Hotrodders Company Reviews Fatman Fabrications

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Reviewer Comments For

	Fatman Fabrications

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Number of Reviews: 12	( Displaying Reviews: 1 - 12 )

I installed their M II kit and am pleased.

Reviewer: lgriff@earthlink.net from Kingsport, TN January 09, 2004

I purchased their Mustang II IFS kit (not hub to hub) for my '56 F100 pickup and was very pleased with the quality and workmanship. They were very helpful before and during the installation of the boxing plates and crossmember.
The thing that helped me most with installing this kit was to read all the magazine articles that I could find and the Fat Man Fab. directions before I started the installation. Then and only then did I start the job.
Their crossmember is very rigid and that is the base of their system. I followed their instructions in measuring and marking the frame for the crossmember installation. I have a good friend who is a certified welder who weld these pieces to the frame. He was very pleased with the quality and ease of installation of this kit. Their literature told me what front coil springs to use, but I also verified their info with other sources before buying the springs at Advance Auto. (I bought almost all of my parts other than the crossmember kit from Advanve Auto or J.C. Whitney and saved about $500.00). They also told me what width front wheels to buy to get the correct alignment with the ball joints. I used the Mustang II control arms with the strut rods on the lower control arms and had no problems. The lower control arms are level with the ground as they should be. The only problem I had was with the angle of the crossmember to the frame. In their literature, it was not clear as to whether the crossmember fit up flush with the bottom of the frame or was to be set at an angle. I called them and they told me it had to be set at a 2 to 3 degree angle at the back to get the proper alignment with the top spring "hats". So with the truck set up on jack stands and leveled this was easy to do. I gave mine a 3 degree angle and it works great. This was my first IFS installation, but I gave it a lot of thought and did a lot of planning before I started the job. Good luck on your installation.

Hotrodder and restorer

7 out of 8 people found this review helpful

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I will never buy from Fatman again

Reviewer: Walt from California January 08, 2004

I bought a Mustang frontend kit for a 50 Ford F1 a few years back and if not for the fact that I have a complete Fab. shop there would be no way that I could have finished the job. This kit was 5 inches wider than a stock Must. II so they machined a part to widen the rack. The kit did not include any parts to reinstall the dust boots or the equallizer tube that connects the two boots.
The craftmanship of their fabricated parts was very amateurish and suspension geometry is not a great concern to them. In my opinion their front end kits are not only poorly designed but are outright dangerous.

Owner of a Custom Car and fab. shop

7 out of 7 people found this review helpful

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Quality Parts Poor Instructions

Reviewer: kellyr@evansville.net from Midwest September 26, 2003

I purchased a stage II kit from Fatman. I can't complain about their quality as much as i can their instructions. The builders guide is designed for to many models. It lacks coming out and desribing what the application you are building really needs. They also need more step by step instructions for a first time builder. And when I called to ask questions I felt like an idiot for bothering to ask something. Yes I am a first time builder, but if you give me GOOD instructions I CAN usually figure it out with no trouble. But their instructions need to be brought down a notch for a beginner. If I do this again, I'll go with Heidt's!

First Time Builder

7 out of 7 people found this review helpful

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Why do I have to pay for their mistake!

Reviewer: Anonymous from Sacramento, California February 02, 2003

I purchased a Camaro sub-frame after reading an article in a magazine. After installing the sub-frame using all of thier parts my car sat 7" lower than stock...(read sitting on tires, no suspension travel). I contacted them, explained problem...they sent me wrong springs (V-6 not V-8), and wrong spindles (lowered 2"). I had to pay for shipping and new parts which really pissed me off. Then had to wait 4 months to get reimbursed for new parts (after calling every few weeks to remind them about it) Non-stock oil pans (aluminum with cooling ribs) do not fit the sub-frame, had to purchase diffrent oil-pan, and stock motor mounts had to be modified to keep new circle track oil pan (shallowest oil pan I could find) to keep from resting on rack-n-pinion. I am not a happy camper to say the least.

Engineer

10 out of 11 people found this review helpful

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PRODUCT SUPPORT

Reviewer: CT350 July 31, 2002

I HAVE A FATMAN CHASSIS UNDER MY STREETROD. ON A RUN TO GOODGUYS COLUMBUS I HIT AN UNAVOIDABLE POTHOLE THAT WAS SO DEEP I BENT A RIM, BOTTOMED OUT A COILOVER AND BENT A LOWER CONTROL ARM. AFTER A CHECK ON A HOIST TO MAKE SURE THE CAR WAS SAFE TO DRIVE, I CONTINUED ON TO COLUMBUS.
A QUICK TRIP TO THE FATMAN BOOTH FOR PARTS LEFT ME EMPTY HANDED, ALTHOUGH THEY OFFERED TO GIVE ME THEIR DISPLAY MODEL IF THEY HAD THE RIGHT PART WITH THEM.

THEY PROMISED TO SHIP ME A NEW PART WHEN THEY RETURNED HOME. TWO DAYS LATER I RECEIVED A NEW LOWER CONTROL ARM, NO CHARGE!

