I have ordered parts from them over the past 10 years. Quality was decent for the price. There are definitely much higher quality parts out there (vs. their branded parts) You get what you pay for........ Sent from my iPhone using H.A.M.B.
If you know for certain that is really airplane/helicopter I'm guessing experimental home built aircraft, although I would have thought even they have to be inspected by SOMEbody. The joint and bracket design, and lack of triangulation even before welding suggest trouble's a-brewin' .
It was a replica Fokker Tri-plane that had been flying and been sold. The story was that the new owner sand blasted the fuselage structure to start the restoration and that is what was underneath.
I went to a race car shop, here in town, and they were building an “ ultra light “ out of roll bar stock.... while they were excellent welds...... I don’t think it’s going to be an “ ultra” light...... maybe a welter weight! Bones
It's amazing Speedways business is about 50/50 oval track to hot rod, and somehow it is only the hot rod guys ever have quality issues. It seems like of their quality was bad one one side of the business it would be just as bad on the other.
Well there is a difference in quality meaning functional fit for its purpose and quality meaning it is a nicely finished, appearing product. motor sports folks care about the first and will overlook the second if it works. Buyers of the second type hold the appearance in highest regard, even if it works it fails.
You guys do understand that Speedway is a multi million dollar business. I think they are in the top 10 of company`s located in Nebraska. Maybe in the top 5. A bad part will show up every now and again. You just can`t examine every part that comes thru the door. The business has grown since the passing of it`s founder, Bill. His kids are doing a good job of continuing his Legacy.
You have to remember that Speedway started out just selling circle track pieces. Up into the 70's probably 85% of their business was serious circle track and what was being sold for the street was primarily engine parts that were also sold to circle burners. They were and still are the go to supplier for a lot of circle track racers. They didn't get into street hot rod stuff until people started making a lot of parts just for street cars and Speedy Bill knew he better tap the market. First selling others stuff then having knock offs made of hot selling items so he could undersell the guys making the good parts. If they are selling a spreader bar for a 33/34 it is a knock off of someone else's spreader bar that they sold enough of to cause them to decide to make knock offs of. They have burned a couple of our own on that starting out selling their product than making knockoffs with their brand on them.
I kinda see what you’re saying, but I think you’re off base a bit. If I were to buy a chrome alternator, I’d expect it to be shiny and charge the battery, if it was pitted and still charged the battery, I’d not be happy just because it worked. Besides, seems the OP had the QC instructions included in the box with the part, part still failed the visual even though the instructions said what to look for. I won’t comment on the quality of Speedway stuff, I’ve not enough experience using them, but can say in the case the OP is talking about, seems like an epic fail on Speedways end.
Mr48Chevy----Not true. The reason he sold lots of circle track stuff because he delivered the parts to the tracks they were racing at. In his book, he mentions the lack of ways to ship larger parts. When the shipping companies(UPS) went nationwide. The Hot Rod business boomed.
I'm not surprised by anyone having terrible or no QC. Seems kinda odd to be pissed people want pics......Common you think people really wanted to see your poodle avatar and have no interest in a crappy spreader bar?
lotta time being spent talking about not spending time on here.................parts is parts, without seeing the thing this whole deal is wasted time.......ooops!.....I just caught myself, wasting time over wasting time.....
Seriously , saw worse welding on a Factory 917 Porsche LeMans racer I was called in for to do some repair work on a restoration. To this day I dont know if I was called for my Talent or that my welding was so bad that the welds would match
I see that beating up Speedway is still alive and well. Not that they can't occasionally sell a bad part, and not that the minions in shipping can't ship parts without inspecting them first. But it seems that until the dust settles, and we see how this plays out, it's a bit premature to beat them up over it? Just my opinion, as they've always done right by me over many years.
Many Hot Rodders I have talked to describe Speedway as the Harbor Freight of Hot Rod parts, if you need a cheap part that will get the job done once then go for it! Otherwise, go to (enter your favorite "quality" part provider here) and pay for the quality you are looking for. I have bought many Speedway parts over the years and have had good luck but the problems I have seen in the last couple years have been more with the warehouse "parts pickers" that leave things out of orders (missing parts) or unexpected backordered pieces with no idea when they will be available. I have ran into the back order problem with quality vendors as well. It seems to be a crap shoot now as many of the old quality vendors are going out of business for various reasons and more and more chineseum parts are showing up on the internet. Sad
Circle Track suppliers make better stuff that must make it on the track.... no beauty here just business. If a manufacturer has junk it’s not bought because it’s passed around the country really fast...
Well the dust seems to have settled, so I took count of what I perceive as being good comments and (bad), better word here would be, constructive comments. Turns out, good= 6, constructive = 9. I get the message, I apologize for the comments on Speedways quality and henceforth will not express with the HAMB members poor quality of any kind. And BTW that white guy to the left is OSO a Bichon Poodle mix and is my Avatar now instead of my '34, because he means more to me than does my '34 by at least 10 percentage points, and my 34 should have never been here in the first place, (not traditional). And now I retire to my man cave/den in observation of what transpires here and elsewhere. To those who have expressed their best wishes for my wife, I consider you to be cyber saints, and she is doing as well as can be expected and is preparing to travel with her daughter to Chicago, (with her daughter being her caregiver to to visit family on the 3rd of June. Short term memory is now gone, long term is as good as ever. This may seem odd but this is not the place for discussion. BTW the good vs. bad is open to opinion, so please lets not get into a pissing contest.
Speedway has plenty of cheap parts and there are plenty of retailer's that sell high quality parts. The thing is your not going to get a $500 part for a $100, you will probably get a Chinese knockoff, hell if Speedway lined up twenty of these spreaders and sent the best one it's still a low quality cheap part.
Hey, I like your pooch....looks a lot more friendly and less critical than some of the posers...uh...posters on here. As to the quality of welds... I can't weld for shit! Wouldn't trust my welds to hold a dog dish together! But.... my entire working life was involved in manufacturing of some type, and I know the difference between a good weld and a f*%@ed-up weld when I see it. You obviously do too. The guys that demand proof are probably the type that buy a mig, run three passes, and all of of sudden ... they're a fabricator! NOT! I've seen some welds on here that scare the crap out of me! If you tell me it's raining, I don't have to walk outside and get wet to prove it! Enough ranting, but want to say: good luck to your wife and her daughter on their trip. It probably won't be real easy for either one of them, but will be good medicine for all involved. Good luck and keep your spirits up.
Some of the comments kill me. The idea that it's ok to sell shit if it's cheap enough. I know I'm paraphrasing, but damn... If a part has to be shit to sell it at a popular price, then don't fucking make/sell it. I'm sure some of their stuff is perfect, but there's no doubt that some of Speedways stuff is no better than Hoffman. As far as the reputation of the company and their history, sorry, the bottom line trumps all that. I hate to say it, but a lot of you have no idea what's really important to the owners of Speedway.. They are no different than any other large company. If Larry says it looks like shit, then it looks like shit, and there's NO excuse for that.
Everyone knows what you get from speedway.... If you don't want knockoff cheap shit don't use them..buy quality parts for more money somewhere else.... I don't need to see the spreader bar.. I know there low quality.... I hope your wife is doing well. I know the challenge's involved when a loved one has health issues....
The Jalopy Journal
