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Has anyone use ????

Hey there,
It looks to me like you guys are talking about a product you have never seen in the flesh. Isn't that sort of like talking about a movie you've never seen, or a book you've never read? I just bought a set of these Virginia4x perches, and was extremely impressed with their quality of construction. The pics on their website do not do them justice. They are extremely heavy, none of the metal is bent into shape because it is A36 hot rolled steel plate. It is cut with a waterjet, which is about a quarter-of-a-million-dollar apparatus, and it uses a lincoln-log interlocking design to further strengthen the units.
I spoke with the owner of the shop, and he offered to let me compare his product with the DIY product, and backed up his challenge with a money-back guarantee. After I received the front perches, I was glad I didn't waste my time and money on the other guys. These things are powdercoated as well, so I was able to throw them on after simply cutting 12 rivets and lining up the holes. I also used Threadlocker Red and only the flatwashers to keep everything together, so the grade-8 split washers were an extra. It was also nice to not have to use any wedges underneath the springs to get a perfect driveline angle.
Now I can get on to the dual-direct feed modification I am building into my next TH400 transmission...
 
Hmm... first post, going against what everyone else said and obviously trying to sell the product....RAT RAT RAT! :haha:

Post pics then, and in your case the pinion angle may have helped, or maybe it didnt. Its not the same rig to rig because of the amount of variances people put into building their rigs, nothings the same.
 
UHM, yea.

I keep looking at the pictures of the product in question, and saying "OK, another way to accomplish the same thing many of us have done." All though I can't seem to be able to wrap my head around the workings of the pieces from Virginia4x4.
What I do know is Kert at DIY4X Has always gone above and beyond to make my purchases work for me.
That said, I'm going to continue to spend my money "locally' as Kert is about as "Local" as guy can get, by being a supporting member, vendor and part of the Brotherhood here.
These other new products/new vendors need to establish themselves. Kert has paid his dues here, both literally and figuratively!
And, just for the record, I own stock in DIY4X by the sheer fact of how much of "Kerts stuff" is attached to my truck.
 
I'm not trying to sell anything, and since I have not bought any of Kerts stuff, I won't comment negatively against it. That being said, the real reason I bought the V'4x4 stuff over the D'4x4 is because I noticed the D'4x4 had a backing plate with it, and the V'4x4 did not require it. That combined with the bends in the D'4x pruduct tells me the steel is probably inferior to the V'4x4 product. I also like the fact there is no HAZ with cuts made by a waterjet as opposed to laser or plasma cutting. I will post some pics as soon as I get them downloaded and arranged probably tonight, and like I said, I have no stock in V'4x4, I was just very impressed with the quality, and I haven't seen that in an American product in a while. If you want to stick with Kert's stuff because he is your friend and cohort, be my guest. I want the best product available when I am modifying my suspension.
 
akonitony said:
I noticed the D'4x4 had a backing plate with it, and the V'4x4 did not require it.
Click to expand...

b-52-400x400.jpg


I don't see any backing plates, the only thing that you might mistake as a backing plate is the nuts welded onto the little plate for ease of install...
 
the diy piece is much nicer. you get full adjustability with it which will help with pinion angles and such.
which you dont get at all with this
52%20inch%20front%20spring%20conversion.JPG
 
"I don't see any backing plates, the only thing that you might mistake as a backing plate is the nuts welded onto the little plate for ease of install..."

Those are the backing plates.

Like I said, it's your slightly biased opinion against mine. You even admitted to your bias earlier, so I doubt you are giving a completely open opinion. I'm willing to bet the DIY4x units don't weigh as much as the simpler ones I am using. I don't like to change factory setups too much, so the plan of only having to cut half as many rivets, and keeping twice as many of them after install was very appealing - especially when the extra rivets of which we are talking about are the more difficult half to take out. I was done in less than half the time, my new parts are powdercoated A36 hot-rolled steel, and the insignificant increase in price was well worth it.
BTW, how often do you adjust your front leafs? Do you get it realigned every time you do this? It would be interesting to compare tire wear patterns after about a year. I don't don't want to adjust my D60 front axle at all after I put it together, and I wanted it to be centered like the factory position after I was done. Perfecto!
 
I also have an email I can forward where I inquired regarding the DIY4x kit when I was comparing the two before my purchase. Kert was very courtious in his reply, and I have nothing against his product being called a viable value-oriented kit, but for the absolute best product for my needs, I chose the Virginia4x4 kit and would be happy to compare the two side by side. I'm very confident the tire wear test would tell the best story.
 
akonitony said:
"I don't see any backing plates, the only thing that you might mistake as a backing plate is the nuts welded onto the little plate for ease of install..."

