Cancelled my Clifford order enough is enough
Today I cancelled my order for a 4bbl intake and carb adaptor from Clifford.I have been dealing with them since October on this (paid in full in advance) and all I get are excuse after excuse.My progress on this car has come to a stop and I can't believe the way they run their business,I have asked for my money to be returned and will now wait for an excuse about that I'd bet.Good luck to you who will do business with them in the future but I am done.I want to drive this car and all I need is the intake,So if any one knows where I could buy a used one please let me know,Thanks,Dave
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super 6 wrote:Today I cancelled my order for a 4bbl intake and carb adaptor from Clifford.I have been dealing with them since October on this (paid in full in advance) and all I get are excuse after excuse.My progress on this car has come to a stop and I can't believe the way they run their business,I have asked for my money to be returned and will now wait for an excuse about that I'd bet.Good luck to you who will do business with them in the future but I am done.I want to drive this car and all I need is the intake,So if any one knows where I could buy a used one please let me know,Thanks,Dave
Dave, Get an aluminum 2-barrel manifold from a 48-50 and cut it off even with the plane of the runners. Take a die-grinder and remove the inside runners. Get a 4-barrel adaptor with a 4-5 inch runner and weld it to the plane. ( tilt the adaptor foward on the manifold to match the rear slant of the engine,so the carb. will be level) I made one years ago and used it on a 308 drag-jet. It worked just find.
I do not have any pictures of the one i made.
Hudsonly Rudy.0 -
Good Idea,I wish I would have thought of it some time ago.I need the 4 barrel since I have a Chevrolet 700r4 behind a copy of the 7x and with the edelbrock 4 barrel I am going to use I can buy a bracket that is already set for the correct line pressures the 700r4 needs.Its a bolt on deal.Thats all I need to get it on the road,I have a 49 232 with the aluminum intake on it,will it fit on a 54 308?,to be modified as you suggest?,thanks,Dave0
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Will fit any 232-262-308 Dave and will work good. Rudy.0
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All Hudson 6 Engines from 48-50 used a "narrow" block. Block was widened for 51-56. Heads of 48-50 vintage will not line up with the water jackets on 51-56 engines. All manifolds will line up though.0
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I realize that you have had an extensive wait time from Clifford to get the Hudson parts. However, not really defending the excuses part of the deal, I'm sure that they only cast Hudson parts once a year or maybe every other year due to the demand. Clifford's business in Hudson parts is probably less than 1% of volume and probably they only continue that as Jack Clifford, the founder, was very active in the Hudson ranks.
Clifford mainly specializes in the Jeep and Chevrolet market for 4s and 6s. I have spoken to some of the rock crawlers that frequent Moab here in Utah and they have a great respect for the Clifford company.
Just my two cents worth...0 -
Here's the problem with that. If you'rebacktohudsons wrote:I realize that you have had an extensive wait time from Clifford to get the Hudson parts. However, not really defending the excuses part of the deal, I'm sure that they only cast Hudson parts once a year or maybe every other year due to the demand. Clifford's business in Hudson parts is probably less than 1% of volume and probably they only continue that as Jack Clifford, the founder, was very active in the Hudson ranks.
Clifford mainly specializes in the Jeep and Chevrolet market for 4s and 6s. I have spoken to some of the rock crawlers that frequent Moab here in Utah and they have a great respect for the Clifford company.
Just my two cents worth...
not going to give a lot of time and effort with what you're going to sell be honest and let the customer know that. Yes off-roaders may think Clifford is great but the guys who want special manifolds for a 308 are sent to the back of the pack because Clifford won't lay out the money for slow moving inventory. I understand all that from a business standpoint but let's be honest with the customer. When there is an inquiry or order for a Hudson part TELL the guy he's going to be waiting a LONG time. "Do you still want to place the order?" What is wrong with being up front and not dodging calls from folks who have a right to be upset. Lastly if Clifford dosen't want to lay out the money for Hudson inventory then perhaps someone else does. It's at this point that people have got to realize that perhaps they should shop elsewhere if Clifford dosen't want to play ball and fly right.0 -
As I stated, I wasn't defending the practice of not keeping the customer fully informed and preferrably up front.
Further, does anybody here have the big bucks to fund the casting of this specialized equipment? I, for one do not. In some respects, we should be happy that some of this is still available. If we follow your advice in the last post, boycott Clifford. I certainly have no use for their products any longer, so perhaps a boycott would be best? The sooner that the demand dries up, the sooner that the tooling and casting stuff will be really obsolete and then scrapped. My question is...is something available, even if it's on a really limited production basis, better than nothing available?
I just put that scenario into the same category as shooting oneself in the foot. Clifford does not have to play ball or fly right...0 -
My understanding is that the Hudson part of Clifford's business ended when he died. Almost all of the inventory was purchased by Jim Harmon in Oregon. It was only 1% of their business. However they have held on to all of the patterns and will not sell or release these to Hudson people have tried to purchase them. It is unfortunate.0
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So you are saying that they should continue being obstinate and we should take it like it or not because they were good enough to keep the tooling for special Hudson parts?And boy if we object we'll be sorry because then they'll take all their marbles and go home? Sorta reminds me of another company that had attitude problems... Full-line.0
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Dave.... Go to uncommonengineering.com They sell everything from complete engines to cams or intakes and exhausts. You can even get a 4 carb manifold from them! I know they can be expensive,,,,but then again what isn't?
