There is a lot going on here at BenzForce and I owe an update to all those interested in future offerings. Here is the dirt:
- om606 H-Beam Rods: Final dimensional drawings were approved yesterday, Wednesday March 28, 2019. We had a lot of back and forth on tolerances because I am super paranoid about getting this right and feel the time spent will be well worth it.
- om606 exhaust oval to round transitions: This has been a nightmare. The original vendor agreed to a price for CNC ovals then tied up thousands of dollars before they changed their price. They increased it by 250%! After telling them the price is unjustified and cancelling the order it was a time consuming process to get the cash back. Since then I have had a “form” manufactured and am having them pressed. It’s not quite the same precision as CNC would offer but it should be sufficient and come at a lower cost.
- Exhaust part manufacturing: I secured a company in California to cut om606 manifold flanges, om606 stock turbo flanges, T3 spacers and T3 flanges (threaded) out of 5/8 mild steel. I could not be more disappointed in the quality. After several iterations before purchasing and going over my concern that the material needs to be pristine and flat, I still got taken. I was warned that the laser won’t cut completely clean on material that thick. My problem is with the mating surfaces as I was EXTREMELY specific as to my desire for quality but again another vendor’s “good enough” attitude cost me money. These parts will need to be milled to be up to my standard.
- ALDA cap: A side project is to have red anodized BenzForce branded ALDA caps put on our super pump builds. I will also offer these in the store for the tweakers that want to delay a pump build.
- Oil fittings: The om606 oil fittings were a hit and I am down to my last two pair. The drawings for version 2 of those fittings are now being finalized. I am abandoning the Viton O-ring in favor of the original Mercedes seal. Going original affords the owner the ability to get an off the shelf part easily and frankly I don’t know that there is a need for a Viton seal.
I cannot remember if I mentioned this in rant elsewhere so I apologize if I am duplicating my disgust. My wife and I own several homes across Texas and Arizona and about a month ago, a water main broke under the concrete slap of one of our favorite houses. We envisioned moving back into the home one day, possibly as our final home, so we were willing to pay whatever it took to replace the water main in the best, cleanest, most professional manner possible. Expense was not an issue!
The plumber, who we dealt with for years, completely bastardized the house and did such a shotty job that we ended up hiring someone else to redo the work. He did things I specifically told him not to do. I can rant all I want to him but end the end there is no recourse for me in the state of Texas other than not giving him my business going forward. I have 4 houses in Austin and his short sightedness cost him a lifetime of business.
The situation is no different for the suppliers of BenzForce products. I may be taken on the first order but I won’t be taken by the same company twice. If there is something I want for our group, I will find a way to get it; it may take time, it may take money but if there is demand we can work through the details. The other side of the coin is that I am loyal. Win my trust and they have my business forever.
Ok, that’s enough bitching for the night. Now you know where the manufacturing is at … thanks for listening.
Rodney