Rovertym

Roverdoc

Well-known member
Dec 12, 2004
1,100
0
46
California
Hey guys, been awhile since i needed more rovertym stuff but curious if anyone has used them recently and can comment on quality. Last time i ordered from them 4-5 years back their stuff was shit vs early days and curious if this has been remedied. Just need to pick up some misc shock mounts etc. Dan
 

nickb857

Well-known member
Apr 21, 2004
1,388
3
38
Las Vegas
I got their front shock towers and adjustable panhard for my DII a couple months ago. The overall quality has improved from earlier and the welds are a lot better. Everything held up well from driving around king of the hammers for a weekend.

Their website hasn?t been updated in years so some products may have changed designs, the shock towers are not at all what?s pictured on their site. They were Helpful and easy to deal with over the phone.
 

nickb857

Well-known member
Apr 21, 2004
1,388
3
38
Las Vegas
Thanks for the heads up. Not knowing what the part looks like is a deal breaker for me. Thanks again.

I would just call them and ask about what you want.

When I called about the shock towers they texted me pictures as soon as I got off the phone with them.
 

chris snell

Administrator
Staff member
Aug 15, 2005
3,020
152
I saw some photos of parts on Facebook from about a year ago, purportedly made by Rovertym, that looked like total dogshit. Someone here probably has the photo that got passed around.

There's no way I'd buy something new from them.

I ended up buying my radius arms from Tillery. They looked like they were salvaged from the Titanic but they painted up nicely after a mediablasting.
 

K-rover

Well-known member
Jan 15, 2010
2,163
62
Raleigh, NC
I would steer clear from the new RTE.. Ive had bad experiences with the new owners. I have their new shock towers, but had to cut 3" of it and get it rewelded for them to be practical with my 4" lift and 11" fox shocks. I tried to explain this to them, but I got the typical "no one else seems to be complaining" response. Im not sure if they have since fixed that issue, but I also got the run around on when they would ship. Took 4 months for me to get these shock towers. After being promised they would ship the next week.. then the next week..

If you want old RTE quality. Contact Bill Muetze former owner of RTE is now working under Overtyme fab.. He can make you basically everything RTE makes, for a lot less $ and a lot better quality. I had him make my radius arms.
 

kennith

Well-known member
Apr 22, 2004
10,891
172
North Carolina
I'm actually popping over to an Ironworking friend to see about developing a few products that better meet my needs, and use a little more thought than just using thicker steel. This stuff doesn't have to weigh so much. SG failed at the attempt, and Rovertym...

Well... I've never seen anything nice come out of that place; not even in this magical heyday people seem to remember at completely inconsistent points in time. During may of those time periods referenced, they were still considered careless. Memory is a tricky thing sometimes.

Some of their stuff just isn't worth buying at any price. Some is worth about half of what they charge.

So, I'm just going to see about making my own (with a highly skilled welder/weldor/whatever in tow). Nobody wants me doing it. LOL If it's cost effective, we might do a limited run. Won't be cheap at all, though; if it's the one I designed. I'd planned to do it before, but the health stuff got me.

The best designs I've seen that I didn't personally crank out were fired off by Denny (HLC Fab). I've had the 3D renderings for the full rear for ages now, as well as tons of pictures from many angles; and given him every opportunity to respond and claim the renderings; tracking down nearly every damned piece of contact information he's had in life. I know for a fact he received quite a few of the communications.

Too late, poncho. They're mine now, because you won't defend them. Public claim. It ain't perfect, but it's too good to leave on a shelf when people are suffering a lack of options.

Not exactly what I want to do, but it's pretty close, and saves me the trouble of all that measurement to get everything perfect. Might be worth producing for others.

...and my boy just got one hell of a box brake, too. He's been looking for another excuse to use the thing. :patriot:

Some of that Overtym stuff looks decent enough. Not all, but clearly he's building to order.

EDIT: If I don't have a use for those renderings, I'll find someone who does. Not letting them fall into the wasteland of lost ideas.


