Billet clutch baskets are, well..... Fake?

[gsrick]

Ive agrued the point that billet simply means a block of any particular material...be it wood, rock, steel, or whatever here and people called me out saying that billet was some sort of "super" grade of aluminum. Show some more close up pics of the casting creases Paul.

True no argument from me on what billet is. That Falicon basket doesn't have and tool marking what so ever that I can see. I would ask for my money back as it seems definitely misleading to me.

http://v.vitalmx.com/8544/untitled--vid-8544--uid-1067--xhd.mp4

[posplayr]

This is from APE, but it also looks cast although CNCed on the outer circumference.

http://gszone.biz/clutches.html

billetassy.jpg

[Paul.S]

This is from APE, but it also looks cast although CNCed on the outer circumference.

http://gszone.biz/clutches.html

[ATTACH=CONFIG]52559[/ATTACH]

That is exactly like mine. They just cast the peice then put it on a lathe to smooth the outer circumference and the very end of the peice. Btw, it appears nobody even makes a billet GS1100 basket so I have no intentions of getting my money back. This basket should serve me well and besides, what other choice do I have? A forged basket might be stronger that billet anyways. I just thought I would give yall a heads up in case yall were eyeballing one of these fancy "billet" baskets.

[Paul.S]

And here we have it folks: "Metallurgists agree that a*forged*piece of*aluminum*is*stronger than*cast or billet. The reason being, when the material is shaped under pressure, its 'grain' follows the same shape as the part. As a result, the product manufactured is*stronger*due to the continuous grain characteristics allowed by the*forging process."

Straight from the google machine! I guess I am happy it is not in fact billet.

[chuck hahn]

First pic you posted..right above the rivet and to the right of the N is a line..which is what you'd expect to see from the cast. Thats what I saw and was referring to.

[Flatline_Racing]

Maybe it is forged from a billet?

[Paul.S]

Maybe it is forged from a billet?

Im pretty sure every cast/forged part starts off as a solid block of raw material aka billet. They then heat the block of material and turn it into a molten state to pour/inject it into a cast. Or in forging, it would be pressed/hammered. That is as far as I know.

[AMK]

Maybe it is forged from a billet?

Winner, winner. Most forgings are from billets.

[bwringer]

The word "billet" is a lot like the word "natural" -- people really like buying things with that word attached for some reason, but it has zero actual meaning.

However it was made, that looks like a very nice clutch basket. FWIW, the "rough" finish looks like it might be bead-blasted. Hard to tell from pictures.

[Dogma]

OK, that is definitely a cast piece, not machined from billet. The finish looks to me like a sand casting. However, billet usually just boils down to "expensive bling", and not necessarily better. I agree with Brian, it's become functionally meaningless marketing baloney.

It's not clear to me how the Falicon part is better than stock, unless it's a better alloy. More wear-resistant or something. Most likely better than a worn-out basket, anyway.

Comparing the Falicon and Hays pics, I'd go for the cast part. Those corner reliefs in the machined part leave some pretty thin walls and a narrower face for the plates to engage.

[JJ]

The word "billet" is a lot like the word "natural" -- people really like buying things with that word attached for some reason, but it has zero actual meaning.

However it was made, that looks like a very nice clutch basket. FWIW, the "rough" finish looks like it might be bead-blasted. Hard to tell from pictures.

"Billet" is usually used to describe a part machined from a forged block of material. It's stronger because the grain direction can be chosen to fit the stress.

I was thinking the same thing about it looking like it is bead-blasted. I didn't see any casting part lines.

[Nessism]

Blocks of material (billets) are not forged. Forging is a process that involves slamming the material in a high pressure forging hammer press. A billet is typically formed by a combination of casting and/or extrusion followed by (possibly) hot forming via rolling to create the desired shape.

[JJ]

Blocks of material (billets) are not forged. Forging is a process that involves slamming the material in a high pressure forging hammer press. A billet is typically formed by a combination of casting and/or extrusion followed by (possibly) hot forming via rolling to create the desired shape.

Wrong, Ed. I'm surprised that you aren't aware of the difference. A casting is much weaker than billet of the same material.

Here is a short article that will educate you as to cast vs billet.

http://info.cpm-industries.com/blog/bid/283266/Cast-vs-Billet

[Nessism]

Wrong, Ed. I'm surprised that you aren't aware of the difference. A casting is much weaker than billet of the same material.

Here is a short article that will educate you as to cast vs billet.

http://info.cpm-industries.com/blog/...Cast-vs-Billet

Apparently you didn't read the article you linked. You might want to go back and do some reading.

[JJ]

Apparently you didn't read the article you linked. You might want to go back and do some reading.

Which part did YOU not grasp, Ed? I understood it just fine.