My quest for American auto parts.

My quest for American auto parts.

I set off on a quest to buy only Made in America auto parts that are really 100 percent made in the USA, not just assembled here. I decided it's time to invest in America. So I put my truck on jack stands because I knew this would not be a weekend job. Sure I could go the local big name chain auto stores and buy parts from China, Taiwan etc., and be done in 6 hours. The goal though is to buy only Made in American parts. The Job, the entire front end suspension and brake system for my 3/4 ton suburban.

I started this job October 15th 2011 , today is November 15th 2011. I will be done today. It took me 2 months to find parts made in America , take apart the truck and put back together. This also includes time for shipping. I worked on this project every evening . The hardest part was finding all the parts, what a pain in the butt this was. It was almost like trying to draw blood from a rock, but well worth it.

I spent $ 1,192.00 in parts, with free shipping. The alignment will be $ 150.00 My grand total is $1,342.00 I would have spent more money at the local chain parts stores and received junk parts that last 2 years or less. I proved it can be done, but this takes time as well as planning. So please add to the list so everyone here on ATS will know where to shop and get the best quality “ Made in America” parts.

The Manufactures of American made parts for your truck or car:

Add to the list.

Moog Suspension: A division of Federal Mongol. The real Moog parts are stamped made in USA right on the part and labeled on the box as well.

AC Delco: Suspension parts are sourced from and made by Dana Engineering. Made in the USA.

Bearings: MIBearing LLC. Located in Traverse City, MI. ( off the shelf ready to ship) . SKF, Made to Order bearings and hubs, (also off the shelf) both of these companies products are Made in the USA. I have to say the parts these guys make are way better than the GM bearings that came with the truck.
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Brake lines and hoses: PECO Plant equipment corp. Albuquerque, NM.
Steel braided or OEM standard brake lines for anything. All are DOT certified and custom made. I opted for the steel braided lines. Made in the USA. They do Internet orders also.

You know being that brake lines are one of the most important safety items on a vehicle; you think they would be made in the USA. ( NOT !) AC Delco brake hose lines are made in China, some in Mexico. I could not find one made in America brake line hose even at Napa or anyplace else for that matter.

Shocks: Edelbrock Made is USA.

Brake Rotors: GM, I found some new in the box old stock on ebay. Made in the USA. Allied-Signal also make brake rotors, hubs. and bearings that are made in the USA also.

I had a local shop rebuild my calipers . new pistons, and seals all made in the USA. stripped and painted with ceramic. I made sure whom ever done the work they would have to use made in USA parts only.

I appreciate the info. I usually buy from NAPA because as you said the other big chain stores will leave you walking. I hunt deep in the woods and swamp and can't afford to make the hike out. I'm more broken and tore up than my truck lol! I am about to rebuild my 5.2L or 318ci Dodge engine. I only want American made parts and believe me you will know the difference, if not by knowledge, then when your broke down in a year or so from Chinese Engineered Auto Parts (ChEAP).

Hmm, interesting project. Besides the redundant patriotism.

I am really not sure in which way this would be possible with German parts. I simply don't know if there even is a manufacturer for the brake lines.

May I ask you how much more expensive or maybe even cheaper this was for you compared to bulk parts from 3rd party countries? I know this wasn't you main concern, but it should be interesting, don't you think?

reply to post by ManFromEurope


I'm glad you asked this question. I did find a manufacture in Turkey. I do have the information on my other. Computer. I will post that info as soon as I can. Anyway this manufature in Turkey makes parts for American cars and trucks as well as other makes. I have to admit they have a really good build quality. I found them when trying to source parts for my wife's Toyota. I emailed them and asked if they make parts for American trucks, they said yes. They have 3 distributors in the USA. I was impressed with build quality on the Toyota parts and most of all the cost. The price was less than any Toyota dealer wanted, and still less than an American auto chain store. Both tie rod ends were $35 total or $17 each for the Toyota Suv. I did order some tie rod ends for the suburban as spares, because out on the trails with the suburban its good to have an extra set. I was really impresses they are better than the GM factory ones that were on the truck. You can tell its a quality product just by looking at it. There solid and much more heavy duty. Cost was 57.00 for two, with free shipping. After thinking about in now I'm going to test them out on the trail next time. I'm sure they will hold up just fine.

As for your question the manufacture in Turkey is by far less expensive than USA made parts by at least 30 percent. Also there made just as good. The situation appears to be their supply and distribution. You do make a valid point.
Sorry for the spelling , I'm typing from a phone.

We always thought Moog made their parts in the US, but after hearing this question we decided to check out the inventory we had on hand. We went into it thinking everyone was crazy, but really what we found was crazy. There were several countries that Moog had on their product boxes. Like a double digit number of countries.

Check out our blog post on the topic. It might surprise you to see some of the countries where Moog parts are made.
Blog post: www.aftermarketsuspensionparts.com...

Are there any other countries that you have seen on a Moog product you received other than the ones we found? a reply to: SJE98

a reply to: SJE98

why is the alignment going to cost $150?
i dont understand.

most shops do 4 wheel alignments for $60-$80
it is almost always a set price and does not fluctuate based on vehicle.

with new suspension/front end part is shouldnt be that hard.
curious about this

i dont worry about buying made in USA only parts
when i am working on my car(s) i just like to get it done.

i usually go to autozone cause they price match.
for some parts i go with whatever is the cheapest. with others i will only buy certain brands if possible.

moog is the best for front end parts.

i just did a ton of work to my wifes car over the last couple weeks.
i got everything from autozone except for the fuel filter cause autozone was out of stock so i got it at oreilly