Speedway Motors!

Just got done reading the Post on "testing" the Speedway Motors 9super7 carburetor. WOW...what an eye opener. The thing that stuck in my mind was the general opinion of the company. The Post just happens to coincide with me getting a copy of the "Assembly Manual" for thier "Lo-Boy Kit". MY GOD! What a POS!! Not even CLOSE!! I'm not a cheapskate, but I HAVE been looking around for the best bang for my buck in a 32 Roadster body...and ALL the bodies are getting an in depth checking out. I've looked at everything from the Brookville bodies to the bottom of the barrel glass bodies..and there is some REAL crap out there (the "Lo-Boy" among them). It's good to find out that Speedway is NOT the company to deal with. My money comes hard, and I can't afford to piss it away on junk. I had been looking at their other glass roadster body, but for a few bucks more, the New Age Motorsports body still comes out way ahead, for what I can afford. I know there are a BUNCH of really good Hot Rod parts suppliers, but are there any other companies to steer clear of? The H.A.M.B Discussion Forumhas already save me THOSANDS...figuratively if not literally, not to mention all the great people I've met. I guess I can get rid of that big stack of Speedway catalogs...

 

Ive been using their catalog for masking..It works great on small parts you dont want over-spray on..
I run a strip of masking tape along the edge of the page i ripped out, and use the tape as a nice clean egde..and the page as an over spray "curtain"..give it a shot..better than throwing them out

 

Uh? I never bought a body from them, but the 50-100 other things I did buy were a quick ship and as advertised.

Having said that, no I didnt do any redesigned carbs either. only third party made stuff. Which was all in stock and shipped same day.

The couple of techs I talked with were knowledgable too. I had 1 complaint and got an answer. It was on a "No shake" steering hub.....They did a refund and removed the term from their adverts.

THX for the heads up.
MIZ

 

With most new stuff being casted or manufactured in China now you can expect to see a lot of crap on the market. Speed parts suppliers are always looking for new items and there not always the best choice. I have dealt with Speedway for many years and I have had a few bad parts. When notified they always made it good no questions ask. When I found some listing problems on there web and sent them notice I always got a reply within hours and they immediately made corrections. My thoughts are there tech help has been good and items I have purchased for the most are top line.

 

hey, ive bought items from Speedway,fast shipping and no problems ,but like any other company they are subject to having an item that doesnt pass the muster. This doesnt make the whole company bad. Anyway botom line is i am sure they will see the error of their way on the carbs and either correct it or not sell em. l

 

I look there first for things I need. Their parts are cheap, and their customer service has been top notch. Buts let's be honest, I am a hack, and I'm not building a Riddler contender.
CHAZ

 

I like to use their catalog to compare what pay for parts that I find at a swap meet or the junkyard.
Its a great reference the guy who is just trying to figure out how he can build his rod on his budget, IMO.
Quality is the biggest issue , especially when it comes to brake parts, so I get them locally.

 

Keep in mind, I'm talking about Roadster bodies. What they show in the catalog, and what their assembly manual shows, are not quite the same...

 

X2 for what CHAZ says here. Curiously, though I don't think we've met, we live less than 10 miles from each other!

 

I'd bve worried about all the cars running around on Speedway steering and brake parts. Third world metalurgical standards are not what they are here. I had a Chinese drill press that broke twice because of bad castings.

Several years ago there was a show on cable about Chinese cottage industries... it showed a guy casting transmission cases in his backyard. He'd throw in two parts bicycle frame, one part fender and three parts old engine block for his "formula". After they castings cooled he carted them off in a rickshaw to the nearby factory to get them machined and shipped.

During WWII the English (and Germans) operated thousands of home foundrys, machine shops and assembly shops all over their respective countries making critical parts for the war effort. The difference is the quality of the finished products... during the war the parts needed to be spot on to ensure the soldiers and airmen have the very best parts.

China doesn't care if that steering box casting is going into a hot rod or forklift. I have never bought any product produced in Communist China that worked as good or lasted as long as something made in the US, Canada, Germany, etc. Crap is crap no matter if you buy it by the box or by the ton.