Those are the backing plates.

Like I said, it's your slightly biased opinion against mine. You even admitted to your bias earlier, so I doubt you are giving a completely open opinion. I'm willing to bet the DIY4x units don't weigh as much as the simpler ones I am using. I don't like to change factory setups too much, so the plan of only having to cut half as many rivets, and keeping twice as many of them after install was very appealing - especially when the extra rivets of which we are talking about are the more difficult half to take out. I was done in less than half the time, my new parts are powdercoated A36 hot-rolled steel, and the insignificant increase in price was well worth it.
BTW, how often do you adjust your front leafs? Do you get it realigned every time you do this? It would be interesting to compare tire wear patterns after about a year. I don't don't want to adjust my D60 front axle at all after I put it together, and I wanted it to be centered like the factory position after I was done. Perfecto!
Click to expand...

hmmm... i still say that DIY4X has a bette product. There are many factors that go into this opinion, some from what i have seen in products, reactions, even the way the owners act(pirate). As for say its easier to install etc. you may have a point virginia4x4 might be simpler. but if you know anything about a older chevy's the more that is tied together the better. plus most ppl i kno both the body mounts, and spring mounts are toast. so with DIY4X you are actually getting 2 new mounts combined into 1. As for you adjusting spring. in the past year i have had 4 different combos of spring in my truck. i adjusted for ride height, ride quality, flex, and shackle angle. i personally wish i would have had a B52 kit in cause it would have been so much easier that the crossmember that came in my truck.

Overall i know of very few companies that have the product and customer service quality that Kert does.:D
 
well i know who i am goin with for the simple fact " the brotherhood " wouldnt send me to a junk place to buy parts ! And i was needing some really good u bolts and ck5 guys sent me to ruff stuff and they where the best guy i ever bought from so i was sold with ck5 telling me where to go .....oh i dont know kert but ive only heard good things about the guy and looking at the a-bomb he built...d*****mn he got some mad skills ..im sold ...and cheaper and if you already have cut that many rivets off whats a couple more .....------------> shuttin up thats what i gotta say thanks guys !!!! Sorry to get everone flustered haha
 
akonitony said:
"I don't see any backing plates, the only thing that you might mistake as a backing plate is the nuts welded onto the little plate for ease of install..."

Those are the backing plates.

Like I said, it's your slightly biased opinion against mine. You even admitted to your bias earlier, so I doubt you are giving a completely open opinion. I'm willing to bet the DIY4x units don't weigh as much as the simpler ones I am using. I don't like to change factory setups too much, so the plan of only having to cut half as many rivets, and keeping twice as many of them after install was very appealing - especially when the extra rivets of which we are talking about are the more difficult half to take out. I was done in less than half the time, my new parts are powdercoated A36 hot-rolled steel, and the insignificant increase in price was well worth it.
BTW, how often do you adjust your front leafs? Do you get it realigned every time you do this? It would be interesting to compare tire wear patterns after about a year. I don't don't want to adjust my D60 front axle at all after I put it together, and I wanted it to be centered like the factory position after I was done. Perfecto!
Click to expand...

im guessing you never saw the thread on pirate about this product? it was amusing to say the least.

ill give you a completely unbiased opinion since i have never owned either. i would never buy V4x4 products. your practically comparing apples and oranges. you cant tell me when you look at the two products that DIY4x is inferior. you get full adjustability for the leafs and the body mount built in. and like its already been said it ties everything together which makes it much more ideal.
also the guys at V4x4 will not get my business because of the way they talked to any potential customer on pirate. yea, its pirate but every vendor on there still acts repsectable. they didnt
 
The diy4x "backing plates" or more properly named "nut plates" would only help to sandwich the frame rail and be a more solid connection than simple bolts, nuts and washers. This would extend the clamping force throughout the length of the assembly instead of only where the bolts go through the frame, making it stronger as an assembly compared to the V4x4 part. Also, the V4x4 part does not appear to tie into the side of the frame rail making it's only real connection to the frame on the bottom, aside from using the factory stamped steel original side brackets. V4x4 should consider making a nut plate for a stronger connection to the frame.

The diy4x adjustability is not there for tire/axle alignment. It's there so you have options for spring length and axle position. Maybe you can only build your truck with stock length springs right now for whatever reason. Later on you build up some funds for 52" or 56" springs or custom springs. The diy4x part can accomodate future upgrades and "grow" with your build, now you've only spent that money once. The V4x4 part looks good if you don't want or need to make upgrades again.
 
