Aftermarket part gripes

[Rolling_Thunder]

Alright - I am just about 1,000,000,000% fed up with the aftermarket....       I have officially had the worst week ever at the shop...    I usually don't bad-mouth companies but I have a list going and thought I would share...     maybe save some of you the headaches I have had to deal with.

Keisler Automotive: Sent wrong incomplete 5 speed conversion kit. Pieces missing were shims for their hydraulic throw out bearing. The bearing was installed and ruptured from being over extended. On top of this I was hung up on by Keisler Tech support. They also shipped a driveshaft that were not to my specs. That's three strikes for Keisler

March Performance: Put a full March pulley set up on a 528 Hemi Challenger...   I noticed the crank pulley was wobbling alot. I measured and the centering hole was slightly offset (.021")

Richmond Gear: Installing one of their new 5-speed street over-drive transmissions - I went to attach the shift arm to the shift fork using their supplied nylock nuts - and when the nylon contacted the stud and minimal force was applied (to turn the nut) the shift fork stud snapped clean off

Lakewood: Scattershield: Input Bearing centering hole had to be cleaned out due to excessive powder coating as well as have the bolt holes drilled out and the tapped holes for the transmission mounting re-tapped. The Block Plate also had a MAJOR interferrence with the engine block - necessitating the grinding of a portion of the block.

B&M Transmissions: Put in a brand new B&M Transmission in a 68 Satellite filled it with fluid and left for the night. Came in the next morning and I have the red sea in my shop...    The cover plate for the tailshaft snap ring was not sealed and was severely bent. Now Remember that B&M states that their transmissions are dyno-tested for proper operation...     This I find is completely bogus as the transmission could not hold the proper amount of fluid - so how could it have been tested?

Magnumforce Racing: Their tubular K-member did not fit worth a damn in a 1971 Challenger. Their "complete" kit did not include all the parts needed to complete the job correctly, and the rack and pinion steering conversion severely limits the turning radius of the vehicle. Their answer was "Yeah that happens sometimes...   you just have to cut this and that and re-enforce it and that should fix your problem"

So...   Heres my question guys...   what ever happened to paying good money and getting a quality product in return?  I mean I would have better luck ordering parts for a toyota and retro-fitting them...   they last forever and that "bolt on parts" have to be made to fit anyway...   

Sorry to vent - If this is in the wrong section Admin please relocate     

[SFRT]

what was the magnum force kit missing? I was sort of thinking about their front end.

[Charger-Bodie]

what was the magnum force kit missing? I was sort of thinking about their front end.

I would recomend the Alterkation instead

[Rolling_Thunder]

what was the magnum force kit missing? I was sort of thinking about their front end.

Their kit is "complete" according to them - however My large problem with their kit was the how they say the steering rack to column connection should be made. I had to scrap their whole set up and make a better system.

The entire kit had to be stretched and forced to fit as the tubular K member itself was attempting to spring in on itself - I had to mount one side and use a ratcheting strap to pull the other side to where the holes aligned correctly...     

The Magnum Foce instructions are rediculous. They are totally sub-standard.

The turning radius is a major issue in my mind - as the steering is limited to not even two turns lock to lock...     

[ITSA426]

Kiesler is one of only two people in this hobby that ever made me feel truly, deeply, screwed.  I always feel it's worth passing the word.

[SFRT]

interesting. the aftermarket front end and steering is my next major purchase. It is all abit confusing.

right now I have 440 4 speed with manual oem steering  ( 16:1)oem suspension 11 inch HP drum brakes

I want to go to aftermarket suspension/426 hemi.powersteering ( 20:1)/11" disc brakes.

Hemi: sorted and in progress
brakes: for now SSB and hopefully they will fit on the new front end.

the big mystery: steering...I have no clue what setup to get for the desired setup...and I want to buy it all in advance so the car is down for as little time as possible
and which front end.   XV too expensive..Magnum and Alterktion costs in line with budget.....so...anyone know what steering assembly I need for the alterktion/hemi/power steering combo?



chinese puzzle..

[Rack]

what was the magnum force kit missing? I was sort of thinking about their front end.