 

There are some folks that would complain if they were given a$100.00 bill.Its too wrinkled,something else wrong with it.....Speedway has been serving me for 15 years
with no complaints on their products from me..cant say the same for some of the other "Big Names" in the performance industry....Speedway is super in my book.

 

I agree with most of the people here> I always go to speedway first they always have the parts I need and if It doesn't fit like I wanted too. they refund my money or put it towards somthing else I order

 

I use speedway for a lot of racing hardware and they have been excellent. Price / shipping / service all good.

 

I have the assembly manual for the "lo-boy" and I don't understand the issue here.
I don't think that Speedway is misrepresenting the kit, it is what it is.
The kit has been around for years, and apparently enough people are buying that Speedy Bill is still selling them.
I didn't buy the kit because I felt that my money would be better spent on component pieces than a "kit", but I don't know that I would call it a "POS".
I've seen a couple of the cars built around here, and they made decent little hot rods.
As far as Speedway as a company to do business with, I've been a customer for decades, and no complaints.
IMHO, if it's important to have a "correct" body, Brookville would be the only choice, or maybe true " Henry" Mike

 

I was excited when I got a letter from Speedway Bill wanting to sell my Hot Rod columns, I've made it I thought , a major seller wants to carry my parts.They got all the info then a few months later on came their "version" priced well below mine of course . My column I designed so the top bearing is hidden in the hub, welded the hub for strength & splined the bottom for more flexibility. Also we show polish the mast . Luckily were still selling our parts all over the world , & to most of the Top Hot Rod Shops & suppliers, of course we sell to the discerning HAMBers & Hot Rodders too

 

I've always liked when Drake, SAR, etc. will have a catalog disclaimer after certain foreign made parts stating essentially that "they're good, or "driver quality", but not perfect" repro's.

SAR has a disclaimer on one offering of lesser priced steel 34 fenders that states " these are not our sure fit fenders". The sure fits are listed at a much higher price.
You'll see this with Deuce grill inserts, and Model A parts, etc. where there's several ranges of quality/price. Some of the budget stuff is good enough for some and this is great as long as you don't think your getting a Brookville part that's really a sub standard stamping from Argentina.

 

I have bought from Speedy for years. Every thing I bought was good and the service was great. The delivery time was unbelieveable. I usually got the part within 24 hours or less from the time I ordered it. Never bought a kit from them but I'm not a kit person.
Later,
Dick

 

I've bought tons of parts from Speedway with very little problems good customer service especally when compare it it to other companys. I'd rate them at a 8-9 out of 10. my2 cents

 

And that sort of treatment is why many of could care less about Speedway anymore! I DO NOT want to have these feelings but Speedway brought it on themselves. Steve, congrats on the coverage in the new R&C!

 

I have bought a lot of stuff over the years from speedy bill. you have to read between the lines and know what your dealing with when buying his stuff. We used a lot of his stuff for the sprint car.. Some is good some is cheap. he has some really good deals. If your not part savvy then you need to just buy somewhere else... Oh ya all most all the stuff he sells you can look at pics online and make your decision . Im not defending the place here but im not saying all his stuff is junk and he does have a great return policy.
Dave

 

I really hate companies that pirate other folks work. That's one reason I don't do business with Eastwood.
Here's some pictures I "pirated" of another group that shows Speedways brand new water pump and one that Edelbrock has been selling.

Larry T

 

I think the biggest complaint against Speedy Bill is he's a very shrewd business man. Most of us like to think we're all one big club, but Speedy doesn't seem to play that way. He sees a good product and produces it cheaper. He's done this to several folks who we feel are in our club - folks like Tardel, Limeworks, Hot Rod Works, etc. We than get our mob-rules hat on & go bad-mouth him for outsourcing things to China and providing them cheaper.

If you really look at it objectively, he's just being a shrewd businessman - nothing more. If you want to demonize it as greed, that's fine. It might also be viewed as providing a service.

I've used Speedway for small parts in the past - always quick deliver, mostly good parts. Have had a few where I scratched my head wondering how it made it through QC, but it's a lot like Wal-Mart - you buy it knowing where it comes from.

