Holley 850...Made in China?

[Bill Chase]

I don't have a problem with the fact production is going overseas. (I do but you can't fight it. That ship sailed 20 years ago). However, there is a problem when the prices being charged are high and the product is an inferior offshore copy. When I was a kid my folks paid a premium for brand name quality. Now days the high price being charged is not an indication of quality. The lines have been blurred. Case in point..

https://www.ebay.com/itm/New-For-Holley ... 890.l49292
$50.00 copy.


https://www.ebay.com/itm/Holley-EFI-558 ... 890.l49292
"Genuine Holley Part"

On a whim I ordered both, the cheaper part was actually better quality, more precise fit and only lacked the cylinder numbering of the "Genuine article" what I learned is the copy is made here in the states by a small firm in Arizona, and the real McCoy is an overseas part. Which would you purchase? It cost me 7 bucks to buy 8 heat shrink labels numbered 1-8. So for $57.99 I got a part superior to the real thing. And most would simply buy the holley part trusting it is better quality, fit, and finish. They bank on that kind of brand loyalty, and often are producing an inferior product.

[BOOT]

Kinda reminds me of some bulk Painless 10ga red wire I bought from Summit. Thought I was getting quality wire, it's like 8 strands and stiff as heck!

[barnym17]

I have had my hands on those cheap cast throttle bodies ,No way would I use one and I'm a cheapskate.

[CamKing]

The company in China that makes FST parts offered to make the same design for Edelbrock.
I don't remember the exact price but I think it was something around $150 for a whole billet carb.
The parts looked great.

Most of these Chinese companies have the ability to do great work, but don't always. It's a quality control issue.

A good friend of mine works for a major air compressor company. They were approached by a Chinese company that makes the air compressors that one of the two big box home improvement stores sells under their brand name.
The Chinese manufacturer wanted to make an economy series of air compressors, for the company my friend works for, to sell under their name.
The company sent an air compressor they make for the home improvement stores. My friend and his co-workers took it apart, and it was built perfectly. Not one thing to complain about. My friend then went to 3 of those local home improvement stores, and bought 3 of the same Part# compressors, right off the floor. When they took them apart, they were all crap. Major issues with each one.
When the rep from the Chinese manufacturer got there, they showed him the disassembled sample, and told him how impressed they were with it. Then they walked him into the other room, with the other 3 disassembled compressors, and showed him why they would not be doing any business with them.

[panic]

In addition to money flowing the wrong way, Americans losing jobs etc. there is another vector in play.
Holley will not make or tolerate any statement or position by its employees, distributors, or partners opposed to whatever the CCP does.
If you work for a Chinese company (like Volvo) and make a statement (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat) like "China is using Uighurs as forced labor"- you lose your job.
If you question why Swalwell is on Congress' Intelligence Committee despite his sexual relationship with a Chinese spy - you lose your job.
Disney and Bloomberg are already doing this: if you sell their product, you are there servant politically.

Don't ask "when?", it already happened.

[BOOT]

In addition to money flowing the wrong way, Americans losing jobs etc. there is another vector in play.
Holley will not make or tolerate any statement or position by its employees, distributors, or partners opposed to whatever the CCP does.
If you work for a Chinese company (like Volvo) and make a statement (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat) like "China is using Uighurs as forced labor"- you lose your job.
If you question why Swalwell is on Congress' Intelligence Committee despite his sexual relationship with a Chinese spy - you lose your job.
Disney and Bloomberg are already doing this: if you sell their product, you are there servant politically.

Don't ask "when?", it already happened.

If true that sucks! I expect as much from Disney & other WOKE co's

That just don't seem like a good idea for Holley with who their consumer base is.

[plovett]

Well I think for the most part that hasn’t really been a concern in our country for a very long time making more money than you could possibly spend in life time is a way of the world in this country and everyone is doing paying people less and keeping more for themselves even if they can’t spend it.

Sorry, but I know very few business owners that feel that way.
I get companies from other countries calling and emailing me, all the time, to try and become one of my suppliers. They can all save me money, but they're not adding value to my customers, and that's what matters. It's my name on the box, not theirs, and it's my reputation that will suffer, if the product isn't a quality product.

Another great example of this, is Hylift Johnson lifters. While many of the other lifter companies went to other countries to have their lifters made, 25+ years ago. Hylift Johnson decided to keep production in the US. During the Covid shutdown last year, the US foundry that made the lifter bodies for Hylift Johnson went out of business. The easiest, and most cost effective solution, was for Hylift Johnson to start buying their lifter bodies from one of the non-US foundries already making lifter bodies for the other lifter companies. Hylift Johnson decided to find a US foundry that could make their lifter bodies, even though it would take half a year for that foundry to tool up to make the lifters, and the price for the lifter bodies would be over double what the "off-shore" bodies would cost.
I'm sure they knew that the higher pricing they would now have to charge for their lifters, would cost them some "price conscious" customers, but they still chose "American Made".

