OMG Cliffords in the head market

[Anonymous]

hey guys,


ive been looking around lately and i found this on cliffords web site under motor rebuild kit, i gues clifford got jellous of em aussie head he he he.
whats all your take on it.
Clifford is in the process of developing a cast aluminum head with seperate intake
manifold. Estimated date: 1/01/04 Check postings on site for details.

 

[Anonymous]

Good for them, they supported the I6 crowd when no other major company would then got bashed when they hit bad times. I hope they come back strong, hopefully with lower markups on their items. If they put together a decent marketing team and be able to pump more $ into R&D then they'll be the top player again.

$ .02

 

[LaGrasta]

This could only help revive more six interest. I hope it's true. From what I sense from Mike at FordSix.com, it sounds like we've extracted about all we can from down under.

 

[xctasy]

Good on 'em. Hope it kicks butt. If you look back at the posts over the last year, Clifford has had suffered from pretty tragic disfavour on this site. It has been a patriarchal family business. Changes don't come easy. When Henry Ford shoved Edsel in the chief postion, people got majorly pi##ed with the old boy. But we just look at 46-49 Lincoln Continentals and forget all the crap. Hope the same thing happens with there product line at Clifford. We got to forget the crap, and just get to see the good product. Because your only as good as what you can deliver to your customers, despite your good intentions.

Remember, though, the six cylinder market is fickle. No-one want's to do the full-on pay-up front routine unless its good gear thats cheap. I'm prepared to give 'em the benifit of the doubt. In some ways, your paying for a name brand with Clifford. We all know theres ways of undercutting there costings on some, or most, of there goods, but if its got support from Hot Rod and other bigger mags, then perhaps its best to give them all the support and encourgement we can.

Break a leg!

 

[CobraSix]

Clifford didn't really lose because of prices. They've lost because of crappy customer service. Since they used to be the only game in town, they knew they could get away with treating people like crap because they had no alternative. Since FSPP started giving them a run for their money (literally) they figured out that customer service goes a long way. Waiting for 3 months before shipping an item is just crappy service, and I will never order from them until I hear more good stories. It appears they got the message and have reformed a little. But, sorry, FSPP has my loyalty at this point. If I ever win the lottery, I'm going to finance AzCoupe so he can really rival Clifford.

Slade

 

[strat1960s]

I spoke to Larry at Clifford a few months ago and he told me about some of their R & D projects with their new head. One option was for a fuel injected version of the head, that could be tuned and re-tuned from inside the car using a lap-top computer and some special software.
I had a bit of a problem getting my headers from Clifford (this was before I knew about AZ Coupe and FSP). It took me 4 months to finally get them, but they explained that they had just switched manufacturers and they more than made up for the inconvienence. I'd do business with them again simply based on their honesty with me and their willingness to do business. Having said that, though, my loyalty is with FSP and AZ Coupe.
If people would do a little leg work and research they might find that there are a few companies out there trying to carry parts for our in-line 6's.
Ted

 

[simon]

Waiting for 3 months before shipping an item is just crappy service, and I will never order from them until I hear more good stories.

I am waiting for my pertronix from J.C.Whitney for 7 (seven) months now.

Should that be considered crap deLuxe?

 

[CobraSix]

Wow...that's odd for JC Whitney. I've never ordered from them before, but i have a co-worker who swears by them. That is severe crap.

edit: I don't mind waiting for 3 months, if they tell me that when I order it and I'm not in a hurry. But I had a bad experience with Comp Cams where they kept telling me 2weeks and I finally got it 3 months later.

Slade

 

[Anonymous]

I'm kinda looking forward to seeing it myself!

I wonder what kind of valve sizes, intake manifold configuration and what the flow rates are!!

Plus the price....A good set of Aluminum V8 heads range anywhere from $700.00 to $1350 for a V8....$1500 to $1800 for the Cliffy head....or more??

Later,

Doug

 

[Does10s]

I would love to see Clifford cast a new head. I'd belly up and pay $1500 for it. If of course it's a ready to go bolt on type of deal. And has plenty of meat for porting! Also it has to be aluminum! I'm sure all of us would love to drop 30-50lbs off the front of our cars! Just think of the potential! Man I'm getting excited just thinking about it!
I'll volunteer my wife's '63 Falcon drag car with a 250/C4 for testing purposes!
I've met Mike (AZCoupe) and he's a straight up guy. I'll support him anytime! Not only that, he's just up the road in Phoenix!
See ya in the lanes!
Will

 

[Falcon62]

I am waiting for my pertronix from J.C.Whitney for 7 (seven) months now.

Should that be considered crap deLuxe?

You are definitely getting more than you paid for. Tell them to refund your money and get a Pertronix from another supplier who has them in stock. The delay is ridiculous, these things are available just about everywhere. :roll:

 

[StrangeRanger]

As Marvin Gaye once warned us:

"People say believe half of what you see,
And none of what you hear."

Believe Clifford when they start shipping the heads, not when they start taking orders.

 

[Anonymous]

I am waiting for my pertronix from J.C.Whitney for 7 (seven) months now.

Should that be considered crap deLuxe?

That is odd. I used to buy lots of parts for my truck from them and good good service considering I did it by mail. I did have trouble one time with a tailgate latch. They sent me the rest of the order and a letter explaining that it was on backorder. I was in no rush so I waited. They called about 3 weeks later and said they still didn't have it. I told them, I'd give it a few more weeks, I got a check 3 weeks after that. That was a few years ago.
About the head, I doubt I could justify getting one unless its a lot cheaper than it seems like its going to be.

 

[Falcon62]

Believe Clifford when they start shipping the heads, not when they start taking orders.

Uh huh, and if it's basically just a copy of the OEM version in aluminum with a detachable intake manifold (quote from their website):

Clifford is in the process of developing a cast aluminum head with seperate intake manifold. Estimated date: 1/01/04 Check postings on site for details.

I would be hard pressed to justify the expense.

 

[Crosley]

I look forward to new parts from Clifford.

Since Mike (FSP) is right here in Mesa AZ , I will purchase the small Ford 6 parts I need from him.

 

[cfmustang]

It is supposed to be more than just an aluminum version of the OEM. It is going to be a crossflow.

When I ordered new values (1.75 intake...mmm, better breathing) and springs from them, we discussed the heads for a little bit. It sounded like a nice product, but it was still sounding a bit pricey.

As for customer service, I have had two orders with them in the last 4 months and both were shipped Fedex and recieved within 5 days. If I had one complaint, it was that small items were in plastic bags that were not strong enough. A bag had torn open and the parts (in this case, value retainers) were loose in the box. Luckily, the box was sealed up well enough that none of the parts were lost.

Come to think of it, I had the same problem with hood hinge bolts from California Mustang (and their box was not sealed as well).