Anyone else have problems with sheetmetal from Mac's? I bought a new header piece for over the windshield for the model t Coupe. It's half an inch too tall and the holes for attaching the windshield are offset by at least 1/4" to 1/2". If I had the a sheet metal break I would have made the thing myself. Can't ship it back because I need it for Viva next week.... Anyone else have problems with their products? -Pete
"Every now and then, something that's not up to their rigid quality standards slips through. You must be the only one who got a bad part." I'm sure that just about everyone has heard that.
i orderd a bunch of parts from them and nver had any trouble..i think you have to be body specific though i orderd lower 1/4 panels, door bottoms and inner fender well patches plus latches and hardware ..everything was perfect only thing i didnt like were theree hood shelfs for 28 -29 bodys...
Nope. No major problems and when they did pop up they were taken care of promptly. Make sure you have the correct part for the year/body etc and give them a call with the details/issues. -Bigchief
I think they buy parts from other vendors. BAsically they just source them for you. It probably came from Howell's in TX.
As far as I know I have the correct part. Part description on the order form, and the sticker on the part coincide with what I own.
I've bought a lot of parts from Mac's over the years and lately it's been so bad I'm looking for new sources, basically I'm done with them. Always the same story, "we buy these from outside venders and have no control of the product". The are always willing to take the stuff back but you still pay for shipping both ways. Pisses me off, they DO have control of the product, they DON'T have to sell it if it's crap but they still do.
http://macsautoparts.com/model-t-he...dor-a41000-818p/camid/MDT/cp/JS0R3CHL1107305/ As stated in first post, its 1/2" too high, and the holes to attach the windshield to are off by a minimum of 1/4" to 1/2".
Being from Canada I had to pay to order a catalog ....took some emails from me and 8 weeks to get it lol !
"They are willing to take the stuff back but you have to pay postage both ways". Where is the willingness of vendors to garner customer loyalty. Some years ago I was building a '30 A coupe. Bought floors from Bitchen Products. One floor panel didn't fit So I called and the guy asked me to take some measurements. Seems my coupe was a "hybrid" (or bastard if you will). It had been in a fire, you could tell from charred wood in roof and somehow someone had installed a '28-'29 set of floor rails. Bitchen sent me the right floor on their dime and told me to give the first one to someone who could use it. To this day, I tell that story to folks and I suspect the good will and advertisement Bitchen got far exceeded their cost of the other floor and postage. Guess I am an olcurmudgeon who grew up working in my old man's grocery store (1950s) where my siblings and I were taught the customer is who puts food on our table and clothes on our back. We were taught to say "yes sir" and "yes ma'am" and go out of our way to assist, no matter how obnoxious some customers could be. So I do decry the change in the retail marketplace where the help seems annoyed to wait on you and once you bought it, you own it no matter what the problem.
every time i order from them(or anybody for that matter) ,i check to see if what i need is in stock before ordering, and then only order what they have in stock, BUT why is their shipping SO SLOW?!?! usually take two weeks to get it after ordering. that is why i am now ordering from midwestearlyford.com
"Please note that some fitting of metal may be needed due to the variety of body manufacturers of the early T's" right in the product description I have never had an issue with them, and like others have stated, they do not make the products they sell.
And I was just reading about the different sources that Ford used, not only for bodies but for componants for body parts. It was a mess. Ford had a tough time building cars. Sheetmetal stamping work was maybe not automated like we see in them old movies until Ford brought it all togeter under one roof where he had total control.
I have had great luck with fittment but a little slow on shipment and I called more parts in yesterday and quizzed them on there pull and ship time and the very nice girl on the phone explained that they had in fact had thier buisest sales ever and in fact were several days behind on shipping to the tune of a normal 3-4 days before it was handed to the shipper. They offer a "expedite service" for another $3.50 to get it out the next day to the shipper. I was asking as I feel like when dealing with a vendor, it is fair to ask and know thier "true" shipping poilcies in order to know when to expect your order and to time our work schedule for the most productive work. But some vendors I have contacted took it as a invasion of privacy when asking so I take that as reference of how much money I want to spend with them or how desperate I am for a part. I hear the economy is bad but all the vendors I deal with in the parts world tell me the opposite, your input?