When I found out the new Hylift Johnson lifters were going to cost me about $40 more per set, the cheapest and easiest thing for me to do, was to start buying the "off-shore" lifters, like my competitors. I decided to stay with American made lifters, and raise my lifter prices to cover the increase in cost. My customers now have the choice to pay a little more for a quality American made product, or go elsewhere for a cheaper Off-Shore product.

Thanks for doing that, Mike. We haven't all given up on American Manufacturing. Some of us are willing to pay a little more for a good non-pirated product made in the USA, and to pay for the higher wages and benefits that come with it.

paul

[MikeB]

Even 10+ years ago, at least some Holley/Weiand intake manifold castings were made in China, and possibly finished in the USA. I bought an 8150 SBC manifold that fit well, but the topside casting finish was terrible. Looked like someone had tried to clean up a fairly large area with a die grinder! Actually reminded me of a cake with freshly spread icing. I posted a picture of it on a Chevy Performance forum, and got an immediate response from a Holley engineer who said he'd send me another one. After exchanging a couple messages with him, I learned that they had recently farmed out their castings to an "overseas" supplier, and that my problem wasn't unique.

I will say a new manifold I bought several years later, an 8120, looked pretty good, although not as nice as an Edelbrock, which would have been cast in California at the time. I also installed a Holley cast aluminum LS oil pan a few years ago, which was just about perfect in every respect.

[dfarr67]

The company in China that makes FST parts offered to make the same design for Edelbrock.
I don't remember the exact price but I think it was something around $150 for a whole billet carb.
The parts looked great.

Most of these Chinese companies have the ability to do great work, but don't always. It's a quality control issue.

A good friend of mine works for a major air compressor company. They were approached by a Chinese company that makes the air compressors that one of the two big box home improvement stores sells under their brand name.
The Chinese manufacturer wanted to make an economy series of air compressors, for the company my friend works for, to sell under their name.
The company sent an air compressor they make for the home improvement stores. My friend and his co-workers took it apart, and it was built perfectly. Not one thing to complain about. My friend then went to 3 of those local home improvement stores, and bought 3 of the same Part# compressors, right off the floor. When they took them apart, they were all crap. Major issues with each one.
When the rep from the Chinese manufacturer got there, they showed him the disassembled sample, and told him how impressed they were with it. Then they walked him into the other room, with the other 3 disassembled compressors, and showed him why they would not be doing any business with them.

I wonder how many of the poor compressors it cost the chinese to build the good compressor. Sure they can do it, but quality costs money and by then it defeats the purpose of offshoring. Saying this- I remember the japanese garbage of the 70's and 80's and the same 'made in japan' slurs- look at them now- quality to me is german or jap.

[Firedome8]

I just recently worked on a Chinese quadrajet and it looked perfect inside and out but the off idle cruise was 11 to 1 AFR the customer returned it for a replacement and the same thing. He did not want to try and fix the new carb so we rebuilt one off of the dwindling pile of quadrajets and all was well. The casting and linkage looked perfect I may buy one just to see if I can make it conform...the application was a 71 Monte Carlo.

[Tuner]

I just recently worked on a Chinese quadrajet and it looked perfect inside and out but the off idle cruise was 11 to 1 AFR the customer returned it for a replacement and the same thing. He did not want to try and fix the new carb so we rebuilt one off of the dwindling pile of quadrajets and all was well. The casting and linkage looked perfect I may buy one just to see if I can make it conform...the application was a 71 Monte Carlo.

What was the source of the new QJets?

Do you still have the carb there where you can measure bleeds and other orifices?

[Firedome8]

I believe the customer bought from amazon ..no he returned them for credit . I will contact him to verify his source. I now wish I would have profiled them and tried to make it work.

[Tuner]

I believe the customer bought from amazon ..no he returned them for credit . I will contact him to verify his source. I now wish I would have profiled them and tried to make it work.

Are you sure it wasn't "remanufactured"?

[VMC]

I believe the customer bought from amazon ..no he returned them for credit . I will contact him to verify his source. I now wish I would have profiled them and tried to make it work.

Are you sure it wasn't "remanufactured"?

"They" are producing "new" "Quadrajets" now.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Carburetor-Car ... ition=1000

[F-BIRD'88]

I believe the customer bought from amazon ..no he returned them for credit . I will contact him to verify his source. I now wish I would have profiled them and tried to make it work.

Are you sure it wasn't "remanufactured"?

"They" are producing "new" "Quadrajets" now.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Carburetor-Car ... ition=1000

If half decent quality it would be interesting.