frustrated with parts supplier/manufacturer

Just need to vent a little here,
ordered a brand new aluminum flywheel (with steel face insert) from an online supplier who has been very good to deal with. Said the part was back-ordered and would i like to wait. I said yes since i am just collecting my parts over time. They said about 6 weeks. It's now 3.5 months and so i contacted them. They said to ask the the manufacturer F####za, how long it would take.F####za said they would not ship since there are none on the shelf, and they won't make mine unless they get a minimum of orders (i found out that they need/want 5 orders).
So, even though this part is advertized, etc, you can't get one. Not what i would call "good business". I could go to a big british supplier and pay over 1.5 times as much if they have stock, but that sucks.
Rob

Rob-

You probably were already aware of this, but did you see the lightened setups Joe Alexander was making? He may not have the same minimum order issues if the flywheel weight is what you are looking for.

Randy

There was a thread about this on another forum, a bunch of us are waiting. I was promised mine would ship soon, we'll see.

Too bad all in all since I think most of us would be happy to wait if we were given accurate timelines....

Hey guy's
I work in the parts trade and we get the same manure from the aftermarket parts suppliers/manufactures. We call ahead to ask if they have stock, and by the time our order goes through the system...uh-oh FACTORY BACKORDER! The price quoted by anyone who has one in stock probably already knows about the factory backorder, and has looked in the parts box, only to discover his was actually made of gold.

TR4nut said:

Rob-

You probably were already aware of this, but did you see the lightened setups Joe Alexander was making? He may not have the same minimum order issues if the flywheel weight is what you are looking for.

Randy

Click to expand...

I asked Joe about one a few months ago and he said it was a one-run production and he didn't have one to sell.

I ordered one of those and was not told of the back order although they processed the charge. When TR6 engine I was planning on rebuilding was found to be beyond my budget, I went with a 250 I had. The aluminum flywheel would not work on that engine. So for me, the inability of the vendor to supply the flywheel in a timely manner worked out great when I canceled the order.

I will not use those guys in the future.

What is the obsession with aluminum??For the street a properly lightened factory flywheel is fine.They come down to 22lbs without any loss of strength or reliability.Much of the weight comes off the perimeter so the rotational inertia is much less.This is cheaper too,150 or so.Best case is to then balance the crank and fly together when done. I have seen a lot of trick flywheels break with the hard use of a race car,my guess is that years of street use will yeild the same result.
MD(mad dog)

MD,
yes, a slightly lightened flywheel is fine for the street, with a stock engine running stock revs. The aluminum is NOT the best performance item for a modified engine as compared to a STEEL performance flywheel. A lightened stock flywheel (cast iron) is a POOR choise for an engine that will rev over 6000 rpm. I like my feet and ankles where they are, thank you very much-attached to my legs.
However, the price difference with shipping between an aluminum flywheel and a steel one from britain is $300 more, with shipping. Since it is primarily a street car with occational track use, aluminum is fine. If it was a pure track car, steel is much better (and a must IMHO).
Rob