SoxXpupPeT

iTrader: (34)

I like how this turned into a tool debate as opposed to a post about optisparks... lol

buttt the nice thing about craftsman is that if you break there tools. you go to any sears and get a replacement that day.

draggin97s10

iTrader: (2)

same with snap on

TAEnvy

iTrader: (2)

Except for their are no snap on stores by most people you have to wait til the next wednesday when the truck rolls by.

As far as Im concerned, buying snap on and cornwell and mac and matco is a prestige thing, mechanics like to be able to say its all snap on.

I think there are only a couple of cases in which the prestigous brands have a tool or feature that cant be found elsewhere and is worth the extra dough.

My new tech just spend bookoo money on the truck and I found the EXACT same tools ( for example Gearwrench serp belt kit) for 70 dollars less than what he paid. The few techs in my shop that still argue its worth it argue its a convenience issues, as in the truck comes to them for warranties but for 70 bucks on one tool, Ill drive my happy *** to sears.

I have used high end **** (MAC Matco Cornwell Snap on) and The only thing that I actually ponied up my own money for was a 2 pnuematic pieces (for weight and size) and one set of metric wrenches (Snap on) because I absolutely love the way they feel. Everything else I have is cheap **** or of a "lesser brand" and I dont break tools anymore than the other guys.

All but one of guys that have been at it for a long time still cling to the fact that Tool truck tools are worth the extra money. Most of my mechanics will tell you its a waste and to buy craftsmen or harbor freight stuff.

I use my stuff everyday and Im rough on it, Ill hit anytool I have with a big *** hammer I dont care. I use normal chrome sockets on impacts sometimes. I have no problems.


Id rather have lesser quality tools with the same warranty that get the job done, than slightly higher quality tools and a crippling tool truck payment. Id even argue the tool trucks have a worse warranty because, at least at my shop, I can only get stuff warrantied once a week and if its not on truck itll be another week until I see the new part, but you cant just uproot and move a harbor freight or a Sears. There always there.

TAEnvy

iTrader: (2)

On a side note the mechanics in my shop with the highest productivity dont use a bunch of Big name tools, only a few pieces in each of there boxes.

Take from that what you will

Spiers

iTrader: (7)

Hey, did you all know there is a section titled "Tools & Fabrication" ?? I subscribed to this thread to get information on Chandler Opti's, not hand tools.

ChandlerMotorsports

iTrader: (3)

I have never EVER stated that it didn't! ARGHHH! I'm startin to lose it man!

OK, let me give you some background about me, why I got into this and my approach from day one. I'm going all out here.

I'm 27. I got started in the car business when I was 19. I got laid off from Comp USA and sold cars for 3-4 years. Went through the motions and worked my way up to F&I and hated it. I hated being "that guy," I hated being less than upfront, I hated the hours... I hated it.

Finally, at one point I decided I was willing to risk my future, my financial solvency, my family and my girlfriend. As you can imagine, plunging yourself into bankruptcy can cause serious life altering issues with everyone including significant others, family etc. It was not a light decision. After the last finance position didn't work out I swore off corporate America.

I did consulting work for a company called the Ring Brothers.

http://ringbrothers.com/

They build the most amazing restomods you'll ever see. It was an absolutely memorable part of my life to get paid to help a company that built cars which I admired. The build quality that went into these cars put Ferrari's to shame. Custom engine bays, custom hood latches, custom this custom that. Inhouse machining, Roush crate motors, custom rims... these cars ignited a fire in me I hadn't had in a while. When you work around cars for a while they start to lose their flare.

You know when you see a Z06 and follow it down the road and its the highlight of your day? That goes away eventually. It was an honor to work with them and watch them finish Kona, build Reactor start to finish as well as Copperhead. They started when Razor when I left. It was an amicable separation, as amicable as one can be when two companies have different goals. And admittedly I wasn't as experienced as I probably should have been to get the job done with them. There were also cultural issues as they are not "computer guys." So the internet and its related marketing were new to them. They are car guys through and through. A mans man. And although they might not remember or care about the work I did there at the time (computer consulting) I will forever remember the experience and their cars.






After this I moved on to another company that does various health and beauty products to do the same thing. They were the first actual ecommerce company I worked for. Over time we became very close friends and they were gracious enough to help me and let me use their business model and apply it to car parts. It was my goal from the beginning there to build my company. Something I had wanted to do since I was 16 years old.

My end goal to is offer replacement parts at rock bottom prices with the highest quality. There are many challenges involved with this.

