The elephant in the room, is that rip-off Chinese companies are not going to just say "Oh, Sorry, we won't do that again. We've destroyed all of the tooling...". Oh hell no, these rip-off Chinese companies are making too much money to just stop. They'll re-name, re-package, and they are certainly NOT going to stop outright, blatantly STEAL ideas and designs from American companies, let alone the income lost to imported dis-honest companies. I'm very concerned with the state of performance parts currently. I grew up in the San Fernando Valley, a northern suburb of Los Angeles. When I was a kid, it was all there. I could, and did, walk into Engle Cams for stuff, and talked with owner Jack Engle. Reath Automotive, Joe and Della were there to help you. Edelbrock? Walk right in, Vic was there. Iskendarian Cams...Isky was there, and still is, one of the last. Milodon was in Van Nuys and Don Alderson was there to answer any questions. Header companies, wheel companies , chassis companies, Hilborn Fuel Injection ,Keith Black, Ed Pink, Dave Zeuschel, Valley Head service, Hydro head, the list goes on and on. TODAY however, many of those owners, the ones who actually knew their shit , have been taken by attrition due to their passing, others are lost to corporate buy-outs and run by suits, not hands-on knowledgeable enthusiasts. A former President warned us of the Chinese. Not enough listened. I don't know where all of this may end up, but I'm glad I grew up in a time when all these companies were still owned and run by their hot-rodding fore-fathers. This stuff matters. I hate to see the blood and sweat of that generation sold out. We end up paying for it in every way. Buy American whenever you can. Photos below are Stuart Hilborn and I at a boat race, and Ed Iskendarian and I at one of his Christmas partys.
