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StreetBeast rod kit's

404K views 1K replies 141 participants last post by  Gwinnetts 
#1 ·
I am planning on building my 1st street rod. The StreetBeast kit's look interesting. Anyone have any experience/references with these? Thanks. Don
 
#952 ·
grouch said:
Not to be overly critical, but the image you posted earlier wouldn't stand up to scrutiny by some of the pickier 'rodders you might meet on here. It's your ride, so most would never point out flaws without being invited to do so -- your post quoted above appears to be such an invitation. Even I can see what appear to be uneven gaps around the hood and doors, and I'm not qualified to judge any rod.

That image also brings to view one of the flaws in the design which Centerline has pointed out several times. Those fenders stick out just right to act as shopping cart targets and generally as weak bumpers. If they're molded as part of the body, what happens when some soccer mom in a Suburban loses track of where her corners are and takes yours off? You can repair small cracks and crushes, but what about when there is a major parking lot mishap that requires a replacement fender?
It is a good looking car, but its missing the stripes
Shane
 
#954 · (Edited)
That frame to me is only nice from the fire wall forward.. :pain: The back half is very sad.And all the steel support on that frame I cut of of mine.And I could still stand on the running boards..Like I said the front half is very nice,The back is ****...That another story... All them brace's is what stop's you from being able to take it off the frame later... :nono: All brace's can be built into the car...(with steel)... :nono:

Something I did on my frame,Is you cut the coil springs off the out side of the frame,Shocks also...Take the bottom bars on the rear end,Buy new bars,then put them back on, but put them striate back to front,Then put a set of coil overs on the inside of the frame.Then you have enough room to run a wider tire in the back.That's just one of the things that should be done by them, to make it better,I have a list,But I guess that's just the way I think a car should be built.... :)
 
#955 ·
I have been gone for 5 weeks and have had a lot of catching up to do at home and the shop. In the evenings, I have been plowing through every page of this thread and must say it has been like a Louis L'Amour book:covers a wide range of plots that entwine to an ending when you get there. My common sense says keep your mouth shut, but...

Don't know a thing about any kit cars cause they have never interested me in the least. I have been around long enough to recognize all kinds of marketing schemes and seen many changes in laws to protect the customers over the years. Years ago, I was involved with a South Fla company, Master Pools, that used the same tactics and practices. Their saving grace was they produced an outstanding pool. Their down fall was they were selling their pools with contracts that required up front money (like 20% upon signing, 20% when hole was dug, 30% when the gunnite was applied and balance when completed). I signed, I paid and every thing was fine until the chlorine generator was not installed "because it was on back order". Since they had produced as specified, I was not too concerned when I was able to use the pool with the old standard application of chlorine to keep it chemically balanced. Then the trouble started when time passed and they would not return my calls or respond to letters, including registered letters. The last letter I sent included verbage that the next time they would be talking to my lawyer. The word was out they were defaulting because people were not buying and they had been operating on up front money. My lawyer filed charges and we were ready to go to court, but the day before, they settled with returning my money and paying my lawyer. As far as I know, Master Pools are no longer in business, but they did build a high quality pool. No where did I think they were intentionally dishonest, but they were victims of their own bad management. All of us have been exposed to questionable practices at some time or another and if we learn, we develop a sense that raises our eyebrows when we encounter these situations.

The single thing that I am passionate about is our right to free speech and expressing our opinions. I also am very much against slander and libel so am very careful when I exercise my freedom to speak my mind. I have learned to avoid repeating rumor and hearsay and just stick with the facts. For my years on this board, I have found Jon tends to do just that and has been right every time when it comes to free speech issues. That is why I am supporting the defense fund in this issue. Hopefully, all the other board members are doing the same, especially all that have posted on this thread.

