I ordered what appeared to be a classy looking set of seat belts from speedway a while back, the pic on the internet showed them being silver, I think, or black with a silver button. When they show up I was horrified, they were black but instead of a nondescript silver release button, they had a big orange button that said, "PRESS" in the middle. LAME. So this post is my second reason to look elsewhere first.
<font color="blue">I think they took the HOT ROD WORKS idea for the open shaft banjo rearends. (if not and HRW is making for them than pardon me) since than,(and having received items that were not like the pictures) I have slowly tried to take anything speedway off my car. </font> travis aka zibo
I`m surprised to see that Bob Drake out sources some stuff overseas, I always make a point of seeking out his products as I believed they were U.S.made and premium quality and was prepared to pay the extra because of this.I have a pair of those shorty chrome P&J shocks and the chrome litrally fell off in my hand(no copper, nickel)just chrome, total crap.As you guys probably know from other U.K. threads we pay approx, 50% more for the same product that you buy in the States(import duty,tax etc.)so it`s double annoying when the stuff you get is nearly always below the quality expected.Opened the garage door one day and found the grill badge fallen off...found the old box"made in Tiawan". As regards the bracket in question that Vern makes, I can`t understand why anyone would buy said bracket when you could make one real easy by the looks of it, but I get the point AV8 is making, there really is a general lack of respect for anything these days apart from being a money grabbing s,o,b...that old buisness is buisness excuse really is used to cover a lot of sharp practice i.m.o,
No disrespect to Vern, but a similar brake drum retainer is listed in my '35 Ford Parts Catalogue as a genuine Ford Accessory item. No matter, what Speedway Motors has done to Vern still sucks. If they wanted to save a few bucks, why not go to the supplier and let him know they can make it for whatever and at least give Vern the opportunity to continue supply for the lower price. That's the way the Japanese do it.
Sorry to hear that. Just looked at that particular item in Speedway as I thought it would be a great safety item. Looks like Vern will have to get a call from the Show Me state. O/T sorta put related. Went to Jar Head graduation at MCRD for our son a couple of years ago. They have a small px thing for recruits only to buy their needed items. Went over their with the boy only to find that the back of the store and the outside was stacked with made in Taiwan boxes. Obviously for all the items on sale in the px. Didnt see 1 box marked made in the good ole US of A. Hard to believe that our own military is fighting wars with crap made in Taiwan. End of saopbox!!!
DrJ...guess who was making ordinance parts for the gov't in the seventies?....the same company that was cranking out the most horrible piece of shit motorcycles ever built...HD(AMF)....they had an 80% failure rate of motorcycles coming off the line. Thats 80% that never left the factory with out getting partially repaired. I wonder how good the bomb stuff was???
It's gotten to be the same in every industry. Nobody worries about ANYTHING except the quick dollar. Car companies make sub-par automobiles and leave it to the dealer technicians to handle their fuck-ups. The dealer technicians are under pressure from their service managers to blow the shit out the door whether or not the problem is fixed. After a few trips to the dealer, the customer resorts to a chain repair joint who does the same thing. The cycle continues until the customer fixes the problem(s) himself or takes it to a rare mechanic who actually FIXES cars! I speak from experience, having been a dealer technician and a tire store grease monkey! I had many clashes with my service managers involving customer cars that I kept in my stalls longer than they thought was profitable to make sure the problem was fixed correctly. I had the highest customer satisfaction rating of any technician in the dealership, but all I heard from the bosses was "just crank 'em out FASTER and don't sweat the details"!! Now, I drive an example of this philosophy. The car was purchased used from Enterprise (the rental car company) and they boasted about how they give all of their used vehicles a thorough safety inspection. I took delivery of the car with a broken rear spring, undisclosed and improperly fixed collision damage hidden behind the rear bumper cover, and an exhaust system issue that has become a bigger problem now. All things that a 12 year old moron could have spotted if the car had ACTUALLY been safety inspected! But...I have no doubts that Enterprise PAID for an inspection from their repair facility up the road....it's just that the job was never done, or was done poorly in the interest of a fast buck. "Do SOMETHING (or nothing!) and pass it on" is the thinking used by 98% of businesses today. "Let someone else take responsibility for it...long as we get OUR piece of the action!". Ever try to have your exhaust system repaired at a muffler joint? They won't do it if it involves the exhaust manifold, or if the car is older than a certain year...or any other of a number of excuses.... "Waaaaahhhh....the studs might break, it's OLD!" "Waaaaahhhh....it's got RUST on it!" "Waaaaahhhh....we might get our chrome tools dirty!" "Waaaaahhhh....manifolds are HARD to do!" Fuck it...nobody wants to sell you a SERVICE any more...they just want you to PAY them for their share of your time which they waste doing as little as possible to collect the payday! It's everywhere...from utility companies to burger joints to medical care to construction to automotive related industries. Everybody wants to maximize profits while minimizing effort..."Fuck the customer, as long as WE get paid". Honor? Quality? SERVICE? Long dead and burried.
