Ebay Ta Performance Knock Offs L@@k Inside For Pictures

S

SAMBALLS1

Active Member
Joined
Apr 12, 2007
Guys,

I hope I don't get thrashed for this, but I thought it would be nice for you guys who are interesed in these look at pictures of the welding quality and craftman ship of these headers! I am very impressed with the external welding of these headers... I know that some people have posted some pictures of the actual flange and ports, but I don't think I saw any pictures of the internal parts of the pipes..... (Where the pipes get welded to the main pipe connected to 3 bolt flange for turbo. Thought you guys might like these photos. I am not to happy with the size of the ports!


Thanks,
Sam
http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb191/SAMBALLS1/100_2654.jpg

http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb191/SAMBALLS1/100_2655.jpg

http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb191/SAMBALLS1/100_2653.jpg

http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb191/SAMBALLS1/100_2652.jpg

http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb191/SAMBALLS1/100_2651.jpg

http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb191/SAMBALLS1/100_2650.jpg

If you look at the last 2 pictures... Sorry they are not very clear.... The beads you see in the interior is the actual size of the pipe as it's welded to the main pipe..... Look at how small the holes are in relation to the actual size of the pipe. Seems more like a restriction on the passenger side header!
 
SAMBALLS1 said:
If you look at the last 2 pictures... Sorry they are not very clear.... The beads you see in the interior is the actual size of the pipe as it's welded to the main pipe..... Look at how small the holes are in relation to the actual size of the pipe. Seems more like a restriction on the passenger side header!
Click to expand...

It definitely would seem like that would be a huge restriction - that needs opened up to the size of the tubing. It looks like something similar is going on with the collector in the third pic but it might be the angle.

Jim
 
That last picture was just plain BAD! Shouldn't be surprising though, just another set of chinese knock offs.
 
More pictures.... I was thinking of just cutting a piece of the opposite side of the welds and porting it out... I would still have an extra $845 dollars in my pocket rather than spending 1045 dollars for the stainless ta headers










 
SAMBALLS1 said:
I would still have an extra $845 dollars in my pocket rather than spending 1045 dollars for the stainless ta headers
Click to expand...

That's cool, but when people can no longer afford to innovate there will be nothing for the Chinese to imitate.

Jim
 
Excuse me for saying so SAM, but after looking at all those pictures, it's obvious that you are very easilly impressed. No flame intended.
But once you get them all installed, hooked up and the engine running, let us know how it all comes out. ;)
 
turbojimmy said:
That's cool, but when people can no longer afford to innovate there will be nothing for the Chinese to imitate.

Jim
Click to expand...

Well, if some of the vendors would just try and make a decent profit rather than just sock it too us in regards to price, the chinese wouldn't have to make knockoffs...

I don't understand how everyone is always Saying "You can't even buy stainless steel for that" Yet the chinese make it, ship it, and sell it... and they are making a profit and it's still $750 dollars cheaper than we can supposedly produce it!..... Just like the intercoolers.... I have the number of the main supplier for a major vendor on the board and the intercooler cost is about 149 bucks yet they sell it to us for 895 or 1095 dollars!

Remeber this statement, "You can slaughter a sheep once or shear it a thousand times! Most retailers would rather slaughter than shear!"
 
SAMBALLS1 said:
Remeber this statement, "You can slaughter a sheep once or shear it a thousand times! Most retailers would rather slaughter than shear!"
Click to expand...

In the Turbo Buick market there aren't a thousand people to sell wool sweaters to. The vendors spend time R&Ding a product for a limited market, price their products based on known limited demand, and then get ripped off by someone stealing the design and mass-producing it.

I understand everyone has their own budgets, personal opinions and welding skills so you make your decisions accordingly. I almost bought a set of those myself, but I was afraid that I'd wind up having to pay someone to fix them since I don't weld.

Jim
 
TurboDave said:
Excuse me for saying so SAM, but after looking at all those pictures, it's obvious that you are very easilly impressed. No flame intended.
But once you get them all installed, hooked up and the engine running, let us know how it all comes out. ;)
Click to expand...

