Any luck with CPP suff?

[70TWO NOVA]

Specifically this kit;
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Camaro-Nova-...f87df3&vxp=mtr

I am thinking of purchasing but have heard some not so good things about some of CPPs stuff ( I.e. Chinese parts, bushings, ball joints. Even broken welds and control arms) if anyone has used these on daily drivers and occasionally auto cross cars let me know. I don't want to get stuck with cheap parts. Thanks!

[dragonfly jones]

Don't get a power booster from them for sure. Ive gotten two junkers in a row.

[70TWO NOVA]

Don't get a power booster from them for sure. Ive gotten two junkers in a row.

I don't plan on buying any other parts as my car already has 4th gen camaro brakes on it, just wanted to upgrade to 13" rotors

[tflyboy77]

I have used a few of their parts ( subframe connectors, springs, brakes) and every part seems decent for a weekend cruise but getting them to fit tended to be an issue. When I started driving more frequently and hitting autocross courses I quickly found out their parts were not up to the job. Over time I have swapped all of their parts to Pro-TouringF-Body.com parts with great success. With all of the autocross and road races I have attended I have never broke a PTFB part. Just My Opinion.

[badazz81z28]

I have used a few of their parts ( subframe connectors, springs, brakes) and every part seems decent for a weekend cruise but getting them to fit tended to be an issue. When I started driving more frequently and hitting autocross courses I quickly found out their parts were not up to the job. Over time I have swapped all of their parts to Pro-TouringF-Body.com parts with great success. With all of the autocross and road races I have attended I have never broke a PTFB part. Just My Opinion.

I would buy from CPP before PTFB. At least you know you will get your parts...

Just my opinion, if you want 13" Brakes, look to Tobin at KORE 3. You do get what you pay for.

[Bonehead]

For something critical like brakes? I wouldn't consider using any of the cheap Chinese knock offs. That's just me though. YMMV

[gearlube]

Just giving my experience over the last week. I am not bashing CPP in any way. These are just facts from my own experience.

I bought their 13" C5 rotors and caliper kit. It is supposed to be used with a factory or OEM drum hub. That had slipped my mind because I had small discs. So I contacted them and had some of their drum hubs sent. Anyone knows that has done a drum to disc swap knows you need to use longer wheel studs when you have aftermarket wheels. I also converted to a disc setup in the rear end swapping drums. Not using their kit. I took out my 40+ year old axles out and properly pressed out my old studs and pressed in the same studs just 1/2" longer. No issues, done it many times before. I got their drum hub and pressed out the studs on the first hub without issue. Then I flipped it over on my press and pressed the new studs in. On the 4th stud I flipped it over to check my alignment and I was shocked to see the metal cracked!! All three holes!! I have never seen anything like this. I called a buddy who is a welder and he said they used a cheap pot metal, and not forged steel most likely. I contacted CPP and they denied any warranty on this. They said I should have bought their much more expensive aluminum hubs for the kit that they sell specifically used on a stock drum hub.

I searched and found some 67 chevelle original 47 year old drum hubs. They were in good shape and original. I pressed the old studs out and pressed in the new replacement studs. Shocker. No cracks!! Gee I wonder why? Their mechanic's reasoning was I did it wrong. Even though I successfully pressed in studs to original parts metal. Hmmm.

6 months ago I had bought their hydroboost kit which came with a prop valve attached to the master. The kit seemed to be ok. I was feeling lucky. I connected my new brakes lines up front and it would leak! I didn't jump to conclusions because I knew brake line flares can be hard to line up right? I fought it for a few hours and it got quite messy, mind you this was with no pressure. Plus I was not willing to over tighten it. Finally frustrated I pulled the prop block off and put it on my bench. I took the fitting and noticed it was off. I looked at the threads closer and whoever tapped the threads did it at a slight angle! That meant there was no way I would ever get it to seat the brake flare!!! Pare for the course. I am sure in China they were pumping these out and something was off. No quality control I guess. I re-tapped the whole to straight it out better since the metal is soft. I then used an extension flare so I knew I had something straight. I was finally able to get it to seal!! Took a while.