That's a pretty crappy deal, but that's pretty much the way of business. That reminds me, I need a set of those retainers. I reckon I'll be contacting Vern real soon.
Not much to ad ,its been said ,but the reality is nothing is made here anymore if its avail. off shore , our jobs are dissapearing on a daily basis,hell, even Levi's the leader in american made went offshore(china) w its production.No excuse for shiting on an old supplier tho ,some kind of concession or at the very least notification could have been made.
Now what I'm about to say will probably piss a lot of you guys off, but oh well! What speedway did, that's just fucked up and wrong, I'm all about supporting the small businessman. BUT being from Flint, where GM got it's start, I can tell you I TOTALLY understand why the General is making all of their shit in Mexico (and elsewhere). GM moving (mostly) out of Flint has fucked our economy, and a ton of people lost their jobs, but you know what? It's the God Damn UAW's fault! Let's say you own a company, and your employees are almost always sleeping, drunk, high, or coked up on the job, if they actually show up (many have a friend punch 'em in and out, or go in, punch in, and leave). While they are at work they bitch, because for their $35 an hour they have to push a button on the machine 3 times every minute. SLAVE LABOR!!! for such an insignificant wage they should only have to push the button twice a minute, right? Then, because there really is strength in numbers, these assholes strike, and the UAW backs 'em up, until this shit actually changes! Ok. So you have all these drunk junkies that won't work a REAL day to save their lives, and you're paying them EXTREMELY well, and giving them one hell of a benefits package. That just makes 'em want more. But then you think about it, you've got all these little mexican dudes...... I bet they can push the button just as well as the fat, lazy american, and since they haven't had the job for 30 years, they'll be proud of it, AND bust ass for you. You know if you pay them $5 an hour american, that's GOOD money to them. So think about it; Would you want the lazy, whiny bitch for $35 an hour, or the proud, hard worker for $5????? Think about that mister union. You fucked yourself. The general's been making your deal better and better, but you'll never be TOTALLY happy, so FUCK YOU!
Yup, Joe Sixpac and his Unions is partly to blame for this, I agree. The only way this will change though is if our whole Society changes and thinks. I admit, I ordered a spring from Speedway this last week. It was $40 cheaper than my WHOLESALE price (I work in a shop). Plus, they are 2 days from me. My own suppliers cant get it here that fast w/o paying for extra shipping! I actually tried to spend the money in town. The cost of having a spring made? $25 to roll each eye=$50, $20 materials, $35 shop fee. Total $105. I paid $84 dolers including shippind to get my Speedway sring here. Point? I am not any different than the next person, I shop price on many occasions. What was my point? I dunno, that sucks that Vern is getting bypassed but Speedy has been doing that for years.
Hey HRTH.... You said it!!! Unions carry the weak and lazy and drive prices through the roof for everybody. Sure, if not for unions, these pillars of the community would never be able to afford their drug habits and new bling-mobiles...so they'll fight to keep them in control. I interviewed for what sounded like a good job with decent pay in a local joint that did custom fabrication a few years ago. I jumped through all the hoops and spent a week filling out forms and taking a drug screen...passing three interviews until I finally got the green light and was given a shop tour the day before I was supposed to start work. After the tour concluded, the supervisor said something about meeting the union rep to sign a few forms or something. I said "Whoa, wait a minute...this is a UNION shop??" He looked puzzled, but answered, "Well, yeah...we're affiliated with the UAW." I threw my arms up in disgust and blurted out, "I wish you woulda mentioned that a WEEK ago...you could have saved me lots of time and hassle. I don't work union!". And I stomped off. My fault for not asking sooner, but now that's the first thing I inquire of a prospective employer!
