Hot Rods So-Cal Hairpin Radius Rod Kit. Worth double the price of Speedway?

LOL !!

 

You claim they're perfect , did you have the parts x-rayed , magnafluxed ?? I'm guessing " they look nice"

 

Oh heavens no, I judge everything by the way it looks on the surface. Like you for example, I have a definite impression that I believe suits you fine without e-rays or further testing.

 

I'm sure The Hoffman Group x-rays all their stuff..........

 

yes, plus whilst shopping, buy the track locator

 

Cheap is not good, good is not cheap

 

While that may be true, this could well be a case of the economy of scale producing a quality product sold at a fair price versus paying extra because it has a "name" on it.

 

Sometimes building a hot rod is all about the a name. I wouldn’t put Rocket covers on a sbc. I would pay more for brand name parts, Offy, Moon, Fenton and pass on ebay copies. But than again I’m only building one car. I but I do get shopping for a good price.

 

perch pin key

 

That axle may be as low or lower than my front bumper that actually sits higher in the avatar photo than it did with the Camaro stub on the truck. A few scrapes on gravel bermed up in a driveway and your chrome looks like that after a while.

As far as So-Cal quality goes I have a So-Cal dropped forged axle that I picked up a few years ago for what ever my flathead goes in and that is a seriously stout axle. I got a deal on it because it had been one of the stores display axle that they hauled to shows until it started showing it's age from being hauled around but a bit of primer some paint and it is good to go.

 

I've seen alot of speedway parts and not seen alot of negative reviews or horror stories from those parts.

I agree that with some it has to have a "name" or its junk mentality, I don't agree with that thought process at all, maybe at one time that was true but not in todays markets. Many parts are made overseas now and the only difference is the name or label that the companies here have the same manufacturer overseas put on their parts. I've seen parts from different vendors made in the exact overseas factory and only difference is the box.

Speedway has probably sold Millions of parts and they are still in business and people are still buying the parts so if I could save almost half on the same basic part especially on a driver its going to be a speedway part BUT then again I build alot of my own parts....

 

I buy from both. I agree with Krylon32 that the socal stuff is nicer. Most of us will look in our pocketbook to make part of the decision. If you're building a low budget car, then you won't spend more money on nicer parts. People have just as much fun with inexpensive hot rods as real nice ones. The batwings are where is I see the most difference. If I buy cheap hairpins, I re-weld them with tig just to make sure.

 

Sounds pretty. But its B.S...

 

Nice to know you're thinking of me !!

 

Do you want a thermostat housing for a Chevrolet 350?
Or do you want the much nicer one for a Corvette 350?

Not a real analogy.
Just runnin' my mouth.

 

well of course i want the much nicer one for a corvette for the price of the chevrolet one

 

Are you considering stainless because you want shiny and rust resistant without chroming without considering the physical properties difference as well as possible dimensional differences between the two?

A whole can of worms here.

 

Personally I think a painted one looks better than a shiny rusty one,........

 

But, shiny and rusty is "traditional".

 

Of course, the other thing to consider, given the other active thread on So-cal, is that if you have a problem, Speedway is a phone call away in Nebraska while So-Cal is.....closed.

 

No, several Socals are open AND the product line is still being produced.

 

So, uh, just the mothership? I'd still have to wonder. Who makes the product? And, where?

 

Several people who have compared the two brands have posted in this thread saying that they thought the design looked nicer and the welds looked nicer on the So Cal hairpins.

I'm sure the Speedway hairpins are just fine. The So Cal name may account for a bit of the price difference, but in my experience, something with a nicer looking design and better workmanship (nicer welds) will usually be more expensive.

 

This^^^^^^
It is true that the SoCal name became a bit of a buzzword (namedropper), in certain segments of the hot rodding community, namely the so-called gold chain crowd.
Not that I counted myself in with them but back when I had "disposable income" I chose to give up many of lifes' other luxuries to be able to afford higher quality components for my projects.
People should understand though that (positive) name recognition both does not come overnight or without a cost to the vendor.

 

Personally , from a trust and creativity view point I would build them myself . Has anyone ever took the specs to a machine shop and have them tig weld a set up? I wonder what the would cost? Do you have a buddy that can rig weld ? If made out of stainless , just polish them up yourself.

 

Not that you would have to have a machine shop weld them but have you priced hourly machine shop rates lately, the setup fee alone would scare you off, same with a welding shop, also, there is a big difference between a job shop that can get set up for a "run" of parts (cost effective) and the higher cost of "one off" projects.