"The diy4x "backing plates" or more properly named "nut plates" would only help to sandwich the frame rail and be a more solid connection than simple bolts, nuts and washers. This would extend the clamping force throughout the length of the assembly instead of only where the bolts go through the frame, making it stronger as an assembly compared to the V4x4 part. Also, the V4x4 part does not appear to tie into the side of the frame rail making it's only real connection to the frame on the bottom, aside from using the factory stamped steel original side brackets. V4x4 should consider making a nut plate for a stronger connection to the frame."

I've had a year of physics with labs at The University of Florida and all you've stated is obvious, so like I said, the DIY4x probably needs that extra calmping force since they are probably using cold-rolled steel and bending it themselves. The perches I just put on are stronger than the frame to which I attached them. They are almost twice as thick as the 1-ton frame's steel. The truck I am working on is an Alabama national Guard truck, so it had only minor surface rust, but if those mounts were toast, I suppose you'd have a point in that the D'4x kits come with new mounts. Since the main force on the V'4x kit is almost nothing against the bolts, very little shear, and no tensile, the mounting system is better than the D'4x kits as they will experience a lot of shear force with the side rivets being replaced with bolts. If you look at the head of one of those rivets, you'll see the "nut plate" is not needed to help the frame out. Flat washers will provide more surface area than the original rivets. See what I mean?

"The diy4x adjustability is not there for tire/axle alignment. It's there so you have options for spring length and axle position. Maybe you can only build your truck with stock length springs right now for whatever reason. Later on you build up some funds for 52" or 56" springs or custom springs. The diy4x part can accomodate future upgrades and "grow" with your build, now you've only spent that money once. The V4x4 part looks good if you don't want or need to make upgrades again."

Again, this is obvious to any novice mechanic. BTW, I am using a pair of 52" springs from the rear of my M1009 military blazer (it now has an 8" Superlift) in this truck, which is an M1008 V-30 chevy, and this is exactly for what these perches are made. I also removed the bottom helper sping, cut shorter curved leafs out of a '78 K20 I have in my junkyard, and added two leafs for a total of seven in these front springs. If you want to go with cheaper parts and replace rusted mounts, be my guest.
I also am not new to Coloradok5. I think the first time I visited this site was back when K5 blazers were still found on showroom floors at the chevy dealer. I just now got around to registering since I noticed the rather unwarranted bashing of a product with which I am familiar, and proud to have installed on my Army pickup. Go Rangers!
 
One other point - I only received 1 reply from Kert via email, and he told me to call him, which is long distance. While I don't mind using my anytime minutes from Sprint to make calls I need to make, if I can save them for when they are absolutley required, I do.
Matt, the owner of Virginia4x4, emailed me back so many times answering my questions I was sure he would finally get impatient and tell me to S**T or get off the pot, but he never did. He answered each and every one of my questions in a timely manner, and even let me know he was going on vacation for a few days, so he wouldn't be able to answer any emails until the following Thursday at one point. The only treatment I received was courtious and professional.
Believe me, I was very tempted to go with the DIY kit since the price was a little lower, and they looked like a viable alternative, but in the long run, you get what you pay for...
 
akonitony said:
One other point - I only received 1 reply from Kert via email, and he told me to call him, which is long distance. While I don't mind using my anytime minutes from Sprint to make calls I need to make, if I can save them for when they are absolutley required, I do.
Matt, the owner of Virginia4x4, emailed me back so many times answering my questions I was sure he would finally get impatient and tell me to S**T or get off the pot, but he never did. He answered each and every one of my questions in a timely manner, and even let me know he was going on vacation for a few days, so he wouldn't be able to answer any emails until the following Thursday at one point. The only treatment I received was courtious and professional.
Believe me, I was very tempted to go with the DIY kit since the price was a little lower, and they looked like a viable alternative, but in the long run, you get what you pay for...
Click to expand...
Now I don't want to put words in Kert's mouth, but I'm sure he wanted you to call so you could get everything sorted out right away rather then drag it all out in multiple e-mails over the course of a few days. Kert is very good on replying to PMs! I've had a bunch of questions answered through PMs over the years. Kert's products are hands down the best I've ever ordered and he always has the best prices. The B-52s win simply on the fact that they have so many mounting options so they will work for whatever springs you are using whether thats stock 52s or 56s or lifted 52s or 56s.

On that v4x4 website they say you dont have to move your shackle mount and it moves the axle 2"s forward. I find that hard to believe. If you dont move the shackle mount you will have a terrible angle unless of course you use 56" springs, which they never mention.
 
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