Procrastination is the thief of time, it is said. A year ago I noticed that chunks of rubber had broken off the Metalastik damper (#51/177) on my '53 XK120 DHC and made a note to self to deal with it over the winter. Well, we all have good intentions… While working on the car yesterday I found a large chunk of rubber wedged between the front carb dashpot and the air cleaner. This prodded me into action and the damper is now off and awaiting shipment.
My question is, Damper Doctor seems to garner most internet traffic, but I found a company in Salem, Oregon called Dale Mfg., anyone used them? Their website lists the Metalastik units from various Jags as ones they have dealt with in the past and their pricing is pretty reasonable. What has been the experience of those on this list? I recall that Rob mentioned that he had used Damper Doctor for his FHC.
Any comments welcome prior to me making the move to ship the unit out. Thanks.
The price is certainly nice as is the lifetime warranty. DD warranty is only 3 years. They don’t list a Jag but an Aston Metalastic rebuild is priced at $375.
DD claims to use laser alignment to verify the timing mark placement which is arguably as important as durability. It’s not clear what sort of tool Dale uses although the clearly emphasize the fact that they go to lengths to make it correct, probably better than original.
If you mean me, I have no reason to revise my good assessment of DD. The archives would reveal the date I had mine done, seems like at least 10-15 years ago, and thousands of miles.
I would caution not to go with anyone phenomenally low priced, as in this case as in many others, you get what you pay for.
Dale Mfg has been around for a long time. I think a good 20 years or more. He started out rebuilding Chevrolet Corvair dampers which were notorious for separating and slicing a hole in the oil filter. Made a nasty mess and ruined a few engines too. His rebuilt dampers are top quality (at least for the Corvair). He might be a small shop but that doesn’t mean that he doesn’t know what he is doing. I wouldn’t hesitate to use his services.
Cliff
To conclude this thread, I sent my damper to Dale Mfg. in Oregon (thanks for the feedback Cliff). Fast service from David and Karen, they received my unit on a Thursday and it was shipped back to me the next Monday. I installed it yesterday and today went for a test drive. Smooooth! The vibration I experienced at around 3,000-3,500 has gone and the whole driving experience feels much smoother throughout the rev range. Dale Mfg. have done many different Jaguar harmonic dampers over the years and I would certainly recommend them based on my experience. In addition, the price was very competitive.
I got mine back from Dale last week. It looks very well done and about a 3 day turnaround My fingers are cross that the timing marks line up well. I won’t know till my block returns.
I’m still waiting for a response to my quote request from the CA provider. Dale responded same day.
I had mine done in North Carolina. I don’t remember the price but it was low. When I brought it to the machine shop for balance he rejected it. I think concentricity was the problem leading to excessive imbalance.