57baja - [email protected]

[NoBudgetVWGarage]

Called Monday afternoon and Spoke to Miguel, ordered up a set of re conditioned manifolds. They arrived the Very next day! The guys were even nice enough to include the needed studs/hardware and gaskets (the good ones)
Thanks Kaddie Shack! As always, I'll be back
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1969 Transporter
1968 Ghia
1959 Ghia Hot VW Drag Car

[youngster1966]

Best parts place I've ever used! Fantastic customer service. Pretty much if these guys carry what I'm looking for, I'll be ordering from them.

[lillaRe]

Their prices seemed really good, so I placed a big order(IMO) online and everything arrived pretty quick. Everything appears to be in good shape too. No complaints here. I'll definitely order from them again in the future.

[thewreckingsoul]

Had my kads rebuilt at the Kaddie Shack. Phenomenal work! Miguel got down on my carbs. He made them look new. They were really old and missing parts and pieced together from old parts. When I returned to pick them up, couldn't even recognize the carbs because they looked brand spankin new! And they work!

Really shows a lot of pride in their work. Highly recommended.
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[vw moses]

I like jeff! he got me my exhaust system-electric pointless system. i'm very happy with everything(packing,performanice,service!) i also got a tee shirt that i think is really cool looking!(blue) with the giant vw performance motor on the back and the checkered winners flag on the front(small) after all that i didn't have a decal--called for one--got it em fast!
Love the videos! His attitude! The vw decitation! Etc. Etc. Etc.
"HE'S JUST A NICE GUY"

[apophasis]

Hate to be "that guy" and get all negative, but the truth must be told. I called and talked with Jeff about my Bus, he advised me on what to do, I ordered a set of carbs, an exhaust, and a Pertronix Ignitor III SVDA distributor, degree wheel, some other minor stuff. He was super nice and personable on the phone, but when I got the boxes, there were some issues. The exhaust arrived beat to death in shipping, packed metal on metal, heater hose tossed in the box and crushed, all the gaskets crushed, no padding, muffler dented right on top where it's visible.... Then when I went to put it on, it didn't clear the mustache bar at all. Called Jeff, and he told me that the "deluxe" header doesn't fit a Bus. Okay, then why'd he sell it to me for a Bus? He's supposed to know this stuff, not me. He didn't even apologize for his stupid error that cost me almost a month of waiting... When I pointed out some of the mistakes, he said "that was an oversight" (yeah, I know) rather than, "sorry, man, let me make it up to you". Sent me a box of the missing parts, still didn't include all the parts we'd agreed, all the parts needed. Never sent me a t-shirt, on an order over a thousand bucks, and when I asked him for one, he wanted to charge me for it. Seriously?

NB: The Pertronix III must be used with spiral core wires. Jeff ought to know that, and tell people when they order one. When I informed him of it, he blew me off instead of listening. The Ignitor I I have in my 009 (and the Ignitor II, I think) can use copper core wires, but the III requires spiral, fyi. I found that detail in the manual, because I actually RTFM, but if I hadn't seen it, I might have fried my new ignition.

Here is my problem: On his website, Jeff comes off as the man, detail oriented, talks about all the stuff they do to get it all just exactly right. That's why I ordered from him. I like things just exactly right. But they forgot a bunch of stuff, didn't grease the air filters like they said, didn't include a length of vacuum hose, not enough hose clamps, bunch of little details. I got a $40 option mysteriously added, that I didn't actually order, but whatever, I didn't even mention that to Jeff, as I had enough other issues with him, and the part is cool, so I just kept it... The second exhaust (Standard Empi header with single quiet pack- dude wouldn't just sell me the header I needed because I already had the muffler from the first exhaust, insisted on selling me the whole exhaust, so I now have two identical mufflers- totally bogus) doesn't fit right, clamps strip before they seal, and the block off plates for the heat risers interfere with the tin, bending it. It also destroys the ground clearance at the rear of the Bus, hangs low. Pretty lame; I hate this exhaust. It is very quiet, which is a nice change from a ratty old stock can with no tailpipe... I'm going to get a custom tuck-away exhaust made locally, and I'll avoid anything Empi from here on out. Lesson learned, now I begin to see why the haters hate Empi. To his credit, Jeff gave me the first exhaust free, but then it does me no good, so it's not much of a bonus, really. And he would have had to pay shipping to get it back, beat up twice...

