Spiral Flow Side Pipes

[scott h]

i am not sure, but it sounds like unique did not build the pipes correct. you should not have to suffer with poor fitting parts.I would think they should take your set back and fix them or give you a new set.

[diegokid]

These aren't production cars, each one is just a little different. If possible the best approach is to bolt the side pipes at the collector, support them with whatever you have, locate them where they should be then bolt the brackets to your frame. Then weld the other end of the brackets to the sidepipes.

After that just the fun of sending them off to be powder coated, where they come back with dings and dents.

[scott h]

This is not even my car but I am frustrated to see a lack of progress in getting this issue resolved properly. while these cars are kit cars we did not receive a huge pallet of metal and rolls of fiberglass and resin and a kiss for good luck. I could see if one hole needs a little reaming etc. but having to rebuild the entire set-up or worse yet force (bend?)and stress the headers will just put undue stress on every other point of the assembly. I am really surprised that Unique is not stepping up to repair or replace these

[Jim Harding]

I have a Unique car that's over 30 years old. A few years ago, I needed new rear shocks, and asked Alan for assistance. He sent a set of 4, and when I went to replace them, I found they would not fit with the springs on the car. Had to replace the springs too. Then, the upper shock mounts were too close together and the (larger diameter) springs contacted the half shaft. Had to modify them. In the end all things are smooth and the car is fine.
I state this because I'll bet that if I sent Dave the side pipes off of 9512 that was built in '07, they wouldn't fit either. His car is almost 20 years old, and there have been little tweaks and changes made to these cars to make them better, easier to build, safer, and on and on. I didn't hold Uniques feet to the fire to come up with parts to fit my 30 year old car, and I think it's a little too much to require them to fabricate a "one off" set for Dave because of the little differences in how these pipes match to the existing mounting points.
Like Diegokid said above, get creative and fab up what you need to make them fit.

[Glenview289]

Why not make new brackets to match the existing frame holes and pipe mounting flanges? All you need to do is get a piece of 1/4" angle iron large enough to cover all the holes with sufficient wall. A cut off saw or cut off wheel on a grinder will do the trick. Position the pipes and match one hole at a time. Dress up the brackets with angles to get rid of unwanted material break all of the edges to give them a professional look, have them sand blasted and send them out with your pipes for coating. It should not take more than a morning to do and everything will be part specific to your new pipes and you can still drive with your old pipes and brackets until ready to install the new coated ones. It really isn't all that hard.

[scott h]

Unique has a well deserved reputation for great customer service and for providing a quality product. I still stand by my assertion that they should take care of this. I could see the arguement for fixing it yourself if we were talking minute fractions of an inch not upwards of 3/4 inch gaps.
Jigs are made for consistency, if you can''t bolt up something that Unique sells to you prefabbed, then perhaps these types of parts should be sold with brackets and flanges to be welded by the purchaser.

[RJacobsen]

Dave, have you tryed to just bend the brackets to get them closer to the desired location? If your pipes are anything like mine this is not that hard to do.

[weaver]

Maurice talked to Dave last week and told him what needed to be done, he was told when he ordered the side pipes what problems he might face when he went to install the pipes. We are on the 3rd supplier of both pipe material and fabricators which causes these type problems. If the engine is not perfectly level or the engine mounts are not in the exact location it will throw the bolt location off, I think Dave should be able to make what ever changes need to be made. Dave did not have to tell us how old the car was, we already knew the car and he was told up front that he would probably need to make some alterations and to make them before he sent them off for coating.

[davids2toys]

Maurice talked to Dave last week and told him what needed to be done, he was told when he ordered the side pipes what problems he might face when he went to install the pipes. We are on the 3rd supplier of both pipe material and fabricators which causes these type problems. If the engine is not perfectly level or the engine mounts are not in the exact location it will throw the bolt location off, I think Dave should be able to make what ever changes need to be made. Dave did not have to tell us how old the car was, we already knew the car and he was told up front that he would probably need to make some alterations and to make them before he sent them off for coating.

