Here is a quote from Darts website here is the link http://www.dartheads.com/dartboard/showthread.php?t=1165

There has been much talk in the performance community lately concerning the arrival of “bargain” performance blocks and heads from various sources. These parts generally claim to be high quality performance pieces at extremely low prices. Sometimes the sellers don’t mention much about the materials used, the quality control, or where they’re made. Sometimes they are misleading about it, and sometimes they outright lie about these facts.

At Dart, our focus is creating great engine parts, right here in the U.S.A. We usually just shake our heads and move on when we see this sort of thing happening. But once in a while we get fed up with the bottom feeders and we decide to do something about it.

This is one of those times.

Starting October 1st 2009 and ending December 31st, 2009 we will be making an unprecedented offer to all of our customers and associates.

Our Little M Sportsman series blocks, part numbers 31151111, 31151211, 31152111 and 31152211, will be available at a special $200.00 universal discount.

Our regular Little M blocks, part numbers 31131111, 31131211, 31132111 and 31132211, will be available at a special $300.00 universal discount.

ALL customers, from our biggest warehouse distributors, to our numerous friends in the racing community, to the guy building his street rod in the garage, will receive this special pricing across the board.

Our blocks are high quality, U.S. performance pieces and we know they’re a better value than these “bargain” offerings out there. We don’t need to be misleading about their quality or where they’re made.

From October to December, we are declaring war.
Our intent is to send the “bargain” blocks packing by offering you a far superior piece at a comparable price.
Why consider a questionable engine block when you can get the best? It’s a win-win.
Get an awesome block, at an awesome price – designed, cast, machined and packaged 100% here in the good ol’ U.S.A.

If you’re thinking about buying a new block… there shouldn’t be any question where it’s going to come from.


- Thanks to all our loyal customers, fans, friends and associates, from Dart. .

I've been eyeballing the Dart blocks for my new build. It's too bad that the discount only applies to the little M series and not Big M. :sad:

Your site doesn't work Carl.

Do you think the sales of these chinese blocks are hurting Dart and they are having to lower their prices to keep up?

Probably and it also hurts the guy that cheaped out and now has a cracked block or his crank laying on the street behind him.

Your site doesn't work Carl.

I am working on a new one right now as the gentlemen that was taking care of my old is going through a devorse!! Need I say more LOLl

i would NEVER consider a chinese block, but not being in the loop....are they known for inferior quality... is there proof of inferior quality,

I am curious to see customers who have bought a chinese block and their own results..

"I must break you"
-Ivan Drago

i would NEVER consider a chinese block, but not being in the loop....are they known for inferior quality... is there proof of inferior quality,

I am curious to see customers who have bought a chinese block and their own results..


Here is a quote from another site where I posted my findings of the Chinese block.

Finally did the final probling of the Brand X block

Block datum points in the CNC machine are the cam and crank center line, center line of the bar through the mains and the center of the head dowel on the front of the drivers side block.

Also the block uses the same dowel holes under the fuel pump and starter area which I would say means the blocks are being machined on a track system which is used in high production machining.

One of the biggest problems with the block is from the center of the dowel pin which is the datum point, From there out to the front of the block the demension is suppose to be .845 and on this block its .865 which will move the cam a head in the block .020 and on a flat tappet cam the lobe will not last long riding on the edge of the lobe.

Now if you are using a BHJ lifter bore fixture which referances of the front of the block and going to an lifter .875 lifter bore it will leave a shadow on the rear of each lifter bore which means every lifter bore will need to be bushed even to run a .875 lifter.

The cylinders on the both sides were with in .003 front to rear.

On the even side left to right or intake to exhaust or I call this Y-axis the best was .001 worst was .0038

On the odd side in Y-axis best was .0018 the worst was .0077

Deck heights were on the even side were
low was 9.028
High was 9.038

Deck heights on the odd side were
Low was 9.029
High was 9.032

On the lifter bores we check the angles on all four corners only which should be 41 degrees.

Front lifter bore cylinder one was 40.937
Rear on cylinder seven was 41.026

Front lifter bore cylinder two was 41.020
Rear on cylinder eight was 41.014

I also used a .8425 cutter and machined down appox. .200 down on all four corners

And on cylinder one first lifter bore the cutter cut appox.006 at about 8 O'clock looking from the left side of the block which means the lifter bore was to far back and to far to the inside of the block

On cylinder 7 the rear lifter bore cut only at 12 O'clock looking from the left side of the block meaning the lifter bore was to far to the out side of the block appox. .006

On cylinder number 2 front lifter bore and cylinder number 8 rear lifter bore the cutter was only cutting at 12 O'Clock looking from the left side of the block which means the lifter bore was towards the inside of the block to much appox. .004

Running a roller cam your are dealing with direct center lines and having lifter bores of that far will change your seat to seat timing events.

The other problem I mentioned earlier was the hole through the lifter bore front to rear to and on the front lifter bore even side was the with in .003 of the Dart block but the rear of the hole dropped .0024

Looking at the 2 blocks side by side the hole in the Brand X block looks like the oil hole is 3/16 closer to the bottom of the lifter bore compared to the Dart blocks, The problem being is there is not enough material under the bottom side of the lifter bore or cam tunnel area as I measured from the cam bearing journal to the casting and its .200 different then the Dart block. Which means there maybe a chance of the lifters oil band being exposed when the lifter is on the base cirlce of the cam and more so a bigger problem with a small base circle camshaft.

