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Having seen the Magnaflow shop and their products, I can see why members are RECOMENDING them to others. They make a great product!
 
Quite right. I read all of that thread. In fact, I just re-read it all to be sure my biases didn't color my memory. Several concerns were expressed about the potential for bias.

And this thread is one example. If the AlfaBB Store were just into things that aren' otherwise available, there would be no conflict. But in direct competition with other very well regarded suppliers?

I do not mind that the BB owner sells stuff. Alfa stuff is hard enough to find, and this BB is a solid gold resource. What I worry about is that BB rules will drive away resources.

For example,is was posted by a potential parts supplier in the thread "Liquidating Alfa Dealership":

"Alfa-of-Corse
NOS parts
I have most of the parts that people have expressed an interest in, but not all, however new BB rules mean, NO SALES THRU THE BOARD.
__________________
SW Pa.
76 spider
73 GTV"

So the Alfa store is now EXCLUDING exactly the people I want to find.

This is wrong, and will kill this BB if the experts - who post their knowledge for free here and occassionally sell a part or service too - go away.

THIS IS WRONG!!!!!!!!!!!!



!!!!!!!!!

Robert

ps - sorry for typos. my keyboard seems to not like r's and t's so I have to edit to fix.
 
BTW - I like he Magnaflow exhaust too - similar to the Alfaholics and lots cheaper wihout Atlantic freight costs. I'm just worried about the bias the can creep in so easily.

I have an ongoing need for obscure parts, and always wish I knew something that other members have at the tip of their tongue. The BB has been magic on both counts and I fear any change that threatens that.

I saw the line I quoted on the "Liquidating" thread and did not understand 'till this one. The problem seems immediate!


R
 
Robert, you make a very good point about not driving away suppliers. In fact my recent purchase from Alfaholics was influenced by reading their excellent info here on the BB. It convinced me that these were real Alfa People.
 
A lot of Alfa stuff is in England, Germany, Australia, Souh Africa. The US is starved thanks to Alfa's choice a few decades ago. This BB is so imporant to us few remaining nuts - oops alfisti - that it MUST NOT be lost. If Simon needs $ support I will help - either thru subscription, straight $$, parts, whatever. But if the free exchange is dampened, the value is lost.

Symbolically, I think the Alfa BB Store - except for BB t-shirts or such - is a wrong choice of names; the conflict between the open market of the BB and the $ interests of the store must be seperated a little more, if nothing else to remind all of us that there is a difference.

The BB must not become "Simon's Alfa Parts and Discussions Site"

The fact that ONE supplier already felt the bias (Alfa-of-Corse) is too many.

R
 
First of all there is no rule here on the site restricting others from selling or posting any of their goods. At first I was trying to make some changes to help support the site but after a strong opposition from the board I decided to detract what I mentioned about commercial postings. You should go read the thread again. Now if you notice ANYONE can advertise on the site via the GOOGLE system. Do you see it above? It says "Advertise On This Site" and it’s open to EVERYONE who is willing to pay a small fee or do you want that to be FREE also.

Secondly do you see an online store anywhere on this site right now? My post recommending the MAGNAFLOW system was there because I view this board daily and try best I can to participate in threads. If the guys from Alfaholics or any other company want to drop in and talk about their systems that’s just fine. I have never deleted postings or images promoting products or businesses. Heck I even don’t delete posts when people threaten me with law suits. I even don’t delete posts when people like you frustrate me using the very system that I have worked so hard to keep online.

Thirdly it’s FREE for them to sign up and use this whole site.
 
Discussion starter · #29 ·
I feel like I stepped on a hornets nest. All this just to get some advice on an exhaust system! I'm sure nearly everyone on this site is able to make sound decisions as consumers. I certainly would not buy anything new without hearing the feedback of others in the Alfa community - and that's why this site is so special and important. Don't get frustrated Simon. You are doing everyone a big favor. I admit that as a casual user I never gave much thought to the costs of running the site, but I'm sure in both time and money they are substantial. I'm glad you're finding ways to keep support the site. I'm also glad that I can get so much good advice about other products on this site. As long as people understand who the seller is (and you made this quite clear), I would not worry much about conflicts of interest. We're all old enough to weigh the pros and cons.
 
