Getting spares made to measure!

[Walrus]

I was wondering how difficult/expensive it is to get some spare parts made to order?

I'm asking because I just had to replace a small metal pipe in my cooling system. I've been sent one that looks solid but 2nd hand. I've asked a mate who does semi-professional car repairs to see if he can make me one in Stainless Steel.

While specialist bits (like electrical components, moving parts etc) will likely be beyond the budget, what about static parts like pipes, panels, hoses etc?

Does anybody have a list of good suppliers/manufactures for small parts? Any ideas on costs?

Mainly curious!

[CovKid]

Mentioned this before, but cities that had/have car manufacturing plants (particularly Coventry) have so many experienced engineers. many of which have 3-phase and all the gear in their garages! Its amazing who can make what simply by asking around. You also find that areas that had concentated engineering firms based there, have a glut of really knowledgable guys that can find quick workarounds using bits of scrap or know someone who can. Chickenkoop and I have the same mindset and between us we've not been beaten on a problem yet. Think Dibnah and you'll know what I'm talking about.