You think AC is a problem, well Calmini is worse.

I know someone who has been trying to get Calmini's center links since January for an HB, a Pathfinder, and an Xterra. Every time they call Calmini they are told it will be 2 to 4 more weeks.

Before this turns into another vendor bashing thread, it's important to point out that a lot of parts are made in batches. These are small companies who do a pretty good job overall keeping us all happy. There are times when part availability can be a hassle. I'll say this for Calmini - at least they don't charge your card until they actually ship the item.

That said, I don't mind people posting their experiences, but let's remember that without companies like AC and Calmini, we'd be all driving Toyotas and Jeeps due to no parts availability at all for Nissans.

Hey no jeep bashing ether. I buy something cheep and it gets me out there with all of my friends. Even though I have be adopted the birth place of my rig is well known.

No vendor bashing was intended.

Just frustration rearing its ugly head.

AC and calmini are both awesome companies. AC has great customer support. I tried to get a wheel know VERY hard to find part a couple hundred dollars cheaper. I took a gable when I acquired about the R200LSD. I received an email back saying it would be 2 wk before they would get the part. So I went ahead and bit the bullet.

At the same time I ordered a H233B Detroit locker. They did have that in stock. It was at my front door one week after I placed the order.

I called them up after receiving the message about the extended back order. They refunded my money+tax 24hours later .

I then called up calmini about the calmini R200LSD. They did have one in stock. At this point I was ready to roll and the person on the phone was very happy to ask me for my card. 599.99 shipped to my front door.

They did not seem to care if I was a member of N4W or not though. O-well, hopefully someone in the system got the point.]

I will soon be putting in a pretty large order with AC(over $1500) For ARB bumper new shocks winch and steel brake lines. Automotive customizers sells great parts at a low cost and good customer service. I will not bash any of our off road suppliers. They have the parts I want and I will pay the money to buy them.

Lesson learned on back order. Don't take their word for when they are going to have a hard to get part. Especially something that is shipped from Europe(what ac told me).


When I first posted this thread I was trying to let out some frustration. I really wanted the R200LSD within the time frame they said it would be in ready to ship. I just had to postpone the work that's all.

In the end I ended up with a better part I feel. Calmini is know for selling the very best at what they carry. I expect the R200LSD to be none the less but top of the line.

wow that ended up being 353 words. After seeing the post I had to copy and paste it into word to get the count.

I wonder if the LSD AC sells and the LSD Calmini sells are from the same manufacturer?

I ordered my original IFS lift from a/c, and it took forever to get the springs (ordered replacement packs, because mine were w's). However, the place they were seeking to make the packs, kept screwing them up. I finally got a set 2 months later, and the centering pin was measured from the wrong end of the spring, so my tires were mashed in the back of the wheel well. In the end, they sent me a much more expensive OME set of springs, for no additional cost. I also will be ordering my ford 9" 35 spline and d44 arb from them, as they were by far the cheapest for them. As for calmini, I've never ordered anything from them, but I have called 3 times and never been happy. The first time I called about the d21 rollcage, to inquire about getting pictures for it and putting the possible down payment down to speed things up, and they wouldn't give any pictures of it at all, and promptly ended the call. The second one was to inquire about purchasing a pitman arm(edit:buying one seperate from the steering kit), which I was told a very quick no without being allowed to speak to anybody about it, and the call was ended. The third time I called to inquire about their sas crossmembers, as I wanted to see an on vehicle picture of what their skidplate covered. ONce again, I was quickly refused and the call ended. I will still probably order my 4:1 gears from them since they're the only source, but I will be making my own crossmembers, skidplates, and cage. I know they make great quality parts, but I wish they would be a little more courteous on the phone.

Those LSD units are the same, as usual the supplier is flakey on a good day. Calmini sells them already modded to install in the R200A I don't know if AC does or not. I have one inthe front of my Pathy and it does make a huge difference in offroad traction while still being reasonable to steer. DOn't expect it to be locker tight, its not. For hill climbs it can't be beat though and it will help in the rocks.

Given a choice I do prefer AC to Calmini tho I have nothing against Calmini...
I do wonder why they set up the cross rod onthe steering system with both ends threaded alike....makes it harder to adjust the steering that way since the x-rod simply goes back and forth instead of pushing/pulling the tie rods. I'm sure there is a good reason, tho for the life of me I can't figure out what it is.

quote:

Originally posted by Piscator:

I do wonder why they set up the cross rod onthe steering system with both ends threaded alike....makes it harder to adjust the steering that way since the x-rod simply goes back and forth instead of pushing/pulling the tie rods. I'm sure there is a good reason, tho for the life of me I can't figure out what it is.

It allows the same replacement TRE part to be used on each end, and once the length is adjusted per instructions, you should never have to mess with it....toe is set with the tierod adjustors.

When I built my steering links I made them right and left hand threads so that adjusting can be done easy, but using one tie rod for everything has it's advantage too.