I have been buying some parts for my car. And I have been finding a disturbing trend . A lot of reproduction parts, as well as most of the parts any way or made in china. I try and buy NOS when I can and the cost is not to prohibitive . And rebuild when I can. But is just amazing how much junk I do mean junk that is coming out of china for our classic Chevrolets or all cars for that matter.

I will give you a example, someone the other day was looking for a coil for his car. I had just went through this not to long ago. I was going to do a tune up on the car, and the coil was one thing I was going to replace. It was a NOS piece when I put in on the car about 4 years ago. Came out of the old Delco Pull string can. If I remember I gave like 60 bucks for it then. It was not totally correct as far as numbers go. But it was the right service replacement for my car. So I started looking for another NOS one. On eBay. Found a lot of GM restoration part ones with the correct assembly line number embossed on the coil. But these coils I found out, are made in china! So I started looking for a coil made in USA , that would work for my car. I called all the local parts stores they did not carry any ones made in USA. Well any way I found one on eBay from a dealer that had USA made coils. So I bought it, think it was like 35 bucks plus some shipping. My point in all this rant is that for me, I like the stuff that came on the car to look and function like it did when new. But I want my car to be kept with USA made parts. And that is getting harder and harder to do each day. So for me, now I have to hunt for that USA made part. Even though it might not have the correct numbers, I feel better than if I had a reproduction on it made in china. But I think that I am alone in this thinking, I am willing the bet that a lot of people will buy that junk and use it on their cars.

Ever try to buy parts for your modern car that are not made in China or Japan? Almost impossible. Case-in-point; We needed new tires for our 1984 Oldsmobile. All of the name brands that we checked were made overseas, which includes Firestone, Goodyear, B.F. Goodrich and etc. The tire place suggested that I install "Hankook" tires. Hankook tires? You gotta be kidding me! Those tires are made in China! The tire store informed me that most tires are now. Asked the dude if they sell any tires that are made in the USA. Sure, he said, Cooper tires. Okay, cool. Cooper tires are good so give me a set of those in white walls. Nope, Cooper tires only makes black wall tires in my tire size. Finally settled for UniRoyal Tiger Paws. Remember those puppies? Well, guess what....those tires are now made in Germany! Anyway, as far as I'm concerned, German tires are better than tires made in China with "Hankook" plastered all over the sidewall of the tires. Even though my tires are made in Germany at least they still have an American name on the tire sidewall.

Also, on reprodution parts for our old cars that are made in China, it amazes me the total lack of quality on some of these parts....and a lot of these so-called "reproduction" parts don't even fit and dudes are still buying them anyway!

Coker Tire, in Chattanooga, TN. 1-866-591-3418 has bought the original tire molds for some firestone tires. That are still being made there in TN. cokertire...good luck.

I did the same on my tires I use to run the Goodyear reproductions which I think, could be wrong are still made in USA, at Tyler Texas. But I wanted to use some radial tires, long story short I used the tiger paw touring , good tire. And I think they were bought out by Michelin, so yes a foreign company. But at least not in made in China.

I bought a pair of reproduction, stainless steel rear fender gravel guards for my 48 aero from a popular catalog house a couple of years ago. Imagine my surprise when I looked at the backside and saw a "Made in China" sticker!!!! It's a good thing they were chintzy and thin.......because I had to bend them quite a bit to get them to fit somewhere near right. Just bought a repro gas tank .......the first sticker I saw on the box said "Made in Taiwan". Almost wants to make ya wanna quit. I agree, the hobby is getting tougher. Good quality products, I think, are a thing of the past. Too bad.

Correct! The UniRoyal Tiger Paws are made by Michelin in Germany, which is a far sight better than tires made in China.

Modern Firestone and Goodyear tires are now made in Japan, according to our local tire shop.

A couple of years ago we had my wife's Honda in the Honda shop for a state inspection and they said she should have new tires. The ones on her car were getting pretty bad so I had them put a set on Hankook tires on. At that time, I had never heard of Hankook but the guys in the shop all thought they were very good tires and that is why they carried them. They seem to be wearing and holding up very well. I noticed in the latest Consumer Reports a Hankook all-season tire was rated as a "best buy". As a retired military man, I am all for "buying American" but I also have to get the best bang for my bucks. I had a terrible experience with Firestone 500's when they came out in the 60's and more troubles with Firestone when they were on my new 1995 Nissan pick-up (won't buy Firestones any more) and have come to rely on the CR magazine tire ratings as well as their ratings on other products. It seems as though nothing is made where and by who you think it is made by anymore so I just buy what is the highest rated and within my budget. The one exception is that if we can, we try not to buy anything bearing the made in China label. Beamer

I don’t have a problem with parts made off shore if they are of good quality and price. But where is my break on it? For example just yesterday I put new fan belts on my car. I went to the parts store, to get one for the alternator . I took my old one in, because the kids behind the counters now days. So he had two different brands of belts, both were the same price, yet one was made in Mexico and one in USA. You know the belt in Mexico did not cost any where near the belt made in USA. So where is my price break?


The problem I have with parts made off shore, well the ones made in China,. I would not feed my pets or brush my teeth well you get my point. Most if not all the stuff coming from there is of inferior material and workmanship. And made with slave labor.

