scouttrooper

What's really sad is that by handing them our business, we have helped the Chinese get so good at their manufacturing that not only do they produce the crap pieces, but if you need something built really well in mass quantities, they also beat the hell out of us on the quality end of it too. I'm not saying we can't ultimately build a comparable quality product, but we can't compete. While we've been comforting ourselves, counting on " at least their products being inferior", the sneaky bastards got really good, and are still outbidding us. It's so bad now that it's actually getting really hard to find quality US fabricators that can afford to stay in business. I'm feeling like the country is in real peril. And there is no reciprical trade... if anything they are walking right in and buying up bits and pieces of our country right in front of us. Sorry about the rant; the point is that Made in China is no longer an indicator of crap. They also make some of the best stuff you can get. Finding quality is tough. I like to find out about return policies before I buy.

Galactusz

If you must blame someone, don't blame the Chinese, blame our very own greedy American companies, and even ourselves, for wanting everything cheaply priced.

flyingfool

I didnt say i never buy things made in china, just not things that i need to put a fair amount of trust in. i also was not refering only to car parts.If i have a choice, ill buy from some where that has at least some regulation standards and a means to inforce them. I have my reasons.

on a side note, i agree with what you were saying in your above post.yet another reason (ethical anyway)to at least try to avoid parts that have been outsourced

fastbackford351

Profit is not a dirty word. The free market is a beautiful thing. Why blame "greedy" American companies? The problem is, once again,our government, not the companies. U.S. manufacturing companies work under insanely restrictive safety and environmentalregulations to speak nothing of the tax burdensthat increase the cost of doing business exponentially (sp?). Chinese companies have no such regulations.

As far as Americans wanting everything priced cheaply, what is wrong with that? You can have cheap or you can have good, but in most casesyou can not have both. If you buy cheap chinese front end parts then you get cheap chinese front end parts. If you want the good U.S.A. stuff then you will pay a premium for that. Generally speaking it doesn't cost that much more to go 1st class.

Taiwan is an ally that we are sworn to protect and that is the ONLY reason that China has not invaded them to bring them back into their fold. We have armed Taiwan with enough weaponry that any invasion will be extremely costly to the invader. China would undoubtably prevail but because we have armed them to the teeth. China is, as of yet, unwilling to pay that price. One day they will though.

htwheelz67

I have a scat crank and rods in my 408, I dont even think there is a USA made stroker kit for a 351w at least the scat is machined in So Cal, I also have a professional products typhoon intake which I compared side by side to my RPM and it was pretty damn good and polished for 195.00 to my door, I am also running a pro comp distributor which so far has been a nice piece fit and finish were excellent but I did have it recurved and the pick up looks exactly like a duraspark. I also run a professional products balancer which is great for the money I would never think of using a chineese: timing chain,gear drive,rocker arms,heads,valves,electric water pump,electric fan,ignition box or even a ready to run distributor. Sad thing is all our rotors, water pumps,electronics and just about everything we buy from our local auto parts are made in china........bottom line........GREED! sad but true and cheapness on our part, I'm cheap to a point but certain things you have to make sure they are the best quality.

Galactusz

Fair enough...but like I said, we should stop blaming the Chinese...that's all.

symbiote

you dont want their parts because they dont have democracy...lol..why does it matter...its their country...let them be...no one made the US the worlds spokesman for how they want their countries to be run....

just a thought

mustangmatt63

I read all the posts on this subject and I am with onegreedys post 100%.Theres nothing more important than safety and sheet metal is one thing and bolts and hardware and all products related to your personal safety are another.I was on another forum subject earlier and someone was talking about putting a HONDA motor in a classic Stang!!I was in SHOCK,guy was concerned about gas mileage.This is not the start to the day I was hoping for.I need to go eat some AMERICAN EGGS

Stevetra

great topic!
I just got back from a 10 business trip to China.
Yes, my company is outsourcing in an attempt to keep profit margins where they are.
I visited 24 companies in 10 days, and from my point of view, everything I saw was crap.
Dont get me wrong, there are many good companies looking to do good work, but they are more expensive than the companies who operate out of a shack with 30-40% of their employees below the age of 18.
Being that every decision a big company makes now is based on stock and profit margin, gone are the days where a company had a heart, and wouldent dare send an american to the unemployment line to get a part for a few cents less.
In China you can get 100 people to work for what you pay one middle of the road employee in the US.
They have no automation, everything I saw was stepped through a manual process, with twice the oportunity for error.
I have also visited Taiwan, and to compare mainland china to taiwan would be like comparing a fiat with a mustang, they are two different worlds. Both Taiwan and Japan are have technology on their side, companies who go to china do so strictly on price. There are some good companies in China, but the cost benifits of doing business with them is not as favorable.
Here is what a US tool maker is up against when trying to compete against china. To build aaluminium injection mold with 2 slides and 4 cavities costs about $135,000 in the USA, $11,000 of that is material. In China the total cost of the mold including material is $8,500. Now if you were Mr. Got Rocks sitting in your big office in New York and you had the choice, which would you pick?
Well no matter what you personally would pick, it is obvious looking at our economy which one they are picking.
We get told that our unemployment is low, and maybe the numbers say it is, but the type of people who cant get a job right now are people who used to make $100,000-200,000 a year, and they are now forced into jobs paying $30,000 a year....Sure they are employed, but the middle class is being erroded, and sooner than later we will be a country of rich and poor, with no middle class.
This year I got a 35 cent raise, and our CEO cashed out stock options worth over 400 million dollars.
Oh, he also get a 50 million bonus for increasing profit margin through outsourcing.

jravenea

When I can afford it, I buy US made. But sometimes there's just too much price difference and I have to buy Chinese. Specially moulding and other trim stuffs. Probably not the same quality but just can't afford the good US stuff sometimes.