I'm sorry, but dropping this schitt in an otherwise good thread is just wrong. Robert, grow the F up and unplug the computer, step away and think about who is bringing the BB to you to even complain. Quite a few folks donate money, but I'd be more than willing to guess that Simon and a few other folks pay for most of this out of their own pockets, and you have the GAWL to ***** about them wanting to open a store on THEIR site? Grow up.

You people are freaking insane, you don't realize a good thing when its in front of your face. ****.
 
Simon

First of all - this site is the most valuable alfa site I've found. I love it as it is and as I said will do what ever I need to to help keep it so.

If costs are too much for you - perhaps others would find a membership fee OK - I certainly would as long as the content holds.

You might consider the advertising model of this site:

http://www.macintouch.com/

They get a % fee from click-thru purchases at Amazon and a few other resellers. Would Centerline, Alfaholics, Magnaflow, etc. go for this? I'd hope they would.

I was baffled by the turn of the discussion on the "Liquidating" thread. Unlike my experience with this thread, they seemed to be blocked from sharing a remarkable alfa resource - the parts and toold of an ex-dealership - wih the alfa community by some new rules on this BB. If that was incorrect, or those rules changed, it sure wasn't reflected in that thread. Response by the owner of the liquidated assets just disappeared.

Perhaps the 'deal' to acquire those assets did too; there does seem to be some strangeness with a mythical Pennsylvania dealership that has been around for a while.

I appologize if you were offended. I hope you understand how it appeared. I, and others I think, consider this site a jewel worth proecting.

Robert
 
Exhaust band clamps

101/105guy,

The wide band clamps can be purchased from JCWhitney, as well as at stores that sell parts and accessories for over-the-road trucks (18 wheelers). These things are really great, you can butt the ends of two equal size pipes together and fasten with a band clamp. No overlap required. The only downside is that the exhaust pipes must be securely mounted, since the fastening bolt torque is around 75 ft. Lb. That's right, foot pounds. When the band is tight, it actually distorts enough to show the profile of the exhaust tubing joint underneath.

101/105guy said:
Does Magnaflow stock the wide band type clamps? I'm in So. Ca. and need some for my system.
To those complaining about the structure of the BB; consider what things were like before we had this wonderful resource, and cut Simon a little slack. I'm in favor of whatever he has to do to keep things going...
 
Where's the Pig

I doub't many of us have a clue as to what it costs in time and money to produce this teriffic asset to the Alfa community. How about some indication of cost vs donations (like a fuel guage logo) near the Poke the Pig (where did he wander off to?) I for one don't mind making a donation now and then.

As far as retail goes, if its Alfa related its ok. Its all in a seperate forum anyhow, you don't have to look at it.

To all involved in the day-to-day operation of this site, a big thanks!
 
Is it possible to eliminate that intense curve of the exhaust pipe between the central and the back pipe? I mean the curve used to drive the pipe ahead of the rear axle after the central big muffler. Has anyone done this?
 
What kind of change does it take to make the GTA exhaust fit in a 1750 or 2000 engined car. Does anybody have experience in using the side-pipe version ?:)
 
juultje said:
What kind of change does it take to make the GTA exhaust fit in a 1750 or 2000 engined car. Does anybody have experience in using the side-pipe version ?:)
To use the GTA header on a 1750 or 2000, you need to do 2 things:

1) Use a set of spacers between the head and the header. These are available from IMASAF.

2) Heat and bend the secondary tubes to give more chassis clearance where they exit the engine bay and curve underneath the car.

The side dump exhaust is, as you would expect, ear splitting loud. Definitely too loud for any street use, and probably too loud for most tracks these days.

Joe
 
Is the Magnaflow system anywhere near the point where it will be offered for sale in the next month or two ?
 
Final systems are comming of the line and being test fitted on some cars as we speak. Hopefully if all goes well they will be available within the week. I'll keep you all posted.
 
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