I AM NOT AN AVID "FATMAN" FAN AND DURING DISCUSSIONS WITH THEM WE'VE HAD DIFFERENT OPINIONS ON THEIR ENGINEERING PRACTICES (EVERYONE HAS THEIR OWN OPINION)

BUT THE ABOVE HAPPENED EVEN AFTER I TOLD THEM I WAS NOT THE ORIGINAL PURCHASER OF THEIR CHASSIS AND THAT I HAD MODIFIED THE REAR OF THE CHASSIS TO SUIT MY OWN TASTES AND REQUIREMENTS.

HATS OFF TO THEM FOR STANDING BEHIND THEIR PRODUCT.

7 out of 7 people found this review helpful

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DISAPPOINTED

Reviewer: sattlej@gte.net from Bothell, Wa July 15, 2002

A very reputable hot rod shop installed a complete front end stub in my 49 Dodge. 440 powered. The first stub was wrong and had to be sent back. Then it took over a month to figure out why the power rack did not work correctly. It would not return and had very little assist. It turned out to be the stub. It was not "true" which put the rack in a bind causing the problem. Fat Man was no help. Said they had no experience with this kind of problem. They offered no help to the shop that did the installation.

30yr journey mechanic

5 out of 5 people found this review helpful

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called fatman , should have save my time.

Reviewer: jvarble from norcross,ga. June 13, 2002

granted i'm not the brightest candle on the cake. but when i called to ask about their front end and how long it would take, made me feel like they were doing me a favor. called heid's they were very helpful and ordered my front end kit with out feeling like i was a dumb a##.

12 out of 12 people found this review helpful

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Not bad, but not perfect

Reviewer: jenkinra from Henderson, NV April 29, 2002

Used their kit to mount a Cavalier rack&pinion unit in my 41 Dodge. They make custom kits to fit 46-48 models, but mine got a "universal" kit. Had to figure out how to cut the brackets and where to attach them myself. Instructions were minimal. Tie rod end adapters were for using Datsun inner tie rod ends, but since I had the Cavalier units, I asked for and received longer adapters, which I still had to modify. Service was quick, though.

RBBO Member/Photo Master

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful

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If you drive an oddball, this is the only game in town

Reviewer: Paco from Texarkana, Arkansas, across the road from Texas February 18, 2002

One of the many advantages of Fatman is they make frontends to fit something other than a Ford. Not many others will even touch it if it is not a Ford or maybe the most popular years from Chevy. If you drive anything else, you are just SOL...that's just the way it is in the hot rod world and the main reason I had to deal with Fatman. I have heard horror stories about things not being up to par, but for the most part, everything I got from them was as it was advertised. I did have a front wheel bearing seal problem(not their fault) and had a bit of a rough time getting the information for a National seal to fit the GM rotor. It appears the rotor was one that was sold for awhile until another GM rotor took it's place. They were a bit confused as to why the seal number they were giving me would not work on the rotor they had sold me until they remembered it to be a different rotor requiring a different seal. After that, all was well and the seal could be purchased locally. Another problem I have expierenced is with the NAPA supplied Mustang II power rack that came from Fatman. It has leaked since day one out of the passenger side seal on the rack. The seal is a non replacable item (at least for me) and probably could have been warrantied if I had called and ask, but it's not so bad that I cant live with it, and not worth all the trouble and down time for my car to have to wait for a new power rack to come from N.C. to the central US. Other than that, Fatman sold me a front stub for a '40 Buick with all the working parts that looks good, works good, and fit right, and if it is installed like it is supposed to be, it sits right. Try getting that from any other front end manufacturer. A few minor problems, but no major complaints....

paper mill worker

6 out of 6 people found this review helpful

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Good products and experience

Reviewer: jalopy45 (jalopy45@hotmail.com) from Corpus Christi , TX February 11, 2002

After visiting 6 different manufacurers I bought here because of the workmanship, engineering and people there. Everyone there started at the bottom with no outside hires to do the welding,cutting or assembly. Some of the other shops I visited had people welding who had no idea of what they were making or how to read or speak english. I paid several visits to their Mint Hill shop (Charlotte NC) before ordering their hub to hub kit. I found them real easy to answer questions to my problems, which were few and far apart.(when in doubt read instructions) I am also pretty certain they would make good on any problems with their products.

truck driver

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful

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The worst frontend kits on the market

Reviewer: nashty from CT February 09, 2002

I have seen this company go from a one of the better frontend builder's to the worst in a matter of a few years.
I personal have seen and heard of broken spindles,welds that have failed on crossmembers.Customers service treats you like they are the only game in town. I think with this company its all bottom line now a days. Way to many companys that will work with you, to put up with the problems i have found with this co.Also some of the product seem to be smoke and mirrors and they get the mag industry to print wonderfull articles(i am sure they spend a ton of cash advertizing) about a product you would be better off not have on your car(the new twin beam staight axle,not worth the paper it was draw on) Ok thats my .05 worth being a installer of many diff kits.

Rod builder

15 out of 16 people found this review helpful

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Easy to install, good instructions

Reviewer: Studebaker from Wenatchee, Washington. February 09, 2002

First one I purchased had a heavy duty Crossmember, but the spring hats were not made from very thick metal. This kept me wondering about a possible failure. Installation was easy, as very good instructions were included. Items fit as described. Two years and no problems.

12 out of 15 people found this review helpful

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