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Used Triumph Parts

Sometimes the part you require is not available new or is exorbitantly expensive. We have recycled Triumphs for many years in order to liberate these required parts. In many instances these parts have already been cleaned & shelved awaiting dispatch. We stock a wide range of parts covering all Triumph models from 1959 to 1982 (no Acclaim parts).
 
However, we don't often dismantle cars these days - most that we did came from our contracts with insurance firms to deal with their "written-off" cars (with the advent of offering the owner to buy the salvage we don't see these much any longer). Consequently although we still have quite big stocks they won't be replenished easily - although fortunately there is now a lot more available remanufactured now than there was when we started out over 30 years ago.
With the rise of ebay we were often unable to compete with sellers who didn't pay VAT and sometimes weren't too bothered about the quality of what they sold - they sell what they can and sadly dump the rest - we keep everything!
We are less likely to be able to supply used TR2-6 parts as we always used to rebuild these whenever possible and what we couldn't rebuild sold fast. Furthermore we don't have a big range of TR7 parts as there wasn't much demand for them a few years ago and with more modern unitary construction they are more labour-intensive to dismantle carefully.
 
Do get in touch for anything you need but to save wasting your time here is an indication of things we won't have:
1) Parts which are fit-once-only. By the time we have removed the part and you have attempted to re-install it there won't be much left of it. This includes include hoods and carpets (a good trimmer will usually adapt and cut to suit these items to suit the individual car). After all, Triumphs are individuals and were never built by computer controlled robots on the production line so were all a bit different (never mind the addition of 30+ years of added individuality!). Furthermore, since not every new part fits first time and looks perfect without a bit of tweaking/adapting when fitting to the individual car, it can't usually be re-adapted to fit a different one. Similarly, doorcards and other interior trim just get too scruffy and aren't worth buying.
2) Parts which are just not worth having used. They are not going to work properly (eg used brake discs aren't worth having as they need to be fitted in pairs and wont mesh with your pads)
3) Parts which just take too long to remove from the donor car relative to their value. For example, there is no point in me selling a £5 item second hand when the new one costs £10 and it is going to take me an hour to remove it from the car when I would otherwise have been reconditioning something. Remember that unlike new parts there is always a direct labour cost involved in used parts. I would have to charge more for the used part because of the mechanic's time in removal than the cost of a new part. No, sorry, you cant come down and remove it yourself - unfortunately Health and Safety put paid to that a long time ago.
4) Parts that we don't have used. Gearboxes & overdrives - we recondition all of these if they are reconditionable. Bonnets & hardtops - although we still have a few doors and bootlids left for some models. No chassis available except for Spitfire/GT6. No seats except Spitfire IV/1500
But anything else - give us a try
How To Buy Used Parts
 
Unlike new parts, used parts cannot be bought directly online on the website (with the exception of a few items which are listed in the equivalent new parts section). This is partly because we want to ascertain exactly what you need and to give you an indication of condition and to make very clear that it is indeed a used part and will be imperfect. Not to mention that we need to check we have actually got what you need (unlike new parts, we can't just order more in when they run low).
 
The best way for us to quote you is for you to send us an email...as we'd rather not leave you hanging on the phone while we go and check stock and perhaps check suitability or test whatever item you are interested in.
 
The email address is info@quillertriumph.com
If you can please include:
  1. Your Name
  2. Your Phone Number
  3. The Country You Want Delivery To
  4. The Model (eg Vitesse 2L)
  5. Year Of Manufacture
  6. Right Hand Drive or Left Hand Drive
  7. Part Number (part number would be ideal otherwise please include a detailed description and preferably a picture)
 
If available we will try to quote a new and used price. Unless otherwise stated our price will be quoted excluding VAT tax (as most of our used parts are purchased by trade customers ...and sometimes by foreign buyers)
Frequently Asked Questions about Used Parts
 
What are your thoughts on buying second hand parts? I sell a lot of used parts and have done so for over 30 years. If you are considering buying a used part from me, please remember that it will be at least 40 years old and maybe 65+ years. It wont be perfect, it won't be suitable for your show winning car (without overhauling), it's unlikely to last as long as a new one or be as good and it probably won't even be clean. It may help you out if a new part is not available or very expensive, or a poor reproduction.
 
