Projects Rant : save your money

It's pretty much a given any more that every part you get needs modified before it works. It become part of the deal anymore. But this just ticked me off so bad its not funny. You see, there's advertising, there's creative license and then there's straight out steaming piles of fucking bullshit. This place will never get another nickel of mine & that's too bad. They have some nice stuff and established since 1946 but I don't need to pay for aggravation, I get that for free!!!

I open my 2.25" rear shackels and this where it goes down hill.
The bushings measure 0.78 on the OD that's supposed to be 0.75 - no biggie , sand them down a little. The shackle pin from shoulder to fixed plate measures 2.375 ? and the bushings measure 2.375 OS shoulders but inside shoulders measure 2.125- something is screwy. No biggie maybe ill just extend the shoulder a little bit so it all works.

Then we have the forged rear hangers. The bushing holes measure 0.74. Just try to shove the 0.78 bushing in there. Ha ha, so just need to hone the hole to 0.75. But the holes are also not centered in the forging. How much ? Both hangers bushing holes offset to left the Enough that the spring rubs on the hanger on one side but plenty of room on the other.

So now I've had it with my modifications and call the vender to ask about this crap. We don't get past the issues of bushing shoulders. 20 mins I listen to bullshit that ends with "it's the same stuff as posies. I don't know what to tell you." I then called posies and we went over their 2.25 shackles. Pin is 2.5 bushing shoulder is 0.125 and inside shoulders is 2.25. I asked him what he has that has 2.38 pin with 2.125 between shoulders and he said there's nothing that I know of.

Now back to the original vender with a recap of that conversation. His only suggestion was to not tighten the nut up and only reassurance he gave was that they have sold these for years. By now I'm really pissed & want off the phone. Call posies and order the correct shackles. Figure ill continue with my mock up adventure and change them out later. Ok back on schedual, sort of.

Get the spring mounted on the hangers and all seemed right for a moment. I noticed the hangers looked bowed. I double checked my lines and sure as shit the center bowed and my lines were now off. Well what the hell? Ok take tension off the spring and it moves back.

Here's how the hangers are advertised :
Product Description

Forged Rear Buggy Spring Hangers: These forged steel ⅞” thick rear spring hanger brackets feature I-beam construction, 3" dia. holes for tubular/stamped housings. Note: Do to I-beam design; angle support gussets are no longer necessary.

Well look at the pics, and you tell me.
I also have a video that shows this POS move as the spring gets unloaded - pm your email if you want to see it walk back.
That bolt should be centered on the square.

see post 98 for the shackles pic

 

Here it is with the spring unloaded.
The square tube has the spring tension.

Remember :

Product Description

Forged Rear Buggy Spring Hangers: These forged steel ⅞” thick rear spring hanger brackets feature I-beam construction, 3" dia. holes for tubular/stamped housings. Note: Do to I-beam design; angle support gussets are no longer necessary.

 

WOW, that does suck. So far, I have had good luck with them(company), not those hangers. Never tried those hangers. Can a gusset still be used with that hanger? I realize it was designed to not be there.

 

I could,
but I'm going to throw them in the toilet for a week then send them back.
Considering I cut them, ground them, honed them, installed them, I'll not get my money back.

I'm making my own.

 

I'm glad you posted this, alot of other builders need to see this.

 

my wife comes out to the garage and finds me all bent out of shape because a nice new part, usually high priced, from a big name company doesn't fit without modifications. kinda goes with the swap meeting setting when you ask seller what the part fits and he then asks you what do you have? fits Model T to Isuzu Trooper.

 

In the real world, would the weight of the car on the spring spread them back out and put the shackles at 45 degree's?

 

Not meaning to throw fuel to the fire but assuming the hangers are welded in place that there is no deflection in the axle housing ? The shackles however would make me want to stick something somewheres...Having to correct stuff is bullshit; just consider that you have the ability to see shit for shit and figure when its a no work situation..Many people don't and slam crap together... ..

 

When your done shitting on them send them to me!!! Seriously! I understand your frustration but limited to my wallet I'm stuck with parts from speedway that I usually have to tweak. All manufactured parts today are junk, don't even want to get started on the local parts stores alternators, master cylinders, ect.

 

Ohh and I googled different speed shops and found so-cal speed shop was established in 1946..... Just so people know

 

No fucking way am I sending this junk any to anybody.
You sketch me what you want and ill make you a set, how's that ?
No toilets involved, but you can buy me a drink next time you see me.

 

Their ad copy from their site bugs me as much as the part. Looks like a 1st grader wrote it;

Note: Do to I-beam design; angle support gussets are no longer necessary.

Should be;
Note: Due to I-beam design; angle support gussets are no longer necessary.

 

For that matter, they used semicolon incorrectly. Should have been a comma between design and angle.

 

Maybe the spell checker is also the metallurgy tech.

 

Imagine how us guys with limited knowledge and skill feel when that stuff happens.

 

Sorry for the frustration. Ive had problems with new parts too and feel you're pain.

