Any difference between these two?

[VickyBlue]

Other than half the price, is there any other differences between these two?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Proform-Parts-69510-Timing-Cover-Cast-Aluminum-Buick-400-430-455-Each/331775778788?_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIM.MBE%26ao%3D2%26asc%3D52935%26meid%3D40264632e28b4907ab6f8405aac4fb06%26pid%3D100005%26rk%3D2%26rkt%3D8%26mehot%3Dpp%26sd%3D172292491387%26itm%3D331775778788&_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1967-1976-Buick-Timing-Chain-Cover-Big-Block-400-430-455-TC676-/172292491387?_trksid=p2385738.m4383.l4275.c10

 

I am in the middle of a week long fasting and praying to the Gods of the exhaust manifold bolts...

[68RIVGS]

Looks like only the price going by the description, BTW. . . say an extra prayer for me, and make sure you have heat !!

Edited August 30, 2018 by 68RIVGS (see edit history)

[VickyBlue]

You got it buddy... Thanks  

Edited August 30, 2018 by VickyBlue (see edit history)

[60FlatTop]

Summit is a large catalog store that sells newly manufactured parts at a minimal markup. Their professional buyers make deals and leverage their buying power to get the best pricing on only parts that can be reordered. You can buy parts for almost any make or model from them.

 

Cars, Old Buick Parts, is a specialty company catering to Buick owners and can be more responsive to the collector's needs. They also search out and market NOS and original parts that may otherwise go unmarketed or scrapped.

 

Supporting hobby vendors has a recognized value to me and I am willing to pay a little extra and give my support to their effort for those times when the big volume buyer can't support my need for a special part. I use Rock Auto and Summit for a lot of parts on my later cars. The old cars, I gravitate to the specialty vendors.

 

In the instance of the timing chain cover; that would indicate a larger order than just one part so percentage wise the extra $50 would not be a large factor in the total order. An obscure part might be in there that needs my business support just to be available. I will spend the extra in a self seeking manner.

 

That's how I see the difference.

Bernie

 

 

[JZRIV]

At first I was thinking its not likely there would be more than 1 manufacturer for this reproduction but as I look at the pictures closely, there are differences. Based on pictures, an obvious one is the unit from CARS comes with the crank seal and locating pins installed. The other includes but uninstalled.

 I would try to do a little more research.There are other slight differences in the castings. TA performance also sells a cover for $499. That's a big price difference and we know in most cases you get what you pay for. What would worry me is there are many corners that can be cut in aluminum castings some of which can't be seen like the quality of aluminum. It would be good to hear from someone who purchased and installed the cheaper one.

Edited August 30, 2018 by JZRIV (see edit history)

[PWB]

One of the main problems with larger casts of aluminum is that they shrink and warp on cooling. The chemistry in its metallurgy can effect this variably if not tightly controlled. This is usually compensated with a final machining at mated surfaces / ports then QA.

I wouldn’t trust anything from Cars based on my experience. I’d go with TA. They know Buick big blocks.

 

 

[telriv]

There have been MANY problems with the Pro Form cover as mentioned on V-8 Buick in the past. I don't know IF a newer casting was made or not & as far as I know NO ONE HAS.

I personally would go with the T/A cover price be damned. You either pay NOW or pay LATER. In the end it usually ends up costing more $$$ to fix the problems.

 

 

 

Tom T.

[rocky5517]

I bought mine from OPG and pd $499 incl delivery, I think, about 5 yrs ago. I chose the one that had the bearing already set into place. Never had a problem since.

[RivNut]

DId you happen to see this one?

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1971-Buick-Timing-Cover-455-400-V8-GM-1230345-Skylark-GS-Stage-Riviera/113221441401?epid=1437336077&hash=item1a5c861779:g:TR8AAOSw5KFbTr-t

[VickyBlue]

Found this on the Buick V8 forums, straight from TA. It's good enough for me.

 

The Walmart Parodox.

Here is a review on the TA timing cover. Similar processes are used for many of their products.

TA put up every penny to develop the timing cover and owns every piece of tooling, core boxes, blue prints and patterns. They have a neat room full of patterns for different components.

At least a year of development was involved, and this would be where the majority of Mike's week was spent talking, fitting, measuring, researching, traveling, etc. Original Buick blue prints were utilized to ensure spot on fitment to the block to start. Previous Buick engineers, other engine builders (both Buick & non-Buick) were consulted as were TA's existing modification process being used on OE timing covers. Causes of Buick's oil pump anomolies were determined and engineered out.

The TA Timing covers are sand cast by an aerospace foundry of 356-T6 aluminum in the United States. Sand cast and heat treated alloy are the foundation for eliminating the oil pump's problems. Original and all the offshore timing covers are die cast, which is a fraction of the cost and a huge compromise in quality. I remember the pallets coming in and having spec sheets for each run. After they are cleaned up & blasted they are trucked by US truck drivers to TA's facility in Scottsdale, AZ. There, even more tax paying Americans take those timing covers and set them up for CNC machining. There is quite a bit of maching on them, not as much as a cylinder head, but still a solid hour+. Throughout the process they are quality checked. Then the finished covers are packaged in US made boxes.

FYI on another investment that TA incures for all of their products/inventory: They are required to do a yearly inventory and pay tax on that inventory, even if it was there last year. For many products it is necessary to do large enough production runs to get the vendors to do the work and/or get a reasonable price that TA has to hold inventory for several months or even longer.

On the assembled oil pumps they are meticulously assembled and additional hand work is performed making the pump extremely efficient - solving the oil pump problems that plagued the Buick Big Block for 20+ years. This assembly is so efficient that it is able to support Rod Hendrickson's Alcohol Supercharged engine that produces well over 1000 hp.

The photograph in the Proform Catalog sure looks like a TA cover, and it is missing the front seal and dowel pins. Either it is one of the early pictures that I took or they have one and removed those items for reverse engineering.

TA has been doing a great job supporting the Buick community and is constantly re-investing. If the (extremely small) market is diluted with distractful (because they are a step backwards) competitive products, then revenue that would otherwise be used for future Buick components is diverted away. As a consumer, you think that competition is a good thing, in such an isolated market it is detrimental. If a company or entreprenuer wants to get involved, make something that we are lacking. As an example, there were two competitive cylinder heads, that proved to be a flop. We at TA were puzzled why people using our heads on a daily bassis found it necessary to be involoved with such projects? Why didn't one of them undertake something that was needed at the time, such as oil pans, performance water pumps and good thermostat housings???

Please remember that a Buick Timing cover is a complex, multi-dimensional component as opposed to a one dimensional Chevy stamping.

The Walmart Parodox: force vendors to continually cut costs, to the point of sending the product's production overseas. Resulting in a crap product from i.e. China and a reduced quality US product, because the US company had to cut corners to keep it made in the USA. Then when Walmart wants to reduce beyond that, they edge your company out and go direct with the manufacturer. China is very desperate right now and expect them to steal even more manufaturing.

 

Buick Power, Jun 15, 2009

#27

 

http://www.v8buick.com/index.php?threads/new-1967-76-400-430-455-timing-cover.180285/page-2

 

Edited August 30, 2018 by VickyBlue (see edit history)

[Seafoam65]

 Can't beat MADE IN THE USA!

 

Edited August 30, 2018 by Seafoam65 (see edit history)