Technical BEWARE!!! So-Cal Speed Shop 9" housings

These are pics of a So-Cal built 9" housing. The weld has no penetration. The housing is two years old and the car has been on the road for one year with 1500 miles. If you have one of their housings, have it checked. So-Cal has been contacted about this and are not going to do anything about it.

 

Does SoCal actually make them? Or just a vendor?

 

I believe you'll find it is a Currie housing, SoCal is rebranding them.

 

Cha cha cha China

 

Their catalog says they are Currie.

 

So-Cal used Currie at one time, when this was made there were two possible local companies they used.

 

Awesome. I just ponied up for one 2 weeks ago because I was tired of dealing with junk. Guess I need to look at mine real close......

 

Not good! Saw this before on an aftermarket chassis-not sure whose rearend it was but it was new-took it out and had shop redo it all.

 

Hope the OP doesn't think this is directed at him, just some thoughts here.
I realize that oem housings are not nearly as plentiful as they use to be but I just can't believe that we have only the aftermarket for sourcing these things.
Is it the whole 1-800 thing and people just not wanting to put out a little effort and get their fingernails dirty. Now I know that Currie probably bought every housing from all the wrecking yards in California, but this is a big country and Ford made a bazillion of these things. Have these housings completely disappeared from the landscape.
Is this what we have become?

 

Just saw a complete Ford 9" (truck) rear end on local Craigslist yesterday for $100.

 

I have some I've collected...since 1972...some were $10, some free...Mine!

 

no they haven't, I have 6 different 9 inches right now from everything from Mustangs to F100's and i've never given more than 100 bucks for one. The trucks ones are easier to find than anything but are normally a little to wide for what most people want. Doesn't mean they can't be narrowed. I have narrowed one from a truck to early Bronco width and then just ordered axles for a bronco and they pop right in perfect. and cost way less than a set of custom axles.

 

Well it sucks that SoCal isn't going to make it right.

One thing to keep in mind when you buy a part from anyone is this, in the hundreds of thousands of pieces made there is bound to be a bad one and you could be the one who ends up buying it.

never the less it sucks that SoCal is not going to stand behind the product. maybe they'll step up to the plate eventually.

 

I had been told that Johns Manufacturing has had this same problem with one of the broken rears resulting in a bad accident. I have sold 100's of Johns rear housings with no problems to date. When I contacted them they acknowledged the problem and that they had changed the method of manufacturing to correct the weakness. What they will do with the past housings if one fails remains to be seen? I don't think the right person was contacted at So-Cal about the failed rear as I've sold their parts for many years and have never been left High and Dry with a problem to date.

 

This was also a problem right from ford. We had one break on both sides once when the car hooked up hard and it was not an aftermarket rear.

 

It may depend on the year of manufacture, the round back and the dimple models after that the tubes were flush welded the later models the tubes plugged into the punkin section of the housing. Made for easier manufacturing and a stronger rear.

 

Hopefully, this is isolated. I am doubting that is the case, though, and posted so others can get this checked in the garage rather than finding the problem while on the road.

They will be forced to step up to the plate, I am in the process of filing and serving now, but that's not what this thread is about.

 

Hard to blame the OP for buying one done. Not everyone has a jig to narrow them, and if you don't, you are STILL relying on someone else's work. Maybe he needed one that isn't a stock width. Regardless if SoCal did the actual work or farmed it out, they should still make good on an obvious defect.

 

We are a dealer for So-Cal, the owner of our company spoke with the owner of So-Cal (parts division), after I got nowhere with the underling, and he does not view it as a defective product. He wants us to take it up with the company(s) that supplied the housings to them instead of taking responsibility for the part they sold.

 

That is a common problem with dealers of hot rod parts. Sometimes they figure it out and others they don't. Sorry that the law had to get involved. that is just a pain.

 

To me, that's different.

Isn't SoCal just doing the same thing that you are? They are a middleman, same as you, and are telling you to taking it up with the actual manufacturer.

 

I agree that whoever built that axle housing is at fauly, but the purchaser of the housing bought it from SoCal and that is who should be answering to him about it, IMO. And they (SoCal) should be the ones to take it up with the builder.
Hope you get satisfaction thru the courts.
If not, I'd get self satisfaction by making up a display rack and sign to displat every time I took that car to a show, cruisein, or swap meet. I guarantee you can cost SoCal way more than it would cost them to make that right.

 

So-Cal has a vendor (three that I am aware of) make the part to their spec and sell it from their catalog. That is not a middleman.

 

In my opinion, it is SoCals responsibility to act in their customers' interest and take the lead pursuing this with the mfgr. The rear has broken, it is not SoCals' fault it broke, it was not their workmanship but they have an implicit commitment to the hot rodding industry and need to act in the customers' behalf.
It is their reputation on the line and by not representing the customer they put their reputation in the hands of the mfgr of the rear. That is just plain stupid. Every potential customer of SoCal that reads this thread will wonder why they should purchase from them, they can purchase the same rear of ebay for considerably less money. The reason people go to SoCal is their reputation. Without that they're just another mailorder place.

 

This could turn into the classic he said/she said with nothing getting resolved. As a 30+ years chassis manufacturer I've been very well treated by my suppliers but I've also not had anything like this happen to date, most of my problems have been minor in comparison. Hope it works out for you, good luck.

 

That's bullshit- if they push it across their counter and make money off of the sale, I think THEY should step up to the plate and provide what used to be referred to as "customer service". They should either refund your money or exchange the part. Then THEY should deal with the manufacturer. Period.

When you pitch a product for profit, there has to be some degree of responsibility involved; you shouldn't take someone's money and assume a "not my problem" attitude if things go south.

I always thought they got kinda "La-di-dah" anyway- prices went up, customer service went down. I had a problem with "So-Cal" a long time ago, and haven't used them since. Too bad, they have quite a history in racing and hot rodding.
My 2.5 cents worth.
Good luck.

 

Something to remember about So Cal is that regardless of their name or the history of the name, the people who now own and run it are not the ones who started it all.

Feel free to correct me if that isn't true.

 

Wow. Combine one of those with a poorly designed (just about any one with strut rod eliminator feature) MII front end and you have a true adventuremobile!!

 

Interesting, now I'm nervous. Just installed one of their complete assemblies(transverse spring, mounts, hairpins, shocks, axles and brakes) in a friends" A and I was very impressed by the workmanship, especially the welding. I did notice that the inner axle seals fit with little to no pressure so I had to "glue" them in with silicone. Now we will have to keep a close eye on the housing, we had it powdercoated before the assembly. Thanks for the heads-up.

 

I had some less than stellar encounters with so cal. I won't deal with them.

As far as that rear end goes- it's their reputation that they are fucking with. This thing called the HAMB and its members have some influence.

Call the manufacturer?
Who contracted that manufacturer?
Who paid the manufacturer?
They don't know you from Adam.