I would recomend the Alterkation instead

\


That's what I'm going with on my '68.

[Rolling_Thunder]

the big mystery: steering...I have no clue what setup to get for the desired setup...and I want to buy it all in advance so the car is down for as little time as possible and which front end.   XV too expensive..Magnum and Alterktion costs in line with budget.....so...anyone know what steering assembly I need for the alterktion/hemi/power steering combo?

Honestly - I would just use your standard K member with some added on goodies and go to Firm Feel and get one of their stage 2 power steering boxes...    simple, effective, and light on the wallet.   

[Charger-Bodie]

http://www.bigblockdart.com/ Talk to Bill Rielly Himself!! He really nows his stuff!! IMO

[SFRT]

the big mystery: steering...I have no clue what setup to get for the desired setup...and I want to buy it all in advance so the car is down for as little time as possible and which front end.   XV too expensive..Magnum and Alterktion costs in line with budget.....so...anyone know what steering assembly I need for the alterktion/hemi/power steering combo?

Honestly - I would just use your standard K member with some added on goodies and go to Firm Feel and get one of their stage 2 power steering boxes...    simple, effective, and light on the wallet.   

I want that header clearance the aftermarket kits provide. also, where I live the roads are a mess and I want total confidence in the front end.

[Rolling_Thunder]

Alright - Talk to Bill Rielly and ask. I believe his kit includes a rack and pinion conversion...    you'll have to cut your existing steering shaft - he should have good instuctions for you to follow

[Mopar2Ya]

Competition Engineering: Slida-link wont fit on HD springs.
Mopar: NOS turn signal switch has larger hazard button which interferes w/the steering column. & NOS ignition switch doesn't have the exact wire setup as factory.
CAA: Perfect Fit system wont fit a factory A/C car w/o a bunch of rigging.
Moog: a ball joint boot split wide open after suspension was put back together.
ebay seller: rear spring hangers not exact dimensions as factory.
Firm Feel: nylon control arm bushings go in extremely tight, so tight the suspension seems to be stuck(no engine in yet).
American Muscle Tools: threaded rod sent w/kit is grade 5 at best, I toasted it in like secs, bought a grade 8 hardened rod works great now.
Willwood: front disc conversion instructions sketchy, it seems vague which side the caliper is to be on, called Willwood they say it doesn't matter?
Hellwig: rear sway is not bolt in(Summit said it was...).

& the list will go on...

[moparstuart]

Alright - I am just about 1,000,000,000% fed up with the aftermarket....       I have officially had the worst week ever at the shop...    I usually don't bad-mouth companies but I have a list going and thought I would share...     maybe save some of you the headaches I have had to deal with.

Keisler Automotive: Sent wrong incomplete 5 speed conversion kit. Pieces missing were shims for their hydraulic throw out bearing. The bearing was installed and ruptured from being over extended. On top of this I was hung up on by Keisler Tech support. They also shipped a driveshaft that were not to my specs. That's three strikes for Keisler

March Performance: Put a full March pulley set up on a 528 Hemi Challenger...   I noticed the crank pulley was wobbling alot. I measured and the centering hole was slightly offset (.021")

Richmond Gear: Installing one of their new 5-speed street over-drive transmissions - I went to attach the shift arm to the shift fork using their supplied nylock nuts - and when the nylon contacted the stud and minimal force was applied (to turn the nut) the shift fork stud snapped clean off

Lakewood: Scattershield: Input Bearing centering hole had to be cleaned out due to excessive powder coating as well as have the bolt holes drilled out and the tapped holes for the transmission mounting re-tapped. The Block Plate also had a MAJOR interferrence with the engine block - necessitating the grinding of a portion of the block.

B&M Transmissions: Put in a brand new B&M Transmission in a 68 Satellite filled it with fluid and left for the night. Came in the next morning and I have the red sea in my shop...    The cover plate for the tailshaft snap ring was not sealed and was severely bent. Now Remember that B&M states that their transmissions are dyno-tested for proper operation...     This I find is completely bogus as the transmission could not hold the proper amount of fluid - so how could it have been tested?

