SD control arms released

[6t9ls1]

I called suicide today and orderd for my '69. They also said i was #1 on the list for this product, so thats kinda cool. They also said Jason would be callin in a few days to get the needed specs from me on the truck. Im stoked, but now comes the hard part, waiting, as i will not be able to do the install till x-mas when i get to go home

[68 short step]

if they need a test truck, ill test it , reveiw it , and possibly promote it in one of my next builds.....it'll be simular to my other builds wiith a new gen 3 engine, etc... etc....

[lowdownstar]

I sent them an E-mail a week ago and never heard back! not what i would call good customer service....... makes me think twice about spending my money with them..


Ray

[jlaird]

Originally Posted by lowdownstar

I sent them an E-mail a week ago and never heard back! not what i would call good customer service....... makes me think twice about spending my money with them..


Ray

They don't return emails. You need to call.

[jkaylor68gmc]

I wasasking, not comparing anything to Porterbuilt, I don't have either one. I was looking at the pros and cons

[dragginass]

I have dealt with SD many times. Over all I would say they have good customer service. Any issues I have had were resolved quickly and question free. Although they may be a little slower on delivery than most others that is due to their high volume of merchandise. I have to say they are the #1 for air ride parts and accessories. Every mini that I know of has bought something for their truck from SD. So I am always open to competition. But it would be tough to compete with SD. Especially considering you can go to them for everything all in one place. And with their constant "vehicle specific" parts being added weekly they are definitely still growing. I would consider SD arms over ART arms any day. But I still know little about porterbuilts parts. His website doesnt have too much info.

hint: It would be much nicer to set up info and online ordering on porterbuilts website. Many people(myself included) are lazy and dont want the hassel of calling and actually speaking with someone. Plus it adds to the availability to order parts 24/7

[LowSmoothCool]

Originally Posted by lolife99

jkaylor68gmc,... the new lower price on the Dropmember is $999. ART arms are right at $1000. Bags should be $75 each for Slam Specialties. I got my front and rear Dropmembers plus all bags (Slams front, Firestone sleeve bags rear), 4 shocks, Steering linkage w/ joints and power rack with hoses from Nate for $4500 shipped. (that's before the price drop on the front Dropmember) I would also expect the ride to be the same as Nate's Dropmember since it was basically copied from it. Oops,... I mean reverse "engineered".

Our arms are $838.00 and they include cross shafts, bushings, and ball joints.

[lolife99]

My mistake. Sorry. I guess I was thinking they were $900+, and then tax and shipping got them close to a grand. I have one set already for my '86 project, that I got from Nate. I must have them confused with the CPP upper arms I bought for my blazer. (The ones with the "Shipping Premium" tacked on to the bill)

[PBFAB.COM]

Originally Posted by dragginass

But I still know little about porterbuilts parts. His website doesnt have too much info.

hint: It would be much nicer to set up info and online ordering on porterbuilts website. Many people(myself included) are lazy and dont want the hassel of calling and actually speaking with someone. Plus it adds to the availability to order parts 24/7

I talk to each one of my customers over the phone before any parts are purchased or money is exchanged. This ensures the fact that they recieve exactly what they need. Lazy or not, I will not sell you any parts unless we discuss them. That's how I do things.

[LowSmoothCool]

Originally Posted by lolife99

My mistake. Sorry. I guess I was thinking they were $900+, and then tax and shipping got them close to a grand. I have one set already for my '86 project, that I got from Nate. I must have them confused with the CPP upper arms I bought for my blazer. (The ones with the "Shipping Premium" tacked on to the bill)

no worries man....

[DollaBill]

Originally Posted by DollaBill

still curious on how it drives/steers/handles. i think the price sounds good but not about to spend cash on a kit with no feedback on how it drives.

i still havent heard back on this.

[dragginass]

Originally Posted by porterbuilt

I talk to each one of my customers over the phone before any parts are purchased or money is exchanged. This ensures the fact that they recieve exactly what they need. Lazy or not, I will not sell you any parts unless we discuss them. That's how I do things.

OH. Well I guess that makes good business sense. I just know that our shop is open 4-12 roughly and all my parts ordered are placed between 10-2 because thats usually when we have worked an issue out and know exactly what we need. But I can see where you are coming from.

[kizer]

Originally Posted by porterbuilt

I talk to each one of my customers over the phone before any parts are purchased or money is exchanged. This ensures the fact that they recieve exactly what they need. Lazy or not, I will not sell you any parts unless we discuss them. That's how I do things.

New to the Chevy world I've bought many and I mean many parts from several vendors for my Jeep because some carry one thing and others carry another and of course they are all nearly built by somebody else. I've delt with one vendor who had the worst website in the world that really never listed anything but a few things. I thought he was a joke and I vowed why bother. I needed to buy a few things and he seemed to be the guy to buy them from. I called him and told him what I wanted. He chuckled and said "Ok, I can sell you that stuff, but you'd be wasting your money. What are you going to be doing with your vehicle."

I explained what I was doing and he saved me $300 in parts I didn't need and then found a place I could locally pick up the parts saving me almost another $100 in shipping.

Long story short I don't care how good somebodys parts are if their customer service is horrid and they are quick to dismiss on the phone move on fast.

Don't even get me started on emails. If you have an email address listed reply otherwise do not list it. It looks bad if you do not answer your emails.

