Sad Reality

[PatS....]

I was lucky enough to have blown the top tank off my pick-up truck rad this past week.

I called the local Mom and Pop parts store and ordered a new one instead of a wrecker item I normally would get.

Price: $217 can

I go to pick it up and the first thing I see on the box?

Made In China

I tell the guy I don't want it, I want a domestic made rad because I want it to last more that a month.

I am told that as of last summer, there ARE no more domestic rad makers!!

All aftermarket rads are now Chinese:eek:

So we get talking and it comes around to brake rotors. I always buy Raybestos because I have had every Chinese rotor heat score and start pulsing badly within a very short time. I want domestic rotors.

I am told that Raybestos now has their rotors manufactured in China as well and that leaves NO domestic brake rotor maker left in North America!!!

My heart sunk into my stomach,

I guess I am going to have to start hording the good ol' domestic stuff for my vehicles until...hell, I don't know when.

Soon all our manufacturing will be in China and if there are ever hostilities like WW2, WE ARE FU**ED!!!

We won't be able to make our own clubs to beat an enemy with. All China has to do is say, "No more stuff for you"!!!

Not impressed at all.

[greg g]

hey all those factories cranking out titanium, shavers, tennis rackets, golf clubs, and La Cross sticks are just a hair trigger from converting over to defense equipment........

[PatS....]

hey all those factories cranking out titanium, shavers, tennis rackets, golf clubs, and La Cross sticks are just a hair trigger from converting over to defense equipment........

And also a hair trigger from having all the equipment crated and sent to China...just a matter of time I think.

[Don Coatney]

[billwillard]

You had better find out why that top blew off befor replacing your rad. I would suspect you have a blown head gasket.

[Young Ed]

My dakota did the same thing just from the normal pressure of the cooling system. The stock radiator is a metal core with cheak plastic tanks. The seam between the metal and plastic is what went. My goal is to make the dakota last long enough to make use of the lifetime warranty on the replacement one

[55 Fargo]

I here you Pat, my new gas tank was made in Thailand, was disappointed at first. But I suppose even the quality control of these Asian countries will improve. The new tank appears to be made well, the only problem noted is the thread for the tank vent fitting was rather tight, when I screwed in the 90 degree elbow brass fitting supplied, other than that not bad.

I probably could have got a tank made in the USA, but would have cost a lot more, such as Rock Valley upwards to $600............Fred

[claybill]

and on that note....WALMART is 99.9%chinese goods.!

bill

[Merle Coggins]

My goal is to make the dakota last long enough to make use of the lifetime warranty on the replacement one

And when it does fail, it's "Lifetime" is over and so is the warranty.

[Plymouthy Adams]

Satisfaction Guaranteed..

translates as: I am satisfied with your money and guarantee you will not get it back...

[Mr. Belvedere]

Got motor ounts for my 54 that came from India. Pretty soon our cars will be just like the new ones with parts coming from all over the globe, only a percentage made in USA.

[Plymouthy Adams]

Got motor ounts for my 54 that came from India. Pretty soon our cars will be just like the new ones with parts coming from all over the globe, only a percentage made in USA.

Got to think positive here folks..these cars were made in an era and in a country where quality ensured the vehicle to last till cheap replacement parts could be made available..nos is drying up and some NOS is actually a POS...

[Norm's Coupe]

Those who have known me for many years have heard me say this was coming for years. At least since the early 80's. One heavy industry (steel mills & foundries) after another has closed down in the US and moved to either Mexico or places like Japan, China, etc. It all started with the environmental laws. Companies couldn't afford to pay high wages, plus all the equipment to keep up with the environmental laws. So...........they moved to countries that didn't have them.

Yes, all the environmental laws did make the air in the US a lot cleaner. However, they did nothing in the way of really helping global air. It just moved the heavy industry from one location to another. Look at some of the pictures coming out of China for example. Those industrial areas look like some of our major industrial areas use to look. So.......now we not only lost all those jobs, but we have to contend with poor workmanship. Who's to blame? Just look in the mirror.

