Author: DW

Where We’re Headed (this summer) (not a philosophical post)

No, where are you headed, man?

Once again, we’re going to Syracuse and Louisville this year (with a smattering of other spur of the moment destinations in between). Yup, we’re pretty predictable.

Syracuse is always a bunch of fun… lots of things to do for the whole family, live music through the day, great tech seminars and lots more. Here’s the link for the show if you’re on the fence: http://rightcoastcars.com/syracuse-nationals.php

We really enjoy Louisville too, and this year shouldn’t be any different. I’ve been riding a little BMX bike at the Hot Rod Industry BMX Challenge that Tim and Carrie Strange put on every year… what a blast! Here’s the link to the Louisville show: http://www.nsra-usa.com/Events/default.asp#. You’ll have to scroll over to get to the info for the show. Here are some pictures from BMX Challenges past: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.368982859832912.85490.368921386505726&type=3

Syracuse: July 19-21
Louisville: August 1-4

Also, Paul and Dorothy will be driving the ’40 this year and I’ll take the ’32! The ’40 has been on the road since 1988, but has been parked since 2005.

Hope to see you there!

Dear Welder Series… Do You Make Your Own Stuff?

This isn’t really a Dear Welder Series post, but more of a “Dear Customer…” post.

Some events of late made me think about a few questions people may develop as they browse chassis brackets on the Internet. While I’m certainly not naive to think that there aren’t other companies making similar products, or even that they shouldn’t be, I do want to clarify a few things.

First, if you notice a picture on another site that looks uncannily like a picture of a product on our website, that’s a Welder Series picture. I’ve personally taken every product picture on the site, except the customer-submitted pictures. We keep an up to date list of reputable businesses selling Welder Series product here. If the site isn’t on the list, but they’re using our images, ask where the part comes from. A number of shops buy our products and sell or install them as such. There’s no shame in asking where the part comes from. If they can’t say it’s from Welder Series, but they’re using our image to (mis)represent the product, that doesn’t seem fair to me or you. There are some sites selling genuine Welder Series products, but there are some who aren’t but are still using our images.

Second, with a very small number of exceptions (I’ll list them below), every product sold on our website is a Welder Series product. What does that mean? It means the CAD drawings originated on our computer, the steel is to the best of our ability sourced from Canada or the USA, and it was welded in our shop. If I wouldn’t put it on my car, I won’t send it to you. It’s that simple. I’m pretty picky, too.
Here are the parts that are not manufactured by us:

Every tig weld that leaves here will look like this:

I don’t want to come off sounding like we’re the only place you can buy quality hot rod chassis parts. Of course there are a number of companies producing quality products. What irks me is when our photos are used to misrepresent the quality of another company’s product.

If you have any questions about our products, we’d like to hear from you.

Thanks very much for your time.
DW, Paul, and Dorothy Horton

Dear Welder Series… Mustang II for 1950 Studebaker?

Dear Welder Series…
What measurements or info is required so you might be able to tell me which mustang ll kit I would need to use in a 1950 Studebaker champion 2 dr coupe and a starlite coupe. Would a 1948 starlite use the same kit as the 50? thnx

Dear Roger…
Roger, there are two measurements to consider when selecting a Welder Series Mustang II kit:  the track width that you want and the outside frame width in the crossmember area.
Track width is the rotor wheel mounting surface to surface dimension. Welder Series makes 3 widths: stock (56″), and 2″ and 4″ wider (58″ & 60″). These are nominal dimensions. With stock, 4-bolt MII rotors the actual track width would be 1/2″ wider than our listed spec, but the final track width is dependent on the control arms, wheels, and brake system used. An easy way to estimate the stock track width is to measure tire tread center to center.
The outside frame width is less critical than track width, but is a consideration. Our 56″ kit likes a frame o.d. of 26″ – 30″.  The 58″ kit likes 28 – 32″ and the 60″ kit likes 30 – 34″. If the frame doesn’t correspond to these dimensions, there are work-arounds that we can suggest.

I hope this helps with your planning. Thanks for asking.