Bob0 -
One thing that Clifford should not be doing is charging the customer's credit card before the parts are ready to ship. That is using money for free and they should not being doing that, maybe a 10% deposit, but nothing more.. The one thing that could be done is try to get a sizeable order together for certain products, e.g. 4bbl intakes. If you went to them for 5 to 10 manifolds they may very well be interested in doing a run. Onesy Twosys is not going to get anyone's attention. The only other thing to do is for the club to approach Clifford to try to get some idea of what they need to keep things in stock and work it that way. We can get all pissed off about this but in the end of the day it is $$$$ that talks and if it is not financially viable for them to make the parts they are not going to get made.
I have looked at Uncommon Engineering and they have some neat stuff but at uncommonly high prices!0 -
The phrase "you gotta pay to play" applies. Clifford probably isn't remotely interested in helping out Hudson fans, and that's the reality. Steve at Uncommon has some of the best parts you'll ever hope to put in your Hudson (or flattie Ford), and he stands behind his stuff. He IS equipped to make one or two at a time.
So, what is your time worth??? Do you want to wait two years to get your part from Clifford, or a couple of weeks and have what you need from Uncommon??? Do you want to wait to drive your car, or drive it sooner than later???
What is your time worth? For me, my time is worth a lot.0 -
They are still doing that???? I had an experience many years ago, ordered some rings, pistons, gaskets, and timing gears from Clifford, back when Jack was still alive and they had their Hudson parts catalogued. First thing I got was the charge to my credit card. Last thing I got was any parts. Waited 3 months, and phoned them (from New Zealand), and was informed that they were still sourcing the parts and they would be forwarded to me when they had all arrived! When they did arrive 6 months later, the timing gear was'nt even a Hudson one. I cut my losses, and never dealt with them again. I think since Jack's death there is no real interest in Hudsons anyway.
Geoff.0 -
I don't want to pile on so I won't tell you my story of 1 1/2 years for an engine, head, and headers and that was when Jack was around. When Jack passed away it took 3 months to get the head and that was when the part was on the shelf. I know, because I saw them. They had nice stuff and the price was not bad...but now....
Jay0 -
If I run out of toilet paper tonite at 2am, I can drive 3/4 mile to the grocery, check it through the self check out, swipe my credit card and be back home in 5 minutes. Unfortunately, a high performance head for an engine that's been out of production for 50 years is not the same type of product as toilet paper - it takes more than 5 minutes to complete the transaction.
Personally, if Clifford was my company, I would have offered a refund a couple months ago, probably on the first inquiry of "Where is my head?" Why? Because life is too short to worry about the customer service nightmare that was heading my way. In August, I had a customer order a musical instrument that I sell one of every 2.5 years. I told the customer that it would ship from Italy, that it would take some time. It turns out the manufactuer had not produced any for the last 3 years and they were selling units that had been sitting in their warehouse. Finally they ran out of them and were going to produce more, but couldn't find the tooling they used to build the previous batches. Every month the customer would call, looking for the item, and every month I would offer a refund. He always refused, because he wanted that item and he couldn't find another supplier that would even take the order from him. UPS delivered the piece to me this morning and the customer picked it up 20 minutes ago, thrilled because it was what he wanted.
Good things come to those who wait, and have the money to pay for it.0 -
Hi again everyone.I'd like to thank those who replied with encouragement,thoughts on making a manifold my self,and relpy to those who think patience is the greatest thing ever....I sent a U.S. postal money order for the full amount with the understanding from prior e-mails that it would be a couple of weeks or so.That went by then more weeks went by and I guess I ran out of toilet paper,A guy died on the bridge just a couple of minutes in front of me the other day,I guess he ran out of toilet paper,maybe he did not have PATIENCE.I could have been driving this car months ago,Thats is time that we don't get back.I got more excuses when I asked occaisionally as time went on.As a reply stated,that is no way to run a company.IF I was offered an explanation right away..say Dave we don't cast those very often it may be months or more,then I would know,He knows,he runs that company now.Then I would not have taken the car apart in the garage with no way to move it.I would have worked on another one.Patience is easy to suggest when its not Your time thats involved.Patience my ass,I will never do business with them again.I own 6 hudsons so it may have come up in the future.Its Ebay from now on,they end thier auctions in 7 days,I have that much patience.Thanks,Dave0
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We should all be grateful that there are folks willing to offer Hudson parts, and realize that buying a Hudson part is not the same as buying a Toyota part.
In the end it all comes down to this: the buyer and the seller have an understanding at the beginning of the transaction. If the buyer is given the impression that parts will be shipped in a particular time frame, the vendor has the obligation to follow through, or to notify the buyer if this time frame has slipped -- without waiting for the buyer to remind him of this. Otherwise, the vendor is not following through with his part of the bargain. That holds true, whether the vendor is an H-E-T member doing $200 worth of business a year, or if it's a large company doing $2 million worth.
If Clifford (or anyone) makes it clear that the item being purchased is a long-wait item, the buyer must have patience (at least for the promised time; after that he can start griping). But if the buyer is given the understanding that an item is off-the-shelf or has a short wait, then he is completely justified in griping if the vendor doesn't follow through. A deal is a deal.0 -
Last I remember its against the law to charge a credit card without providing the goods or service first. Or in this case until the parts ship...0
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rambos_ride wrote:Last I remember its against the law to charge a credit card without providing the goods or service first. Or in this case until the parts ship...
Not the case in NV. If that ever happened, I would never special order anything for anybody. Can you imagine sitting on a $30,000 special order pink and teal grand piano because the customer changed their mind about the purchase?
BTW anybody need a pink and teal colored grand piano?
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No, but what about a steam calliope?0
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Pink and teal would only fly in Las Vegas...0
This discussion has been closed.
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