When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
It looks like during my road trip this past weekend, more than just my rear license plate bracket came loose. I'm totally missing the driver's side exhaust tip. All I see is the pipe coming out of the muffler. - I thought only British cars had parts that fall off
Before I buy a replacement tip on eBay (my car is the Gillet style, build 2/96) is there a clamp or any other bits to hold that tip on I need to look for too? Pics would be helpful. Looking at my right, there may be a clamp and also a joint fitting?
Oh yeah - the clamp is made of the same material as the exhaust, but the bolt, washers, and lock nut are all normal metal and get rusty. Unless you are a stickler for originality, getting stainless at any hardware store will last longer and probably be cheaper. Bolt is M8 x 65, washers are 8.4 x 17 x 3.0 and the nut is just an M8 nut.
Last edited by paranoidandroid; 09-10-2021 at 11:00 AM.
I thought only British cars had parts that fall off
I'll take the bait
Having owned various British machines including Loti (plural of Lotus...) Jaguars, Minis and now four Porsches including aircooled and watercooled I can say from my experience the least reliable have been the Porsche! They cost the most to maintain and they have had the most frequent issues. Still love them. But I love the Jags too.
Thanks everyone for the info! I got everything I needed off eBay for only a total of $81.40. I found a used tip that appearance-wise is a perfect match for my other finish/age/patina wise.
The only British cars I've owned were MGs and Triumphs. The MG would ALWAYS seem to lose nuts or bolts and other bits during extended drives so it was a running joke with my dad back in the day.
I thought only British cars had parts that fall off
I have a close friend who restores classic British Motorcycles, BSA, Triumph, etc. He said these bikes were never designed for the speeds or duration of trips experienced in the US market and most of the designs were pre-war. He said when imported to the US they would literally vibrate apart when run on the US highways.
His solution was with each running inspect the bike and tighten things up using Locktight wherever one can. After four or five of these inspections stuff seems to stop falling off.
Vintage British cars got a bad rap for the same reasons as most of the designs were pre-war including ancillaries and were assembled by hand with none of the modern Quality systems or manufacturing controls used today. Britain was a poor nation after the war and did not have the capital to invest in improving automotive manufacturing. The priority was to export as many vehicles as possible to bring capital into the country. When these cars hit the US highways they developed a less than stellar reputation for reliability.
Porsche & Volkswagens had similar issues after the war, the only difference was their designs were simpler with fewer parts an outgrowth of Hitlers's Volks Wagen program that was designed for reliability & simplicity as a design philosophy making it a feasible everyman's vehicle. There were simply fewer parts involved outside of the engine case. This may have made them incrementally more reliable, but not by much.
I lost my rear license plate and bracket years ago on the way to leave the car at my indy for service. Parked car and at the counter and a guy walks in wanting to know if the car was for sale. No plates front or rear. Funny.
I lost my rear license plate and bracket years ago on the way to leave the car at my indy for service. Parked car and at the counter and a guy walks in wanting to know if the car was for sale. No plates front or rear. Funny.
That is funny. Good that someone brought the issue to your attention.
While you're back there looking at stuff that fell out, check your brake/turn signal rear lens screws. The next thing to happen is the light to fall out and get a hole melted in it by the exhaust. Curious as to why the plug pigtail length hangs the light right behind the exhaust.
While you're back there looking at stuff that fell out, check your brake/turn signal rear lens screws. The next thing to happen is the light to fall out and get a hole melted in it by the exhaust. Curious as to why the plug pigtail length hangs the light right behind the exhaust.
Hugely humiliating. There you thought the VW bus was cheering you on for an amazingly sporting pass when really they were laughing at your *** hanging out. There maybe video out there
09-10-2021, 12:46 AM
Exhaust tip fell off
