I don't think anyone would have been happy with sand-cast gear teeth anyway, Jason. Those are rather fine teeth, and they have to run at speed. You'd have had an unhappy customer. If you were going to hob the teeth on a gear cutting machine, the cost of that alone would have pretty much eaten up the factory price he'd have wanted to pay per gear. Look at the way the steel ones are made: simple stampings, if he sources them in China the cost would be negligible. Then he sells them for $132 plus freight. Pity there aren't a lot more Diplomats around, it could be a good business.