[jimwheeldon]

The real reason manufacturing moved overseas was the combination of NAFTA and the lure of gigantic profits...not environmental laws. I bought a gas welding kit a couple years ago at my local Fleet Farm. They had a choice of two....One from China- that looked like it had been crudely sand cast in a back alley. The other just so happened to be made in the small town I live in by Smith equipment...it is very nice ,machined fittings and much better quality all around. The Chinese one was $119.99-The Smith was $134.00

Now you tell me which one has a better profit margin? It's corporate greed, they can buy really cheap **** and make tons of money -near slave or child labor-no EPA standards and heavy government subsidies have made us into a nation of consumers not producers. Americans can look in the mirror with clear conscience-It's not our fault we have been deluged with Chinas "goods"

[Guest bigdaisy19k]

I'll agree to that... do you really think Wal Mart would be all China made goods if Sam Walton was still alive..... soon as he died....they moved to being the "low price leader" that equates to "Made in China".....

[Guest rockabillybassman]

There are actually several radiator manufacturers in the US, and one in Australia. Walker Radiators is one, Griffen Radiators is another, Desert Coolers is the Aussie one. I know all three of those (and there are others) build radiators for all sorts of applications, although their primary lines are for Model T through '48 Fords. As you can imagine, they are pretty expensive, but then they're better than any radiator ever produced as original equipment. I think they mostly run around $400-$450.

[48Dodger]

Couple of years ago I read that 10% of the U.S.'s global was "goods" and 90% was "paper". Meaning the U.S.'s biggest product was handling business on paper. I believe we're turning that over to India now. Didn't I learn in history class that the South lost because of the industrial stength of the North? And didn't I also learn that the U.S., in part, helped win WW2 because of manufactuering competetion ( ie North American vs. Boeing vs. Grumann's) ???? We buildt the best design as much as buildit it out of the best stuff ( ie P-51D, Jeep, and Power Wagon). If China (1.3 billion) or India (1 billion) goes through a political change, or God forbid the U.S. does(310 million).....who holds the real advantage? Nazi Germany couldn't replace its military equipment because of factory lost, Japan lost the best of its pilots and navy at midway months after Pearl Harbor. They couldn't rebuild fast enough with the factories they had. If the time comes, our enemies won't have to bomb our factories, they'll just say we can't use theirs anymore!!

[Jims50chrysler]

I belive the big wigs in these corporations have created a false economy for themselves....the CEO of today looks good because he has moved his manufacturing to country where todays profits look good, that will turn around and bite tomorrows CEO in the ass when all the manufacturing jobs are gone and people can not afford to buy their products.

My Mom has an aunt in Holland that has flower gardens all around her house yet at least once evey couple weeks she buys flowers from a local vender down the street, when asked why she would do such a thing she explained...."I can pay the man for a service now or when he has no business I can pay him to do nothing later"

sometimes the bottom line is just a little obscured.

Regarding NAFTA....I can buy a new Kawasaki Nomad right here in Canada $18,000.00 + taxes Canadian or I can buy the same bike in the U.S. for $12,900.00 + taxes can someone explain what Free trade is? I think it means that I am free to go tho the States to buy it

[bob westphal]

We all have those wonderful guys that we allowed to be our governmental leaders to thank for NAFTA and GAT. We can repair this situation by putting Ron Paul in the presidency.

[Norm's Coupe]

Well guys it comes back to what I said before, look in the mirror.

A CEO's job is to run a company to get the most production he can and make as much profit as he can. There's no denying that. However, who's the first to complain when the company stock goes down and starts losing money. The shareholder (CEO's boss). If he allows the company to lose too much off the stock price, he's going to be out of a job because the shareholders are going to vote him out. Who's the shareholder?? We all know the answer to that question. Again, look in the mirror.

A company's profit is not a bad thing. That's how a company buys more equipment, adds more jobs, etc. If a company doesn't make a profit they won't be in business and the jobs that were there will be gone. So.......the more profit it makes, the more it spends and helps to improve the overall economy.

There is only one business that I can think of that can stay in business and lose money every day. That's the government and they can do that quite well without anyones help.