I am shocked, upset, and now angry! It is too late and I am too tired. I will reply to this hopefully by tomorrow night.
Dave

[davids2toys]

Maurice talked to Dave last week and told him what needed to be done, he was told when he ordered the side pipes what problems he might face when he went to install the pipes. We are on the 3rd supplier of both pipe material and fabricators which causes these type problems. If the engine is not perfectly level or the engine mounts are not in the exact location it will throw the bolt location off, I think Dave should be able to make what ever changes need to be made. Dave did not have to tell us how old the car was, we already knew the car and he was told up front that he would probably need to make some alterations and to make them before he sent them off for coating.

Alan,
My mouth is still hanging open reading your first actual reply to this problem. You posted to this thread way back on June 27th. You had no input at all except to say hello to someone who posted a reply to my issue. Pretty much you ignored your customer and the issue. Why did you even post at all. It was almost like you were taunting me. I pretty much just ignored it at that time. I really was taking the high road with this issue. I never threw Unique under the bus in any way. I never tried to hold Unique's feet to the fire in any way either. I started this thread to get information because I was concerned of a potential problem and I only shared with other members exactly what Maurice told me. I thought the whole point to these forums was to share all the experiences so we all learn something and help each other.
So Alan, as I said, I was taking the high road with this issue, but since you are making things up that never happened and pretty much calling me a liar on a public forum, let's really clarify this whole thing. This is exactly how it went down. I was very specific about the year of my car and my expectations of the parts fitment. The reason I was so clear is because of another issue I had with Unique parts I purchased that did not fit at all with my original Unique hardware. I was perfectly clear on that purchase too. That issue was all settled offline via emails and I was reimbursed 70.00 for all the hardware I needed to purchase to make it work. That was like pulling teeth to get Unique to do the right thing. On this side-pipe purchase I was told that they would fit perfectly but advised to bolt them up before sending them out to be coated. The reason being that the holes may not line up exactly and I may have to make the holes a little bigger so I could get the bolts into the frame. That was it, period. I was told nothing of any type of rework as Alan is claiming. I paid my 650.00 and that was that. I am not a welder, if I knew there would be these types of problems, I would never have purchased the pipes. You act like I got these at some great discount and I should have expected all kinds of issues. If I had purchased these with the expectations you claim I knew about, trust me, I would not say a thing. Those people who know me, know that I am a total straight shooter and a man of principle. I don't make things up or leave things out.
Last week via my phone conversation, I asked Maurice about the motor mounts and tranny mounts/engine location, Maurice's words exactly, motor mounts and tranny mounts are not the issue so don't bother loosening. The engine can only be in one place and had nothing to do with my problem at all. My thinking was maybe if I loosened the motor and tranny mounts, perhaps I could move it enough to make it work. He actually blamed the entire problem on the jig!
I do appreciate all the feedback and I want you all to understand, it is not just the huge gaps but the brackets are located to far forward...the frame holes are on the edge of the bracket!!! It is almost like these were built for a car with a different engine. I will post some pics so maybe it will be easier to see. What is the point of having a jig if you don’t keep applicability to older cars that you have sold. Just don’t weld up the holes, mark the holes for applicability: use this set of holes or bracket locations for serial# ***-***** thru xxxx-****, use another set for serial # @@@@@-@@@@ thru++++-####, and so on. Either do that or have different jigs, whatever you need to do. If the manufacturer can't give you parts that fit, who can? You could even sell it as a kit where the customers fits it and welds the brackets as Scott H said. If Unique knew these will not fit certain cars (as Alan is suggesting),why would Unique attach them at all. These members who love to make excuses for Unique I just don’t understand. You make them sound like a backyard charity organization giving you these parts at some crazy discounted price so you should not expect much and