Trees
 
#956 ·
ffas23 said:
Actually that little dinky photo of the CMC frame above doesn't tell the true story of it as it is one heavy duty frame. I happened to like the top area of the CMC frame front and back as it adds support to the firewall and back of the car in front of the trunk. Don't forget the Master Cylinder and Steering column is supported in front of the CMC frame this way. Not knocking the TCI frame but the only support I see you will get with this type of frame once the body is mounted is the support in whatever is used in the body you choose to use on the frame. Most of the other '34 Coupe body makers such as Outlaw use wood in their bodies.

Here is a quote by one of the body manufacturers recommended on this forum by some. Quote: Hand-laminated, one-piece constructed body. Complete with wood reinforcement. Wood consists of kiln-dried Poplar, D-select. Poplar is used because the expansion rate is the most compatible to fiberglass than any other wood.

Once the CMC/SB Body is placed on the frame it is surrounded by a metal cage mounted inside from roof to floor that you bolt in and then weld in as you build your '34 Coupe. Where the other manufacturers mount their doors to wood, CMC/SB doors are mounted to the CMC steel frame. More work for the builder but stronger in my opinion. To me I have to say I like this idea better for support all around the car. If I remember correctly the original '34 Ford used (OAK) wood many years ago. Below is a CMC/SB frame that shows a little more detail as the picture is larger then said previous photo above. What you don't see in both pictures as mentioned above is the Steel Cage that gets built inside once the body is set on the frame and aligned. Notice the steel supports for the running boards. You can actually stand on the CMC/SB running boards if one had to. The boxed support behind the front passenger side front tire is where the battery sits.

That Picture is from inside the Streetbeast factory , and what he is saying verbatim, is what we told customers in our sales pitch, I smell a streetbeast employee or a shill
 
#957 ·
trees said:
I have been gone for 5 weeks and have had a lot of catching up to do at home and the shop. In the evenings, I have been plowing through every page of this thread and must say it has been like a Louis L'Amour book:covers a wide range of plots that entwine to an ending when you get there. My common sense says keep your mouth shut, but...

Don't know a thing about any kit cars cause they have never interested me in the least. I have been around long enough to recognize all kinds of marketing schemes and seen many changes in laws to protect the customers over the years. Years ago, I was involved with a South Fla company, Master Pools, that used the same tactics and practices. Their saving grace was they produced an outstanding pool. Their down fall was they were selling their pools with contracts that required up front money (like 20% upon signing, 20% when hole was dug, 30% when the gunnite was applied and balance when completed). I signed, I paid and every thing was fine until the chlorine generator was not installed "because it was on back order". Since they had produced as specified, I was not too concerned when I was able to use the pool with the old standard application of chlorine to keep it chemically balanced. Then the trouble started when time passed and they would not return my calls or respond to letters, including registered letters. The last letter I sent included verbage that the next time they would be talking to my lawyer. The word was out they were defaulting because people were not buying and they had been operating on up front money. My lawyer filed charges and we were ready to go to court, but the day before, they settled with returning my money and paying my lawyer. As far as I know, Master Pools are no longer in business, but they did build a high quality pool. No where did I think they were intentionally dishonest, but they were victims of their own bad management. All of us have been exposed to questionable practices at some time or another and if we learn, we develop a sense that raises our eyebrows when we encounter these situations.

The single thing that I am passionate about is our right to free speech and expressing our opinions. I also am very much against slander and libel so am very careful when I exercise my freedom to speak my mind. I have learned to avoid repeating rumor and hearsay and just stick with the facts. For my years on this board, I have found Jon tends to do just that and has been right every time when it comes to free speech issues. That is why I am supporting the defense fund in this issue. Hopefully, all the other board members are doing the same, especially all that have posted on this thread.

Trees
Makes me want to take a dip
 
#958 ·
ffas23 said:
Here is a quote by one of the body manufacturers recommended on this forum by some. Quote: Hand-laminated, one-piece constructed body. Complete with wood reinforcement. Wood consists of kiln-dried Poplar, D-select. Poplar is used because the expansion rate is the most compatible to fiberglass than any other wood.
Although your quote is from the Outlaw Performance web site it doesn't tell the whole story. Outlaw's 33 bodies use a sandwich door jam with the wood sandwiched between a layer of reinforced fiberglass and 1/8" steel plate to mount the hinges. Even my Dave Koorey deuce body uses steel reinforcement to mount the doors and its one of the less expensive bodies.