Honor died years ago with trust and common sense. I have recieved letters from Speedway about some of the product I make. I passed after talking to people that make product for them. Simmilar stories to be had everywhere. One other company to watch for that has even more draconian business practices, Master Power Brakes. I make a brake pedal kit that mounts the power booster on the firewall for post war Ford and Chevy pickups. Several companies have shown interest in buying them from me to compliment thier aftermarket power booster/master cylinder kits. MP was one of those companies and they wanted to make a huge order. Only problem was HE dictated what he would pay. He also told me that they expect his cost to drop 5% every year and that if I don't play game with him he will copy my product and then undercut my advertized price by a significat amount. Nice tactic and great salesmanship right? Well, if you look at his ad my stuff aint in it.
[ QUOTE ] MP was one of those companies and they wanted to make a huge order. Only problem was HE dictated what he would pay. He also told me that they expect his cost to drop 5% every year and that if I don't play game with him he will copy my product and then undercut my advertized price by a significat amount. [/ QUOTE ] He's been taking lessons from The Big Three,and Wallmart. Another name added to the list.
Hey Mike maybe this will make Vern feel a little better. I bought a pair of those retainers from speedway about a year ago thinking they were Verns. They were marked Made in Tiawan, and I thought man what kind of shit is this? Well now I know. They are junk! They don't fit right! I threw one so far out in the woods, it will never be found. T.Ed bought some also and had the same problem! I'm not for sure how far he threw his! If you buy a part from Speedway with out a brand name on it, you can bet its imported! Hey Greezy..... How many parts have you bought from Speedway that didn't fit? ........................................................... "OPOSSUM BENDERS" Central Missouri Chapter
Quality isn't dead, you just have to seek it out. In my experience it's usually the smaller shops run by a strong personality that really care about it. (Once an operaton grows past a certain size it becomes increasingly difficult--although not impossible--to maintain quality.) If Vern's product is quality and Speedway's isn't, then you owe it to your car to spend the extra dollars. Think of it as both a purchase and a vote for quality.
[ QUOTE ] Same thing happened to my buddy "UNKL AL", ripped off with his "DOOR GO'S" and other parts. In his case , someone found the supplier, didn't change anything..just cut his throat........OLDBEET [/ QUOTE ] Unkl Al is the the rip-off?.....or the rip-ee?
I see there being a number of sides to all this, the first being they ripped Vern off, the laws to protect him are probably biased in the favour of thebig fish who can afford the big lawyers. Regarding the Auto workers, we have all had the same problems with that kind of thing in industry, the $ they get paid they should be pretty damn happy not trying stuff it up all the time..... HD were having a heap of casting done of shore for EVo don't konw if it continues now but lots was done here and in Aussie, Hell $35.00 usd per hour = 55.00 nzd per hour so you can get two guys for the one + the shipping costs and have it built to a good standard. What really pisses me off is people paying $100's of dollars for something made by some poor ass Indonesians or someone for a couple of bucks a day, thats corporate greed and the likes of Nike should be hung for it.....oops rant in progress.
I have this sign hanging in my waiting room: QUALITY.. Its unwise to pay too much, but its worse to pay too little When you pay too much, you lose a little money. Thats all.. When you pay too little, you sometimes lose everything, because the thing you bought was incapable of doing the thing it was bought to do. The common law of business balance prohibits paying a little & getting a lot...it cant be done. If you deal with the lowest bidder, it is well to add something for the risk you run. And if you do that, you will have enough to pay for something better. John Ruskin (1819-1900)
We have discussed this in past threads. But the outsourcing of products always seems ok when we are looking for the cheapest best quality product. We all fall for it. My profession is giving approval for new products and assemblies at my company and I have been in this business for many years. I constantly tell people how we are giving away the industries and technical knowledge to off shore countries. Our kids won't even know what a mill or brake is. How can they even think about repairing or building any cars let alone the creative knowledge it takes to build what we do. Everyone seems to ignore it saying . Well what choice do we have. I have constantly seen the quality of these outsource products improve. We can't compete when these companies our paying their workers 50 cents a day. Yes this particular instance with Vern has hit home for some. But I can tell you all, It is only beginning and it won't change. They beat us at our own game. After 30 years in manufacturing and Industry. I can't see a answer for this one aside from totally closing our borders to everyone and everything. Go ahead guys. Buy At Wally world. It should add to the problems for sure.
