So all my front end stuff shows up Friday from speedway. I am real busy here at the shop so I don't get time to open it till today. I am pumped I have wanted to build a old school / Rat rod style (I hate the term rat rod) old pick up with nothing shiny, no fancy paint, maybe no paint at all, tons of good old used parts from my friends you know the kind. I finished up a few lose ends delivered a car ran to the bank, all my chores are done for the day and its my time now. I open the boxes like my kid was Christmas morning and the first one I see a made in TAIWAN so I open a few more from TAIWAN then I see CHINA What the hell is anything made here any more. This dam near ruined my day, part of me wants to send it all back but were else can you buy anything any more that is not made over seas.This sure can put a damper on things sometimes is it that we just cant do anything for ourselves anymore or have we just given up and in to the cheep foreign markets. I thought building a hot rod was an all American thing, I guess I don't know were I am going with this maybe just needed to vent.
There is a reason Speedway has the "best" prices on stuff. They are the Walmart of the automotive aftermarket. After seeing pics of some of their broken pieces post here .... http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=227556 and http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=304871 you might come to the same conclusion I did.
once upon a time, ford made parts in america. you won't find much american made parts from a 1 800 catalog, you know what you have to do.
I know what you mean; I've just made peace with it a long time ago. if it's any consolation the market is moving again, with many, many U.S. companies moving their stuff back to the U.S. Not all though, ever, and those countries have many advantages the U.S. will NEVER offer, like no EPA, no OSHA, etec, etc. Our government has hog tied U.S. manufacturing for our own good. What they haven't over regulated, they've over taxed. Unions had a big part to play in this. We'll never see a lessening of that choking gov't regulation.
Pete and Jake's still makes their stuff here in the US of A. In fact, I had a conversation with Jerry Slover a few weeks ago about it. He was talking to me about their Superbell axles, and such, and how proud he was to say that his stuff was still manufactured here. The Slovers are GREAT people and they build a quality product.
Let me say this, the only reason I used the term rat rod was I want to leave the body just the way it is its old looking, it looks cool just how it is. I would never build something unsafe or with junk the used stuff I got is things you just cant get new form even China. Maybe I am not up on the right term for this kind of build or truck but in no way was I implying I was building a piece of s--t. My point was having all this good old American made stuff, some of it guys would die to have and then ordering from as it says on the box Americas oldest speed shop that one would have hoped it to be made in the USA, seeing it from all over was a let down to say the least. Those would be the only parts not made by myself or made in the usa on the truck when finished.
Isn't it amazing how fast and cheap Chinese children and prisoners can make that Wal-Mart crap when you chain them to the machines and give them a bowl of rice a day?
I see it all the time we do lots of those shiny cars with lots of billet the other bad word here I had just hope this one would be differant.
Chassis Engineering, in West Branch Iowa, makes everything right there in the hometown of Herbert Hoover.
Nice little town but there is not a breakfast joint that we could find! Had to do McDonalds on the way to the Pileup a couple years ago. I hate McDonolds worse than Taiwanese parts!
Same end of the market. Someone needs to teach them that Cheeseburgers are supposed to be HOT ! If the cheese isn't melted, it's not hot enough.
For 99 cents at Wendys you can get a HOT double stack or Jr Bacon Cheeseburger........best buy out there and tastes like a good greasy spoon burger!
Another 'Hecho in China' rant - new year, same old shit. If you want American built there are still sources as others have listed here. If you buy from Speedway chances are that it is 'Made in Elsewhere'. What do you want - cheap or quality?
I love speedway!!! I used allot of parts on my car and hell its on the cover of Rod and custom... what dose that mean?
I was hearin your point, Eddy. Just use the wrong phrase around here, and your Dog Meat. Sometimes... good luck on your project. By the look of your site, you should have no problem following through with your project. Keep us up to date. B
That is good to know and thanks for the link, I always prefer to use the good stuff and 95 % of my customers do to. I just got an idea for my web site, I would like to post a link to every all US manufacture that makes hot rod stuff it will also give me a great place to source out parts for future builds. If you have or know of a company still in the US and that sells parts that are all US made I want a link please. As for the speed way stuff it was a gift from the wife (sees the best) see had a good friend order it for me so its going on the truck. But there will be more builds and I will be sure that we source out the good guys as we always try to do. I would love to support more HAMBers if I can but need to know who and were you are.
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