March Performance.

[facemelter71]

As most of you know I have been assembling my coupe with pretty much all new crap since the OG passenger head decided to clock out.
Well I am pretty much almost done.
A couple months ago I order a alternator bracket from March performance.Its the new Ultra shiny fantabulous alt' bracket.It looks pretty cool and will do exactly what I want it to do,hold my alternator.
Last weekend I hook it up.First things first,the long allen head bolt they send with the kit to run through the bracket water pump and timing cover is a half inch to short.So I called them the following monday and had them get me the correct bolt.I called on the 10th.That friday (14th) I called them back to see where my bolt was.Oh were sorry its on backorder."thanks for calling me and letting me know".
Any way I called Fastenal and got a bolt in on thursday just for that purpose.Cool I can hook my shit up.Boy was I wrong.

I get out there sunday with the new bolt I have and hook up the front bracket.It goes on easy.My bolt works since I can read a tape measure.
I slip the alternator in and bolt it up to the head.Im about to hook up the top bracket for the turnbuckle to bolt to and its not even close to bein right.The holes dont line up on the alternator and the bolt they sent is 3/8" the holes in the bracket are at least 1/2",and the bolt itself is 1" long,well the bracket it has to go through is 1" thick.PIECE OF SHIT.

The other side of the turnbuckle gets another bolt to the water pump and timing cover.Its a freaking 5/16" bolt that is no where near being the right size.
Ill be calling them in a minute.Ill let you know if I ever decide to use March again.

[5.0calypso93lx]

Please post up what happens. I've heard so many mixed feelings on March that I'm not sure what I want to do. I was planning on picking up their alt kit for my car. I'm interested to hear how they handle this.

[facemelter71]

The whole bolt issue has me pissed.
I deal with customers all day long.I HAVE to say some thing when parts go on backorder.

I just talked to them,and it seams from what the guy told me is that I have to grind the part they sold me to fit MY alternator.Its a stock 95 GT 130 amp alternator.
I spent ALOT on this kit,and they want me to grind on what I bought from them.If I would have known this,I would have sprung for the cheap kit.
The one circled is the bracket that doesnt fit and I have to grind it to make it fit.
And the arrow is the bolt that is made of UNOBTANIUM and it is on EPIC backorder.
Its an extremly nice kit.But I just wanted to buy it and bolt it on.Not fabricate a part that has been CNC'd.
http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2008-1/1296889/march30028.jpg
This will fit really well HU.Some one needs to do some research.Maybe throw in an extra bracket for the 3G alt' or make another kit and ask the damn customer what Alt' hes running.
http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2008-1/1296889/march2.jpg

[thecollector]

That Blows. Yo u would think for the money they get for their products they would be a litter more attentive to their established customer base. Let me know if you need it massaged. I've got a bridgeport over here at my shop collecting dust, as well as oodles of odd SS socket head hardware.

[facemelter71]

We will see when my bolt shows up.If its the wrong one ill take you up on that.Ive got a small little grinder,ill see how that will work when I start on it.If it gets to nasty Ill give you a hollar.Ive still got you cell number.

Absolutly love the mustang pic you got their.

[mstine2]

I would be pissed to if I paid good money for a bolt in kit and had to grind it. Seems like they may need to go back to the drawing board on this one. What year is the braket for? I bought mine from them it was the cheaper one they make but it bolted up perfect. Good luck hope you get it resolved.

[Buckeye]

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/SME-2002/?image=large
I bought this one. I like the looks better and it costs half

[quik lx]

Yeah I've installed the cheaper kit a few times with great luck. Complete kits from them blow ass!!!

[facemelter71]

I figured since I was buyin one,I might as well spend some cash and get the nice one.I thougth about sending it off to Kenny to have him powder coat it for me but then decided that I just need to stick it on the car.
Thats when I started running into problems.I figured with it being MARCH they would have this kit down Pat and I could just go over to my dads and bolt this bad boy up.For some reason in the back of my head I told myself to just get the cheap one.Im going to do some grinding tomorrow.Ill post some pics.

[quik lx]

Ask Craig about March's expensive stuff:lol:

[Steves LX]

The whole bolt issue has me pissed.
I deal with customers all day long.I HAVE to say some thing when parts go on backorder.

I just talked to them,and it seams from what the guy told me is that I have to grind the part they sold me to fit MY alternator.Its a stock 95 GT 130 amp alternator.
I spent ALOT on this kit,and they want me to grind on what I bought from them.If I would have known this,I would have sprung for the cheap kit.
The one circled is the bracket that doesnt fit and I have to grind it to make it fit.
And the arrow is the bolt that is made of UNOBTANIUM and it is on EPIC backorder.
Its an extremly nice kit.But I just wanted to buy it and bolt it on.Not fabricate a part that has been CNC'd.
http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2008-1/1296889/march30028.jpg
This will fit really well HU.Some one needs to do some research.Maybe throw in an extra bracket for the 3G alt' or make another kit and ask the damn customer what Alt' hes running.
http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2008-1/1296889/march2.jpg

Sorry to hear about that Andy. I ran into the same exact problem when I bought my kit from them a couple years back. That little ear piece that bolts onto the alt. is according to the guy I talked to designed for the foxbody 75 amp alt. That's the story they gave me anyways. Then the bolts that they gave me to bolt that particular piece to the ear on the alt. were to short so I had to go to fastenal for that. I decided that after all this crap that I woun't go through march anymore. I used some guy out of Alabama for the same exact brackets for my wifes car. I found him on Ebay. I got the alt bracket set up and the power steering bracket set up for 75.00 shipped to my door. Guess what? It bolted right up with no problems at all.

[facemelter71]

Sorry to hear about that Andy. I ran into the same exact problem when I bought my kit from them a couple years back. That little ear piece that bolts onto the alt. is according to the guy I talked to designed for the foxbody 75 amp alt. That's the story they gave me anyways. Then the bolts that they gave me to bolt that particular piece to the ear on the alt. were to short so I had to go to fastenal for that. I decided that after all this crap that I woun't go through march anymore. I used some guy out of Alabama for the same exact brackets for my wifes car. I found him on Ebay. I got the alt bracket set up and the power steering bracket set up for 75.00 shipped to my door. Guess what? It bolted right up with no problems at all.

I kinda figured since March had been around and thats all I see when I look at Mags and things that there shit is top notch.They REALLY need to rethink what they put out so as not to upset what customers they do have.And they told me the same thing,"its made for the stock alternator".
I asked him they need to change the AD on there website to "will fit 289-and302 with STOCK 75AMP ALTERNATOR".
Ill never use them again and I will encourage any one I talk to not to use there junk either.
Ill post some pics later of what I will do to make this thing work.Some thing they should have done when they were designing this thing.

[facemelter71]

Well,ive been dickin with this thing since I posted this.
Ive got the small bracket to fit my alternator.
This the part that pisses me off..Only 3 of the 6 bolts they sent with this kit work.And its the only three that hold the lower bracket on.Ill have to get my own together for the upper bracket.That I had to modify.
Burn in hell March.

[thecollector]

Whats size and thread pitch is the hardware???