Barry brings up an important point: BBM is an unknown supplier, without a history of products, good or bad.
We all know that there are teething issues when a new product is brought to market, from MAJOR issues with the FE products from Shelby, Genesis, Dove, and Pond, and even issues with the Edelbrock FE heads and RPM intakes when they came out. Doug knows that his cylinder heads and blocks, being imported, will receive the most intense scrutiny, from some very biased sources. The smallest imperfection, real or perceived, will be pounced upon and immediately held up for ridicule! And that is one reason it has taken so long for BBM to bring it's first products to market. The BBM parts have to have ALL of the bugs worked out BEFORE they are released to market. The parts have to be thoroughly tested and inspected. This has NOT been the case with ANY of the other FE parts suppliers to date. Let's leave Dove out of the discussion, but the long list of problems with early, and even later, castings from Edelbrock, Shelby, Genesis, and Pond could fill pages.
The FE builders that got these early parts knew there were going to be learning issues, you had to take it in stride and either figure out a fix or send it back and hope the next one would be better. We were just thrilled that they were making FE parts at all! So you cuss a bit, tell the customer there is a delay, and move on. Do you think everyone will cut BBM's new parts that kind of slack? Obviously not.
In actuality, BBM prototype heads have not only been sent out for appraisal, they have been on numerous running engines for the last eight months and have logged thousands of miles with no issues. We dyno'd our first engine with BBM heads last fall. ALL this was done BEFORE giving the go ahead for actual, full production. Doug has a 36 year background as a master CNC machinist, he is quite focused on the quality, accuracy, and consistency of the machining on the heads, as well as the blocks.
As for the "mysterious" offshore supplier that nobody has ever seen, yeah, maybe the folks in FE world aren't familiar with them, but the same could be said for Pond, Genesis, and 427 Garage. They don't explain who their suppliers are, or give out ANY info what so ever. And they don't have to.
The foundry and machine shop that BBM is working with may be unfamiliar to most of us, but they are major players, both at home and with Detroit. The machine shop is a regular Aerospace/Defense industry contractor, and they currently machine automotive V-6 heads and blocks for one of the big auto makers. The foundry casts aluminum and iron automotive blocks, diesel blocks, and is CGI capable. They have a fifteen year history of casting and machining blocks for Detroit and are in the process of setting up to produce new castings for Detroit at the rate of thousands per month. This is no garage operation.
While working out details on the new engine parts, Detroit and Korea have sent teams of people back and forth many times this past year. During these trips, representatives from the foundry and machine shop have not only stopped and spent time with Doug at BBM in California, but they have even flown to Colorado and come to our little shop. Twice last year, they have sent a team here, including foundry and design engineers, a metallurgist, lead machinist, machine shop foreman and the owner. Each time, we've spent days going over blueprints, BBM parts, original parts, and other aftermarket parts, looking at how Blue Oval will be doing finish machining on the heads and blocks, flow testing, and doing mock assemblies. They insisted on mounting everything to the blocks, from intake manifold to oil pan, bell housing to motor mounts. I have been very impressed with the level of professionalism and their Can Do attitude. They actually listen to what we have to say, and do what we ask. If I pointed out something that wasn't quite right on a prototype part, they reacted with embarrassment and assured me that it would be taken care of and would not be a problem again. It's really a matter of pride, and they want to produce a top quality part. It's very rare to find that kind of dedication anymore. It's the kind of attitude I think this country had from WWII through to the Cold War and Space Program in the Sixties.
All of us worry about the shift from U.S. to offshore manufactured goods. And while many of us will try to favor American made goods, it's almost impossible to do. Even so called American made goods are not always American. While researching suppliers for seats and guides, Doug found that while the well known US made cylinder head manufacturer's seats and guides may be finish machined here, the blanks are made in China. On their assembled heads, the valves are imported and the springs are China. There are no cut and dried answers.
It all comes down to producing the best possible product, at a reasonable cost, with consistent availability, and excellent customer service.
