eagle275

Dan is a stand-up guy. I got my shark bar(chromed) in about a month, along w/ fire extinguisher and brackets. He is also into racing(driver)and building cars(race Vettes), very busy man. Hell man, he's been moving into a new building, ever tried to move all that s**t? I've been dealing with him for years, and I am satisfied. He is also very, very knowledgeable.

gdh

I believe each Sharkbar is essentially custom made in that he won't be stocking 10 or 20 of them. I've had mine installed for about 3 years now and it is great, has really stiffened up the car as well. Glad to hear that Dan is still doing well.

69 Chevy

So it seems everybody else who's done business with this firm has had sterling results, yet I get this:



On the left, wrinkle finish with chrome hardware.
On the right, cad(?) plated and flat black.

I guess it must just be me.

gdh

what's the saying about a picture and 1000 words. It just seems that the gods were not in favour of this order. Send a pic to Dan, have him send the correct part. I don't remember these on mine but I ordered a 5 pt. harness to go with my Sharkbar (with hoops) for the 72 vert. I hope that whatever coating you want can arrive by overnight courier within the next few days for you. Patience is a virtue but I think we all can understand your frustration.

69 Chevy

No courier needed. PPG automotive paint store is 2 miles away. First, conversion coating on the bare steel.
Next, a black 2 part epoxy primer.
Finally, a black catylized acrylic urethane topcoat.
No clearcoat needed.

eagle275

I got the 5 pt harness also. Dan will make it right.

69 Chevy

EPILOG:

Mr. Dan Hagerty emailed me May 3, 2011 at 9am EDT that he would be snail mailing me the shoulder harness hardware that was not plated correctly...

"It will ship out today with USPS."

Thank you,
Dan Hagerty
Vetteworks Motorsports
3290 B St. NW Ste B
Auburn , WA 98001
PH-253-223-4968
FAX 253-275-2884

And being a patient man, I waited, and waited, and waited some more.
It finally arrived today. Yippee! But upon looking closely at the postal mailing label where it said he spent $1.71 to send it to me, it also has the mailing date...May 10, 2011...a full week later than he promised in his email of May 3rd. And today's date is the 13th.

So, all the parts have finally arrived after starting this fiasco the 5th of March. I bought a rattle can of wrinkle finish black to repaint the bracket that arrived flat black. Lord knows what it would have taken for Dan to correct that problem?

I swear, dealing with this man and his business has been akin to pulling teeth. And I'll never do so again. It's just too much grief.

Better luck to anyone else.

DaJesterMan

You catch more bees with honey than vinegar...

JB46

You catch more bees with honey than vinegar...

No excuse for crappy service, and parts that are plainly wrong. No excuse for the lack of attention to detail on this order at all.

69 Chevy

ADDENDUM:

One problem after another with this Sharkbar install. The latest problem concerns the written instructions for '68-'69 convertible. Were they written in CHINA? What is 'cross treading?' Anyway, take a look...



Well, that's simple enough even a caveman could do it. But you'd be wrong. Yes, you can see the metal plate riveted to the fiberglas to locate the captured nut from the wheelwell, but the nut is hidden behind the frame rail. No matter, removing the plastic plug (instructions say 'grommet' but in reality it's a threaded plastic plug) and running the 7/16-20 tap through the threads can be done from inside the luggage compartment.

But I come to find out that my second design '69 doesn't have 7/16-20 anchor nuts like the Sharkbar instructions indicated. The red flag was the course threaded plastic plug I popped out. But hey, who am I to question the manufacturer? So I chucked my Snap-On 7/16-20 tap in my drill/driver and cleaned up the threads per the instructions.

I located the 7/16-20x1 grade 8 bolts and the Sharkbar anchor rear bar struts with the 7/16" drilled holes from the parts bag. Guess what? Upon tightening I heard 'knack,knack.' That's not good...the bolts won't get tight. WTF? How could I have stripped the threads by just running the correct tap through them? My first thought was that I grabbed too short bolts. Since the kit only provided 1" I rummaged around my 40 year old miscellaneous nut and bolt bin but 7/16-20 is not a very popular size. If they were too long they would butt up against the frame rail. I finally found one that was 1.5" long. It would not tighten either.

My next recourse was to remove the nuts which are located between the birdcage and the frame that can only be seen by a tiny inspection mirror and flashlight...on the driver's side. The pass side is even more obstructed by the fuel line positioned atop the frame. Plus I have my electric fuel pump's wiring in a loom attached to the fuel line which almost completely blocks what little view is left.

I figured my air hacksaw was the likely solution. And it would just fit in the space above the rear axle shafts. I sawed from the rear...I sawed from the front. I finally got disgusted and one 'burp' from my air chisel popped it free. Here's a pic of the nut with the head of the plastic plug. You tell me, does that look like a fine thread to you?



Here's both nuts. The one on the left has the saw cuts. When I saw how little the spot welds were, I just chiseled the pass side free...3 'burps' did the trick.



