ididit inc - Your Steering Column Specialist

ididit introduces their Newest Made to Fit Column: 1965-66 Mustang Tilt Floor Shift

2009-07-03T13:10:00.000-07:00

ididit is introducing their newest steering column to hit production and we all couldn't be any more excited to see this column grow in our industry! Coming up at the Goodguys Columbus show, we will be introducing the first Ford Top Shaft and Ford Turn Signal Switch steering column for the '65-66 Mustangs! The column will include a special new floor mount, Mustang style knobs & handles and male & female plugs with terminals. This column will accept a stock Mustang steering wheel or an aftermarket wheel with an adaptor. By using the stock underdash mount and a coupler, the installation of this column couldn't be less complicated! It is available in Paintable Steel, Chrome and Black Powder Coated. To view ididit's flyer of this new column click here and the new part numbers for the Mustang columns are in the newest price list!

Customer service no matter where you see ididit:

2009-07-03T13:06:00.001-07:00

ididit recently trucked out to York Pennsylvania for the NSRA Nationals. On a normal day we may have a couple of our customers come to us in our booth and ask technical questions about our products. What they don't expect to see is an employee of ididit come out and work on their car right there on the spot, if need be. That instance happened at the York NSRA show this year. Scott Callison (who is the VP of Manufacturing) was part of the ididit posse at this year's event and happily helped Tom and JoAnn with their signal switch issue. Tom and JoAnn were so happy that someone was able to assist them with their signal switch that they sent us a couple of pictures of Scott working on their column. They also sent us a very nice thank you note. We wanted to share this information with you because we want to express how important each customer is to us and to let everyone know that we are there for them at these events.

The “Shoe Box”

2008-08-08T06:25:00.000-07:00

We are in our busiest time of the year at the moment. I have one day in the office between the NSRA Nationals and Hot August Nights.

As always, we go to these shows looking at the future trends. I have observed that the early ‘50’s cars have certainly had many discussions in our booth. It is an easy fit for a steering column! But it really surprises me. I have nothing against Fords, but ’51 and ’52 are not their best body years! It is really hard to get any aero dynamics out of a shoebox! Putting on fender skirts, or chopping the top is interesting, but you still have a “shoebox”. You can give them dark glass, but you cannot really lay the posts back. I have not seen a shoe box station wagon, but I think it might look like the newest body style Ford just introduced, the “Flex”. What a thought!
To be fair to all you “shoe box” owners out there, I have seen some very nice ones finished. Posie has a great one. They have an excellent ride. They travel well, even unchanged. But, they are still my grandfather’s car!

If you are interested, the trends we are hearing are going towards the Tri Five Chevy, the Camaro, the 50’s pickup trucks, and the late ‘50’s, early ‘60’s Pontiac and Olds. (They are so big and fat, they are the beauties of their owners eyes.)

I hope to have a blog for you next week after I return from Reno. It should be an interesting trip!

Jane

On the Road Again!

2008-08-06T05:08:00.000-07:00

We went, for the first time, to the Right Coast Nationals in Syracuse, NY. Well, that was an adventure! The last time we were in Syracuse was at the NSRA Nationals in 1995. I swore I would never go back (and NSRA never did!) It was 104 degrees! The fairgrounds were crowded with buildings. It was hard to tell which building had exhibitors and which one did not. We had nnnnno business. Our hotel was next to an abandoned warehouse with broken windows and the view from our room was under a highway overpass! There was only one redeeming feature, the people there were great to us. They could not have been more friendly or helpful.

Now, 13 years later, we had to put all that behind us. Our sales manager, Marty, kept insisting that this show was getting more and more attendees, and we should be there. Their promoters told us they had more than 7,000 cars last year. Now that is a number that perked my interest! I asked what years were covered. All I could find out was they let everything in! Okay, I told Marty, we will take a small booth at this show once to see what it is like.