Cosmetic parts & "opinions":   By cosmetic, I mean parts where the look is important, (eg bumpers, trim, brightwork). I often get asked questions such as, "How much for a reasonable xxxx (bumper, doorhandle, etc)". The problem here is that one customer's idea of reasonable or usable is very different from another's. I have spent long enough selling used Triumph spares to learn that different people view the same part at the same price in different ways. 
Bob will say, "Ohh £50 is far more than I want to spend on a used xxxx"
Pete will say, "Ok I'll have a think about that and maybe get back to you" 
Tim will say, "Brilliant! That's a rare part and I've been quoted a lot more"
Same part and same price but 3 different opinions!
So I don't know if you are Bob, Pete, or Tim. And often, neither do you! And sometimes Bob turns into Tim when he's been looking for a part for a while. That's why I can't give opinions as to whether something is great, average or poor. All I can say is that in my experience 40+ year old parts are never "as new". Pretty much the only parts which are as new are those which are indeed new and (as experienced restorers will know) even new parts are often not as good as you expected them to be and require fettling or more. If you have a show car you don't really want to be fitting used parts without restoring them first. However, if you're maintaining a daily driver (especially on a budget), or you're handy and, like many of us in this hobby, enjoy turning sow's ears into silk purses then go for it.
Consequently, all cosmetically-important items are sold as requiring reconditioning. They're a base to start with, that's all. If you're happy to fit it direct to your car then that's fine - it will work for the purpose intended but if it needs to look new then you will need to work on it. Let's take chrome door handles as an example: any handle we sell will work as a handle - it won't be broken, distorted, or cracked but if it needs to look new then you will have to rechrome it.
 
Please don't let this put you off buying used parts - they're usually cheaper, occasionally better, always greener. I just want you to be armed with this info before you buy to save your time.
Prices of used parts
The price of used parts is not set in stone - it fluctuates. The price you were quoted on a used part 6 months ago is not necessarily todays' price. This is due to supply and demand and I have a finite supply of used parts - I can't order more. Eg, lets say I have 2 new fuel tank senders left - they are obsolete and no one is making them anymore. When they are sold the used ones will increase in value and therefore price. Of course if somone starts re-manufacturing them (or I manage to buy some NOS units somewhere) then the price will go down again.
I've heard used parts can fit or work better than new parts?
Yes sometimes that's true - some reproduction parts can leave more than a little to be desired. But its not always the case - some repro parts are better than the originals and todays' repros generally are better than what was available 10 years ago.
Timescale On Shipping Used Parts:
A lot of used parts are shelved so there is not usually an issue picking and packing them. They will usually be shipped the day after your order or sometimes the same day. However, some of the bigger parts are left on the cars which are in a roofless yard - therefore it can sometimes take some time to remove your part. As I write it's hardly stopped raining for 3 days so I haven't even ventured into the yard.
 
Even with weather permitting it, it can be a while. For example, I don't want to remove the special bolts holding the gearbox to the bellhousing if the car in question is at the back of the yard and an immobile car would have to be forklifted around to get at it. But, if you're not in a hurry, then I will get these next time the yard is moved around. So please be advised that its sometimes not possible to ship used parts on the day they are ordered - we will give an idea of approximate timescale when ordering.
 
I often get advised that it would be better if the parts were shelved - the answer to this is that many of them are but some are not. This is because:
1) It's easier to test some items, eg a wiper motor, before sale on the car than off it. (yes, I know I could test them all and then remove them but its amazing how they can cease functioning while sitting on the shelf - they really do! - I guess the internal contacts get corroded up etc)
2) I don't know in advance exactly what someone is going to order - eg I can sell a heater matrix or a heater matrix AND motor or the matrix AND motor AND valve all together at a discounted price. As you will appreciate, there's no point in me splitting the items down and shelving them for someone to want the lot - especially when they want it assembled along with the screws that hold it together that I had to drill out to get it apart.
 
Mileage On Major Units:
Sometimes on larger mechanical parts I get asked what the mileage of the car was or will be from the car of which individual parts get sold from. I don't know. It's usually not possible to know. With Triumphs, at the age they are, the speedo reading is usually not an accurate guide as to the mileage of the overall vehicle (never mind the mileage of individual components). Speedos often break and get changed either for a new one or a 2nd hand one (with a random reading) and have often been round the clock (which means the speedo has been backed to zero). Additionally, the units themselves get changed during the life of the car. For example my own Spitfire reads 86000 miles and looks like a really low mileage car but its been round the clock and had 3 engines, 5 gearboxes and 2 diffs - I only know this because I've owned it 28 years and fitted them myself - I have no idea what it had before my ownership.
Mechanical & Electrical Parts:
I test mechanical parts as far as I am able. This often means I bench test them. This is a good indication but it's not infallible. Lets take our wiper motor again for example - I can wire it up and watch the spindle move, but this doesn't always mean that it still has enough life to turn the rack and the wipers over a dry screen.
Even when they work fine, they're still not a new part eg a starter motor will always exhibit some wear to the toothed pinion as it starts wearing from the moment it contacts the ring-gear in its first life.
But the good news is most mechanical parts are warranted for 30 days. If it doesn't work or it dies within 30 days then return for a refund. 
Not all parts are warranted eg all hydraulic units (brake calipers, cylinders etc) are sold as suitable for reconditioning as I don't have the test equipment to test these. Assume they require rebuilding, if they work then its a bonus. Engines are sold as requiring rebuilding as details here
See here for full warranty terms