I see a lot of complaints going on about Walmart buying so much from China, etc. on the forum. Yet, at the same time I see a lot of people right on this forum saying they went to Walmart or Sams Club today and bought tires, batteries, etc. So............again, look in the mirror.

Bottom line, no one wants to take the blame. The blame is not just with the companies or our politicians, but with ourselves as well. Truth hurts and thats why no one wants to share the blame.

When it comes to blaming the politician for all the troubles, who put that politician in office?? Again, look in the mirror. How many of these politicians have been in office more than 8 years. Many, many of them, some never had a real job in their life. How do they stay in office all their life, look in the mirror. So.......when it comes time to vote for these people who vote against what you think, vote against that person. Also, when it comes time to vote, don't vote a party line. Be independent and vote for the person, not the party.

For JimWheelDon. As mentioned before, the heavy industries like foundries and steel mills started going down in the early 80's while you were still in High School. Back then, there was no NAFTA or GAT to blame. The primary reasons for them going under or moving to Mexico and the orient was what I stated. Even the leather hide processing took a huge hit back then to Japan. It was cheaper for them to ship the hides to Japan from the US, have them processed, then shipped back to the US again for resale to make shoes, coats, etc. than ti was to do it here in the US. That's what killed a lot of the 100 plus year old leather processing companies in the US. I wasn't the original person who said that. The CEO's of those hide company's are the ones who were complaining about it back in the early 80's when you talked to them. You probably won't find that information in a history book though. History books don't cover private conversations. The same complaints were coming from the people in heavy industry back then. Again, the primary reasons that I gave in the other post. Had nothing to do with NAFTA or GAT.

Also, keep in mind. When you pick up an item that's "Made In China", no one is twisting your arm to buy it. You can put it down and look for the item "Made in the USA" or Canada and pay a little more to buy it. If you buy the China item, you only have the person in the mirror to blame.

I'm not singling out anyone for buying anything made in China. I'm probably just as guilty as anyone else, because I have a few things made in China as well. I don't shop Walmart or Sams Club though.

[david lazarus]

Same problem down here in NZ, the boats are just lined up unloading the stuff.

I do not buy Chinese food under any conditions...no matter how cheap. I wouyld rather starve to death today than die of a nasty cancer tomorrow.

I will not buy anything Chinese that I plan to keep for a long time.

The desktop calculator that I throw at workmates, or the mobile phone I drop every second day I will get cheap Chinese...the more I value an item the more I hunt out local stuff (NZ/Aussie/US/Euro).

Rant finished !!!

[Brad Lustig]

We all have those wonderful guys that we allowed to be our governmental leaders to thank for NAFTA and GAT. We can repair this situation by putting Ron Paul in the presidency.

Yikes, I wouldn't mind having a Libertarian president, in fact, I'd probably prefer it, but Ron Paul scares the bejeezus out of me with about 90% of his views.

[Don Coatney]

Well guys it comes back to what I said before' date=' look in the mirror.

I'm not singling out anyone for buying anything made in China. I'm probably just as guilty as anyone else, because I have a few things made in China as well.[/quote']

Norm;

I must agree with you on this.

How can I now increase your education to understand how old Plymouths actually work:confused: You are so right on this issue but so wrong on most old Plymouth stuff:D :D

[jimwheeldon]

It's refreshing to see an emotional topic discussed with manners and respect. I for one really appreciate the quality of all our members. Anyone that has been on a board very long knows how nasty and vindictive these things can get in a hurry. I love my old made in USA jalopy...on bad days it's my favorite thing to occupy my mind..how I'm going to fix or change this or that. I have all of you to thank for the help (and courage ) to take on this little dream of mine-

[Norm's Coupe]

Norm;

I must agree with you on this.

How can I now increase your education to understand how old Plymouths actually work:confused: You are so right on this issue but so wrong on most old Plymouth stuff:D :D

Don, I have this sign hanging on my garage wall. Was given to me by an "expert" to show my expertise on Old Plymouth's. :D Where is yours?