Country of Origin of Modern Type Bendix

[AlfinCT]

Guys, I just received a modern type Bendix from a well known vendor. It is labeled made in India. It does not look like a first class piece of work. Do any of the vendors have a US made or other top quality Bendix? Before I go to the trouble of installing it I'd prefer to start with a better unit if they are available.

[Kevin in NJ]

My brother thinks it interesting that it is considered a modern type and more reliable then the original Bendix.

Back in the 50's Citroen used the 'modern' style Bendix on the 11 series Tractions.

Citroen changed to the model A style Bendix because they had reliability problems with what is considered the 'modern' style.

[Tom Endy]

I for one am very wary of parts made in India. Several years ago the market was flooded with the A1190 dust cover that fits on the front wheel spindles that was made in India. The part was poorly made and had every conceivable dimension incorrect. The result was it would bind the front wheel bearing which is a safety concern. I had personal experience with them.

Bratton's recognized the problem and sent their stock out for rework. However, it did not address the full issue. Bratton's catalog today states that this part (Bratton p\n 1610) is now being made from new tooling.

I believe there are quality made starter drives in the market place, however, I don't have personal knowledge who carries them.

Tom Endy

[Doug in NJ]

I once got a replacement rocker arm shaft for my Triumph Spitfire, and it was made in India. A few days after installing it, I went to check the valves, and I noticed that the front 4 rocker arms were getting no oil. The cause was this: An oil passage runs down the center of the shaft, which is made by drilling the shaft from each end. But they didn't drill quite far enough, and the two holes didn't quite meet up in the center of the shaft. Doesn't say much for their quality control...

20 or 30 years ago China and India were similar in terms of development, but China's manufacturing capabilities now seem to be far beyond those of India.

Doug

[Karl]

Originally Posted by Tom Endy

The result was it would bind the front wheel bearing which is a safety concern. I had personal experience with them.

Tom Endy

How did in present Tom ? Something is binding in my front wheels and I can't work out what. Only seems to be on a hard left turn and braking . Karl

[Dennis L Oberer]

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What they do is they reverse engineer a quality USA item but the engineers dont know how to measure accurately and so they make something "close".

Worse was years ago when the Argentines reverse engineered WORN items and so NOTHING fit that came from J C Whitney.

The good old days.


Now we are in a global economy and the A suppliers really have to watch the quality control.
Dennis L Oberer
Green Bay WI

[Tom Endy]

Answer to Karls question:

The A1190 dust seal is fitted to the front spindles very tightly. In order to get the originals off you would have to tap a putty knife under them and pry them off with a screwdriver.

When the drum is installed the inner bearing has to clear this dust seal. The ones from India stuck up too far and jammed the bearing. The other dimensions were also off so that it was possible they could come loose from the spindle which could also jam the bearing.

The dust seals do not do that much for you, you can operate the car just fine without them. After I experienced a problem trying to install the India ones I left them off for a couple years. By the time I was ready for another brake job I had found some spindles at a swap meet and I took the original dust seals from them and put them on the Vic.

A comment about parts made in Argentina:

A few years ago a Model A came in to my friends restoration shop. The owner had just bought the car and had been advised that the transmission had recently been overhauled. The transmission would pop out of every gear when you tried to drive the car. You had to hold the shifting lever very firmly or it would come out of gear. My friend tried several different known good towers on it to no avail. We pulled the transmission and I took it apart. The cluster and the two slider gears had the word "Argentina" stamped on them. Although they looked new, they also had a strange appearance. I replaced the bearings and made sure everything was assembled correctly when I put it back together. Back in the car it still would not stay in any gear. We pulled the transmission a second time and I replaced the Argentina cluster and two sliders with some used, serviceable "Henry" gears.... Problem solved.

Tom Endy

[john in illinois]

This is really a good question. I put in a new style Bendix 4 years ago and no problems. I got it from a vendor ,But don't remember COE. I have heard Massey Ferguson dealers sell it. They might have a better quality part.

I have bought a couple of made in India machine tools because I only needed to use them once. They weren't even good enough for one use.

I would call the different vendors and ask where the part they sell was made.

[flexiheep]

Originally Posted by john in illinois

I would call the different vendors and ask where the part they sell was made.

If you really care, this is the way to go, makes it very obvious to the sellers that it matters to you. It also helps reinforces there decisions if they made a choice to carry a US built part.

I like the catalogs that tell US vs Import origin and also note high quality import parts if they are. It is a few words that make it easier to decide some days.