Ken and I had so much fun looking at cars we had never seen before at a car show. Volkswagens, Corvairs, Custom Vans (with teardrop windows and shag carpet!). Of course there were hot rods and classic Chevys, but there were tractors with small block Chevy engines and wreckers from the 40’s. There were pin striping contests, burn outs (in a controlled environment), lawn tractor pulling, and snowmobile races in the grass! I have to say there was something for everyone! We are probably going to add this to our travels next year! Oh yea, we accidently stayed at the same hotel. The warehouse was demolished. A pretty little park was left in its place, so pretty, as a matter of fact; photographers were shooting wedding pictures there. Our room did not face the expressway. Life was good!

Next week is the NSRA Nationals in Louisville. We will be there in the middle of it all. This is the granddaddy of all shows. If you want to talk to a manufacturer, this is the best place to catch up with them. It is a long show, and we will be exhausted when it is over. Our sales staff loves going, and loves when it’s over. I am going to Hot August Nights in Reno on Tuesday of the next week. Then we go to Pleasanton CA. at the end of August. If you like these blogs stop by and tell me. I sometimes wonder who is out there reading. See you soon!

Jane

There is nothing like building your own street rod!

2008-07-03T06:37:00.000-07:00

If you think because we have a hot rod shop, we are any different than you, you are soooo wrong. Ken is trying to get his ’37 Chevy on the road. (He has had it under construction for 21 years.) We have paid some people to do things along the way. Usually, when he is frustrated because nothing is getting done and he really wants a ride! Some things have turned out perfect while others have been torn apart by Ken, because they were totally unacceptable. It turns out that every seemingly small project takes a month to finish! This car will be exactly what he wants when it is done. Suede black paint, since we don’t have time to repair paint jobs. Steel painted wheels with baby moons. (who has time to polish aluminum when you could be driving?) A comfortable interior that seats four so if we have time to go out with friends, they can just hop in!

Shall we mention reading the instructions? I heard the perfect solution from a girlfriend of mine! She stands next to the workbench and reads all the instructions out loud! He doesn’t have to read them and she remembers them! We here at ididit know that men only read instructions out of desperation. I understand why, after reading a few….some creative slang would be comic relief!!!!

On one of our many adventures with my panel truck, we had an electrical problem. When you go on a tour you have an advantage that there is always someone that has more knowledge than you do about some subjects. Lucky for us, we had an electrically skilled person on the tour. I told him the problem, he had a solution! He goes to his trunk to get his electrical tools. He came back to our truck carrying an old purse! He told us it was just the right size, had a handle, and protected his tools! This is a creative man who has no problems with his masculinity!

It’s okay to laugh at ourselves with others! A sense of humor is a must in hot rod. Have a great week!

Jane

The Michigan Tour

2008-06-30T09:16:00.001-07:00

We have just experienced Hot Rodding at its best! A couple of weeks ago Ken and I had the privilege of leading a tour through Michigan. This tour was made up of eight couples who loved hot rods and loved to drive them! These were creative people that were open to a new adventure! Michigan is not at its best financially, but early summer is a wonderful time to visit! Many of these couples had never seen the “Great Lakes State” before so I found some beautiful spots to show them! We traveled more than 900 miles of beautiful shoreline.

Some of the highlights of our trip: a wooden boat builder in Holland; a custom car builder; lookout over Lake Michigan; lunch at the sand dunes; visit to a shop that puts the wood on woodies; staying at a historic hotel in Petoskey; a trolley ride; Mackinaw Island during the Lilac Festival; a light house; Frankenmuth Chicken. We not only had chicken and German food, we had Polish food at Leggs and great Italian food in Saugatuck.

All these people had only one thing in common, their love of cars! The cars were dependable for all 900 miles. There was not a single break down. There was a couple ‘32’s, a ’47 convertible, a couple ’50 shoebox, a killer 50’s pickup truck, and a ’60 something Buick (which we affectionately called “the boat”). They were all on time in the morning (no egos in this group!). They were doing what they had worked so hard for, DRIVING THEIR HOT ROD! We were all tired of having fun by the end of the week…isn’t that what life should be? Have a great summer! Enjoy the moment!