they should have no accountability to their customer. It is like an automatic free pass, why, where does it end? So let's say I follow Maurice's direction to this problem, I bolt them up and preload it to death, then I crack out my headers. I suppose Unique gets another free pass because my headers were 18 years old and were ready to crack anyway. Not Unique' s fault even though they told me to do it and I voiced my concern and was told not to worry about it? Where is Unique's accountability in any of their dealings with customers? Even when ordering parts or kits that consist of a bag of parts with absolutely nothing- no directions, torques, precautions at all,is unacceptable. An exemplary company, one who puts their customer first and takes the utmost pride in their product, makes every effort to support their customers with directions, informative websites and customer service that includes follow up; suggesting that not only do they care for you as a customer, but they hold their product and customer service to the highest of standards. It is frustrating to rely on forums to work on your car. Not all of us are Master mechanics, welders, electricians, engineers. Ex: Go on ERA's site and check out all the very helpful info and instructions for their products. They are no bigger than Unique and have been around just as long. Just go to Alan's profile page, one of our members actually posted to Alan's page," I would not want to build a car for davids2toys". Gee, I wonder why the Weavers would not want to build a car for davids2toys, maybe because I would expect it to be built correctly! People who are constantly sucking up and making all the excuses for Unique are part of the problem because now Unique thinks it is alright to provide inadequate customer service on all levels the way they do.
As I said, I think these side-pipes were made for either a different engine combination or just plain old poor workmanship. I have a stock 428 with stock heads, stock motor mounts, and stock tranny mount. In any case it doesn't matter, the standard supplier response and obligation for bad workmanship or wrong part is full replacement with a good part or full refund with no financial damage to the customer (shipping). At a minimum, pay all costs for the part to be reworked by the customer. To expect the customer to do all the work and not even offer to help with the cost is ridiculous!!!
I asked for info/help nicely and I got this arrogant reply from Alan many months after I originally asked for assistance. I was pretty much ignored up until now. Unique could have handled this offline but decided to air laundry in public with Alan's posting. So if that is the way it goes, oh well, sorry. This is not what I wanted to do.
So ,as you can see, I am very disappointed and definitely not a happy customer. Those of you who think these side pipe are so wonderful, buy them from me at a discounted price than what I paid. I am also interested in selling my car, but now much more serious about it. I want out and away from this crap. I will buy a Cobra that is supported by a company that believes in happy customers, I would be willing to sell my car for a very attractive price for the buyer, PM or email me with any questions, request for pics, etc, etc...
I have never really been happy about Unique customer service, but up until now, have dealt with it. I only call them if there is no other choice. I put my car up for sale about a year ago but never really seriously pushed it or advertised it. The main reason I put it up for sale was because of the lack of support by Unique to myself and many others. I do love the Cobra and will immediately begin a search for another one as soon as this is sold. I was just going to sell it and go away quietly. I do not believe in bad mouthing anyone or hurting their business in any way unless I am provoked. As you can see, I absolutely feel provoked by Alan.
I also know I am not the only one who feels this way. I have heard unhappiness from other Unique owners face to face, phone calls, and emails over the years concerning other issues that were brought up on the forum and just in general. It is too bad everybody is so scared to speak up, as I said earlier, we are part of the problem! I expect there will be an onslaught of the usual Weaver lovers, who need to be on the Weavers "GOOD" list. I really find it hard to believe they feel this happy with Unique. I will be very honest here, I am jealous; I absolutely wish I sincerely felt this way myself.
Dave

[davids2toys]

Passenger side

[davids2toys]

Driver side

[weaver]

Wow, I can't believe you got that upset over my post and I'm sorry you feel the way you do towards me and Unique Motorcars. I hate that you are so disapointed in us that you want to sell your car, if it helps I will try to find a buyer for you.