Drilling out the factory 7/16" hole to 1/2" as the correct size for these is 1/2-13.



Now that the buggered up nuts were removed, I spotted the correct size nut to a large diameter fender washer. I gooped on RTV sealer and stuck them in place with a pair of long-handled needle-nose pliers. Since these were not lock nuts, I red Loctited the bolts in place.

What a long, drawn out procedure for something that should have been a 5 minute process. THANKS Vetteworks and Dan Hagerty!

But that's not the end. This kit only provided six 7/16-20x1 grade 8 capscrews. Two worked fine for mounting the Sharkbar to the birdcage bracket over top the convertible frame mount. But they were too short to go through the rod ends on the bar struts. 1 1/4" was the correct length. I had to order a ten pack from McMaster-Carr because no local retailer stocks this oddball size. Then of course there's the matter of procuring the two 1/2-13 nuts and bolts, and the fender washers. This whole operation was a circle jerk from start to finish. THANKS Vetteworks and Dan Hagerty!

So, my question for forum members is, "what size are your 68-69 convertible shoulder belt retractor anchor holes?" Am I breaking new ground with this revelation?

vettedan

Wow Dave, of all the years of selling the Sharkbar I’ve never had customer with this problem. This kit has been on the market for a lot of years we very satisfied customers. I’ve tried calling you on the phone about the delays for shipping your order out, but you refused talk to me over the phone. I wished you would have contacted me before you started modifying your Corvette. The rear retractor anchor is a 7/16-20 fine thread. I’ve also have never seen a threaded plastic plug. They are usually a simple plastic plug. I’m not saying it’s not possible. GM had done a lot of strange changes in the 68-69 Corvettes. I just have never seen it. It looks like the retractor nuts were poorly welded on the to the anchor pad. I’m sorry your had this problem. I’m sending you another lap belt anchor with the correct powder coating as soon as I get it back from the laser shop. We were out of lap anchor and you stated to me that to send it without any coating to expedite your order. So I assumed sending it with a matte finish would be okay. We are sorry about the zinc coated belt anchor plate. We resolve that issue by sending you a new one. BTW, they are not” CHOME “. In the future please contact me if you are having problems installing our harness bar. I can’t help you if I don’t know you’re having an issue.
Dan
Vetteworks
253-223-4968

69 Chevy

My last post was an informational warning to other Corvette convertible owners who might encounter the same mis-identified anchor fastener and lack of proper mounting bolts that I did with your hooped Sharkbar kit. Nothing more.

If I wanted or needed your help I would have done so. "We were out of lap anchor and you stated to me that to send it without any coating to expedite your order. That is a bald-faced lie. I have a record of every email communication we ever had.

"Dan,

All of the small parts were painted with a black wrinkle-finish with chrome plated hardware except the one on the right which doesn't match. Is there a reason?

I can buy a rattle can of wrinkle-finish black paint to correct the mis-matched paint job. Can I get the properly chrome plated hardware?"



I already bought the wrinkle finish paint and sprayed that bracket. DO NOT bother to send another...I don't want it; I don't need it.

My Sharkbar installation is finally complete, no thanks to you and Vetteworks. If I had it to do over again, I would have taken your initial offer to cancel my order when you couldn't deliver on time like advertized on your website. That would have saved me a whole lot of heartache.

gdh

Sorry to hear of your install problems, in my 72 it was really straight fwd.

Gordonm

Mine also went in very smoothly in my 72. I cant remember if mine were course or fine thread. I did have to use my own hardware on those but I also bolted my seat belts here so I had to custom do a little there. No fault of Dans.

vettedan

You must of forgot this one,

Quote from an email from you Dave on 3/21:

"Dan,

If it will help speed things along, don't powdercoat ANYTHING.

Send it all bare steel.

David Groff"

I DON'T LIE!!!!
I'm done with this, You would never be happy with anything .

Budman68

Dan, personally I would just ask David to return his purchase for a refund. It's pretty clear he is a very unhappy person and always looks for the negatives in everything. Some people just like to feel like a victim and think everyone is against them. As he will of me.

I'm really surprised the MOD's have not deleted or locked this thread.

69 Chevy

No, I was happy that the bar's TIG and MIG welding seemed to have adequate penetration and the two hoops were symmetrical. I was happy that it was sized close enough for a proper fitment. I was also happy that nothing got bent, buckled, or distorted (or lost) in transit across the country. Should I expect anything less?

I hope I'll be happy that this installation reduces or eliminates my ragtop's body shake.

I am happy to have the know-how, equipment and $$$ to correct the deficiencies in your product and/or that of GM's September 1969 manufacturing. Because this is the umteenth time that someone has said to me with a dumbfounded look on their face , "I've never come across your problem before/never heard of that one before/you're the first to ever ask for that before."

And I am happy to bring forth to the C3 Vette community that not every 68-69 convertible has 7/16" fine thread shoulder retractor anchor nuts. Mine did not.

eagle275

Yeah, I agree. That would be the plan.