Magnumforce Racing: Their tubular K-member did not fit worth a damn in a 1971 Challenger. Their "complete" kit did not include all the parts needed to complete the job correctly, and the rack and pinion steering conversion severely limits the turning radius of the vehicle. Their answer was "Yeah that happens sometimes...   you just have to cut this and that and re-enforce it and that should fix your problem"

So...   Heres my question guys...   what ever happened to paying good money and getting a quality product in return?  I mean I would have better luck ordering parts for a toyota and retro-fitting them...   they last forever and that "bolt on parts" have to be made to fit anyway...   

Sorry to vent - If this is in the wrong section Admin please relocate     

A buddy of mine installed a kiesler automatic ( basicly a GM overdrive automatic ) they had terible customer service
and he had to fix there problem and tell there tech why there tranny didnt work right . The owner of keisler wont even return his call now for any credit on time he spent . THere tech guy promise all kind of credit and thanked him for fixing there wiring problems  .  that company is a joke
 

[Hemidoug]

The Keisler setup sucks....With Gear Vendors available I don't know why someone would go through the hassle of the Keisler POS...All I had to change was a driveshaft and a small mod to the trans crossmember.. I have 8 gears to choose from as well as the beef of an 833 trans.

[Rolling_Thunder]

MARCH PERFORMANCE UPDATE: I was told today that the pulley issue I have discovered is "My problem" by March Performance. They stated that the holes were drilled to within their specs...    (each hole has a .010" variance allowed) so that means the holes were in total drilled .020" off...        So this nice pulley I have that wobbles like hell on the balancer is "my problem"....      I wonder sometimes how companies like this stay in business...      I called Jason Mayo at Mayo Performance (friend of ours) and mentioned i had a problem with a March pulley and he said "let me guess...    The Crank pulley holes are not drilled correctly"...       Now my question is - if he knows exactly what the problem was BEFORE I hold him the details...      wouldn't you think March would get their shit together and maybe fix their issues ?     

MAGNUMFORCE RACING UPDATE: These guys did not even answer their phones today....

[hemi-hampton]

Welcome to the real World, Life Sucks, Then you die.

[Rolling_Thunder]

Welcome to the real World, Life Sucks, Then you die.

Oh believe me I know...      I just cant believe how companies will not stand behind their work/products...      oh well...    and people criticize me for driving a Toyota why?    at least they Warranty things...   and stand behind their cars   

[Mopar2Ya]

Welcome to the real World, Life Sucks, Then you die.

Oh now you tell me! Too late now though I'm already knee deep in $ wasted. 
I drive a Jeep & my dealer also stands behind their vehicles.

[Rack]

Welcome to the real World, Life Sucks, Then you die.

Oh now you tell me! Too late now though I'm already knee deep in $ wasted. 
I drive a Jeep & my dealer also stands behind their vehicles.

There's some people that I wish would stand in FRONT of my F-150.

While I'm going 75 on the freeway.

[Mopar2Ya]

Welcome to the real World, Life Sucks, Then you die.

Oh now you tell me! Too late now though I'm already knee deep in $ wasted. 
I drive a Jeep & my dealer also stands behind their vehicles.

There's some people that I wish would stand in FRONT of my F-150.

While I'm going 75 on the freeway.

You may want an aftermarket bumper & wiper blades for that venture. I hope they fit. 

[suntech]

interesting. the aftermarket front end and steering is my next major purchase. It is all abit confusing.

I am so glad Magnum Force was so late replying with a quote and bank details!! By the time i got it, Norwaycharger had showed me the XV frontend

I think the XV frontend is the best available on the market now, but it reqires welding. I will strip my car completly, so i dont mind.
RMS one looks to be nice too, and no welding.

rolf

[Mopar2Ya]

How does the CAP setup compare? http://www.capautoproducts.com/Tubular_K_Frame.html

[NYCMille]

Man... I'm really sorry to hear about all the problems your having man... 

[Rolling_Thunder]

Thanks Mike - no worries though - I will just never buy from March Performance again -  - doesn't help that I know Magazine editors as well does it ?   