Hankook tires do have a very good rating..which I was aware of when buying tires for our car......but the name is what stopped me..."Hankook". With the reputation of anything made in China I don't want those tires on my car. Yep, just about everything today is made overseas, especially China, and no doubt it is just a mind game thing for me. Call me goofy but even though "Hankook" has a great rating and there is probably nothing wrong with having a set of those tires, for me it just ain't right having Chinese tires with a Chinese name on a 1984 Oldsmobile.

JunkYardDog, I would also be leary of using them Hungchow tires, but I also heard that adding a half cup of mineral oil every night would keep them regular.

In the Spring of '08 I bought a set of wheel cylinders for my '55. Two were labeled inside the the plastic - Made in China, one was labeled in the same way - Made in Italy and the other one wasn't labeled inside the box at all. The box was labeled on its outside with printed in the USA...

YES, WE SHEEP HAVE A LOT TO THANK OUR GOVERNMENT FOR.....

WHAT???
You don't want to send your money for tires to the same place that the Obama Administration sends our tax money, to pay the interest on our BIG debt?
Anyone ever geta Coker tire with made in China label?

I think this might go alot further back than the obama administration. You can't blame all this on the last ten months. Maybe the last fifty years or longer ?

Mr. Mack. Not to discourage you, but have a set of Coker wide whitewalls on my 48 and they are made in MEXICO.

Mr. Dog. My new 09 pickup carries Hankook tires on it. Just bought my second set of Michelins for my work car, first set made in Canada and this new set also made in Canada. I can handle Canadian products, but the rest just leave me cold.

Just seems un-American to have to install something on our old cars that is made else where. Wish we had a choice of NOS or good old American parts only!!

Jim.

Wrong! The guy in power NOW always get's the blame! Don't they?

Well as far as I can tell Mexico and Canada both are in AMERICA, North America! neither one of them has been at war with us in a hundred years or more, neither has China! Well unless you count that little police action from 1950 to 53!

baa-baa-baa.........

Remember Akron? Nicknames used for the city included "Rubber Capital of the World," "Rubber City," "City of Invention," and "Tire City."
Although Goodyear still has it’s corporate headquarters there, the manufacturing facilities are being sold off and the tires are mfg elswhere.
Firestone, sold off their tire division to Bridgestone a Japanese company and is based in Nashville now.
These are just typical examples of the deteriorization of our industry in the United States. I have long felt that this is a problem that we all have contributed here in America. There have been lots of shows produced that deal with this same subject American Greed as of late. Business owners, Corporate executives, Doctors and the whole health care industry in general, the Law profession, Insurance companies, blue collar Unions, all have contributed to the decline of America in the world market. In short we have simply priced ourselves out of the world market. So the way I look at it, when you start pointing the finger at someone, the guy looking back at you in the mirror is the first one on the list.

Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL

Denny,
I agree with you on the reason for loss of jobs, influence, etc. We are in a WORLD ECONOMY and no longer one dominated by the USA. Folks despite what our elected officials will try to convince you (so you will elect them again) there is little that can be done to change it. The sooner that we and our government understand that the easier the future will be. I also have purchased overseas produced junk but also some products that are excellent and low priced. What amazes me is that relatively complicated products (requiring assembly of many individual parts and steps) are lower priced than a cardboard shipping box.

I just had to purchase a new trailer tire (made in China) with one (made in China). It cost $ 175 with the tax, disposal fee, etc. A few years ago they were only $ 80 and before the tread separation/roll over problems of many years ago less than $ 50. Don't know the reason but it can't be solely driven by inflation.

Checked with the GoodYear dealer that I do business with today. Most of the common GoodYear tires are made at various plants here in the US. The ones he sold me last year say "Made In USA" on the side wall. He said they carried some cheap brands for awhile that were in in China but dropped them due to problems.
They have a sign on the wall and it lists the countries the various tire companies are in. GoodYear and Cooper are the only that are US companies. He said the most of the other name brands are made in the US also but the "main office where the money goes" is in another land.
I had a set of Toyo Jap tires on my last van. They are a quality tire (as most good Japanese tire are ) and note the good brands that come on Jap. cars...there are several others.

Reproduction tires for wooden spoke wheels that fit Ford Model Ts and our Chevrolets are made in Vietnam. I was told there are not any made in the USA! All the different brand names on these tires (Firestone, Wards Riverside, Universal, etc.) are all made by the same plant in Vietnam. And there is a premature sidewall cracking problem going on. Usually within 18 months of installation. The dealers are standing behind the products and replacing the tires, but who wants to go through the installation all over again. And the new tires may crack too!

Gary

It's a sad day when america looses it's dignity and starts letting Jap and china crap through the doors. As heavily as whats going on today, this would have even been heavily forbiden 40 to 45 years ago i weiger. I for one, am not for this absolutly disgusting habbit. Specially when it comes to our american antique automobile.

What goes around comes around, we have priced ourselves out of building an acceptable widget and cars and trucks, so now the other guy will have a run at provideing what we need as long as we can afford to buy them and have them shipped over here by the jillions.

My question is ? Do we make anything here in the U.S.A. That is, American made parts and assembled by Americans.
Every store i go to and everything i look at say MADE IN CHINA.
You can not buy American even if you want to. After a time you just give up.

Just a note!!!!

All of the Goodyear reproduction tires that Kelsey has are made in the US in Penn.

Contact me if you want information on these tires that are made in the last faculity in the USA to make bias ply passenger tires!!!