I personally don't care for his business practices & I'm certainly not defending them, just trying to put it in a different light.

 

I've been using Speedway for a few years, and their products (of which I have purchased) are OK, but they don't hold a candle to shops like LimeWorks, The Deuce Factory, and others. I bought one of Steve's columns and although we had some issues with U joints he certainly bent over backwards to solve the issue. The same with the old The Duece Factory.
But after hearing what Steve had to say about them taking the design and having it made overseas...............................that kind of business practice is not something I can condone unless they are willing to pay for the design or pay sometype of royality.......so it is the last time I will by from them. I will not help support a company that runs their business like that.
As for buying products made in China.................the list of companies having products made in China (car parts) could fill up a good sized phonebook, and it only takes 35% content (of machine/assembly/manufacture to be completed in the USofA) to be able to put the made in USA sticker on the part.

 

The catalog is a good reference source, the Speedway branded parts are usually so-so to outright junk. They still carry 'name brand' products which you can buy with confidence. Speedway is a necessary evil, but when given the option, I buy elsewhere - even if I have to pay a couple of $$ more.

They will however survive in the world of dog eat dog, but they are not in the Top Ten of Ethics 101. As always, do your research and 'caveat emptor' definitely applies.

 

Years ago I purchased a Lo-Boy, built it in 90 days and drove the wheels off it (40,000 miles). It is just what it should be, a well engineered second street rod.

 

Speedway is ok to deal with if you stay away from their store brand parts. I have not seen anything with a Mr. Roadster label on it that is something I'd put on one of my cars. I also don't like the fact that they copy other people's stuff, like Limeworks columns, Hot Rod Works open drive conversions, etc. And of course, the Speedway version is never as good as the original. But apparently plenty of folks are ok with that if they save a couple of dollars.

 

Limey Steve, that's just the way it works. I'm a manufacturer. I can sell direct, and make a really good profit, 100% or better. Or, I can let a big name company, like Speedway, or others, take my product, sell more of them than I'd ever dream of, and I make very little; but I'm making a bunch of them. It forces one to look at ways of reducing the cost of manufacture (COM). That simply strengthens your business, if you can get your head around the change from low volume/ high margin to high volume/ lower margin. In the end it's really just what you are comfortable with. I've build very high quality, very high margin; but low production numbers my whole carreer. I'm just now changing a portion of our business model to reverse that to high volume low margin. I want to see how it works. I like what I see of Limeworks and hope to do some business with you soon.
We're actually working on a composite hot rod body project. You'd think there are enough body mfg's out there but few if any are what I'd call high quality. Our first project is a '27 T because it's simple, and I need to be sure we can make this whole deal work as we plan. I think it will revolutionize how hot rod bodies are ordered, made, and shipped. That's all I'm saying at this time.
As far as Speedway is for buying parts, I have used them for some time and haven't got a single complaint. Anyone with half a brain can sort which products are hight quality and which are a lesser grade. I by Wilwood brakes from them, not no name made "who know's where" brakes. Customer service is second to none. What's not to like?
One more thing; how do you make a part, intended to fit the same engine as someone else's part, and perform the same function at the other part, look different? I think some folks get a little carried away with who is copying, versus just making a similar part. If that's the case, then Total Cost Involved radius rods are shameless copies of Speedway, which are shameless copies of Henry Ford's and on and on. Cut 'em a little slack every now and again, O.K. boys?

 

I bought a 27 T body and about 1000 other parts with no problems.

 

I'd hate to think of where the hot rod world would be without Speedway Motors. Some people don't like Wal Mart either. I like 'em both.

 

I's day something bad about speedway here but it would be tainted by very old bad blood between Bill and my family. So rather than say bad things about them let me say that I have heard of people buying junk from them and other people buying good things from them.

Its pretty basically the same with any catalog store or parts store as far as I'm concerned.

I do have to say I have never heard of anyone having bad service from them.

The bottom line with Speedway or any parts supplier comes right back to what Mr Nader determined a very long time ago "buyer beware".