Looking at upgrading my 401 to Roller rockers. I see TA have them but have also read a chap named Tom makes a nice set although he has had a few issues a few years back with them. Any opinion whats better TA or Toms? Tom have a website to order off or some one have his contact email they can PM over? Any idea of the price? Im New Zealand based but would get them sent to my freight forwarder state side. cheers Alex
Tom Telesco Classic and Muscle Automotive 12 Cook St. Norwalk, CT 06853-1601 Day Phone 203-324-6045 ET NailHead Mini-Starters '53-'66 Adjustable Roller Tip Rocker Arms - All NailHeads Custom Forged Pistons Many parts to numerous to list "If I can't get it, you don't need it!" telriv, Oct 18, 2019
it's my understanding that Toms have variable ratio available where the TA rockers are a fixed ratio . the upside to the TA versions is they are readily available
Tell Tom I am interested in a set and do not mind the wait. If I recall, when I talked with him about these years ago, he needs a minimum of sets to get a run going from the machine shop.
Hang tight everyone I have something brewing as I speak. I'm getting pricing now. I will fill my previous orders who have deposits done 1st. This time looks like a 100 or so sets need to be ordered & PAYED FOR BEFORE any orders are filled. We will see what the cost is as the cost of materials have gone up significantly since the production was stopped. Believe me when I say NO ONE IS MORE EXCITED than I. We will see how this all plays out. Hopefully within the next 3-4 months. Tom T.
Tom, I am interested in a set for a future build. Have you considered additive manufacturing? You could 3-D print the parts to near net shape with little machining required. We use it for some of our automotive test parts but are looking at low volume production.
Mark, How would that work??? Then how do you go about manufacturing??? I would probably start out at 160 pieces, 10 sets, depending of course on costs. Could this be a possibility??? Tom T.
Kinda like a casting?.... make a rough part with 3d printing, then final machine it. I have no idea if this is a better process, curious how it would work.
Tom, there are several methods but it is basically metal powder is deposited on layers and then it is laser sintered before the next layer is added. There are many powders available to give the properties of most materials used for cast or billet parts. Google 3-D metal printing and you'll get a bunch of info. When I return to work next week I'll get more specific info on potential suppliers.
MIM is another process.... Metal Injection Molding. It's used now-a-days for precision gun parts. I'd guess tooling costs would be significant. Here's a quote on the process: https://www.coltforum.com/threads/the-reality-of-mim-parts.374677/ >>>I just finished reading a LONG article about MIM parts. They covered the entire process. There were some key items that really got my attention. A) Quality MIM parts typically maintain a tolerance of +-.00015" B) Where the basic powdered metal process of the past achieved only 75-80% density compared to a forging, MIM can achieve 95-100% density compared to a forging. C) MIM allows the use of much harder and tougher alloys that didn't used to be used due to their impact on machine tooling. According to the article's conclusion, the combination of these factors results in parts that fit better than machined parts. Parts with essentially equal density as forged parts. Parts that are often being made from tougher, stronger and harder steels than their machined counterparts. Also, the surface finish is typically superior to that of machined parts due to the absence of rough machine marks. These are all things to consider I guess. Smith & Wesson and now Colt have both indicated the use of better steels being used. With both companies it was when the MIM operations started. Theoretically, as things become more and more refined, could we have some of the best revolvers ever? Just a thought.... <<<
If you need parts machined (either from scratch or post 3D), I know of a small shop that does very nice work & might be interested in the job. If interested, just PM me once you know & I can get you their contact info.
