What new vendor products were shown at DCS 2014?

[Flash66]

The batch we just got look like the other guy's photos. We do have the one in the photo but only one, first caller can have it. Other ones will look like the other photos and will be cheaper.

At the price they are most likely not leather. If you really want the high quality wheel get the $350 made in Italy by Momo.

You need to call us, the website only talks "Houston-ese".

815 459 6439

I always hated to be known as just the "other guy" I'm the real deal baby! Lol! Just FYI these wheels come in both PVC and leather. If you look at my photos there is a leather swatch attached to the wheel. Since this topic came up yesterday, I asked the vendor if they could hand pick a batch of A1 leather wheels instead of just the one they selected for me. They said they would. I will most likely offer them to Dave first at my cost if he's interested. He has put the effort into the adapters/package and I would rather help him than compete with him. My primary business here has an electronics factory based in Shenzhen so I'm accustomed to dealing with Chinese manufacturers and posses a continuos bond for import. Also they informed me that the wheels are already in an LA warehouse and since I travel from Vegas to LA frequently, there's a chance I may be able select them personally. We'll see how this pans out and keep you posted.

[NightFlyer]

If it wasn't for all of the cheap stuff from China our economy would be much worse off. The cheap (read inexpensive) goods are the only things all too many consumers can afford! Without that stuff too many could not afford to buy ANYTHING! The big problem is eventually there may be no more choice. If too many producers are driven out of the market and China starts to raise prices, now you have the worst of all worlds, high prices and lousey goods. It is already happening in some markets. We will all pay the price in the future for these "cheap" goods. Enjoy them while you can. Us "older folk" can remember when anything made in Japan was a joke. Now they are a benchmark of quality (never mind high prices ala Sony and Panosonic). Back in the 80's we all thought we would have to learn Japanese, they were buying everything in sight all over the world. Now look at them. Korea (Samsung + Kia) is eating their lunch.

I'm not even going to acknowledge the ignorance contained within this comment or grace it with a proper response - I'll just shake my head in utter disbelief and re-iterate that this kind of attitude/mindset is the cancer that currently plaques our (and any other fair playing) nation.

[Kane]

Can we leave the rah rah rah jingoism out of this thread? To me the "downfall of the US economy" discussion treads on Politics territory. Take that garbage over to DMCToday where it belongs.

[thirdmanj]

Can we leave the rah rah rah jingoism out of this thread? To me the "downfall of the US economy" discussion treads on Politics territory. Take that garbage over to DMCToday where it belongs.

Yup. Didn't see that coming.

[David T]

Of course you are right, it does belong in the other discussion group. My mistake.

[RammJaeger]

Woot! Looks like I'm getting myself a new steering wheel. I talked to Dave and I'm buying the one he posted pics of in this thread Anyone else have this style of steering wheel in their car? How do you like it?

[NightFlyer]

IMHO, the Momo and Momo knock-offs/replicas are the only after-market steering wheel that look proper/right in the car

[Flash66]

I just received 2 knockoffs from my vendor today that were hand selected, and both are aesthetically correct finally. One is leather and one Is PVC rubber. There's NO comparison between the two. The leather one is very worthy of going in my DeLorean, but the PVC is in no way as nice as the leather one.

[DSNW Toby]

I really like how the new design is low profile, fits under the carpet, and works around the spare tire compartment, I just want to know more about it technically before considering purchasing it. Maybe Toby will pop his head into this thread to discuss it more!

In regards to the question about preloading the brace in tension ... absolutely! We didn't have all the bits and pieces there at DCS. The kit comes with an adjuster assembly that is used to preload the brace after it is snugged into place. The goal is to keep the brace in tension virtually all the time, although there will be a few instances where I can see the brace transitioning into compression briefly. This would involve very uneven or twisted road surfaces. The attached pictures shows an earlier version of the adjuster. We now use an Allen head cap screw instead of a hex bolt.

Somebody asked me about the technical differences between the strut braces that have been available for a while and this new brace design. There are basically two schools of thought regarding strut brace design theory - having freely rotating ends (as in the spherical rod end bearing design), and the other design having end fixity. If you go out and look at strut braces used on various "normal" cars, you will see some with bearings at the attachment points, and some with welded end plates. I happen to prefer end fixity based on my years of experience in structural engineering and aircraft design. One advantage of end fixity comes with the uneven or twisted roads mentioned above that could cause the brace to transition into compression. With large twisting forces on the frame, the current strut brace with bearings on the ends will not resist the twisting, but will simply go along with the twist. The fixed ends on the new brace will load up during a twisting event, loading the brace itself up in bending and torsion, and give some measure of stability during that time. That said, there is also the matter of the design of the uprights that attach the brace to the frame. The existing design is a long spacer tube and a longer bolt that is threaded down into the weld nut on the frame. When looking at some of the higher loads possible during aggressive driving or bad roads, the bolts/spacers have very little capability to withstand the bending. With the uprights used in the new design, they are fitted down into the cups in the underbody, and effectively hold the ends of the cups against the frame and the upper flanges of the cups against the underbody. This makes for a very rigid joint that can transfer the twisting loads directly into the brace as bending and torsion. The uprights are precision machined parts made from 303 CRES, and are held in using stainless steel studs that are threaded into the frame weld nuts once, and don't need to be removed, even if the brace is removed for some reason. Every time the frame bolts are taken in and out, there is a risk of damaging the threads in the weld nuts. The new brace can be removed without disturbing the uprights at all.

This post has become long enough ... any questions or concerns will be gladly responded to.

DSCN3959.jpgDSCN3908.jpg

[Tillsy]

I think I want one just so I can say I have a bat'leth in my DeLorean's trunk...