*Finding quality parts is extremely difficult. Each part can take hours of time to source, and many months to track overall quality with.
*Staying price competitive means having an EXTREMELY lean operation. Believe it or not, my company is a 1.5 man operation. Soon a 3 man operation. Time receive goods, ship them, provide service like warranties, exchanges etc is measured in minutes. Some processes in seconds. I spent 2-3 months implementing an inventory & shipping automation system that reduced inventory time by a couple hours a month and shipping time by about an hour a day. It was an ENORMOUS gain. These tweaks are implemented in any process here at the warehouse. It is absolutely critical to price competitiveness. There is a reason that a company like MSD needs to charge $350 for is essentially an identical distributor to what I carry. They have enormous overhead, and companies of that size simply become inefficient.
*Competing with large businesses invites lots of underhanded business practices. Large companies attempting to get suppliers to cut me off is a frequent occurrence. In September I am almost positive a US supplier in the chain tried to sabotage me. This isn't tinfoil hat stuff, this is business.

This is a lot of bullshit to get a point across

I take this extremely seriously. This is my life. I grew up on the forums, around LT1s, LS1s, 5ohs, DSMs etc etc I love what I do and when people come in and say that I sell crap or offer crap services it really does hurt my feelings. That kind of stuff will turn me into a woman at the drop of a hat.

I have been extremely upfront and what I call "radically transparent" in my motives and the quality of the part I sell.

Anyone that has talked to me on the phone knows I give the straight shot. I advertise and talk the units as "the best the aftermarket has to offer" and at any opportunity tell someone they are not as good as the Delco units. I do this for several reasons.

-I want to be able to sleep at night
-If I claimed it was better I wouldn't be any better than the F&I guy I ran away from 5 years ago. I know, and every other aftermarket seller knows damn well that only AC Delco has access to the Mitsubishi sensor. EVEN AC DELCO TRIED TO KNOCK IT OFF AND FAILED! There is some serious engineering magic involved in it.

I have never once said the units are better than AC Delco. In fact, if you feel that way I must be doing my job as a marketer for my company. Because that is how you feel, I certainly have never said it.

As far as service. Things have gotten more busy, and has brought challenges to boot. But my service by any measurable metric is still outstanding. I'm working on it trust me. Again, I take this stuff seriously. I'm developing and implementing an RMA system and fairly one off and advanced shopping cart to handle people outside of eBay better. Things like moving the warehouse right now to another location crush me. Its a lot of work. But its how things are when you're a small guy. Things like moving into a house can cause issues too. Its a different ballgame when you are the end all be all. Web problems, you fix it. Bad product? Your problem. People rioting on LS1 tech... your problem!

Pitty party? Don't want it. But just throwing it ALL out there. I give everything I have, and admittedly a disproportionate portion of it to the LT1 crew. The optisparks only make up about 10% of my total business, but I put a lot of effort into it. Because ultimately I'm beating on this factory to get the mitsubishi sensor and put in a couple other tweaks. The LT1 scene may be dieing, but the "replacement" scene for LT1 ones is just starting. After AC Delco snubbed me out of selling their units too it became personal. I am building a reputation with a unit that even by my own admission isn't as good. But overall it is a good unit. And if you don't get a good unit, we'll take it back or warranty it.

Long story short, I'm hear for the long term, the war not the battle and if anyone is going to bring a unit with the mitsu sensor to market its going to be me. And a final parting shot. Please for the love for all that is holy, do NOT lump me in with All Ignition\AIP, that guy has and will always be a scammer. As far as I can tell he is an Asian immigrant with no intentions of helping the lt1 community or anything other than making a quick buck.

HAPPY NEW YEAR

ChandlerMotorsports

iTrader: (3)

Husky tools for life!

96lt1m6

iTrader: (31)

I see a great deal of integrity thank you for offering a quality part to the LtX community.

Fazz73jr

iTrader: (3)

I like that your stright up about everything, even if to a falt that might be offensive\hurtful. (traffic thing) But I can respect that. Nothing wrong with telling it how it is. I bought one of your opti's hopefully ill be another happy customer on your side. which the more i reserch i think i will be.

On another note, have you seen alligniton\aip's "new dragon fire" opti? looks like a copy of the MSD with adjustable timing and billet housing.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/NEW-D...Q5fAccessories

BTW: Duralast\Great neck (autoZone)\ harbor frieght\huskey\stanley\ craftsman mutt tool collection FTW!

fex77k

iTrader: (2)

Now you got both.

