Richard,
Can you forward this to the IML list? I?ve lost the ability to post and I?ve been trying to get this out since last night.
Thanks
Ken
67 Crown 4 Dr Ht
From: Ken Lang [mailto:ken@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]
Sent: Wednesday, March 15, 2006 8:33 AM
To: 'mailing-list-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx'
Subject: FW: Brake Rotors 67 & 68
All,
Below is email correspondence between myself and Shaun Shroff of the
Durabrake Company. At the bottom is my initial query and above is Shaun?s reply.
Most members with the Budd brake system are eager to find replacement rotors for their Imperials (myself included).. Some are skeptical and have concerns. The issue of using credit cards has been answered by Shaun in that anyone can pay Durabrake through Paypal incurring the 2.9% fee instead of sending a check or money order. Doing so would also allow members to charge the rotors to their credit card if the cash for this purchase is not readily available.
We currently live in a global economy and many of the things we consume today are manufactured outside of this country. Durabrake has a manufacturing facility in Taiwan and most likely that is where the rotors will be made. Shaun also addresses that issue in his reply.
Later this month I plan to meet with Shaun at his
Los Altos, California facility. I have every confidence it will be a positive and constructive meeting. My plan is to leave one rotor from my 67 Crown with him as the model for the rotors to be made.
I encourage anyone with questions or concerns to post them here on the IML. Shaun is a member of the IML and will respond to those questions. My dealings with him so far show him to be an honest and professional individual. I?m sure he won?t wilt from anything you can throw at him.
Ken
67 Crown 4 Dr Ht
From: Shaun Shroff [mailto:shaun@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]
Sent: Tuesday, March 14, 2006 7:43 PM
To: 'Ken Lang'
Subject: RE: Brake Rotors
Ken,
To answer the first question your assumption is completely right. We do not accept credit cards because we deal mainly with distributors who buy 5-6K worth of product at a time and paying the credit card fees for an amount like that is not feasible. We can accept paypal if members really want but will have to charge 2.9% as that is what they charge for using a credit card.
The rotors will most likely be made in our factory in Taiwan. Our Baltimore facility cannot make rotors as
they are pretty complicated items. Our Baltimore facility primarily makes brake drums. While someone might have found someone making rotors for $10 my opinion is that you cannot trust this. Of course this is an attractive price but many factors have been left out of this price. First dealing with an international company directly is not an easy task. Getting answers from a company in India and China is not as easy as picking up the phone and calling an American-based company. The cost of $10 per rotor will not include tooling cost which is a huge portion of the cost (because the quantity is so small). Shipping from India is also an expensive process. Think about shipping two rotors from California to New York; it will cost about 40 bucks through UPS Ground so when you think about shipping all the way from India it will be expensive as well. You will need an engineer to take a rotor and make the design from a physical piece. You will need someone to take responsibility for handling this project since you will need someone to be in constant contact with the supplier, arrange shipping, arrange warehousing, arranging local shipping within the United States. Going directly with a company elsewhere provides you with no warranty and money will need to be sent to them before you receive the product so there is no guarantee you will ever receive the product.
What you will get from DuraBrake is a high quality (it will probably be of even better metallurgy and performance than the OEM rotors) rotor that is designed in the United States by US engineers and manufactured in Taiwan. We have been making rotors for a while now and we are probably the biggest manufacturer and importer of heavy-duty truck rotors from China into the United States. We sell our rotors to the largest heavy-duty axle manufacturer in the United States.
I have looked into the Supra conversion for the Imperials and I believe that it was $140 per rotor to do this because of the machining costs and all the additional labor that the owner would have to put it so it is practically the same cost.
I hope I have answered your questions. Feel free to forward this to the group. If you have anymore questions please do not hesitate to
ask. Have a great day
Regards,
Shaun Shroff
DuraBrake Co.
650-210-9315
x109
From: Ken Lang [mailto:ken@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]
Sent: Tuesday, March 14, 2006 7:15 PM
To: 'Shaun Shroff'
Subject: Brake Rotors
Shaun,
A couple of questions came up that I thought I would toss your way.
A couple of members were wondering why DuraBrake doesn?t accept credit cards. Personally, I?m assuming it?s because the company does not normally deal directly with consumers.
Another question had to do with where the rotors would be made. Some think they will be made in India or China. Apparently one member had managed to locate an India based company that would make these rotors for little more than $10 each. Despite the attractive price, no one is willing to risk the quality for the low cost. But if DuraBrake has the rotors made in one of those counties, it may throw up a lot of red flags for some members.
I know that many of the Imperial club members rejected the idea of using brake rotors from Toyota Supras just because the rotors were not made in the USA. Apparently certain years of Toyota Supras have nearly the same rotor as the 67 & 68 Imperial. With a little machine work the rotors fit perfectly. But most club members rejected the idea of a foreign made part on their American made car. So the hope is, that Durabrake will actually make the new rotors here in the U.S. I see that DuraBrake has a manufacturing facility in Baltimore. Is that where our rotors would
be made?
Thanks for taking the time for this. Feel free to call me during the day on my cell phone at 510-566-4698.
Thanks
Ken
