I found a IFS kit for my project on ebay the other day. It's a good deal $1,300 for the whole kit. Here's my problem he says it's a Heidt's kit but it doesn't come with the Heidt's name plate. The owner of the shop swears that it is a Heidt's cross member. I emailed Heidt's and they said that it was not there companies cross member if it didn't have a name plate. What should i do. Should I say screw it and buy it or save a little more cash and buy it straight from Heidt's Here is the link to the website: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/e...m=160204109712&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=006
you might save some bills on the ebay one but u take a chance that it isnt as high quality as heidt's...but non the less if it works well then you made out
I looked at the link, and from what I can see, it looks like the crossmember was mig welded...my Heidts was fully Tig'ed...also, if you enlarge the pic showing the crossmember, you can see uneven grinding along the top...defitely something Heidts would not let out of the shop. I'd guess it's a "copy" of a Heidts. PS, check your PM.
Heidt's are all fully Tig welded. There are alot of clones on Ebay but they will tell you there are only two liscensed dealers of there merch on there.
We offer a Jim Weimer Rod Shop, for not much more than that, and FREE SHIPPING... so really its about the same price All quality stuff, made in the USA, and all new. Let me know if your interested.
Its NOT the name brand one, its a rip-off copy ,you may save a couple bucks ,but in the long run you'll not be happy with it and probably either change it or up date to fit your project,save the money and get the right one the first time , You'll save money ,time and peace of mine!
P*** go buy the real thing, sounds like the ebay item is bonus and a rip off artist running the auction. CRUISER
Hey, the name plates came off when they fell off the truck. What's the big deal? Oh, wait, if it sounds too good to be true, maybe it is?
We are a Heidt's dealer. Heidt's will not sell ME a crossmember without the nameplate WELDED to the crossmember. I would actually prefer one I could rivet on after I get done welding everything up.
I'm not gonna choose sides on this one, just gonna say I've dealt with both people and have had great service with both of them. Actually just spoke with both companies this past weekend at the NSRA Kalamazoo,MI show. The ebay auction is posted by Gearhead enterprises. They're a whole sale company. I've dealt with them a lot in person and have never had a problem with any of their parts. They do however sell some "off brand" stuff along side the stuff with a "name". On the other hand, Jim Weimer Rod Shop makes a top notch IFS kit. I've seen the whole set up in person and even spoke with Jim about it. I'm planning to use one in my 51 F1. We've also got a set of his 32 rails under my dads roadster... Nothing bad to say here, just praise for good parts for a good price. Go with your gut on this one.
With the kit on ebay it looks like the crossmember only welds to the bottom of the frame rails. The picture of the Weimer kit looks like it welds to both the bottom and the inside of the rails which would keep the rails from twisting. The spring mounts (Hats) are welded to the top and outside of the frame, the weight is supported by the springs on the outside of the frame and this will try to twist the frame. I'd want the better kit like Weimers. <TABLE cl***=tborder id=post3045402 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=6 width="100%" align=center border=0><TBODY><TR vAlign=top><TD cl***=alt2 style="BORDER-RIGHT: #e5e5e5 1px solid; BORDER-TOP: #e5e5e5 0px solid; BORDER-LEFT: #e5e5e5 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #e5e5e5 0px solid" width=175> Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Del Boca Vista---Baby! (FL) Posts: 140 </TD><TD cl***=alt1 id=td_post_3045402 style="BORDER-RIGHT: #e5e5e5 1px solid"><!-- icon and ***le --> Re: Warning to MII kit owners, Street Scene Mag <HR style="COLOR: #e5e5e5; BACKGROUND-COLOR: #e5e5e5" SIZE=1><!-- / icon and ***le --><!-- message -->Since this is a Mustang II thread I have to add info about a problem with a kit by one manufacturer. The kit that was installed in my buddies '40 Ford Coupe was installed by the person that builds and sells the kit so it must have been installed exactly like it was supposed to be installed. The crossmember fits underneath the frame rails with no bracing of any kind going up along the inside of the frame rails and then the spring "hats" are welded on the outside and top of the rails as all kits are. The cars front end weight is being supported by the spring hats (through the springs) and is naturally trying to twist the frame rails and since there was no bracing of the rails by the crossmember the rails DID TWIST----BADLY!! We removed that kit, fixed the frame and installed a Heidt kit and the car has been going down the road with no problems for many--about 20 years. The guy that made the first kit knows of this problem and, to my knowledge, has never changed the design of his kit. I won't mention names but all you have to do is look at the design of the kits to make sure that you don't purchase one that isn't designed to keep the frame rails from twisting. While living in NY I worked at a rod shop and we installed MANY Mustang II kits in '35-'40 Fords and Chevys and never had a problem with any of them. Everything was tig welded and torqued properly (as HOTRODDON mentioned) and we used the 11" brakes and anti-sway bars and they worked great. Just choose your kit wisely and take the time to install it properly. I'm editing by adding the picture below. It is a picture taken from Heidt's info but I am just adding this to show how the front crossmember should be designed to keep the rails from twisting. The crossmember is welded to both the bottom and inside of the rails, not just the bottom. There are alot of manufacturers that have this design and some that don't. I'm not recommending any certain manufacturer but because of what happened to my buddys '40 I recommend that you add a triangular shaped piece that can be welded to the inside edge of the rails and crossmember if it already isn't there. There's alot of good tech info if you just search manufacturers web sites like www.heidts.com , etc. <!-- / message --><!-- attachments --> <FIELDSET cl***=fieldset><LEGEND>Attached Thumbnails</LEGEND> </FIELDSET> </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
The Jalopy Journal