I have had very good service from Mac's over the years and only one sheet metal issue-which I attribute in part to fitting stock sheet metal into a hotrod. Big question,OP, did you actually contact Mac's about the problem before you posted and trashed them here? Seems like that would be a courteous thing to do and maybe would have taken care of your problem.
I buy from mac`s every time i need parts,their service is second to none,never have to wait more than the 7-10 days for delivery to Australia and they always have what you need
Never had a problem with the parts that I have ordered. But it did take longer than expected to get them to my door. They seem a little slow on their shipping but I still will order from them again.
Okay, maybe not "trashing" but it doesn't make sense. If you problem is fitting a sheet metal header, then your thread title should be "Need help fitting a sheet metal header" not"Anybody have problems with Mac's?" Regardless, if you haven't contacted MAc's, then you haven't given them, a chance to help straighten out the problem,which only they can do, or turn you away. Posting here doesn't get the header fitted or replaced. Only three possibilities exist: 1. This particular piece of sheet metal was made incorrectly and not caught on a quality control inspection. 2. Everyone of these pieces of sheetmetal is made this way and will be off because the pattern is off and the mfg isn't willing to correct the problem. 3. The sheet metal is made correctly and the car is put together incorrectly.
Huh? What does your response mean? How many times have you dealt with them? I've used them many times through the years for my cars ranging from 1931 -1936 and have been very satisfied with their parts quality and their service..... Great people to deal with.
They get most of their sheet metal from EMS that is made in the USA . They have their sticker on the metal . If not is an off brand that you got . Most of the patch panels you get are close and some not even in the ball park ! You have to watch who makes the parts and just do the best you can . Remember these patch panels are to get you in the ballpark then you have to Make then fit ! There is no such thing it a patch panel that will be a drop in or fit perfectly . That's just the way it goes when restoring old cars . If you don't learn to be a metal man then you will have to pay someone to do the work for you . Have you ever tried to make the parts ? Sometimes is easier to make pieces like than to buy one you have to make fit anyway . Retro Jim
I work at MAC's and was notified of this thread through the Google Alerts feature - here is the response from MAC's: Dear Pete- Randy McIntosh, co-owner here at MAC's. I am saddened to hear that the sheet metal piece (A41000/818P Panel Above Windshield for 1926-27 Coupe) did not fit your exact application. The sole manufacturer of this panel is Howell Sheet Metal in Texas. All other T parts suppliers carry the part - but source it from him. I checked all of our previous sales, and only found ever two returned in the past 10 years before - so it seems that this piece works for most applications, but sadly not for yours. Of course, we are always happy to take back any item and provide a full refund, but I also understand the timeframe for your upcoming event, and know you may have to modify or make do with what we provided. Sorry this reproduction failed to meet your needs, and let me know directly of any other concerns or problems by calling me, Randy McIntosh, at 716-204-9331 or emailing me at [email protected]
I'd say 7 out of 10 things I order don't fit right out of the box. It seems you have to modify everything to make it work these days. Just another reason for me to use original parts.
I've used them alot since they are close and I can drive across the border to pick stuff up. I find the guys at the counter when you go in can be a pain in the ass to deal with at times (its like pulling teeth to get them to help you out or go look for something out back), but the girl who takes care of the orders over the phone is awesome at customer service. Last time I went down there the "lost" my order and I had to wait for them to pull everything, then they found my order sitting there as they were going to write up the order they had just pulled again. My buddy went down there about a month ago and they did the same thing, it took them 2 hours to go through the warehouse to pull everything out. I've never had a real issue with any of their parts, but I would love to bypass dealing with the counterstaff.
I have had very good luck with them, have not bought sheet metal parts but a lot of other stuff, always thought they were first class and great to deal with.
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