I bought a billet 168 tooth flywheel on ebay awhile back, it is manufactured by C.A.T. A good buy at $100 but the thing is drilled wrong :( The mounting holes for the pressure plate are drilled wrong, I cannot find any pressure plates available with a matching bolt hole pattern. I guess I'll have to drill and tap a new pattern. Time wasted on what I thought was a good buy.

Wait til you try to balance that "paperweight" graemlins/angry.gif
I have had two of them come through my shop that were bought at a "good deal".
How about 40+ gms out on one along with having to redrill it to bolt to they guys crank & we are talking a neutral piece here :confused:
Not bashing of course,,, just stating facts :D

We took that line on for a very brief time... I sent back ...oh jeeze ...it was several years ago...but I think I sent back like 10 of 12 cranks they sent us..
They wouldnt even pass my visual inspection.... One looked awsome the others were ... well... they went back....This was just one shipment... We stopped stocking that brand shortly there after.

Good to see this come up again. Talking to CAT they would make me believe my experience was unique but I guess it's not. Let me tell you about CRAPOLA. I bought there NEW cast 454 crank new on ebay. They say it matches the OEM balance as is. Just for good measure I paid to have the balance checked. It was over 80 out in the rear. I should have just shipped it back at that point :confused: ... but the machinist said he could bring it in. $120 later it was balance, but with a late model one piece 502 style flex plate. The extra weight helped. OK I called CAT and they told me this is rare. I buy a 502 Flex plat from them. They sold it for around $40 with the UPS. The GM plate was over $100. I take that back to the to check it against the std GM 502 plate we used to balance the crank (it was the shops std for balancing) and the damm if this brand new SFI plate is off by 40 grams. About 8 good sized holes later it's done. When we balanced the crank it looks like they did there balance with the flex plate on backwards, because when we did that it was only off by 20grams. They ship it with no dowel installed which is just stupid. CAT quality is the worst and do not trust what you here if you call them. I am bashing them for sure and advise anyone to avoid there garbage for any application. email me if you want pictures or more detail.

Gee! I can't imagine why the infamous Communist Chinese slave-labor/prison labor/child labor workforce would turn out such crap. I mean, if you were twelve years old and had never ridden in a car, wouldn't you enjoy busting your ass for thirty cents a day to build quality hot rod parts for people you've never met living thousands of miles away?

It's time to replace the income tax with an import tax.

How 'bout them shift kits ;)

OK I have to show you what 80 and 40 grams looks like. This ain't perdy so the faint of heart should close there eyes now....

Notice the large notches in the rear coupler done with Brideport mill. graemlins/angry.gif
http://bellsouthpwp.net/p/c/pcs0snq/cat%20crank%20454.jpg

http://bellsouthpwp.net/p/c/pcs0snq/cat%20flexplate%201.jpg

close up of the holes! Remember this was a late model 502 flexplate that already had a larger weight than the old Mark BB's...
http://bellsouthpwp.net/p/c/pcs0snq/cat%20fleplate%202.jpg

graemlins/angry.gif WORDS!

Originally posted by Schurkey:
It's time to replace the income tax with an import tax. That will never happen.They will only add to taxes and come up with more :(

Originally posted by Schurkey:
Gee! I can't imagine why the infamous Communist Chinese slave-labor/prison labor/child labor workforce would turn out such crap. I mean, if you were twelve years old and had never ridden in a car, wouldn't you enjoy busting your ass for thirty cents a day to build quality hot rod parts for people you've never met living thousands of miles away?

It's time to replace the income tax with an import tax. Exactly! That's the way it use to be! I hate China crap! Especially with quality American made rotators for only few hundred bucks more.

Makes me wonder about Scat and Eagle? What makes them different then CAT? Nobody can seem to answer that, ya always get the run around.

It's been said on here by more than one engine builder/machinist that the Scat and Eagle is way better. I know what you mean though. I'm all done with that stuff. If it isn't forged and machined in the USA, it will not be in my stuff from now on. It's well worth the additional money for piece of mind. I had know idea it was this bad. :eek: Hope this helps anyone with any doubts. graemlins/waving.gif

SCAT is a completely american product.

Unfortunatley going overseas is the future. Everything can be designed and modeled on a computer, and then sent with a mouseclick.

Originally posted by TJC:
SCAT is a completely american product.

Unfortunatley going overseas is the future. Everything can be designed and modeled on a computer, and then sent with a mouseclick. I'm pretty sure there China cores. Possibly the same cores as the CAT stuff.

The problem is there is no real companies, just a bunch of brokers and slave foundries for hire. Can anyone even begin to imagine how big the industrial areas is in China with all American company names. Notice how we have not seen any photos? I wish those factories where still in the rust belt.


It will be the end of this great country. graemlins/sad.gif

That's right, you'll be left with service industry minimum wage jobs, and high end white collar stuff. Nothing in between.

According to SCAT's literature, everything is done onshore.

You get what you pay for :(

I guess now its time to remove CAT from the Favourits in my Browser..That didnt look pretty.. :(

Originally posted by TJC:


According to SCAT's literature, everything is done onshore. ===
That's not quite what the literature says.
It is a known fact that if the majority of the manufacturing that goes into the end price of a product is done in the USA it can be called "made in the USA"
This goes for cranks or complete cars.
Where do you think a lot of the parts of most cars are assembled before they end up in that "made in the USA" GM product were done??

Now, as far as Scat goes:
First,in my opinion, there is a huge difference in quality control between the two companies & the two companies have absolutely nothing to do with each other.
I have been a dealer & user of Scat products for over 12 years without problems.
Scat is not just an importer, they are a manufacturing company.
I do not sell or use CAT products & will not use them if they are brought into my shop.
The Scat forgings are done offshore but the final machine work & inspection is done in house.
The cast Scat cranks are finished offshore, but every crank is inspected for size & polished in house & the reject rate is quite high.
If it ain't right it doesn't go in a Scat box & you don't get to test it for them..
Everyone can have a problem get through once in a while but in over 12 years I have not had to send a Scat crank back.
Scat does everything from cast cranks clear through very high end billets & other than forging & rough machining it is done in house under their control.
If you did a bit of investigation you might be surprised at some of the companies that use Scat cranks & also where the forgings of some of the other "made in the USA" cranks start life.

WOW :eek: I was going to use CAT rods in my next pontiac build, but now, I might have to spring for the crowers or the eagles.

One other item, for you to chew opon, if your still in doubt. When I brought this issue to CAT's attention, they never offered to really make it right as in, send me a balanced correct and decent crank to my bob weight...I never even bothered to tell them there fancy SFI flex plate that was also crap. You should have seen the run out. :eek: Two items purchased, two defective items... buyer beware for sure. I'm very disappointed.

The comment above, about you get what you pay for is interesting. This crank was bought on ebay. Ebay often has good deals if you watch and shop and everything. So even though the ebay prices was very low, I assumed it was just like always a good deal. I had emailed the seller and he confirmed it was not a second or discarded deal and he has a good reputaion. Guess he still laughing over that. geezzz graemlins/angry.gif

I try to buy American and support my local businesses when possible. But truthfully, junk is still junk no matter where it's manufactured or how little you pay for it.