- Joined
- Mar 24, 2005
- Location
- Stanley, NC
Maybe my standards are too high, or maybe I'm just prone to finding crappy stuff, but it seems like about 2/3's of the stuff I buy for the jeep has to be modified in a rather involved manner for it to work.
Case 1: TJ axle bracket kit (RE I think). Nutserts were already in the front spring mount for the shock bolts, COOL! Except they put the wrong thread. There were no holes for the spring retainers. The swaybar mounts were made of pure cheese, and bent just by looking at them. The holes for the upper control arm bushings were 0.050" too small. The radiusing was for a Dana 35. Who swaps in a D35?!?!?!
Case 2: 32 spline D300 output (Teraflex). Breather was poorly located. Only 1 shim included for preload setup. Unmarked China bearing and seal at rear yoke. Loose fit on inner bearing has already caused some wear on the output shaft. Speedo drive gear is rapidly chipping away (electronic speedo, practically no load). Casting was entirely too big, 3 of the 5 bolts can only be tightened by an open-end wrench.
Case 3, the latest fiasco: Jeep 4.0 to NV4500 to D300 kit (Advance Adapters). The first problem was that this kit doesn't even exist. I talked with a "tech" at AA who told me that the kit for a CJ would work just fine. After eyeballing the parts lists, I decided there was no possible way he was right. After figuring it all out and ordering through Andy@CRS, we come to find out that the input retainer for the tranny was a "special piece" that needed some machining for an added cost ($75, and all they did was turn down the OD on the snout). I get my "complete" kit in finally (a combo of everything needed for a CJ and a TJ). Looking at all the parts, I am initially pleased, but after putting it all together in my head, I notice there are a number of things missing:
-No pressure plate (clutch disc was included)
-No throwout bearing
-No line to go with the TJ adapter fitting for the clutch
-No seal for the T-case input
Finally I get pretty much everything rounded up, and have started the rebuild/assembly process. As Im putting the bearing in the T-case input, I start to get angry at the poor engineering:
1. A double sealed bearing is not an appropriate "seal" for a t-case with a constant pool of oil behind it.
2. A bearing should not be able to be moved by hand with no pressure if installed. Clearance between the bearing and the wall allows the bearing to spin, and also doesn't not serve very well for a seal.
3. China bearings that feel rough brand new do not get better with age.
4. If I can make a recess for the seal in 10 minutes on my lathe (including setup time), so can a CNC machine.
Im really pissed about this last bit because AA has taken the cheap way out and caused what could have been a pretty good product to be an inferior piece of crap. I am going to have to make a new input retainer so that the case doesn't leak and the bearing doesn't spin. This is totally unacceptable for a $140 set that includes a piece of machined aluminum, a $10 bearing, and a $10 gasket. Here's a link for a better understanding: http://www.tellico4x4.com/product_info.php/cPath/2880_991_3313_3314/products_id/25790
Anybody else think parts tend to bring the suck sometimes?
Case 1: TJ axle bracket kit (RE I think). Nutserts were already in the front spring mount for the shock bolts, COOL! Except they put the wrong thread. There were no holes for the spring retainers. The swaybar mounts were made of pure cheese, and bent just by looking at them. The holes for the upper control arm bushings were 0.050" too small. The radiusing was for a Dana 35. Who swaps in a D35?!?!?!
Case 2: 32 spline D300 output (Teraflex). Breather was poorly located. Only 1 shim included for preload setup. Unmarked China bearing and seal at rear yoke. Loose fit on inner bearing has already caused some wear on the output shaft. Speedo drive gear is rapidly chipping away (electronic speedo, practically no load). Casting was entirely too big, 3 of the 5 bolts can only be tightened by an open-end wrench.
Case 3, the latest fiasco: Jeep 4.0 to NV4500 to D300 kit (Advance Adapters). The first problem was that this kit doesn't even exist. I talked with a "tech" at AA who told me that the kit for a CJ would work just fine. After eyeballing the parts lists, I decided there was no possible way he was right. After figuring it all out and ordering through Andy@CRS, we come to find out that the input retainer for the tranny was a "special piece" that needed some machining for an added cost ($75, and all they did was turn down the OD on the snout). I get my "complete" kit in finally (a combo of everything needed for a CJ and a TJ). Looking at all the parts, I am initially pleased, but after putting it all together in my head, I notice there are a number of things missing:
-No pressure plate (clutch disc was included)
-No throwout bearing
-No line to go with the TJ adapter fitting for the clutch
-No seal for the T-case input
Finally I get pretty much everything rounded up, and have started the rebuild/assembly process. As Im putting the bearing in the T-case input, I start to get angry at the poor engineering:
1. A double sealed bearing is not an appropriate "seal" for a t-case with a constant pool of oil behind it.
2. A bearing should not be able to be moved by hand with no pressure if installed. Clearance between the bearing and the wall allows the bearing to spin, and also doesn't not serve very well for a seal.
3. China bearings that feel rough brand new do not get better with age.
4. If I can make a recess for the seal in 10 minutes on my lathe (including setup time), so can a CNC machine.
Im really pissed about this last bit because AA has taken the cheap way out and caused what could have been a pretty good product to be an inferior piece of crap. I am going to have to make a new input retainer so that the case doesn't leak and the bearing doesn't spin. This is totally unacceptable for a $140 set that includes a piece of machined aluminum, a $10 bearing, and a $10 gasket. Here's a link for a better understanding: http://www.tellico4x4.com/product_info.php/cPath/2880_991_3313_3314/products_id/25790
Anybody else think parts tend to bring the suck sometimes?
). If they had ever actually put these parts together for real, instead of just in a 3D model, they would have seen the problems and fixed them I think. Or they are just dumb.
