Txwelder

I ordered my lift that was supposed to come with 1.5" CNC machined spacers. What I received appears to be cast aluminum. Anyone have a set of these and happy with them? I'm leary about putting them on for fear of cracking. Im also a little peaved because thats not what I agreed to pay for. The corners are clearly rounded off and there are grind marks from cleaning the casting up. If it were cut on a mill, at least Id see the lines the bit took to cut, but I dont.

oldgold3vze

They're getting bolted to a part of your truck that will never be seen, so the looks of them makes no difference except when you open the package. Yes, it would be nice if they were all shiny with perfectly machined and chamfered edges, but it really doesn't matter. I'd install em, put on some new shocks, get an alignment, and be stoked on the new ride quality and lift. What brand are they?

Txwelder

Well I dont want anyone to think my post was about what they looked like. Im concerned about pot metal breaking in a critical area of my vehicle. Ordered from FatBobs under the OME lift kit.

wyoming9

iTrader: (1)

Do you think you got the wrong part!

What has the vendor said?? Things get misboxed all the time people put the wrong parts in the right box.

Let us know what the vendor says.

How much do you know about aluminum Casting you would be surprised at parts made that way.

I see Aluminum casting CNC machined all the time .

Do you really want to pay the cost to machine a Ball joint spacer out of a aluminum bar stock??

Txwelder

They are described as CNC machined ball joint spacers, not billet, so no I dont think I got the wrong part.

I received the completely wrong part once, they already fixed it.

I dont claim to know anything about the sructural difference between cast and solid pieces of metal other than I've seen many more cast parts broken than billet.

I see billet CNC machined ball joint spacers advertised quite often. Cant be the that cost ineffective.

My concern is about safety. If this is a dead topic because there is no reason to question the spacers, Im willing to accept that answer.

arlindsay1992

iTrader: (8)

I ordered the same thing from the same people. I returned them. I told them that it was not acceptable to sell something different than described and they should put it in the description. Obviously they didn't listen.

Luvmeye22re

This sounds like an ebay purchase.... I would have gone SDORI, Wabfab, or 4Crawler... I almost bought one of those lifts as well. If I'm wrong feel free to correct me.

Txwelder

You are wrong. I bought from fatbobsgarage.com. Full kit with OME 900 springs, front BJ spacers, diff drop and four shocks for $393 shipped. They came with mixed reviews but had the best price after military discount. I simply thought I was getting billet based on the pictures. The description was merely "CNC machined from 6061 T-6 Aluminum". Never seen 6061 in anything but sheet and solid stock. Can you cast 6061? Can you heat treat cast to a T-6 hardness? Im not looking for anything other than opinions on safety of the product. They are clearly not milled from a solid piece of aluminum, they almost gave a galvanized finish on the outside and really have no weight to them at all. Does this warrant a return?

B-Fake

Personally I wouldn't want cast spacers holding up my front end. If they're well made castings they'll probably be fine, just check them VERY thoroughly for any cracks and porosity. I assume from your handle you are a welder, you could take a TIG torch to them to see if they have any porosity. Obviously you wouldn't be able to return them if you did that though . I would say if you're at all uncomfortable about using them return them and get billet spacers. You at least will have peace of mind then, and that can make all the difference.

lilgription

I ordered mine from fatbobs and got the machined aluminum ones. Hats to hear that .. Ive ordered several thing from them off ebay and they have always been great to deal with.

waskillywabbit

iTrader: (-1)

Buy the cheapest you shouldn't expect the best.

If you aren't happy with them, send them back.

:wabbit2:

Txwelder

Upon further review, FATBOBS does sell ball joint spacers on ebay and they appear to be the same item I received. The ebay item is not what they have on their website. When you purchase something online referencing the picture representation, you tend to believe you are getting what they advertise.

Txwelder

Called FATBOBS, they were eager to help. Offered a refund unless I wanted to wait for them to get a set machined for me. I have the time to wait since Im waiting on tires anyhow. They are supposed to give me a call back with details on how long it will take to get a CNC machined set out to me. They owned the mistake, thats the biggest part for me. Id say they are taking care of it.

Txwelder

Hey wabbit, their price was the same as yours but I got the diff drop included. After the military discount, it just made sense to go with them. Of course you dont know what you're getting into until its too late. I can see where you might be biased though.

waskillywabbit

iTrader: (-1)

Bias against cheap quality junk if that's what you mean. The "Walmart" mentality of capitalism is killing our economy and our country, but that's another rant for another day.

:wabbit2:

Txwelder

Again, having no personal knowlegde of either companies parts and having them represented with the exact same verbiage and nearly identical pictures, I chose the lesser price. I call that shopping around. If you have studies to prove your product is superior, thats valuable info.

waskillywabbit

iTrader: (-1)

I don't recall mentioning my product or see me trying to sell you anything?

:wabbit2:

scope103

These guys think you can: http://www.finelineprototyping.com/d...s/al6061t6.pdf