by John Logan in the September 2007 RootesReview:
This Information is based on discussions I had at a recent Hillman car meet in Streetsboro, Ohio with one of our members, Allen Lee. He and his wife Alice, from Martinsville, IL, are owners of the beautiful 1953 Alpine and a 1955 Talbot Saloon that they brought to the Sunbeams International at Big Sky in 1999.
More of our members have been purchasing the early Alpines and Talbots. Because of the rarity of these cars, common service parts are hard to find and therefore sold at higher prices. However, many parts for English cars came from common suppliers. If you know what cars they are used on, they can be purchased at much lower prices. The cross-reference chart below covers some of the parts that Allen knows will work and should be useful to the 1953 to 1955 Alpine and Talbot owners.
| Part | Part Number | Used On |
|---|---|---|
| Distributor Point Set | Victoria British 8-222 | 53 / 56 TR2 |
| Distributor Condenser | Victoria British 8-201 | 53 / 56 TR2 |
| Distributor Rotor | Victoria British 8-238 | 55/62 MGA & 62/74 MGB |
| Distributor Cap | Victoria British 8-260 | 53 / 56 TR2 |
| Headlight Dimmer Switch | Victoria British 8-316 Moss 140-900 | MGAA, Austin-Healey |
| Release Bearing | Victoria British 4-347 | 62/80 MGB |
| Brake Shoe Lockheed 10" | Victoria British 6-520-Z | early 53/56 TR2 |
| Front brake wheel cylinder LH | Victoria British 7-321 | 53 / 56 TR2, 55/59 MGA & 61/62 Midget |
| Front brake wheel cylinder RH | Victoria British 7-320 | 53 / 56 TR2, 55/59 MGA & 61/62 Midget |
| Rear wheel brake cylinder | Victoria British 7-310 | 55/62 MGA |
| Brake master cylinder | Moss 180-730 (original) and 181-195 (aftermarket) | MGTD/TF |
| Brake master cylinder repair kit | Moss 180-910 (original) and 181-195 (aftermarket) | MGTD/TF |
The two sources listed by Allen are Victoria British and Moss Motors. There are others. Allen suggests ordering the catalogs for all of the Marques that the suppliers carry.