Another big deal: The Pertronix SVDA I got is total junk, vacuum advance was bound up, stuck, out of the box. Worked on it, got it working better, but the centrifugal advance is bad too, and the timing is jumpy. I put my 009 back on, and it runs like it used to, with the big flat spot down low I spent over $200 to try and fix... Called Jeff, and he said he'd love to help me, but he had customers waiting, and Pertronix insisted that all returns go through them, so he couldn't do anything. Called Pertronix, who said that was bullshit, and he should just take care of me. Jeff got all upset when I told him I worked on the vacuum advance, tweaked it, bent the linkage to make it work. He treated me like an idiot, said "You BENT it?? Wow, if I have to return it I don't want to deal with BENT PARTS..." So on the one hand, he expects his customers to have some degree of mechanical aptitude, but when they apply it to try to get his junk actually working, that's somehow not okay? The damn linkage was canted, full of stiction, and I fixed it. I'm a decent gunsmith; I can slick up a linkage. And my fix worked great, at least for the vacuum advance portion. Geez... He also said he wouldn't accept returns if I'd test run the parts. Well, I don't happen to have a distributor test machine lying around. Sure wish I did, actually, seeing as it seems impossible to source a good VW distributor these days, but I don't. So how am I going to know if it works until I slap it on and try it? And then it's too late? And that's great service and awesome support and being there for the customer and all, as claimed on the website? What?

Reading on the fora here, I found that the Pertronix SVDA is questionable at best, and doesn't actually work very well with duals, due to low vacuum signal and a stiff vacuum can. But Jeff says a set of his Kads, an SVDA, and an exhaust is the way to go, the bee's knees, cat's meow, silver bullet solution for a smooth, perfect motor, no flat spot woo-hoo. Hmm. Jeff seems to have this "positive thinking" (denial) attitude and insists that they work great, despite a lot of evidence of multiple issues, coming from some of the most experienced people on the board. Seems like that SVDA needs to be modified to accept a lower vacuum signal, hopefully with an adjustable vacuum can. It also needs to be of reliable quality, which it unfortunately doesn't seem to be, now.

Jeff was friendly, super helpful, and very happy to take my money. When problems arose after the sale, he was less than helpful, didn't want to deal with me, didn't want to support his stuff at all. Started making excuses, talking about how many customers he has to deal with, how many emails, and he has to feed his family... Dude, if you're that busy, hire more people. We all have families to feed. Not my problem, so lame.

Jeff told me that he was special, that I'd never met anyone like him before. I disagree. I've met a lot of guys who have some level of skill or ability, and act like they are total masters, brag and talk themselves up, but don't own up when there's a problem, don't admit it when they fail. I think Jeff thinks he's some kind of mechanical master worthy of awe and respect, and it doesn't fit his self-image that he screws up, so instead of admitting it, he blames the other party. There's my armchair psychological rundown of Jeff. Bottom line, I wouldn't buy anything from Kaddieshack again. Doesn't live up to the hype. I will say that after a brief test, my Bus is running smoothly with the Kads and header, but I'll be damned if I can feel any power gain at all over the bone-stock 34 PICT-3 and stock exhaust. Seems like I spent over a thousand bucks and did a bunch of work for very little to no gain. Looks nice. Total pain to access carbs for adjustments, though. Hopefully with more tuning I can get something out of it. Not thrilling so far.

Oh yeah, and to run Kads, you have to cut off your stock air filter bracket. That should probably be mentioned somewhere on the website...

I dealt with Jeff because of his supposed expertise and great service. I wanted a well-matched upgrade kit, with thoughtfully chosen parts that worked together well. That's what he sells. That's what I thought I was buying. Instead, I got defective parts, parts that didn't fit at all, bungled service, and basically ignored and blown off when there was an issue, or actually several. Lots of other people have had great luck, and the carbs he built do look good, work okay initially, although I have to wait for my third exhaust, with wideband port, to really tune them... YMMV. I'll also admit that I'm a demanding customer, namely I demand quality, expect that advertising claims will be backed up, etc. There are several VW vendors I'll never deal with again, and there are a lot of bad parts out there right now. From now on, I'm going only with the best of the best, and Kaddieshack ain't it, IMO.

[57baja]

Without going into detail as to how much we've tried to help this guy, and how much we've even offered to buy back all our parts from him (even before he installed them, because we knew he was starting to act a little strange), I'll let him speak for himself. This is the latest email he sent me tonight, word for word:

"Yeah, so at this point I'm about ready to throw you on the "damn liar" pile. That ought to disturb you.

You don't want that to happen, because there will be financial consequences for you, and I guess that's all you care about. Gotta feed your family, I know.

No threats. No extortion. Just a simple deal, and a solid promise: Just get me some good, functional parts, right fucking now, or I'll dedicate myself to putting you out of business, for as long as it takes. If you can't or won't get me good parts, then you deserve to be shut down. So put up or shut up. You'll give me what you promised. Right fucking now. Or I will see you go under., before too much longer. You have no idea. I have spare time. You've pissed me off.

Got it, Jeff? You want to feed your family? Great! We all do. Do it honestly, or you're just a damn criminal, a thief. And then, well, fuck you, really, right?