Billet Specialties all the way   

[JR]

In stock resto parts I try to use original parts as much as I can. I'd rather have an old faded orginal piece than some new poorly made crap.
There are a ton of parts where we have no choice though.

This takes me back to the year one weatherstripping kit. Or those patchpanels. Or quarter skins.......

It is really hard to find good new products.

[Mopar2Ya]

Thanks Mike - no worries though - I will just never buy from March Performance again -  - doesn't help that I know Magazine editors as well does it ?   

Billet Specialties all the way   

Very nice stuff.

I wonder if you could use an electric water pump?

[bill440rt]

That serpentine kit is about $2900.00. 

And, I don't see regular aluminum non-serpentine pulleys for Mopars on their website.

Does anyone else besides March & Billet Specialties make aluminum pulleys for Mopars?? 

[Rolling_Thunder]

off hand i am not 100% sure...     i'll be researching that soon though   


An addition to the post...

INDY Cylinder Heads: Customer crate 528 Legend (hemi) had a BAD ticking under the driver's side valve cover. We pulled the cover and found two problems...   one valve was no adjusted correctly and showed a significant gap between the roller and the tip of the valve. (i didn't have a feeler that fit so i stacked TWO quarters) The problem was a collapsed lifter. The other problem was a roller pin on another rocker arm was about ready to come out...        So I call up INDY and tell them  my problem....         their reply was the following

"Alright, I have a replacement rocker arm and another lifter right here...   I'll stuff them in a small box and overnight them to you. You should be able to get the lifter out without having to pull the intake off... (insert pleasant tech conversation here)"

So A big shout out to INDY for actually doing what a good company does and standing behind their products...          It sure did brighten up my day    

[Rolling_Thunder]

Thanks Mike - no worries though - I will just never buy from March Performance again -  - doesn't help that I know Magazine editors as well does it ?   

Billet Specialties all the way   

Very nice stuff.

I wonder if you could use an electric water pump?

It LOOKS like you could easily...    there is an opening present for the stock water pump to poke through - if the hole wont allow an electric it is a matter of machining the hole slightly larger.   The two idler pulleys would then not be needed and merely get in the way - remove them and just have the belt run right from the Alt to the AC


Below is a crude picture

[charger_mike75]

I had the same gripe about magnumforce racing when i bought the wilwood disc brake set from them, I was missing some needed fittings to connect the brake hoses to the calipers, I called them to get the fittings and essentially laughed at me and hung up.    I won't buy from them anymore.

[71charger_fan]

"How does the CAP setup compare?"

I really like the look, and the concept, of the CAP set up and may buy one. I, for one, am a fan of the torsion bar suspension and don't have any great desire to switch to coil overs. I like how the CAP piece is designed to retain the stock suspension with option of the newer tubular control arms.

http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,39140.0.html

http://board.moparts.org/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=4126498&an=0&page=2#Post4126498

[ChgrSteve67]

It really sucks when vendors are more concerned about selling their product than making sure its works correctly.   


But there are some companies out there that care and stand behind their work.

About a year and a half ago I bought a perfect fit AC unit from Classic Auto Air.
A month ago the servo motor and gears that control the defroster flap inside the unit went ape and broke about a dozen teeth off the gear that controls the position of the flap.  I called them and told them my problem and they asked for my order number so they could fix the unit under warranty, I looked everywhere for it but could not find it. I called them back expecting them to charge for the part to fix it. They are shipping me a new servo unit at no charge.   

[Mopar2Ya]

That's good to hear CAA stands behind their products. I wish they'd made their perfect fit system fit car equipped w/factory A/C. I would have paid more not to have rigged the firewall & vents up. 

[NorwayCharger]

what was the magnum force kit missing? I was sort of thinking about their front end.

I would recomend the Alterkation instead

Perfect fit, good quality and great service.

and a good  manual http://www.reillymotorsports.com/instructions/installation_manual.pdf

[bill440rt]

Does anyone know if there are any fit problems with the March Serpetine pulley kit for a big block/440? Not the serpentine CONVERSION kit, but the serpentine pulley kit. This kit basically enables you to run wide serpentine belts without one big continous belt.

Link:
http://www.marchperf.com/pg48.html

Thanks!