TurboBob

iTrader: (1)

I installed a Chandler non-vented unit last weekend with a new (home-made) opti harness, and a waterpump from waterpumpman.com

I did open the unit up and locktite (blue) the rotor screws.

When comparing to a couple old Delco's, I see nothing inferior. I didn't RTV the cover or anything, the seals look fine. Although someone should come up with an "opti-umbrella" or something.

The car runs great, starts instantly even in the cold weather here.

What the world needs more of is vendors that participate.

Just my .02

Bob

(10 Craftsman wrenches and a pile of assorted generics...)

ChandlerMotorsports

iTrader: (3)

My thoughts on that unit are this. Probably the same unit he has been selling for 2 years with a nice shiny housing. This is a guy that for a long time advertised "AC Delco" units that were just crap aftermarket units. When that blew up in his face he claimed the units had Mitsubishi sensors. When that blew up in his face he just sold them for cheap prices for a while.

When we came on the market and started actually taking care of people that blew up in his face. He's constantly trying to reinvent himself. I've been consistent in my goals, approach and marketing of the products to ensure I don't have to ride a rollercoaster like he does.

Currently working on the 2nd proposal to get the factory to contract with Mitsubishi. Its tough though. Mitsu is so big they really only deal with the big players. So even large factories over seas get blown off. I'll find out soon.

I don't plan on having any extensive machining in future revisions or any other goofy features. The same unit, with a mitsu sensor. The cap and rotor have been proven over time, I've never, not even once had a warranty claim on a cap and rotor. The housing holds up fine. Its just the sensor. The same problem that every aftermarket unit has. Its the best one I've found so far in the aftermarket, but its that damn mitsu sensor you need! Drats!

Lawhead

iTrader: (14)

This made me chuckle a lil bit.

You come on here defending yourself and your unit which is understandable then you go and talk about someone elses as it "Crap aftermarket units" seems from what i hear about the Chandler Optis you guys have something in common. This isn't a product to cut corners on get the Delco or even a factory replacement My green ugly Opti is still working 153k miles on it.

You seems to be hypocritical in my eyes. You don't like people bashing your product but go and bash someone else. Come on man!! (Monday night countdown voice)

Bersaglieri

iTrader: (13)

I got my Chandler unit yesterday for the bolt-on car. There was a small hicup in shipping but we got it worked out. Nick responded quickly and professionaly when it didn't show up. I will let everyone know how it works. Unlike many peolpe I properly diagnose parts before I replace them. I think alot of peolpe have the same problem after replacing the opti because it wasn't the opti to begin with. Then the slame the part or vendor for it.

Nick, how do you feel about lock-titing the rotor and cap screws? What about "Right Stuff" sealing the cap on?

-Dustin-

Fazz73jr

iTrader: (3)

CMS unit seems identical to an ac delco, well with the exception of the mitsu sensor. i took mine apart today along with a spare ac delco i have. looks like a quality unit.

heres the opti **** pics! lol http://s893.photobucket.com/albums/a...s/95%20camaro/

hope you dont get mad at me nick.

speedracer2536

iTrader: (15)

Dynaspark is still around and doing well.. MSD has not pushed them anywhere

fex77k

iTrader: (2)

Right stuff or some clear silicone. The right stuff is pretty expensive, I really only use it on the intake but if you have some extra left then it will work.

Formula WS6

iTrader: (17)

Dynaspark may be top of the line but it doesn't guarantee seamless performance. I've had mine for just over 2 years (maybe 3K mi) and the sensor is giving up in the higher R's. Now I'm stuck with a "top of the line opti" that I have to pay an additional $90 plus shipping to have it rebuilt. Not worth it IMO. Alot of people have had nothing but luck with thier product, I'm just one of the unfortunate ones just like Chandler has his share of unfortunate customers who he has taken care of.

I look at it this way.. At least we have a vendor who is there for our dying community. When he's gone and Delco decides to discontinue the opti, alot of people will be forced to buy the $500 msd unit, the $600 dynaspark or the ebay units. Take your pick or do the LS ecm conversion.

fex77k

iTrader: (2)

If I have to buy another MSD, I'm selling the car.

Puck

iTrader: (17)

I think CMS is doing a great thing for the guys who dont have the cash or desire to jump up to the 24x setup.

Really now, what are our options otherwise? One or two old products that delete the opti but with no more customer service available, a ton of cheap knockoffs, two overpriced "alternatives" with bad track records, and this little gem that admittedly is not quite as good as the AC Delco unit but is much cheaper, warrantied, and backed by an actual person to talk to for customer support.