Sent them an e-mail with all my contact info and the problem I experienced and so far have heard nothing. Not a huge thing, I came up with a good solution.
good solution! quality pieces will always have a better feel, and are always worth the small difference in price thanks for sharing matt
I got a reply as follows from Marty at Ididit. I replied that refunding the cost of the bearings was a non issue in my eyes, I just wanted to inform them on what happened. Kudos to Ididit for caring and wanting to improve their product if possible. From: Marty Waterstraut Sent: Tuesday, September 03, 2013 11:57 AM Subject: bearings Hello Larry, first I'm sorry you weren't happy with the quality of our product. We have built our reputation on quality parts, sold at a fair price and backed up with excellent service. Often times feedback from the customer is a great learning tool. If you send us the two bad bearings I will certainly reimburse you the cost, plus any difference between the price you paid for the replacements. If possible I would really like to know what bearings you purchased. If we can improve the product and still keep the price competitive we would certainly like to do so. Thank you, Marty Waterstraut Sales Manager ididit, Inc.
I don't see a problem with a cheap bearing in such a low stress, relatively clean environment. Will a higher grade bearing in this application make the car steer better, go faster, get better fuel economy, or last longer? Highly unlikely. It just costs twice as much. Double the cost of every part in the car, because I guarantee that somewhere there is a "better" alternative for every component or design, and you'll be walking. I took apart the column on my 36 Ford pickup and found a nylon bushing, which works ok. Upgrading to a cheap bearing is on the to-do list.
The HD bearing is the same as the front wheel bearings as on cub cadet tractors model 1250, 1450, 123 [and others] mid 70's early 80's..
This was presented as an educational experience to the rest of us HAMBER's. The cost involved, relative to the improvement, speaks for itself. The fact that IDIDIT responded, AND wanted to know how to improve their product by using a better bearing, backs that up. If anyone wants to use a bushing, packing, or a simpler bearing, that's your prerogative. I think the OP was really pushing quality over a couple extra dollars, and I can't argue with that. Good thread. I am Butch/56sedandelivery.
Thanks Butch . And on it goes with the stupid 2 cent opinions on the cheaper bearings being good enough. For gods sake guys give it a rest. I told you before, you are wrong. The cheap bearings were not good enough, they filled with shop dirt and would barely turn. Something the sealed bearings did not and never will do. The better bearings are smoother, tighter and it has nothing to do with speed of operation or number of turns. They feel better in operation. This thread is old news, the better bearings were and are working great.
Or like so many of the motorcycle riders I saw this summer in Texas, etc riding along with no helmet at all..... If you don't have a head or a brain worth protecting ( a worthless head ), don't wear a helmet at all. When I see them riding bare headed I call them organ donors. You can spout freedom of choice as loudly as you like, bottom line is that stupid is still stupid regardless.
on my '29 cabriolet with '56 F100 steering, I had a piece of black Delrin rod machined to serve as an upper bushing when I made my own column and replaced the upper shaft to accommodate a resized 1938 Stude banjo wheel. No complaints. You don't need an aftermarket column if you need more modifications to make your own choice of steering wheels fit Making my own column was rather a simple low cost task. A Delrin bushing is more than adequate for a steering column.