From here the block is going to an other shop to have a brennel test done.

At this piont I am not going to waste my time check the cam tunnel for its locations as I have spent to much time all ready.

From my findings this block needs a lot of work before it could be used and if its a soft as I think it is there is no cure for that.

I hope Dart wipes them out of existence. ProComp, etc... All just trying to pose as something they will never be: a quality product.

I am using a Dart Little M for my 427 Build. What are good American Made components to fill the block with?

When will the chinese build a big block so we can get a discount on the Big M?

Any discount on the SHP blocks Carl? Whats the little M 'Sportsman block' compared to an SHP or regular Little M?
I'm getting one this winter, I doubt the little M even discounted is as affordable as the SHP, correct?

The price break makes no difference to me as far as choice, I would not touch one of those POS Chinese blocks at half the price. It would be nice to catch a deal on one of the Dart pieces though.

Very happy with my Big M so far, after years of building I am so close to put it between the frame rails. But any Dart block motor I have worked on the owner has been very happy with.

Very happy with my Big M so far, after years of building I am so close to put it between the frame rails. But any Dart block motor I have worked on the owner has been very happy with.

Hey, I am assuming (based on your ID) that you're building a 540 using a Dart block. If that's the case, I would love to get the specks about your build as that's what I am considering....

I am using a Dart Little M for my 427 Build. What are good American Made components to fill the block with?

Depends on what your doing

Callies Comp Star is offshore and finished here, Carl would have to give you details but he has said many times they have not had to do work to them like others out of the box

Eagle is good for a budget offshore rod if you spend some time prepping the rod

Scat is also an offshore rod/crank finished here and are good quality

Top of the line cranks for you would be Callies, Bryant, Crower etc. Rods would be Dyers, Oliver, Lunati, Crower, Carrilloo etc

It all depends on the $ you want to spend,

I would want a Callies/Bryant/Crower/Scat crank in your Dart block and Scat/Callies/Crower/Dyers/Carrillo/Oliver/Lunati rods , Pistons Mahle, Ross, Diamond, Probe

You can probally get the "best" deals on Mahle for the money. I have no issues with any of the pistons i mentioned including Keith Black 2618 premium forged. Do know the Mahle is 4032

When will the chinese build a big block so we can get a discount on the Big M?
x2 :yes:

Hey, I am assuming (based on your ID) that you're building a 540 using a Dart block. If that's the case, I would love to get the specks about your build as that's what I am considering....

Here ya go, any questions just ask!
http://www.camaros.net/forums/showthread.php?t=160598&highlight=540

I seriously doubt Dart is feeling any impact from the Chinese competition, anyone that is thinking about dropping the coin for a Cart block is not going to cheap out and fall for a knock-off inferior piece.

I know there will be some clever marketing for the Chinese junk (usually called lies). The whole reason for buying an aftermarket block is for the increased strength that will allow you to make mor power. Why would anyone settle for a poor quality aftermarket block, you would be better off sticking with a used production block.

I have used Dart products for years and have never been disappointed.

There is 30 days left to get the deal on the Dart Little-M blocks get with your dealer before the end of the year!!

We want discount on big blocks! :stirpot: Discount = me buy one tomorrow! :yes:

I am all for buying American and also feel that if a part is copied and reengineered in some far away land then resold here under a different name it is just wrong. I think Dart feels this is what has happened. If it was just another SBC block who would care. I would also bet they are selling them like hot cakes as everybody wants that something for nothing.

Problem here is as a consumer how do we know what is actually made here or made somewhere else and machined and sold as USA made??? Also these parts cause competition in a market where there wasn't any. Edelbrock has lowered it's prices and come out with ETEC heads and so have other big mfgs. In some way the competition does help level the cost of some of these parts.

Somehow I do not feel they are losing $300 on every sale made during this period. So I guess why not just lower the price for good and be done with it?

The fact is that the companies that are peddling the Chinese stuff can drop the price even more.Chance are that it cost them next to nothing to manufacture it.There are no enviornmental regulations,so not only is it cheaper to produce,but the raw materials are cheaper too.They buy our recycled stuff,and can smelt it down blowing toxic fumes all over the country while when we recycle we have to make sure nothing more toxic then purified water is coming out of the stack.If they really wanted to,they could make a superior prodcut to ours for half the cost,it is lucky for us that they greedy scum that run these companies are too cheap to figure this out.

Schimdt's right we will never see the end of Chinese products. After all there is a reason we outsource there, we can control quality but not run into many of the problems and regulations we do in the US, which is a huge cost cut.

I would love to see us get rid of the Chinese knock-offs though. Like it was stated earlier though alot of American companies outsource and just finish in the US.

If we think its bad now,wait until "Cap and Tax" takes hold.Sorry for going political here,but this is directly related to the subject.

Spent some time with Richard Maskins today and he told me that his 300 dollars off on the Little-M blocks is not going to end at the end of the month like was origianly planed but the price was going to remain the same as it is right now.