Bret Ludwig wrote:
Richard Lamb wrote:



Well, I asked about that...

Seems it would cost a bazillion bucks for some reason.

Aren't the Chinese hot rodders cutting custom cranks yet?


Everyone thinks there are these cheap foreign made hot rod parts. I've
never seen any, anywhere. They don't hot rod engines in Asia at
all-except a few things in Japan, for offroad use, and at very high
prices as any 240Z owner can attest! And what pieces are from Europe
are HIGH DOLLAR too. Even for VWs most everything is made in Southern
California.

I've always wanted a Ferrari V12 for a street rod....you think we can
get Taiwan to make heads and blocks and cranks? Uh unnh. They will want
a million dollars upfront for patterns and core boxes.

I generally agree with most of what Mr. Ludwig posts but in this
instance perhaps my knowledge of the industry could offer some insight.
Since the semi-original topic was crankshafts I will confine my
observations to these.
In fact nearly all forged crankshafts sold in this country by the hot
rod industry are forged in China. With the exception of the raw forgings
that the OEM auto manufacturers offer, I can't think of anyone who
actually forges their own cranks in the USA. Not many aftermarket
suppliers will admit to this yet it's always the same story, kind of
like the old Midas commercial 'well, we used to, but we don't anymore'.
Most of the big names still finish grind the cranks themselves.
In a broader sense, it is becoming increasingly difficult, to the point
of near impossibility, to find an independent forge shop that will do
job work. This is from the point of view of one who has actively looked.
Recently, my firm had cause to seek the services of a forge shop for
just such a type item, not a crankshaft, but similar in size, weight,
and complexity. We were prepared to provide dies. The best price I was
able to get quoted in the US, really the only quote that wasn't an
obvious brushoff, was for $500 per in quantities of 25. That is forging
service only, we were to provide the material. Several firms in China
quoted the job at $50 each. If this seems too low, think about hot rod
firms selling brand new forged Chevy cranks for $299. Due to a number of
issues, not the least of which was my unease at doing this type of
business in China, we did not proceed with the forging.
Oh yes, for those who would ask how I know about the aftermarket
industry, during my researches I approached every aftermarket hot rod
firm that I could find. When I asked them if they would certify country
of origin for all services, none would agree. In several cases this led
to very interesting conversations about the state of the industry.
Niall