[edflores]

subscribes.

[DollaBill]

Originally Posted by DollaBill

i still havent heard back on this.

finally heard back from jason. it seems they haven't even tested it yet on the road. dont know how i feel about that. i know its a knock off of porters stuff, but i would have thought that proper testing would have been done before it was officially released.

[lowdownstar]

why have an E mail if you don't use it or atleast let you know they don't.. that is just stupid! I see now they don't even test there stuff... my money is on Nate ( porter built)



Ray
p.s thanks for all your help Nate and no i didn't hang up on you! lol

[jkaylor68gmc]

I think the Air Ride equipment is top notch and has been proven on the autocross's at GG events around the country. brett and Peggy and the guys are my boys so I guess I am a bit skeptical. Sorry, I like proof and results and have experienced just how awesome ART equipment is.

Josh

[DollaBill]

jason has sent more info. to me on the kit to answer my question. i figure i post it so it can help other guys with the same questions.


Ill have some pics of the kit installed in our test vehicle in a couple weeks when i get back from vacation. ill also get you my personal opinion on how it handles etc cause im gonna hammer the total hell out of it. we did just have the front aligned to chevy truck spec, then re-aligned close to corvette spec. the alignment went great! basically the kit keeps the factory geometry but everything is raised and brought in so you can lay frame on a 29.3 tire if you wish. just so you know, the track width is narrowed 2.25" total.

ill post more info when i can. just wait til you see our 1.25" o.d. swaybar kit we put together for this truck. its a perfect combination when using our control arms.

this thing is going to handle great! if you got any more questions hit me up man. i get back from vacation on october 12th i think. ill be able to focus more when i get back. id rather be at work.



jason



really appreciate your interest in our version of the crossmember, but be assured that all proper testing with various air pressures will be performed before we ship any of these kits. if you were to purchase one i promise you that you will not be disappointed. i offer a 100% lifetime warranty on every piece and if you were not satisfied for some reason i stand behind it with a 100% money back guarantee.

our control arms are built from factory gm geometry with changes made in the ball joint angle to allow you to lay out on 22's. we use only power performance ball joints which are much stronger than your average moog ball joint.

our crossmember kit is built alot different than porters. although seeing his inspired us to manufacture one of our own. we build ours out 1/4" thick laser cut sheet vs his 3/16" material. we also use far less pieces to assemble the unit. just for example, if you look at the top plate on both units, you will see that ours is one piece that was press brake formed, and his is welded out of several pieces like a puzzle. im not saying that his is inferior by any means, its just an example of manufacturing techniques. if you feel more comfortable running his product because he has offered this item for a couple of years and has great feedback, i say go for it. you wont be disappointed. he offers an outstanding crossmember and i have lots of respect for him. he builds some good stuff.

we will be offering everything listed below during october for $700.00. it will jump to $999.00 after that. we are doing an introductory special.

$700.00 gets you......
1. main crossmember
2. upper bag & control arm mounts
3. inner frame structure brackets
4. rack & pinion frame notches
5. transmission crossmember
6. 350 engine mounts
7. stainless tie rod adjusting sleeves
8. chromoly/teflon 3/4" x 5/8" heims for the spindles
9. all grade 8 mounting hardware

$1500.00 gets you......
1. everything listed above
2. upper and lower control arms
3. upper frame shock mounts
4. monroe shocks

let me know if i can be of any further assistance.

jason

[jkaylor68gmc]

cool, I cannot wait to see how it works, i really cannot wait to drive one myself!

[hotrodxy]

thanks that was what Ive been waiting for
if i had $1500 i would buy it now and test it.
im going to Z my frame, and cut up my control arms instead (my labor is cheep)
I can only hope it handles decent

[lyrikz]

Originally Posted by Thorbecke Bros.

i can tell you that the crossmember kit will have a 30 day intro price of around $700.00. ill post all the details in a few days.

EDIT: Problem solved.

SD gets a thumbs up....

[Thorbecke Bros.]

^^^^ pm sent

[lyrikz]

Originally Posted by Thorbecke Bros.

^^^^ pm sent

Thanks Jason. Cant wait to talk to you in person.

[Shev]

Originally Posted by DollaBill

$700.00 gets you......
1. main crossmember
2. upper bag & control arm mounts
3. inner frame structure brackets
4. rack & pinion frame notches
5. transmission crossmember
6. 350 engine mounts
7. stainless tie rod adjusting sleeves
8. chromoly/teflon 3/4" x 5/8" heims for the spindles
9. all grade 8 mounting hardware

A trans crossmember included for $700 I figured it was only for the crossmember itself....

Hopefully there is money in the wedding budget....I may have to sell my soul...

[gringoloco]

Originally Posted by DollaBill

$700.00 gets you......
1. main crossmember
2. upper bag & control arm mounts
3. inner frame structure brackets
4. rack & pinion frame notches
5. transmission crossmember
6. 350 engine mounts
7. stainless tie rod adjusting sleeves
8. chromoly/teflon 3/4" x 5/8" heims for the spindles
9. all grade 8 mounting hardware

$1500.00 gets you......
1. everything listed above
2. upper and lower control arms
3. upper frame shock mounts
4. monroe shocks

Why aren't the upper shock mounts included in the kit? Aren't they a necessary item?