HRTH you think this is all the fault of unions? If you want to blame someone try the fatcat CEO's making million dollar a year salaries and compensation packages of stock that go even higher. Look to the shareholders who want to see profits rise no matter the cost. Remember Enron? The big three also demand suppliers hold or cut their prices and of course improve quality control. Everthing is about the company showing a profit margin satisfactory to the CEO and the shareholders. To hell with spending money needed to sometimes upgrade things, that has to wait because it would bring the profit margin down. Think I don't know what I'm talking about? I've worked at the same factory for 41 years and in the last 10-15 years it has just gotten worse every year. Downsizing, work going to other countries, etc. Maybe when you can no longer buy an American made product people will wake up and demand a reckoning on the fatcat's who control these things.
Yep , you hit it on the head Petejoe! But left out the word NAFTA, sucking jobs and manufacturing out of the country. I hate to say, if we did put higher duties on import items , good guys like Vern would still have the job because it would be competive pricing.. Ok , so some of our hotrod parts might be a bit more, maybe?? But what about the future, our jobs , kids jobs and grandchildren. Are we all gonna have to be in the service ind.. Sorry , I work in manufacturing and hear the words "the job went over seas" way too often. It's gonna be interasting to see how this mess gets worked out. As for the unions jobs, there's good workers and bad ones in every work site. So what can we do to do our part?? I'm not sure, but are they trying to pass a world free trade policy??
[ QUOTE ] After 30 years in manufacturing and Industry. I can't see a answer for this one aside from totally closing our borders to everyone and everything. [/ QUOTE ] Nope, that's not the answer. The eventual, logical answer is for the USA to OWN those manufacturing locations. That means war and take-over, or by grabbing them by their financial balls. And the finance part is short lived. And sticking imports with a higher tarif isn't the answer either - that's the same as being an isolationist. The real answer is to adapt to the world as it is today. Live with less waste, properly value good products, and don't consume as much. Sounds froo-froo? Other countries have been doing it for ages. We can too. FWIW - this has less to do with Vern's retainers, and more to to with BFTWC?'s Lokar pedal - would you pay TWICE or THREE TIMES as much for quality? Actually, I already spouted my economic and political solutions for all the worlds problems when we got OT on Arnold S. I think that financial incentives that encourage small businesses in small towns and encourage larger businesses to split up into smaller units that are automous to the larger entity would go a long way towards solving a lot of our social, economic and cultural problems. Small towns and small businesses promote responsibility, family, creativeness, and recduce economies of scale, concentrations of power, and homogenous culture. I'm gonna have to change my handle to "The Ranter"
I got a less than 2 percent raise this year on my 24,000 Union base wage. What's 2% of 24,000 work out to? Last year we got a $500 bonus but no raise. I have bosses who got 3% plus 3% bonus plus 2 1/2% performance upgrades based on their $170,000 and up base salaries. What's 8 1/2% of 170,000? Tell me again how my union is fucking your economy!
This is sort of like what happened to the first guy who started chroming valve covers I'm sure. Not all unions are like the UAW. The craft here perform or they are gone, period.
I think raven61 and AV8 rider have both brought an interesting point to the discussion without realizing it. Contact info for Vern?...Anyone?...Hello? I already know how to contact Speedway. Catalog, Website, 800 number. It's out there and not hard to find. Seems like the smaller outfits that allign themselves with quality are also the hardest to find, harder to contact, rarely have a catalog, won't answer the goddamn phone, can't find time to return calls ("they're too busy out in the shop", whatever) and don't even have an answering machine. You can forget about a website alltogether. Honor? Quality? What about SERVICE? I understand that as a whole Vern Tardell runs his business to build horods, not sell drum retainers and adapter plates for F-1 boxes. Admittedly this rant doesn't apply to his situation very well. Just don't be suprised when the majority buy their part from someone who's easy to deal with. I think I found someone who will make a quickchange from a banjo center. It's ME. Who knows how well it will turn out - it might be junk. But at least I have been able to contact myself so far. I imagine I'll make my own drum retainers too.
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