V8 Cars - Parts Availability and Prices

[Kevin H]

I thought it might be useful to prospective V8 Bristol buyers to see some parts prices. This can be taken into consideration when purchasing a car which needs work.

I have listed parts I have bought from Bristol Parts and Services or been quoted on, along with the part number and the year in which they were purchased. Obviously for parts bought years ago the prices will very likely have increased by now.

Each line starts with the cars they relate to as far as I am aware, although these parts were all bought for a 411. It is quite possible some of these parts are also used on later vehicles.

All prices below are excluding VAT

407 – 411 front suspension Rebound Stop 407-1-23134 £12.40 ea (2004)
411 Throttle Cable 911-1-27012 £43.75 (2006)
411 Throttle (firewall) Linkage bush 911-1-27006 £12.50 (2006)
411 Throttle Linkage (firewall) 412-1-27008(?) £55.50 (2006)
411 Throttle (firewall) Linkage bracket 411-1-27011 £34.40 (2006)
407 – 411 front suspension Distance Piece 407-1-23117 £38.90 (1999)
407 – 411 front coil Spring Seating 407-1-23152 £40.50 (1999)
407 – 411 front coil spring Mounting LH 407-1-23153 £18.50 (1999)
407 – 411 front coil spring Mounting RH 407-1-23154 £18.50 (1999)
411 front coil spring Isolator 411-1-23079 £19.96 (1999)
411 front coil spring Retainer 411-1-23080 £13.96 (1999)
411 front coil Spring Seat Pan B230040 £181.60 (2004)
411 front coil Spring Seat Pan B230039 £181.60 (2004)
409 – 411 Front Brake Disc (Girling 64327417) 409-1-23044 £96.00 (2001)
411 front suspension lower wishbone bush 911-1-23088 £48 (2000)
411 lower wishbone bush (don't know part #) £11.43 (2000)
411 front suspension rubber ball joint cover (kit) £37 (2000)

411 front suspension lower ball joint £200 (quoted) (2000)
411 front suspension coil spring $175 (quoted) (2000)
411 exhaust manifold - straight down type nearside £540 (quoted) (2000)

[MYTA21]

Hello,
It is appropriate that these prices have been given at a time when I might
be about to do some work on the newly acquired 409.

However, Perhaps I may give some background and a few points?

We have two Alvis cars, post war models, plus a Mercedes Benz 450 SL
The Alvis is well catered for as regards parts. Some Alvis items do appear
expensive, but given the relative ease in getting most parts for 45 and 50
year old cars, I think that the independent Red Triangle company do a great
job.

As for the Bristol, the few parts I have bought so far do appear on a par
with some of the Alvis cars. Neither cars were cheap when new, so it goes
with the territory, I suppose. Again, the level of availablity seems good.
However, living in Australia, carriage is so often the crippling factor, but
at least no VAT!

Having worked for many years in the parts world for freelance and a captive
auto and marine supplier, I am familiar with the arguments put forward by
the manufacturers when confronted with a customer's complaint. This was
particularly true when I worked for Volvo Penta and faced with these
complaints at the London or Southampton Boat Shows.

For many manufacturers, the problem is that the customer cherry picks what
he buys from the original supplier and the open market. Plugs, points,
filters etc are so often bought from a motor factor or local source, such as
a Bosch dealer.
That leaves the car supplier being expected to hold in stock the slow moving
items and as a result, those prices are marked up.

The positive side is that on both the Alvis and the Bristol, people are
amazed that the parts are still available. We don't have to hunt around at
swap meets, even if the invoices make up flinch at times. Also, we are able
to buy items of a quality that is that of the original car. Having bought a
lot of parts for an MGB, I can say that many of the items made as pattern
parts do not match the quality of the original items in some cases.

Finally, as regards parts prices, some of the big horrors I have had are
with the 450SL, particularly with trim items. A chrome strip across the boot
lid on one model is $A950 - a star badge on the grille, US$180. The plus
side is that the Merc appears good mechanically, but should it need any of
the electronic gismos, I shudder to think. It is this fear that has lead me
to think about getting rid of the car before that happens.

What I personally like about the 407+ V8 on series, and why I chose a 409,
was that it had the traditional quality interior and coachwork, but the
basic power train and mechanics are not beyond the comprehension of a local
garage. The other big bonus I have found in a short time is that the Forum
is full of people who know how to fix things. The Mercedes Benz people seem
to be more focused on a lifestyle and have someone fix the car for them.

No I'm off to add up the bits I need!
Mike O

[Kevin H]

Hopefully a few other people will post parts information, this will also give an indication to prospective owners as to what is available (generally speaking anything that is essential to keeping our cars on the road).

The fact that Bristol seem to be doing more restoration work, including the 411 Series VI, bodes well for the supply of parts for the V8 cars, because many of the 411 parts have 407 part numbers and I suspect those that have 411 part numbers can be retrofitted to earlier V8 cars in some cases.

When I feel their parts prices are a bit steep, I only have to think of what Mercedes charge for modern parts to put things into perspective.

Mike you are however right to be wary of the P&P charges. I once bought a single rebound (bump) stop which cost £11.40 and the P&P was £9.50!

On the plus side, the AUD:GBP exchange rate is better for us down under than it has been for a long time

Mike - if we can establish whether the 411 coil springs are the same as the 409, I have the specs for the 411 springs, I had some made in Melbourne.

Kevin

[MYTA21]

I have BCL to advise re part numbers and possibly free length. Items such
as these and exhaust systems are costly to ship, even with the better
exchange rate! Mike

[MYTA21]

Hello Kevin,
Having asked BCL about spring data, I received this info today:
"The overall length of the coil springs is 14 3/4 inches, we also have a
stock of these B230031 @ £234.30 each" That is a different part no. than
the list I have, so maybe they upgraded the item. Would you be so kind as
to compare the data you have please?
Thanks
Mike

[Kevin H]

Originally Posted by MYTA21

Hello Kevin,
.... Would you be so kind as
to compare the data you have please?
Thanks
Mike

Mike, the 411 springs are nominally 15" long - probably give or take 1/4 of an inch! However you need more information than that to make springs, such as spring rate (lbs/in), the diameter of the spring wire, the total number of coils and the number of active coils and the diameter of the spring.

If we can ascertain that 411 springs will be okay for a 409 I can provide the spring specs to you directly so you can get the springs made in Australia (it's not appropriate to publish this information).

Kevin