Alan

[brfutbrian]

[FONT=&quot][SIZE=3]Alan,
I expect there will be an onslaught of the usual Weaver lovers, who need to be on the Weavers "GOOD" list.

david, get a grip. from your pics it looks to me that the fix is something that anyone who has any mechanical apptitude can take care of in under an hour. i think youre expecting too much to think youre going to get that kind of a part, custom made, without your 18 year old car in gadsden at their shop, to fit without any issues. if you cant tweak the holes on the flanges to level the pipes. z bend the brackets to bring the space left to the frame smaller and relocate the bracket holes to the frame, take it to someone who can. it wont break the bank. isnt that your red unique with the 428 thats been in the bargain news with the 203 area code for the last 2 years? if youre serious knock about 10k off and hope you can get that. been there, done that. i got no skin in this game now. besides i never cared if i was on anyones good list i think maybe you should apologize now. no hard feelings, brian.


alan, maurice and family, belated condolences on your mothers passing. she was the first person i went to see everytime i walked through your doors. i will miss her. brian.

[scott h]

To David and Alan,

Suggested resolution-
Dave, mark location of correct placement of tabs, take the pipes to a welder have him weld the tabs in correct location, have welder fill in header flange hole you can then drill in in the correct place. have welder fix header cracks.

Alan, cut a check for $150.00. That should cover it

[davids2toys]

Wow, I can't believe you got that upset over my post and I'm sorry you feel the way you do towards me and Unique Motorcars. I hate that you are so disapointed in us that you want to sell your car, if it helps I will try to find a buyer for you.

Alan

It wasn't so much your post, it was just the straw that broke the camels back. If you cant believe I am that upset, I guess you did not read my post to good.
As far as me selling my car, I kind of made that decision a couple of years ago after my last fiasco with Unique. Basically, I just put it in the local paper to see what happens, I also put it online. Both ads cost nothing as I was not desperate or that serious about selling it. I really do like my car, so I am torn, and still am.
Alan, you have a right to run your business any way you want to, there is no law saying I and others have to like it, and I guess I dont. No hard feelings. I guess I just need a company that gives more customer support in all the areas mentioned in my post. Just in looking at your response to my post, if this is all you have to say, it shows me nothing is going to change.
If you have a person looking for a nice car, feel free, if not, don't worry about it. I will be totally reasonable pricewise. I bought the car for 36,000 five years ago. I have invested time and money, so it is a much much nicer of a car today than it was when I bought it. I was asking 45,000 for it, I would sell it for what I paid for it.

Thank You...Dave

[davids2toys]

david, get a grip. from your pics it looks to me that the fix is something that anyone who has any mechanical apptitude can take care of in under an hour. i think youre expecting too much to think youre going to get that kind of a part, custom made, without your 18 year old car in gadsden at their shop, to fit without any issues. if you cant tweak the holes on the flanges to level the pipes. z bend the brackets to bring the space left to the frame smaller and relocate the bracket holes to the frame, take it to someone who can. it wont break the bank. isnt that your red unique with the 428 thats been in the bargain news with the 203 area code for the last 2 years? if youre serious knock about 10k off and hope you can get that. been there, done that. i got no skin in this game now. besides i never cared if i was on anyones good list i think maybe you should apologize now. no hard feelings, brian.


alan, maurice and family, belated condolences on your mothers passing. she was the first person i went to see everytime i walked through your doors. i will miss her. brian.

