Does anyone have a good source for American made brake parts? I went to pick up my brake parts from KOI today and 90% of them were made in China. There were two boxes that contained wheel cylinders from Wagner. One said made in USA and the other said made in China, They were the exact same part in the exact same boxes. I don't get it.

Rick

 

I put a couple of new rotors on a brake lathe just to check to see if they were true. Well, they were…kind of. The rotors were true but the webbing between the two contact surfaces wobbled back and forth as the rotors turned. This affects the rate of expansion and contraction as they heat up and cool down. They were very poorly made and they were the stores premium brand of parts.

 

Not sure what it costs but you can send your originals to White Post and they can rivet new linings on them or rebuild your original cylinders. Likely not cheap.

 

White Post is not cheap, but they do excellent work...just had a bunch of brake parts redone thru them for another car I am working on, and will use them for the Hurst someday....they rebuilt original GM wheel cylinders, the metering valve, and master cylinder for us...excellent service too!

 

I'm going to call Fusick tomorrow and see where their stuff is made. They're about three times higher than what I paid for these parts so maybe they're made in USA.

At this time I'm not doing a full blown restoration so I'll make note of White Post and consider them in the future. I'll have to check to see if the parts I'm taking off are even original. So far, it looks like the previous owner bolted on whatever he had laying around at the time.

Rick

 

I have had great luck with Raybestos brake parts. They can be had at your local auto parts store.

 

It concerns me too when I put brake hoses and they say made in China. I'm looking for better quality parts as well and am willing to pay for it. Already had a new chinese made m/c fail on me after two years.

 

Anyone who wants built to a standard, not down to a price, is up against a wall nowadays.
We have come to expect cheap, and if it quits throw it away and get another one.
This has put an intolerable squeeze on the manufacturers who run their businesses founded on taking pride in doing a good job and getting properly rewarded for their efforts. Car parts, tools, furniture, it's all made as cheaply as it can be. If that means getting it made in China, so be it.

Over here during the recession the stores that prospered were cut price supermarkets and "everything costs £1" shops.
I think we have become a society that knows the price of everything and the value of nothing.

Roger.

 

Welcome to "modern day America," Rick! Don't you realize that we do not make anything anymore? I recently redid the brakes on my '55 Cad. Wheel cylinders came from OPG. That is, after they got here from China! I don't think Cadillac was using Chineseum back in the day?

 

I've had bad luck with Chinesium drums being out of round. I paid extra at NAPA for their premium brand drums for my dually (NOT CHEAP!) and they were still Chinesium. The brake parts I got recently for the Volvo (also NAPA) were a virtual UN of countries - China, India, Thailand, US, Mexico.

 

But Volvo is a chinese company now.

 

Still built in Sweden... Besides, none of these parts were Volvo factory parts. Most of those come from Indonesia.

 

I called Fusick today and they said that more than likely all their brake parts are "imported".
So, I guess I'll use what I have and start looking for NOS parts for the future restoration.
Very saddening

Rick

 

I suspect that nearly everything sold by Fusick (and all the other repro parts houses) are off-shore sourced. That is just the reality of trying to make a profit on parts with low demand. Be thankful that you can get SOMETHING. In the 1980s you couldn't get most of these repro parts - it was good used only.

 

I used Fusick's wheel cylinders about 5 years ago, they were imported but made in France. I cannot remember the brand, but very good stuff. Like you said not cheap.

 

I saw this back in the 80s when I worked at a NAPA store. We sold quality parts that cost a slight bit more, but folks wanted cheap parts like what Auto Zone sold and didn't care about the quality. My neighbor bought an AutoZone starter with a lifetime warranty for his 75 Cutlass and told me he had to replace it 3 times in 2 years. Was the low price really a bargain?

 

Unfortunately, this is no longer the case. NAPA typically sells multiple lines of a given part at different price points, but ALL of them are off-shore parts. The higher price simply pays for the longer warranty, like an insurance policy.

 

I have bought brake parts several times from John Andreotti at Ott's Friction Supply in the NW. Many were off-shore but Centric brand has been good. They can also re-line your brake shoes with premium Abex linings that don't fade and work well at high speed. I have had no issues on the drag strip getting down from 118-119 mph with them.

 

Raybestos still makes their own brake parts. Check RockAuto web site. I know some restoration shops that used White Post and did NOT have a good experience with them.


If you can find them ICE is US made also. I used their wheel cylinder kits to rebuild wheel cylinders and brake master for customers. If the cylinder is not pitted and you are using a professional grade wheel cylinder hone you can't go wrong doing it yourself. I still have some take off wheel cylinders in stock for rebuilding, front and rear. I would need inside diameter and casting number. All of mine are from 68-72 Olds A body. If you want I can rebuild/restore them. Also, you can send me yours, I can inspect their condition and if good to rebuild , I can do that.

 

Thanks everyone for the feedback. At least now I know I have some options, albeit few.

Rick