I'd recommend you move heaven and earth to get me a good working SVDA, this week. Test it. Make sure it works really well with the carbs you sold me, just like you claimed on the website. Don't make excuses, just get me the gear you promised, now. If not, you won't be in business for five more years. Your family will need to find another way to eat.

Jeff, if you don't come through for me, I'll put you out of business. Threat? Extortion? Promise? Call it what you will. I'm telling you dude, your play at this point is to make me happy. Get me good parts. Or deal with the consequences. I'm telling you, Jeff. Listen, or don't. You sold me shit parts. If you don't make this right immediately, you'll regret it. I think you're stupid enough, ego-full enough to fight me, actually. I hope for your sake that I'm wrong. I hope I won't have to fuck up your life and your business before you give me what I paid for. Your call, dude. And if I ever see you in person, we're going to have words. You're walking a thin line, Jeff. Professional gets personal quick...

Do the right thing, kid. Last chance.

Cheers,
T
"

I'll be filing a police report shortly. For those of you contemplating starting a small business and trying your best to serve your community: These are the kind of people you have to deal with from time to time.
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KaddieShack.com - Kadron Carburetor Specialists, VW Parts and Accessories
Have fun with the KS crew on Facebook and keep up to date on the latest builds and happenings

[vwdave33]

I understand what this dudes saying kaddieshack sux.
Sold me stuff i didnt need.wont tell you jet sizes instead keeps selling you jets , local shop exchanges jets till you get one that works. Also shorted me a few things when i bought manifolds, this was after they screwed up my order and sent me scat linkage instead of manifolds lol then sent the right order with missing parts. Ask him what size jets you have or need he blows you off and sells you whatever he thinks you need. Bad customer service and and out to make $$$ , but its cool wont ever get business from me and will continue to tell others about them. Anyways thats my experience., im sure others got better service they cant get it right every time. But lost my business. Buyer beware.

[apophasis]

I stand by my words. I have been super patient with Jeff. I got nothing but problems, and I would recommend that you avoid Kaddieshack at all costs. Jeff's going to file a police report because I demanded good parts? Because I told him that I'd like him to take care of me, so I wouldn't have to fuck up his rep?

Well, he's welcome to file his report. I have carried through on my threat, having no other course of action. I have posted my experience here, and I expect it will cost Jeff some business. I think he ought to lose business, because he's dishonest, and he's selling things that don't work. He pretends to offer great service, but when there's a problem, he's all blame and excuses.

I won't stoop to quoting personal emails in a public forum. Suffice it to say, I find his attitude and business practices unacceptable.

[apophasis]

I didn't even detail each and every problem, mainly because I'm too lazy to type them all out. But here's one more thing- the way the dude sets up the springs on the linkage is ridiculous. It's doubly ridiculous because he's so proud of it, like it's functional or something.... The way he had it, the spring drags over the carb, then pops free with a big sproing! every single time you hit the gas. Dude told me it was okay because "you'd never notice it." Well, maybe. But even if I didn't feel it through the pedal, it's just wrong, categorically. I fixed it, by adding some stand-offs, giving the spring some room to travel. I shouldn't have had to mod my new linkage to get it to work, but you'll have to, if you make the mistake of ordering from Jeff...

Jeff's a hack. Maybe he can do some basic mods to Kadrons, but he's a hack. And a greedy guy, dishonest, says whatever it takes to make the sale and then you're on your own.

Bottom line, avoid Kaddyshack. Or hope you have better luck than I did... YMMV; good luck! If you deal with Jeff, you'll probably need it...

[andk5591]

The spring thing is done that way by lots of folks. I believe that AJ Simms did the same thing. I don't care for it and make tabs, probably similar to what you did. My favorite spring configuration is to do something similar to what the original Kad linkage has, which is a long big spring. I have done that on a couple of our cars and I like the look and the pedal feel.

Bottom line is that the spring mount is not something to really bitch about - thats how most people seem to do it. A personal suggestion to you is to just put this behind you and move on. All you are doing at this point is coming off like a raving lunatic.
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D-Dubya Manx clone - 63 Short pan,1914.
Rosie 65 bug - My mostly stock daily driver.
Woodie 69 VW woodie (Hot VWs 7/12).
"John's car" 64 VW woodie - The first ever
Maxine 61 Cal-look bug - Cindy's daily driver.
Max - 73 standard Beetle hearse project - For sale
66 bug project - Real patina & Suby conversion
There's more, but not keeping them...

[thewreckingsoul]

[apophasis]

You're right about the spring thing; it's not that big a deal, just one more thing. I think I'll look at putting one spring on the center pivot, and none on the carbs. I heard that the springs on the carbs can wear out the throttle body bushings fast.

