problem I did have was with a D Type
overdrive conversion kit that I bought which turned out to have a lot of play in the output shaft. I thought that this would be where the problems
would start, but it was replaced quickly with the more desirable J type which turned out to have been recently fully reconditioned I am told by Canley
Classics who looked over the box before I installed it.
So the moto is " you pays ya money you takes ya pick"
So the moto is " you pays ya money you takes ya pick"
Spitfire Graveyard - COWBOYS!!!
Posted By : Graham Elliot, 09-Apr-2003, 09:28am
I've only had one experience with this crowd and wish I'd read some of the comments here first as I'd have never even have had that. Phoned up to buy a
bootrack for my 1500 and also bought a s/s twin exhaust. Hadn't intended doing so but it was somethinbg I'd been thinking of. &163;100 for the
exhaust with the bootrack thrown in for free. Nice bunch I thought. When it arrived I saw that the exhaust had been sealed up one pipe!!! I've never
come across anything like it. Fair enough, it wasn't them who'd done it but they removed it and sold it!! Took hours to sort and at a cost and still
far from perfect. The bootrack was far from the "execllent condition" as described but hey, I got it for free. Still waiting for the temporary fittings
that were promised and after another call to them and another empty promise have just about given up. Advice to anyone is - avoid them like the
plague!!