I went with UMI, QA1, Global West for all my other Suspension components. Lee's steering box and pump. Kind of glad I didn't go with CPP on those other parts. However I am now nervous on what else I will find on their kit when I actually start running the kit. The hydroboost kit they sent, their braided hoses are not rubber, but a plastic lining. The ANI fitting were a three piece with a brass bushing that is supposed to fit inside of this hose. Every time it would try and press this fitting in with the brass it would split the plastic tube. Again wonderful. So I went to my parts store and picked up two 90 degree ANI fittings that are a two piece where you slip the collar on and then counter clock wise screw in the head piece. That seemed to work, but I have not put pressure on it yet. Doing that tomorrow. Hopefully they will not leak. Not holding my breath though and it won't shock me if they leak.

Just the facts.

[alocker]

I purchased CPP control arms and the upper bushings were machined incorrectly which caused the shaft to wobble in the bore. They first said that it was ok to have play in the shaft (certainly not ok) then they kept promising a call back from their engineer. I had to call at least 15 times to get the issue remedied. Then they kept promising to ship them. It took about a month to resolve the issue.

[70TWO NOVA]

thanks for all the personal experiences and input. I have been hearing they have two "lines" of products. The Econo stuff is cheap China made stuff and they also have a line of American made stuff. Specifically the tubular control arms is what Iam looking at. I've done a little more research and it seems their "totally tubular" control arms are acutally made here in the USA and are quite good. Anyone used these before?

[alocker]

The kit in the link you posted is the econo stuff.

[gearlube]

I think you should also look at other like SPOHN, UMI, QA1, VIKING etc. Solid reputations.

[rrelco]

speedtech all the way!!!!

[MCB Matt]

Those are the CHINA arms... They do break... It has happened.. We only sell the USA made arms, its for a reason!

Matt

[chuckd71]

Why even bother with CPP, supposedly USA-made or not? It's not as though lowest-bidder work in the states is necessarily better than lowest-bidder work in China. There is no shortage of proven brands by companies that have a presence here and chevelles.com, ls1tech, etc etc. Sometimes it's worth paying $8 more for a part, especially if failure means bodily harm.

[70TWO NOVA]

I'm just not looking to pay for a sticker if the "cheaper" parts re comparable in quality for my application.

[chuckd71]

I understand that, I generally think "you get what you pay for" is something people say to justify paying too much for something (Hotchkis $85 tie rod sleeves anyone?), but I don't think the price difference is that huge in this case. Just as an example, UMI has seasonal sales and whatnot, and MCB always seems to be willing to wheel and deal a bit. I guess if it's $340 for CPP vs ~ $450 for UMI I'd prob go UMI (or similar) to know what I'm getting and that I can get help easily. It's only $100 or so for peace of mind (or the illusion of peace of mind), but everyone is different.
For the sake of clarity, I'm not advertising for UMI and I'm basically brand-agnostic. I have their rear arms and I like them just fine. The rest of my stuff is ridetech and spc.

[BMR Sales]

I'm just not looking to pay for a sticker if the "cheaper" parts re comparable in quality for my application.

But that is what everyone is telling you - that they are Not Comparable in Quality. Matt, Ramey, Rod, and myself could tell about the weekly (or more often) stories we here from people every week when they call us for advise

[79-TA]

But that is what everyone is telling you - that they are Not Comparable in Quality. Matt, Ramey, Rod, and myself could tell about the weekly (or more often) stories we here from people every week when they call us for advise

1. - Are you familiar with CPP's own control arms?
2. - Did you read all of the OP's posts in this thread?


1. The CPP California made control arms are very nice. They are cut, notched, welded, coated, and assembled all in Southern California. More importantly, the production process used for these arms is well thought out and robust. I would not hesitate to recommend them. I prefer their bushings over many other popular control arm brands. These control arms are distinctly different than anything marked "econo." They shouldn't even sell the economy line since just about everyone I've seen buy the cheap stuff regrets it.

2. He's aware that the "econo" line is junk while the more expensive line is very different. He's already avoiding the pitfall of very cheap arms.

[MCB Matt]

Why even bother with CPP, supposedly USA-made or not? It's not as though lowest-bidder work in the states is necessarily better than lowest-bidder work in China. There is no shortage of proven brands by companies that have a presence here and chevelles.com, ls1tech, etc etc. Sometimes it's worth paying $8 more for a part, especially if failure means bodily harm.