Now, the jet sizing secret sauce thing, I just do not understand. Yeah, it's their bread and butter, but that's because they actually do it, have a shop with the tools, rebuild carbs regularly, etc. What's the fear, that if they share knowledge, they'll lose business? It doesn't work that way for me; I'm into open source, free information sharing. I will absolutely figure out my jet size, if Jeff won't tell me, because I want to be able to tune for altitude; it's actually kind of important for me. But I guess they're free to hoard info, just as I'm free to spend dollars elsewhere.

Someone who ought to know told me that Jeff sells known defective and dangerous parts all the time, while constantly saying "It works great!" when he knows it doesn't. Apparently, the Empi fuel pressure regulator he sold me has burned down at least one vehicle, and is known to leak. I asked Jeff about this issue, and he swore up and down it works great, no problems ever. I'm hearing otherwise, and that's a serious safety issue, so I'm pretty upset.

Sorry if I come off like a raving lunatic, but I'm kind of outraged, actually. I feel like Jeff is totally deceptive in his advertising. I dealt with him specifically for expert advice and great service, and I received neither. I'm writing all this to save somebody else some pain. YMMV, good luck. The point isn't that I'm upset, the point is that Jeff did me wrong, and people need to know how he does business. And when I demanded good parts, he apparently filed a police report (!) rather than working out a solution. I'd recommend you avoid the Kaddieshack.

[andk5591]

Jets - I will admit that that this pisses me off thoroughly. And yeah, AJ does the same thing. Something I had suggested to Jeff a long time ago was that they just have an internal marking system, like A,B, C, D, etc. I have a batch of his in baggies marked +1. , +2 etc from a set of carbs we had to play around with. But if I do another set of carbs and have to do any jetting changes, wont know if they are suitable or not.

JEFF - if you are listening, please do something like this. Its a pain in the ass otherwise. Even for my customers with your stuff, I could make jetting changes if needed, but waiting for a week for jets to be sent doesnt work. My buddy's chassis dyno will be back up in a couple weeks and I will be dialing in cars on it. I have a couple customers that want dual Kads and this makes it pretty much impossible for me to tune. Cant leave a car strapped down with a week waiting for jets....see what I mean?

Last thing - spring thing - Had heard about that as well, which is why I did the long spring. BUT really and truly, whether I am pulling up or sideways, does it matter?
_________________
D-Dubya Manx clone - 63 Short pan,1914.
Rosie 65 bug - My mostly stock daily driver.
Woodie 69 VW woodie (Hot VWs 7/12).
"John's car" 64 VW woodie - The first ever
Maxine 61 Cal-look bug - Cindy's daily driver.
Max - 73 standard Beetle hearse project - For sale
66 bug project - Real patina & Suby conversion
There's more, but not keeping them...

[dockmaster]

I too noticed the jetting situation. I have a complete Chinese drill index. I bought some like these. I just picked out a drill bit that fit the hole. Measured the drill bit with a caliper. Then used google. I have some mercury outboard carburetor jets laying around. I just measured about 4 or 5 different jets to get an idea. I hope this helps. Jeff, thank you for your parts and help.----Rich

[apophasis]

Well, this just keeps getting better. Looks like one of the carbs was running super lean. After a couple test runs, it appears I now have no compression on two cylinders. Did this carb just burn two of my valves, or what?

I'm taking it to a local shop, because I have no space to get into the motor here, and it looks like it needs a teardown. Hopefully they can help me salvage this somehow.

Amazing. Completely junk distributor, one exhaust that didn't fit at all, another that fits badly, and the carbs aren't working right at all, even after sorting out the timing by rebuilding the distributor. Just wow. Caveat Emptor!

[Jim Schield]

These guys are amazing! Thank you for your great service, and super parts.
Jim Schield
Naperville, IL

[Oljefläck]

Great seller. Fast shipping. Good Communication . Nice trunk carpet.
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1/11 56 Restolook
Volvo 945 96 Daily/parthauler.
My ride:
http://www.garaget.org/?car=234141

[GeorgiaSingleCab]

About a year ago, I bought a pair of rebuilt Kadrons from Kaddie Shack and could not be happier. These carbs really make my 1600 Mexi motor run great. Great low end torque and lots of added power to keep up with traffic in my 59 Single Cab. The engine pull smoothly and evenly, no flat spot. Jeff Lain and his team are very knowledgeable and helpful whenever I need advice. I try to buy as much as I can from Kaddie Shack. Fair prices and great support. You can't beat that!

[joescoolcustoms]

Ordered some new valve train parts off of Jeff, and WOW, super fast shipping even with a Holiday weekend involved.

Very high quality too.
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Bad News Racing 2018 NORRA 1000 3rd in Class
Best Day Ever Racing 2022 NORRA 1000 2nd in Class and first All Female team to complete the race

Everyone is gifted. Some just do not open the package.

Looks like it was painted with a live chicken,polished with a brick and buffed with a pine cone