Cheers,

Kennith
 

SGaynor

Well-known member
Dec 6, 2006
7,148
162
52
Bristol, TN
I have HLC Fab's front bumper and sliders. My daughter t-boned a car that ran a stop sign driving the Disco (hit the car @ ~30 mph). Totaled the car. The Disco/bumper? Just tilted the bumper - loosened the bolts, readjusted and re tightened, good as new. Rock solid to say the least. I would have loved to have gotten a rear bumper but went with a Greg Davis.

Good on you resurecting the HLC stuff.
 

kennith

Well-known member
Apr 22, 2004
10,891
172
North Carolina
I have HLC Fab's front bumper and sliders. My daughter t-boned a car that ran a stop sign driving the Disco (hit the car @ ~30 mph). Totaled the car. The Disco/bumper? Just tilted the bumper - loosened the bolts, readjusted and re tightened, good as new. Rock solid to say the least. I would have loved to have gotten a rear bumper but went with a Greg Davis.

Good on you resurecting the HLC stuff.

I'm glad you mentioned that.

I should clarify that they were the best "traditional/utility-oriented" bumpers I'd seen. Some people demand that extra real estate, and don't care about the compromise.

Obviously, that's a completely different market than something like Greg's bumper. His is the perfect blend of style, minimalism, and simplicity, and directly attacks the main weakness of the vehicle off-pavement.

It's a complicated process to design something that achieves so much with so few pieces; far more complicated than a complex solution. That's why nobody beats Greg Davis in sexiness and performance enhancement. :D

The thing about the HLC stuff is that people just don't tend to replicate a design unless it's right in front of them. It's too much trouble if all you have to go on are a few pictures; and it's not like the bumpers are growing on trees or big business in general. There's not much incentive.

Just go buy whatever is on the market already, because it's easier.

If you've got the real deal or instructions right in front of you, though, it's a different story. A laborious and seemingly pointless task becomes an entertaining weekend project for the skilled fabricator.

When I figure out what drive the full model is on I'll put it out there for anyone to use. At the very least it's one heck of a template. I don't want it to just fade away, and I don't intend to hold it at ransom, as that would kill it as surely as if I lit it on fire. Again, the incentive would be gone.

Cheers,

Kennith
 

fishEH

Well-known member
Jan 26, 2009
6,927
201
Lake Villa, IL
Denny was able to combine durabilty and purpose with good looks. There's a lot of fabricators that can weld up something that works, but it will look lile dogshit. Or the design isn't well thought out. Denny was, dare I say, an artist. Kind of like Jordan Blase.

Here's an example of what I mean. The bumper is plenty stout. But those Hummer D-rings just seem a little out of place, at least to me. And there are fsr better ways of fabbing up a spare swingaway than bolting it to the body!!!
Most people don't have an eye for small details, or aren't willing to take the time to fab up something thoughtful.
 

K-rover

Well-known member
Jan 15, 2010
2,163
62
Raleigh, NC
Denny was able to combine durabilty and purpose with good looks. There's a lot of fabricators that can weld up something that works, but it will look lile dogshit. Or the design isn't well thought out. Denny was, dare I say, an artist. Kind of like Jordan Blase.

Here's an example of what I mean. The bumper is plenty stout. But those Hummer D-rings just seem a little out of place, at least to me. And there are fsr better ways of fabbing up a spare swingaway than bolting it to the body!!!
Most people don't have an eye for small details, or aren't willing to take the time to fab up something thoughtful.

Its too bad Denny had so many personal issues... I had a bumper ordered from him, but I didnt like the lack of communication from him. Shortly after he went MIA... As much as I liked his bumpers. Im glad I went with TR instead.
 

SGaynor

Well-known member
Dec 6, 2006
7,148
162
52
Bristol, TN
Obviously, that's a completely different market than something like Greg's bumper. His is the perfect blend of style, minimalism, and simplicity, and directly attacks the main weakness of the vehicle off-pavement.

It's a complicated process to design something that achieves so much with so few pieces; far more complicated than a complex solution. That's why nobody beats Greg Davis in sexiness and performance enhancement. :D
Oh, don't get me wrong - I really like the GD bumper.

I did want the swing away rear, and I really liked Denny' rear bumper design (mimicking factory). But by the time I was ready to replace the rear bumper, Denny went MIA.:(