Brian,
I think you are the one who needs to get a grip. An hour? I DO NOT THINK SO my friend!! Please re-read this thread...forget the the gaps, my frame holes are lined up with the edge of the brackets. there is no relocating unless you physically move the whole bracket. IT IS MISLOCATED AND WELDED ON THE SIDE-PIPE!
Brian, who ever asked for a custom made part? Not me. So when I order a part from anywhere to fit any one of my cars, truck, or bike, is that a custom part? Absolutely not, and it is supposed to fit without any kind of work except maybe a very minor tweak. That is what Unique said I was going to get, so why would I be happy about now having to do major modifications to make a part fit that should have in the first place. That is what a JIG is all about. This after being ignored for months.
Brian, I have met you, talked with you, and have seen your car, you are a smart guy but you have no problem living with "lots jerry rigging" to make things work, so do I to a point, but there is a limit. Your limit is much lgreater than mine. If you go to far with this you end up with a piece of trash for a car. That is not me at all. I have pride in ownership and have plenty of trophies to prove it. Please do not impose your standards on me, just as I would not impose my standards on you. Also, please don't take this the wrong way. I am not insulting you or your car.
Unique is the car manufacturer and there is no reason they should not be able to supply parts that fit consistantly and made correctly. If you cant do this, then dont say you can, take my money, and then give me a bad part. Then, to put icing on the cake, take no responsibility or accept any of the burden of the situation. they could have nipped this in the butt months ago offline, but chose to ignore it and me. I did exactly as Unique(Alan) told me to do years ago, " always try to resolve any problems on the forum first, then if you cant get the answer you need, give us a call". I even asked him by name for help in the thread
Yes, it is the car in the Bargain News. As you know, they will keep running the ad until you stop it. i just let it run. I did lower it to 43,000 about 6 months ago. i just looked in the paper and it is still at 45,000. I never checked to make sure it got changed. As I have said, I really did not care if I sold the car or not because i like my car a lot! I have never sold a car for this reason, so this is new territory for me.
So Brian, what in the world would I be apologizing for??? You have got to be kidding! OK, I suppose I could think of a few things:
I am sorry I took Unique at their word, and now I'm paying the price...again.
I am sorry I feel I need to get rid of a car that I like because there is inadequate support and I am sick of it.
I am sorry that I have to totally rely on a forum to work on my car.
I am sorry I am not a master craftsmen in all areas of working on this or any other car.
I am really sorry that Alan has nothing else to say about my post, my sidepipes, Unique's responsibilty and accountability to the customer.

Should I keep going, I could if you want me to!

I am really trully sorry that I felt the need to write that post to Alan, what an incredible waste of my time. believe me, it is honestly the last thing I wanted to do, but I had no choice. It has just become a matter of principle

I am also very sorry to hear of Alan & Maurice's mother passing away.

Dave

[davids2toys]

To David and Alan,

Suggested resolution-
Dave, mark location of correct placement of tabs, take the pipes to a welder have him weld the tabs in correct location, have welder fill in header flange hole you can then drill in in the correct place. have welder fix header cracks.

Alan, cut a check for $150.00. That should cover it

Hi Scott,
Give my post another read, I know it is long and covers a lot of ground, I'm sorry about that.
My headers are not cracked ...yet!

Scott, you must be a natural born diplomat/negotiator, isnt it a shame you are saying this and Unique is not. This is exactly what I am talking about!
How about I get a full refund, and Unique can resell them to an owner that has a car that they fit. Then they could fix the jig and build a set of pipes that are correct for my car or any other Unique car that was built in the same time period as mine.
Dave

[eliminator]

Guy's you are not ordering parts for your Factory Mustang or whatever.

These cars are just like the originals, no two are exactly the same.

I put these same Spiral Sidpipes on my car after it was finished, another words replaced the existing stock sidepipes. Did they fit perfectly, no. So I did what any good car builder or fabricator would do and made the changes to make my pipes fit my car. That's what you do. That's what all of us car builders have done.

From your pictures it looks like an easy fix, I suggest you go that direction.

[brfutbrian]

david, i dont feel insulted that you implied im a hack, which by the way is an insult, but thats only because you havent got a clue. if you didnt go on a thousand word tirade ending with an insult to anyone that doesnt agree with what you said i wouldnt have said a word. like i stated in my last post, if you cant do the minor tweaks to make it fit take it to someone who can, and go back to enjoying your car or selling it, whichever bring you to nirvana. now that rick has posted basically the same thing i said you can imply hes a hack too.have fun with that. brian