I am happy!!!! I know what to do to correct it.
For example! if the flanges need to be planed out correctly... its about a $50 dollar fix!(at the machine shop) if the cuts that i am going to make to open the ports up need to be made and welded, it's another $30 bucks... so I've got a set of stainless steel headers that have a total cost of $330 rather than $1025 plus shipping from in comparison to new TA headers!
okay so. 1025 for the headers + 20 for shipping = 1045 - 330 = $715 (that's almost a new turbo) I don't know about you guys, but $715 dollars is still a ton of money to be saved!

NO PUN, OR FLAME INTENDID. I JUST LIKE SAVING MONEY
 
turbojimmy said:
In the Turbo Buick market there aren't a thousand people to sell wool sweaters to. The vendors spend time R&Ding a product for a limited market, price their products based on known limited demand, and then get ripped off by someone stealing the design and mass-producing it.

I understand everyone has their own budgets, personal opinions and welding skills so you make your decisions accordingly. I almost bought a set of those myself, but I was afraid that I'd wind up having to pay someone to fix them since I don't weld.

Jim
Click to expand...

Okay so why don't the vendors think of capturing all the business (everybodys by making it competetive) rather than having to make it so hard to buy the product cause its so expensive.... Most people want to make the returns on the products they make within 3-4 months.... not likely...people don't get rich that quick... it's earned!
Why don't they get the gross profit of the product from the volume of sales! I know about this because I am in the retail business!

Thanks,
Sam
 
SAMBALLS1 said:
Well, if some of the vendors would just try and make a decent profit rather than just sock it too us in regards to price, the chinese wouldn't have to make knockoffs...

I don't understand how everyone is always Saying "You can't even buy stainless steel for that" Yet the chinese make it, ship it, and sell it... and they are making a profit and it's still $750 dollars cheaper than we can supposedly produce it!..... Just like the intercoolers.... I have the number of the main supplier for a major vendor on the board and the intercooler cost is about 149 bucks yet they sell it to us for 895 or 1095 dollars!

Remeber this statement, "You can slaughter a sheep once or shear it a thousand times! Most retailers would rather slaughter than shear!"
Click to expand...

Go price the stuff and them come back and talk to me. Ive been trying to get our headers made for over a year and I cant find an american company willing to make them for less than $1400.00 a set, OUR COST and thats in lots of 50 sets.
 
SAMBALLS1 said:
Why don't they get the gross profit of the product from the volume of sales! I know about this because I am in the retail business!
Click to expand...

Because vendors can't compete with the Chinese manufacturing costs. They already have a leg up having stolen the design. They just need to pay people 10 cents an hour to churn them out.

It's a viscious circle. The knock-offs flood the market and the local vendors have to keep prices high in order to keep profit margins high enough on the resulting limited number of sales. At $200 I'd venture to guess that these headers are well below the vendor's costs to manufacture a quality set here. Even if they were to cut their prices in half, the Chinese ones are still so much less expensive that it wouldn't do much to demand.

I posted in another thread that there must be some magical price point where people would be willing to pay for U.S.-made headers given the risk of getting a shoddy knock-off. We know that $845-$1,045 is not that magical price point.

Jim
 
It's because the labor rate here is outrageous. The overhead costs are too much, and everybody needs to make a decent profit, including the metal suppliers. Most of our steel comes from China.

China can reproduce anything for about a quarter of the cost or less. That is why everything is made overseas. Everybody here wants to make as much profit as they possibly can. Look around you, where is everything made? Look at the clothes you're wearing, where was it made? Probably not in the USA.
 
The profit margin on a set of US headers is about the same as Ebay headers, they just cost much less to make.
 
The chinese will rule the earth shortly....When they invade,i will be eating some General Tso's chicken....
 
i for one would just like to see how the headers turn out....cause i mean everyone doesnt have the funds for very high prices ......not making an excuse just stating...but i really want to see how they turn out
 
China is the #1 steel producer in the world and have been for a few years followed by Japan. Yet they still do have major economic problems. As they become a more legitimate player in the world market, instead of the boot-leg vendor, the cost of exporting items will rise. Copyright, consumer laws, worker rights and bureaucracy will plague them like the rest of the world.;)

However, does anyone know that the headers in question are actually made in china?:D
 
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