Little Venting - SPF Construction

[Seymour Snerd]

Re: Little Venting

Objectively document all of the quality issues with either the materials or assembly and send them through to Lance Stander..

Well hold on a minute. If you read the comments over the years by those of us who have done our own installs, going all the way back to Lynn Miner in 2007 with P2133, you will see that we HAVE reported these issues objectively right here in the forum, over and over. In fact, at one point Lynn was warned to keep his mouth shut:http://www.gt40s.com/forum/superformance-gt40s/24720-brake-bias-bar.html#post222517


The result of these reports has consistently been total silence. There is zero evidence that the factory is interested in existing-owner feedback. For that matter, there is zero evidence that the factory is interested in any kind of communication with existing GT40 owners whatsoever.

 

[Jim Craik]

Re: Little Venting

Alan,

When I had the shock mount problem, I posted it here, after that, the SPF folks contacted me. I had no idea that they would repair the problem, so someone is keeping an eye on this fourm.

 

[Seymour Snerd]

Re: Little Venting

....I think Rick made the observation that we're basically buying a race car that happens to be street licensable..

Dave, Jack --

Let's rewind the tape and play the "you bought a race car" song again.... You're both missing a couple important points.

1. It isn't so much that it's "licensable", but that it's sold with the intention to be licensed and operated on the public highways. This brings with it a higher level responsibility for quality than that associated with a car intended for the track only. It isn't just your safety that is at stake. Undocumented time bombs like the parking brake (a feature you need only on a street car, by the way) are simply unacceptable in that context.
2. None of us is questioning the value proposition, so the "would you take a refund" kind of question is irrelevant, nor is it relevant how quickly we will forget about the issues once we've fixed them. What we're questioning is the the apparent double standard between the GT40 and other SPF/Hi-tech products, the apparent lack of progress in quality control with the GT40, the unwillingness and/or failure of the factory to communicate about these, and for that matter the apparent lack of interest on the part of the factory in this entire subject.

Jim -- the question isn't whether they contacted you about a quality problem you by definition already know about, the question is whether they contacted me and the other owners so we could avoid suffering the same fate (or worse) that you did.

 

[Seymour Snerd]

Re: Little Venting

Not sure how you solve that other than replace with people who pay more attention to detail.

Jigs, fixtures, documentation, training, inspection, rework.

 

[Mike]

Re: Little Venting

When we add to this the money we paid for our cars we might ask was this a wise investment knowing we could have bought a damn nice P-car, F-car or other? But that would be missing the point IMHO of why I bought mine. Its stunning to look at, it makes an absolutely obnoxious sound (which I love), its totally impractical, but it does for me what no P-car, F-car or other can and I've driven the lot

Are you reading this Larry? Larry is a "lurker" from the Ford GT forum and has been going back and forth with a new SPF purchase

I look forward to seeing your upgrades Michael as I think you have a very nice looking car

Thanks and I certainly will. She is a beauty no doubt if I can make it down the home stretch and get it finished up.

 

[Ron R.]

Re: Little Venting

Are you reading this Larry? Larry is a "lurker" from the Ford GT forum and has been going back and forth with a new SPF purchase


Thanks and I certainly will. She is a beauty no doubt if I can make it down the home stretch and get it finished up.

Larry,

Along those lines, I have several "P-cars" (no F-ing cars, though), and bought the GT40 to scratch an itch that they just couldn't...and I'm a Porsche guy to the core.

Sorry for the thread drift...just buy it.

 

[Rick Muck- Mark IV]

Re: Little Venting

I guess I still standby my "race car" statement....however, as an SPF dealer I also have a perspective on the quality/design/assembly issues.

Yes, there have been some problems that should not have happened. Yes, there have been some revised/reworked areas of the cars since production started. Yes, it seems sometimes like no one is listening when we talk about issues. No, you are not being ignored by the factory. I have forwarded threads and comments to the relevant party at Hi Tech including to Mr. Price more than once. And yes, I have had feedback. Not always what I wanted to hear but they are taking constructive input and acting on it where possible.

I also will stand by my statement that who you purchase from is important. There is a checklist for preparation of the chassis and the dealers who do it right are really going through the car regardless of it is a roller or a turn-key car. We have a list that goes beyond the prep checklist. We hook up power on a roller and test all the electrical that can be done without an engine, obviously we can't test the A/C system on a roller. And rattles and squeaks are hard to find pushing it around the shop. We also can't align a roller, until it is weighted and settled the specs are meaningless.

I gaurantee you that the best of completion people (and that means Dennis Olthoff) will miss something or have a bolt somewhere that is not tightened to specification. Despite looking/checking over everything there will be something missed or unseen. Ford spent millions to build and race these cars and they missed simple things that put them out of races more than once.