Almost all of the higher quality body manufacturers use steel in their body construction. Some short quotes from some of their web sites follow.

Wescott: "All doors and deck lid come installed, and open and close solidly. Wescott uses high quality, hand laminated fiberglass and extensive steel reinforcement to make a strong, straight and clean fitting body........"

Downs: "Kiln-dried select grade oak and steel reinforcement is then installed in the body. We use better oak and more steel than any of our competitors. All of our doors and deck lids are hung on steel in order to provide longer......"

Superior Glass Works: "Steel is used liberally throughout every Superior Glass Works body to provide strength and safety. Each body opening is framed by square steel tubing and the larger panels receive reinforcement across their length. Cross-body bracing under the dash, behind the seats, and in the trunk is tied into the side and floor structure to create a rigid steel cage......"

Quality glass bodies use hand laid fiberglass not a chopper gun like Streetbeast and they incorporate steel and in some cases wood and steel for reinforcement. They don't produce bodies that are totally unreinforced like Streetbeast and then try to use the frame to reinforce it.

StreetBeast Insider said:
That Picture is from inside the Streetbeast factory , and what he is saying verbatim, is what we told customers in our sales pitch, I smell a streetbeast employee or a shill
You should talk!
 
#959 · (Edited)
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#960 ·
ffas23- You're story is believed by me. :) I have heard the same from a few others who have had the time, experience and resources to build a decent car, that you like, from a CMC kit.


Later, mikey
 
#965 ·
I watched two of those videos and had to stop. I was horrified when I saw the recommended procedure for securing the floor pan to the frame and the body to the floor pan.

The person in the video used pop rivets to secure the floor pan to the frame then used screws to secure other parts to the frame. A single layer of fiberglass secured the body to the floor pan.

I could go on for days about how unsound this all is. This is not a 20 MPH go cart on a closed track! This is a multi thousand pound vehicle driving at highway speeds and the driver is unaware that his life is in peril. Fortunately, most of these kits never get completed.
 
#966 · (Edited by Moderator)
bluesman2333 said:
I watched two of those videos and had to stop. I was horrified when I saw the recommended procedure for securing the floor pan to the frame and the body to the floor pan.

The person in the video used pop rivets to secure the floor pan to the frame then used screws to secure other parts to the frame. A single layer of fiberglass secured the body to the floor pan.
----------------------------------------------------------------

When fiberglassing, its a good idea to grind off the gel coat,before doing the glassing,,,, other wise it dosn't stick very well,, and will soon come apart, :nono:

something this PROFESSIONAL expert :confused: did not do,
 
#968 · (Edited)
Bad Rat said:
When fiberglassing, its a good idea to grind off the gel coat,before doing the glassing,,,, other wise it dosn't stick very well,, and will soon come apart, :nono:

something this PROFESSIONAL expert :confused: did not do,
It is actually worse than that. Polyester resin is not adhesive. After grinding, he should have used a 5:1 epoxy resin which is adhesive , built up in multiple layers cleaning between layers to remove the amine blush.

ffas23, no need to be defensive. I wrote what I wrote based on my observations of a poor technique and not to convince you of anything. It is not about you. I look at the body to frame connection here like tying up a boat to a dock. Making 30 bad knots instead of six good ones isn't the right way or the safe way to do it.
 
#972 · (Edited by Moderator)
bluesman2333 said:
It is actually worse than that. Polyester resin is not adhesive. After grinding, he should have used a 5:1 epoxy resin which is adhesive , built up in multiple layers cleaning between layers to remove the amine blush.
I do not believe this is correct. New applications of polyester resin will melt into older applications, effectivly becoming one.

