Any thoughts on the First Brands Group bankruptcy as far as Jeep's are concerned ?

[Brad.Clarkston]

I know there mostly OEM parts makers - wipers/filters (Fram specifically) /etc and not performance parts but it could reach us in strange ways.


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[Jrgunn5150]

It should reach people exactly how many of their favorite, best ever, superior to all others, brand, rolls off the same line and equipment as the ones they don't like lol.

 

[Brad.Clarkston]

It should reach people exactly how many of their favorite, best ever, superior to all others, brand, rolls off the same line and equipment as the ones they don't like lol.

Yea I find it's crazy that Autolite spark plugs and Fram filters are all made in the same Shanghai factory for First Brands.

I doubt the OEM market collapses like some of the pundits are talking about but between First Brand and the Novelis aluminum plant burning down it should be interesting how many more bankruptcies are probably coming.

 

[rharr]

It's not a big deal, just wash out the oil filter and reuse it. New filters are a scam set up by money hungry corporations.

 

[AmosMoses]

Iam really tired of auto manufacturers putting shit components into engines and failing customers at 50-100k miles and sometimes less. Things like lifters etc.

That said, Ive been thoroughly impressed with oem brakes the jt comes with. I hope I can get them when they eventually need replaced. Iam at 55k now.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Yea I find it's crazy that Autolite spark plugs and Fram filters are all made in the same Shanghai factory for First Brands.

I think it's funny how people still associate Autolite with Ford - and that's not been the case since before I graduated from high school.
Ford bought the name and some manufacturing facilities and slapped the Autolite brand on spark plugs and used them as OEM in their vehicles. But that all ended in the early 1970s.
I have a windshield wiper motor - it has Prestolite, Autolite and FoMoCo all stamped on it. And yet, Prestolite was it's own company making wiper motors for Chrysler, IH, AMC and many many other companies.
This country can't produce the products we want for the prices we demand in the VOLUME we need. And your old favorite brands haven't been what you thought they were for a very long time.

 

[ASU_Greg]

Well ShadowPaPa, that is showing your age! I agree with still Autolie and Ford in the same sentence, not sure if that will ever go away. The parts industry was so much more fun in the old days, we had brick and mortar Speed Shops we could walk in, sit at the counter suck down some coffee and talk crap! I miss those long forgotten days, but the mem are still there!

 

[Deleted member 57233]

Well ShadowPaPa, that is showing your age! I agree with still Autolie and Ford in the same sentence, not sure if that will ever go away. The parts industry was so much more fun in the old days, we had brick and mortar Speed Shops we could walk in, sit at the counter suck down some coffee and talk crap! I miss those long forgotten days, but the mem are still there!

The speed shops are still there, they just focus on modern vehicles now.

 

[ChrisNLA]

The speed shops are still there, they just focus on modern vehicles now.

Speed shops around here have cars lined up out the door, but they are fuel injected, turbo'd, and they don't have time to sip coffee and BS - they got cars to build

 

[Jrgunn5150]

My 640 rwhp turbo LS C10, 8 years on the swap, has never seen a speed shop or part purchased from a brick and mortar other than the junkyard.

Wouldn't exist if I had to buy everything from those places, the fuel lines and fittings alone would have stopped the build.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

My 640 rwhp turbo LS C10, 8 years on the swap, has never seen a speed shop or part purchased from a brick and mortar other than the junkyard.

Wouldn't exist if I had to buy everything from those places, the fuel lines and fittings alone would have stopped the build.

Real speed shops are still around - and not for modern stuff.............. they are more niche now, but they still build.
This stuff still thrives in Iowa and MN and MI. I could name a couple of places that build killer legacy cars. According to one GoodGuys publication, Central Iowa has the most street rods per capital.

 

[Jrgunn5150]

They're very much still around.

And very much over priced. I have less money in a 640 rwhp engine from top to bottom than they would charge for the fuel lines and fittings used.

Also probably the largest driver of people taking perfectly good cars all apart then scrapping them when they realize they can't actually live up to imaginary TV standards.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Also probably the largest driver of people taking perfectly good cars all apart then scrapping them when they realize they can't actually live up to imaginary TV standards.

Then they don't know what they are doing. It all can be done on a budget, there are 500HP 360s out there built on tight budgets, something most car guys could afford. I know a guy who cranks them out and has done a write-up about it on our car forum.
Then there's an 8 second, 180 mph in the quarter mile Gremlin that has more money in the fittings and lines than people can even imagine.

 

[Jrgunn5150]

Then they don't know what they are doing. It all can be done on a budget, there are 500HP 360s out there built on tight budgets, something most car guys could afford.

That's probably it lol.

I garauntee they won't sell me 20 ft of -8 line, a pump, and all the fittings I used for less than 655.00

Nor will your guy build me a 500 hp 360 for 655.00

Speed shops, and all the prices that go with them, exist for boomers and people who want to brag about how much they spent and spew platitudes about pay to play and get what ya pay for.

Again, this truck would not exist, if I had to go your route.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

if I had to go your route.

My route?
I brag about how LITTLE money I spent on my engines (or transmissions), not how much.

My route is all DIY except for turning crankshafts, or shaving heads.
I have a boring bar, rod hone, valve equipment, tools to CC heads, cam bearing tools, Sunnen hones, ring files, micrometers (inside and out) from 0 to 5"........................
I do have to pay for either getting a crankshaft turned or a "crank kit" in some cases, or having heads trued, but as far as the rest, done by me. (I did have a shop work with me and figure how much I could raise the compression on my 4.0 without trouble with the stock PCM and MAP, and paid them to take 0.024" off the head)

So far, and this may change with age and health, I've not paid to have engine work done any of my cars.

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