SEMA, Politics, Washington DC & Hot Rods

2008-05-22T05:27:00.000-07:00

Those of you that know me know that I am a straight shooter. It’s either black or white. Shades of gray tend to get a business person in trouble sooner or later. Politics has never interested me much. Too many shades of gray! But, this year I had the honor of going to Washington DC as a representative for small business of SEMA. It was so interesting; I wish each one of you could go. We visited the offices of our two Senators and our Representative. Our Michigan group of three hot rod companies, and a large motor company spent 30 minutes talking to these elected officials (or their representatives if they were voting). Of course I was nervous! I had some background statistics and a thumb sketch of our company in hand so when we left them, they would have something in black and white to remember us with. Did you know that they take appointments every 30 minutes! Can you imagine sorting their thoughts out at the end of the day? We shared our concerns of the rising cost of health insurance, intellectual property issues, and café standards. All this in 30 minutes! Is that half hour of concerns going to make a change in the decision making? I don’t know. But if we don’t let our opinion be heard, someone else will make decisions without us. Is that what we want, to sit around and complain but do nothing?

SEMA gave us the guidelines of protocol, which I really needed to understand! Then we were given a schedule for our meetings. It is certainly different to sit down with a representative and have him or her listening and asking questions about your business, than just complaining to a friend! We all need to make our voices heard through proper channels. We experienced government at work, hard work. Later that evening, SEMA had a reception for all those officials which helped support our industry. There were Senators and Representatives dropping in all evening. One Senator had seven other receptions to appear at before he was finished with his day! I would be a little tired after the first session! I think I like the life style I have at the moment, thank you.

For those of you that would like to do more than be a tourist in DC, my experience was gratifying and not like anything I have ever done! For the record, I am not a Democrat or Republican, I have to be convinced!

This is one more item off my “bucket list”!

Let’s talk Car Politics.

2008-05-09T10:51:00.000-07:00

Picture of Jane & Scott Callison with Congressman Tim Walberg and Colleges of the Seventh District of Michigan.

Well, it is spring in Michigan. The local car shows started last weekend. Yea, winter is finally over! Ken is taking the ’65 Ford Pick Up to an open house at American Speed (they build a ’33 Ford). We have some great Manufacturers developing in Michigan. Two new steel body manufacturers started in the last two years. Both great hot rodders who decided they had a better idea! The other new guy on the block is Shadow Rods (they build a ’27 T body). These cars are so well thought out, I am sure they will be a pleasure to build.

Let’s talk Politics….. You know me better than that. I have certainly not decided on my vote in the national election. But I am glad I live in a country that I am allowed to participate! I will observe for a while yet. November is a long way away.

Let’s talk car politics. Kimberly and I are going to Washington DC to attend the SEMA Rally I am pretty excited about the trip! The schedule is tight but it should be very interesting. It is important that we stand up for the little guy. I am here for you. We have 38 employees that we support. The health care bill I pay for ididit is over $10,000, a month. I do not cover any family member! I feel guilty about that, but it is all I can afford (I cannot ask you to pay that within our steering column price).

Most of the people in public office have no idea how much fun it is to drive a hot rod on the weekend! We do not want out Senators and Congressmen to forget about us in the whole picture! There is a coalition that supports our industry, we need to support them with any information they can use to support our battle to stay on the roads. We need to be pro active to keep our industry in front of the public eye.

Now, for my favorite quote of the week. (Taken from a Cadillac commercial)

“When you turn your car on, does it return the favor?”

ididit's 2008 Seminar Series & Effects on Gas Prices

2008-04-30T09:15:00.000-07:00

OK, so doing a blog is harder than I thought. I am sorry for the delay; I hope to get into a weekly addition to this blog.

