My 63 Project

[ZouchaR]

For those of you that have followed this project, I need to mention some issues that I have had and my recommendations.

I purchased my front drive accessories from Tuckers in Henderson who got it from All American Billet. I followed the instructions EXACTLY when I did the installation of this system. It included the AC System as well. Everything worked except the power steering system. When I built this truck, I replaced the manual steering gear box with a re manufactured power steering gear box that I purchased from Tuckers. After installation, I did everything the right way to bleed the air out of the system, but it NEVER did work.

I contacted Tuckers where I was told "You must have installed it wrong"... with a very snotty laugh. I was OFFENDED INSTANTLY by this comment. I know it was meant as a joke, but it pissed me off!!! When I talked to Codi, he advised me that they had sold the exact same system to another customer and that the shop installing it was having the same issues that I was having. So I went too that shop and we discovered that they also did not get all of the pieces too their system. Specifically a Plastic "T" that was supposed to be installed at the bottom of the reservoir to stop backflow problems. I contacted All American and they sent me TWO of the plastic T connectors so I could give one to that shop. It didn't help at all.

All American also advised that the flow control valve might have the wrong diameter line going through it which would create the wrong flow rate. So they sent me a new one of those to try. NO HELP.

About this time, SEMA was starting in Las Vegas. And All American was gearing up for that and couldn't really help me, but they did offer to send a guy to my house and see if they could figure out WHY the system would not bleed. The day after SEMA, Brad R, who is their engineer, stopped by my house. My son was present when Brad looked at my system, hoses and reservoir and told me that I had indeed installed it correctly and that they had redesigned the reservoir bottom part to be billet aluminum instead of the plastic T. And he said he would send me the new reservoir bottom along with a new pump since it may have had issues. And that he wasn't sure WHY the system would not bleed.

THREE MONTHS LATER... they finally got some chrome pumps in and sent me one. They also sent some shirts and a couple of new chrome pieces. I installed the new pump, as instructed, NO Power Steering.

At this point it was getting very frustrating, to the point that I didn't even want to work on my truck because I knew that I would have to deal with the lack of power steering and NO ONE seemed to be able to fix it or care!!!!

So... a year later.. I went to SEMA again.... and met up with the All American Billet guys at their booth... Explained who I was... they seemed baffled that it wasn't working... Which I told them that I had sent emails.. and gotten no response. Then they advised that maybe the system had too much pressure and that I should buy this pressure reduction valve from Summit. So they sent me a link.. I purchased it... installed it... NOTHING.. No power steering... Only yesterday did they admit that the pressure reduction was only needed when running hydroboost, which I am not using.

So finally I have had enough of this JUNK.. and I decide to purchase a new front drive system from March Performance. The reason I decided to replace it all, is very simple. What I had DID NOT WORK, as far as power steering. And I probably could "hodge" together something that might have worked.. but it wouldn't have been correct and probably would have looked like ****!!!! And I don't want that. I have spent way too much time and effort getting this done correctly. So now I have the March system with a new power steering pump with reservoir attached. Hopefully, this will be the end of this whole episode.

Yesterday, I posted pictures on Facebook about taking the old stuff out and starting to put in the new. And I called the system JUNK, because it never worked. Tyler, from All American, jumped into the conversation and ACCUSED me of installing the system incorrectly AND of running the pump without fluid. I think he wants people to believe that I intentionally purchased their system and then did all of these things to make them and their product look bad.

If you care to see the discussion, without some of his comments which he deleted... Look here

https://www.facebook.com/zouchar/pos...96926841446227

And, the reason that I spent the time to write this all out, is so that you guys, my fellow hot rodders, will know the TRUTH before you purchase something from All American.