GMT or options

[swiftdrivr]

Okay, I exceeded my talent limit at VIR Saturday, and now I need parts for my DB-1, As Pat Prince is now retired, I was wondering if anyone has used GMT and what they thought of their work [quality, time to delivery, cost], I need rockers, A-arms, and a header repaired

[924RACR]

I had GMT repair one of my rockers (SE1) over the winter. Ended up sending both in, so they could use the good one as a template. In my case, the only damage was that the spherical was twisted back slightly (full steering lock plus impact) and, as a result, the bore was also ovaled out a bit. Due to the ovaling, a new spherical wouldn't fit correctly, and if driven in under protest it would not easily articulate = very heavy steering. The twist meant that the bore was no longer aligned with the centerline of the car.

While they had both arms, they were replated as well, as they were looking a bit scruffy.

Came back super-shiny and lovely looking - high polish, a bit overkill but to be expected of a vintage-focused shop.

I found Dennis, I think it was, the fabricator, good to work with, readily available on the phone. Their customer service, getting in touch initially, was great too. Turnaround time and communications to keep me up to date was timely and professional.

What I did have a little bit of an issue with was after cutting off, straightening, and re-welding on the bearing cup - he missed checking fitment of a spherical in the bore, though I did explain that was part of the problem we needed to fix. So a bit of an oversight; fortunately I have a top-notch machine shop sponsoring me, and all was fine after reaming out the bore - no need to ship it back for rework.

But it was an unexpected aggravation, which could have been a game-ender without such local resources; I did call him and mention it, so he'd know in future to recheck that. I could certainly see that any excessive heating from welding or straightening operations might also affect the shape of the bore - though I believe his welding is better than that, just a comparative point.

Otherwise, quality of the work was excellent; they also provided new sphericals, and in addition the pivot bearings and spacers for a spare set of rockers I found I had after the fact (which are still, somehow, not interchangeable). So I would certainly use them again, just perhaps with a little closer more detailed instruction on the work needed. Not cheap, but not extortional, reasonable I think for the quality of the work done.

Note that you may also need to ship your straight parts in to compare (in my case they actually needed to build a jig to match, I should mention!), so you might consider just doing that up front and planning for replating as needed to boot.

Hope that helps... and best of luck with your repairs!

[swiftdrivr]

yes, that is what I was looking for. many thanks

[FASTDAD]

I'm curious about how it works for parts requiring a jig build. When a customer asks for fabrication of a part using a jig that needs to be built, is that figured in on the cost of the part to the customer? Then does the customer take possession of the jig? Or does the fabricator keep the jig and amortize the jig build over time. Not to steal the thread, just wondering how that works in the marketplace. Thanks for any input.

[924RACR]

In my case, there was no charge for making the jig, and they retain both it and its use. Just expanding the library...

[lowside67]

I'm curious about how it works for parts requiring a jig build. When a customer asks for fabrication of a part using a jig that needs to be built, is that figured in on the cost of the part to the customer? Then does the customer take possession of the jig? Or does the fabricator keep the jig and amortize the jig build over time. Not to steal the thread, just wondering how that works in the marketplace. Thanks for any input.

I would think that's a decision based on how likely the jig is of use in the future. If you have a random Indycar from 1995, a 1 of 1, I'd expect most fabricators would charge you as part of the process. If you have a very common car that is likely other parts would be produced for, might make more sense for the fabricator to retain.

-Mark

[FASTDAD]

Thanks for the input. I would think then that there would be a conversation about building a jig & charges for a one off part.

[Wes Allen]

I can highly recommend Nick Fuchs. He’s fabricated all the early Pipers, made parts for both my Eagle FF and SwiftDB6. Fantastic quality!

[stonebridge20]

I had a conversation with Dennis at GMT yesterday. We spoke about some specific suspension pieces. If you need DB1 parts, I'd suggest you talk to Dennis. He's got some really cool things going on there.