Ididit is really busy, which means I am really busy! We ended our seminar series in April. Doing these seminars is really great for those that attend and for Ken and me. Our first hope is to educate the buyer so he receives the correct part the first time. I know you guys hate planning a garage day only to find out you have the wrong part so your project gets delayed another week, or month! Our sales staff has been educated on many products, but we carry hundreds of lines and thousands of parts, it is impossible to know everything. This year we had the key people from The Welder Series, Vintage Air, Classic Instruments, and Wise Guys Seats. The questions from our audiences are outstanding. We have “hands on” builders that test the knowledge of all of the above representatives. The gentlemen we had speak were up to the challenge which made for some lively discussions. We will post next year’s seminars on our web site in October. Click here to see each of the speakers in action!

Let’s talk about gas prices. Do you think they will affect this hobby? Will you still be going to NSRA and Goodguy events? Will you still have a street rod or street machine in 5 years? We have not changed our own schedule at all this year. I believe that you may not drive as far away as you have in other years, but you will still enjoy the moment. First, let’s consider the fact that the average street rod is driven about 5,000 miles a year. If you get 20 mpg, you have consumed 250 gallons. In Michigan, we only drive our hot rods six months out of a year. That equates to 41.6 gallons a month, or just over 10 gallons a week. Today’s gas prices are $3.60 per gallon, which means, you would spend $36.00 a week to enjoy the ride. When Ken and I went to a movie a few weeks ago, we spent $22.00 to get into the show and $9.50 on popcorn and sodas. So that means you would spend $31.50 to go to a movie or $36.00 to go for an all day ride in you hot rod. Which would you rather do?

If you see fewer vendors at the shows, remember that we all generally own dually crew cabs powered by diesel fuel. These trucks get much less gas mileage because they are hauling a trailer. Diesel fuel was $4.25 a gallon the last time I checked. We at ididit, believe that you should understand a steering column and the best way to install it so you will still see us at the shows. If you stop driving to the shows, we will have to re-evaluate our decisions at the end of this year. Being the optimistic person that I am, I believe that our customers build wonderful cars and cherish their time behind the steering wheel. Feel free to comment, I am interested! We will recap this subject in October when the season is over. I hope to see you soon! Enjoy the moment!

Jane

Welcome New Comers!

2008-04-01T08:49:00.000-07:00

Jane Callison

President of ididit

WOW, my first blog. This is a big technological step for me, not that I am computer challenged, but I never want to lose the human contact in our business. I believe that computers are important for sales staff and accounting staff and inventory control. Our business needs to be run by a human being that listens to the customer. The goal of this blog is exchange ideas, initiate new products and improve existing products. We can exchange ideas about the growth of the industry and trends that we see. How you, and our business will be affected by them.

Occasionally, I will have Ken, CEO and the chief designer, or Scott who does the production launch of new products, or Kimberly, my right hand; help to address an issue that you may bring up. Together we will address all serious inquires you may have. We will also address some fun things. We hear some funny stories on the phone we may pass along. We may talk about the last car show we attended. I hope we will always have a sense of humor!

MADE IN THE USA . My first topic will be “Made in the USA”. As you may know, we are located in Michigan the”Motor City Capital”. We have always been proud of that fact. More than half of my neighborhood is directly or indirectly employed by the motor companies. We are all aware that only a part of the vehicle is required to be built here in the US to make the claim that it is American made. Ken has watched the jobs at the Saline, Michigan Ford Plant leave the US before he retired from there. He has always been a proponent of keeping ALL the monies within the US borders.

Two years ago, ididit began investigating the possibilities of each part being made on our own soil. We had to discover sources for each of the more than 50 internal parts of our steering column. When we found these sources, often we found that our production numbers were too high, or too low, for their production to be practical. Ken and Scott were constantly checking new companies for each part. We found manufacturers that would produce the part at a price we were happy with, but would not have on time delivery. Also, this is a very important detail. Imagine the stress around here!

We have finally finished the last two parts in-house. If you have ordered from us, you know it is the column shift steering columns. We ordered a machine, which arrived (prepaid). It did not work! Engineers came to show us how to produce the part. The first time they turned it on, they broke the tooling! (Better them than us!) As I write, we are catching up on all the back orders and intend to have columns on the shelf in the near future. Our goal is to ship from inventory. We did that two years ago and we are close to doing that again!

Another reason we are proud to say “ididit” in the USA.