Just to clarify, a billet rod doesn't come from a forging. It comes from raw stock that is rough cut to shape and then fully profile machined to the final product. I also don't see on Howard's website where the 4340 material necessarily is from the US, but it might be. I worked for many years in a manufacturing background and it can be difficult to source purely US material. Some of the best machining and most consistent materials I have worked with have come from Israel.Bernard Mondello wrote:The Howard's Ultimate billet connecting rods are 100% USA made; from the billet forgings they use to the heat treat, stress relieving & machining. We've used Howard's rods in many of our engines in the last 5 years. As an engine builder, it is imperative to me that when we recommend or use a part, we know that it is made from USA produced material and it is manufactured in the USA. Howard's meets both those criteria. We sell several sets of these a month, all over the country to happy customers.
We also sell Crower and Manley, etc. Quick note on that. Howard's is a fully machined, forged billet connecting rod, whereby the other two (Manley & Crower rods listed in above post) are American forgings, but more of an OEM style connecting rod. Sorry for the long post......
I do, however, very much appreciate companies that take every measure to control quality by doing as much as they can in house.
Brent