We will do our best but we will miss things and we will make mistakes. But your comments and input do not totally fall on deaf ears....

 

[Mike]

Re: Little Venting

Thanks Rick. I have found several loose nuts and although I wish Dennis and crew would have caught them, I was not charged an amount commiserate with a nut and bolt level restoration/installation. Those loose nuts bother me far less than a poorly prepped chassis that does not even have a coat of primer on it. I'd like anyone from SPF to look at me in the eyes and explain how they ever decided that was even remotely satisfactory. That is not a slight miss by a sloppy worker on a Friday afternoon. That is a core manufacturing flaw that anyone with a clue should realize is not acceptable.

 

[Seymour Snerd]

Re: Little Venting

Yes, it seems sometimes like no one is listening when we talk about issues. No, you are not being ignored by the factory...... But your comments and input do not totally fall on deaf ears....

It's not the lack of listening that bothers me; it's the lack of answering.

Why is our communication one-way?

 

[Rick Muck- Mark IV]

Re: Little Venting

It's not the lack of listening that bothers me; it's the lack of answering.

Why is our communication one-way?

I can't answer that, that is handled above my pay grade. The factory is the contracted supplier for Superformance LLC, the US distributor so the communication would come from Irvine, not Port Elizabeth.

I understand the frustration. Believe me, the dealers have some also. But we will do the best with what we are given.

 

[Mike]

Re: Little Venting

Pulled the pedal assembly out and then removed the clutch pedal so I could place a relief in the bottom. Problem solved. One could loosen adjuster lock nut and reduce the thread length on the clutch piston rod but you might end up not having enough travel left to fully disengage the pressure plate. In any case I'm hoping to repaint the pedal and have that and everything else back together by the weekend. That is if I don't find something else that needs attention

 

[Jimmy P]

Re: Little Venting

Those loose nuts bother me far less than a poorly prepped chassis that does not even have a coat of primer on it. I'd like anyone from SPF to look at me in the eyes and explain how they ever decided that was even remotely satisfactory. That is not a slight miss by a sloppy worker on a Friday afternoon. That is a core manufacturing flaw that anyone with a clue should realize is not acceptable.

Michael, One of my "buying" decisons on a CAV over the SPF was the stainless steel chassis on the CAV. Its a work of art but I knew going in the CAV car lacked originality over the SPF which I gave very little weight too given it was never going to be an original car. I also considered where I lived, Florida. Heat, humidity and rain and a steel chassis don't go well together.

Photos of the pedals please. The early CAV's are not suited for anyone with shoes over a size 6 with wide feet!

 

[Seymour Snerd]

Re: Little Venting

...That is if I don't find something else that needs attention

Not that I don't want you to get your car going, but while you're in there you could put in a brake-bias adjuster; it's an easy install since it simply screws onto the end of the brake pedal pivot shaft (3/8"-24 thread). This will remove one reason to have to crawl down the footwell.

Wilwood Disc Brakes 340-4990 - Wilwood Remote Mount Brake Bias Adjusters - Overview - SummitRacing.com

If you don't do this, be sure to put on a 3/8"-24 lock nut so your brakes don't start adjusting themselves....

http://www.gt40s.com/forum/gt40-tec...73-spf-gt-brake-bias-bar-lock.html#post213990

Eternal thanks to Lynn "Christopher Columbus" Miner....

Also BTW I'm curious: have you attempted to position the pedal cluster in any other position than the default "all the way to the front"?

 

[Mike]

Re: Little Venting

I don't have the adjuster and I'll have to take a look a look but I think Olthoff did install lock nuts.

 

[Mike]

Re: Little Venting

That said, is there an "out of the box" setting for the bias and for the guys that are not running hard on the track, is there a simple process to get it close? I'd have to ask Dennis if he set mine.

 

[Steve C]

Re: Little Venting

Hi Mike,

If Dennis s/u your car I'd be pretty sure he set the bias and if you didn't have lock nuts he installed them

He set my bias and I have lock nuts

Steve P2125

 

[Mike]

Re: Little Venting

I'll ask him the next time I talk with him but I'd bet he did as well. We ran out of time when I was there but I was hoping he'd put it on the track for a few laps and wring it out for me. With me in it of course Just didn't have time...

 

[Mike]

Re: Little Venting

Mine does not have lock nuts and in fact the right side was loose.

 

[Tom P]

Re: Little Venting

I'm surprised Superformance doesn't have a moderator on this site taking these posts off! They would not be alone.

 

[Seymour Snerd]

Re: Little Venting

I'm surprised Superformance doesn't have a moderator on this site taking these posts off! They would not be alone.

Is there a vendor who deletes unfavorable posts? Who?