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Another run of parts to the powdercoater. I needed the body mount hat pieces done before I could bolt the body back on the car. The inner fenders had been sitting in the backyard, accumulating ever more surface rust. And, finally, I had had the upper front control arms done before, but I had to grind a small bit off of the arms to clear the frame. I had installed the arms centered on their pivot shafts, but this is apparently slightly rearward of the stock location. Still, I want them there for the caster angle benefits, so I'd prefer to make the arm clear the frame than to move the arm forward.
A couple weeks back, I'd spent several hours trying to find a local source for 1/2in OD Bundyweld tubing for the fuel feed line. I wanted hard fuel line, preferably steel, along the frame rail from the pump to the engine compartment. -8 AN hose would have been far too bulky, but I'd expect to need about that capacity. I went through the Yellow Pages listings of steel suppliers and tubing suppliers, a couple better-than-average auto parts stores that'd been recommended to me, with zero luck. 65% of the people I spoke to didn't know what Bundyweld is. Of the remainder, 65% didn't carry it. Leaving a small group of firms that carry it, but only up to 3/8in OD.
I had noticed sometime previously that, when doing a Google search for Bundyweld, the site of a Chicago firm called Lapham-Hickey seemed to have the best information. So, one evening, I emailed them some detail on what I was after. 8:00AM the next morning, the phone rings. By 8:15AM Barry at Lapham-Hickey had determined that the 19ft lengths could not be shipped UPS unless they were cut in half. I ran a measuring tape out to the garage and determined that 9ft would be adequate. To ensure that I wouldn't have to jump through hoops if I needed more in the future, I ordered two lengths, or four 9 1/2ft pieces. Sent a check, they shipped, arrived today. $140.00 delivered. Maybe I could have somehow squeezed the price down a little, but I got what I needed in a timely fashion from someone who knew their product and processed my small order with tremendous efficiency, after I'd squandered much more than that in time searching elsewhere.
Lesson to vendors: E-commerce does not mean that you have to take orders on your website. Nor does it mean Flash animations and other banal bandwidth-hogging eye candy. What it means is that you have to make available sufficient information to your would-be customers that they can find you and become confident enough that you can supply what they need that they will contact you, and that when they do make that effort, you respond quickly and effectively. This firm hit that nail on the head, my only regret is that I hadn't contacted them sooner.
Finally!
Engine Round 2 is here. It showed up at the Watkins dock in San Leandro a couple days ago, and I managed to get over and pick it up this morning. Everything was intact and appears to be in good shape. After dinner I managed to get it on the engine stand. So far so good.