Vince
 
#973 ·
bluesman2333 said:
It is actually worse than that. Polyester resin is not adhesive. After grinding, he should have used a 5:1 epoxy resin which is adhesive , built up in multiple layers cleaning between layers to remove the amine blush.

I don't agree with this,If you grind the gel coat off then wipe the old glass with acetone the new glass will bind,I use this procedure all the time,with good results,,If the old glass has wax in it,It need's to be grind first then wiped with acetone,Then start glassing.. :thumbup:
 
#974 ·
Listen guys, I think the beating of these cars IS over the line. The BUSINESS practices, that is more than "opinion", that is fact and we know right from wrong. Insert a business name, and an industry name in place of Streetbeast and Kit car and show it to anyone and they will agree, POOR BUSINESS PRACTICE.

But when it comes to the cars and the parts not innerchanging and poor design and what not, this is mostly opinion.

These are KIT CARS they are not "replicas". I have spent a far amount of time around kit cars, built one, went to shows, bought and studied the magazines, there isn't but a couple I would ever buy. None of them would he a "replica" of another car. The only ones I would have ever interested me are the "Sterlings" and that sort of thing. There is a company who makes Ford GT-40s and stuff like that are SUPER high quality basically EXACTLY as the original. They are SUPER high buck hundred grand sort of prices.

That being said, the SB is a KIT CAR and no different than one of those VW powered MGA's. They are JUNK compared to a quality streetrod. But they NOT a streetrod.

Don't start talking about how floors are attached and such, have you ever looked at how a T bucket fiberglass body is attached to the floor? :pain:

Listen, it is a "Fake" 34 Ford just as EVERY SINGLE fiberglass car is!! You want something built "right", buy a REAL vintage car.

Have you guys spent any time looking at fiberglass car components, repro frames, steel repro bodies and the like at GoodGuys events? There is some real GARBAGE out there for sale! I mean DANGEROUS, JUNK.

How many of you have tried installing repro parts, I would assume many of you, how did they fit? LIKE CRAP most of the time, that's how.

I watched the guys video with him talking about the cars, and I believe him. I understand what he is saying about the "expectation" of the owners of these cars, that they can be put together in a week with simple tools by an accountant with zero auto experiance. The "expectation" of a streetrodder would be that these cars are built like a Downs body on Duece Factory rails with all the popular suspention componants (sorry I don't know the hip names being I would never buy anything from them).

These cars don't match up with either of these expectations, it isn't the cars fault, it is the expectations of the streetrodder and the accountants that are off the mark!

If they are MARKETED as a "Streetrod" just the same as all other streetrod componants are sold, THAT is wrong, it is NOT a "streetrod" it is a KIT CAR.

But that is again, the business practices NOT the car.

The car is a KIT CAR, that is all it is, just like a Fiberfab MGA, it is not perfect.

Brian
 
#975 ·
NEW INTERIORS said:
......I hope Centerline can Watch the video without falling out of his chair...LOL :D
To be fair I watched all of his videos on this build. What this did was reinforce the shabby, Mickey Mouse engineering that goes into these cars. It's kind of like an exercise in how hard can you make it to build a "kit car". And the owner is a real piece of work as well. Just another rod shop owner who owes his existence to the fact that Streetbeast produces the worst kit possible. It's pretty plain to see that if it wasn't for Streetbeast owners he wouldn't have a business.

NEW INTERIORS said:
I don't agree with this,If you grind the gel coat off then wipe the old glass with acetone the new glass will bind,I use this procedure all the time,with good results,,If the old glass has wax in it,It need's to be grind first then wiped with acetone,Then start glassing.. :thumbup:
Yea, but he didn't grind the gel coat at all. I can't believe the floor is held to the body with one layer of chopped mat and resin.... And on this car it wasn't even glassed in properly. Unbelievable!
 
#976 ·
Ok, I get it, I'll watch the rest of the videos (My computer here at home is crap and I have to wait to watch it at work tomorrow).

But honestly, what other KIT CAR designs have you seen?

Brian
 
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