 

No matter which mounts you end up using, some triangulation would be a good idea. There is no way that any mount will not deflect some amount without some sort of gusset.

 

I always wanted to sell a T shirt like this... 1-800-willit-fit. Gary

 

If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn't have believed it.You wouldn't think a piece of forged 3/4 steel, that short, could possibly move that much. Where on earth are the Chinese getting their steel?

 

they are not the only company! a know exactly what your going through, wether it is hot rod parts, or restoration parts being used to make your hot rod traditional. they are all junk! im in the boat now where if i need something, i make it! if i cant make it, then i find a used original and rebuild or modify it.
the last 4 orders i have recieved from companys, macs, speedway, so cal, snyders, the parts have either been incorrect completley, or they didnt fit, even the quality was so terrible that i wouldnt let someone wipe there ass with it.
its a shame.. what would the world do with a quality parts company. i understand building a hot rod is not a bolt together process. but when you send me window channels that are supposed to be 29" long with centered brackets and they arive 26" long with offset brackets, or when you send me spring bushings for my 34 that are .050 undersized! it gets a litte agrivating.

 

Stuff ain't made or of quality like it used to be. It's a shame a big outfit like that sells stuff like that, then doesn't care to help or make it right. It's all about money now to most companies anymore and not about the hobby.

 

That's true for the most part.
Here's the rub on the gussets. But first ,,,
Welding on tubes
Welding all the way around a pipe along its circumference tends to leave the tube straight. Welding a gusset (or anything) perpendicular to the circumference tends to pull the tube to the weld and a partial circumference weld will pull the tube as well.

Housings are welded and straightened everyday, but why ask for the extra work of straightening if a hanger that doesn't need a gusset is available.

 

I've bought a lot of stuff from THEM, but had a similar POS problem with rear spring kit for my 35.

 

Remember... "Bolt Right On " is the new " Check's In The Mail"...

 

I put a ginnie style set of shackles under my 32. Every dimension was wrong. The sleeves were too big and too long. The pins were too short. I worked on them and finally got them installed. The rubber inserts immediatetly failed. The front spring drug on the axle. I bought a set of hot rod style shackles but used brass bushings.

 

Garbage,SEMA should be proud of all they have accomplished in the last 60 years!

 

Well this is a post I can get on now my problem is the junk that's being sold holy crap I buy something new bolt on and it doesn't work, it doesn't fit , it works for a week then quits I'm not very old (26) but I know when I started fixing cars you bought a part it fit and worked not one or the other, I ordered a bunch of parts from rock auto well it was good for the most part but they sent me stuff that would never work and said it was correct for instance rear wheel seals for my Buick they were the right I.d. and o.d. but were 1/4" to wide I had to argue with them for 2 hours before I got ok please send it back and we will refund you if there not damaged well guess what I tryed to install them because the guy on the phone told me to try and to trust him so in the end I wrote a not so nice note and stuffed it in the box with no seal ,and my next favorite was a starter for my sisters SUV brand new ford part won't work got another no holes drilled in it to bolt up got the third and it worked twice returned it and just had to org one rebuilt , I guess what I'm getting at is don't bother buying this crap any more try makeing it your self or rebuild it your self will save you a lot of problems good luck to anyone who has to buy this crap
If I find n.o.s. parts I buy them and save them for when I need them

 

When I buy parts anymore, it actually surprises me if it fits with no modifications. It is cause for celebration if all the holes line up and the fit is perfect (just like you paid for).

 

Guess I'll add a little fuel to the fire here. This is a front spring clamp for a Model "A". The factory ones are forged steel as they should be considered a pretty critical part of the front suspension. This one is from a big name supplier, (not SoCal). It looks forged on the outside but is actually poor quality cast iron. Classic overseas move, where it looks like the part but because they have no idea of what they are making missed the point entirely. Most of the aftermarket parts that come through here need at least some tweeking. In reality, most of the parts from the old days needed some tweeking too!

 

AFCO owns THEM.

I bought some GM metric calipers a while back from AFCO
http://www.afcoracing.com/brakes_m_calipers.html

As you can see in the description "new casting & components on all metric calipers",
well that's BS. I have an opened-wheeled car and had just returned 6 reman metrics to different local parts stores trying to get a pair that matched, and looked presentable.

I came across AFCO's ad on their website and ordered a pair from Summit. When they
arrived they looked exactly like the remans I had just returned. I called Summit and
told them of my disappointment, so they sent me another pair............same thing.

So I called AFCO and spoke with a tech-rep who told me the calipers should be brand new. He said he'd look into it and return my call or email me. When I didn't hear back I contacted him again, to no avail. So I returned the calipers to Summit for a refund
and lucked-up on these while searching the internet
http://www.southwestspeed.com/?sec=view_part&id=9963

Case-in-point; The remans from the local parts store were $20.00 with core exchange,
the (NEW) remans from AFCO were $55.00 and the NEW ones from SW Speed were
$30.00. The SW Speed metric calipers are indeed new and have flawless castings.

Since my experience Summit no longer advertises those calipers as new, even though AFCO still does.

I feel your pain Vicky.