[Amc-list] Crane closes after 56 years

[Nick ALFANO <71amx@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Yes, this is bad news and not just for us but might have a bigger impact on the car hobby in general.  Last Monday they closed the doors and sent everyone home.  By Tues, people were cleaning out their desks for what looked to be for good.  They didn't say anything to us WDs.  In fact, I had just spoken to my rep on Friday and asked how things were going and he didn't indicated anything.  They closed owing me a few roller cams and 5 sets of roller lifters.  I am upset that I may not ever see my parts or money but even worse is, Crane was the only cam company out there making a roller cam core for AMC V8s.  All other companies that were offering a roller cam were getting the cores from Crane.  Their roller lifter was also at the top of the food chain.  I spoke to Harvey Crane a couple time last week (He didn't leave Crane after he sold it, they fired him).  He said they had been in trouble for some time now.  They were suppose to
 close on a deal to sell the company on Mon or Tues and when they found out that wasn't going to happen, they had to close the doors.  I don't know if they will re-open again or what.  I can't even get through to the direct lines I have.   

Now for possibly some good news.  I have spoken to a few cam core manufacturers over the past week.  I am getting close to making a deal with one of them to make cores me (another big investment I wasn't planning for but I don't want to loose the cams).  Also working on the lifters as the cams are not worth snot if we don't have a good roller lifter to go with it.  Crane was using an expensive process to make the cores which made them the strongest in the industry.  They start with a higher grade of steel, then copper coated the area between the lobes which protected them from the hardening process so that they more flexible and didn't get too brittle.  They then carburized hardened the cam.  Other companies only induction hardened their billet cams using a lower grade steel.  The one company I am leaning towards will make it the core the same way Crane did as well as uses a purer grade of surgical steel as a starting material. 
 Hopefully I will have the blue prints for the cams in a couple weeks and have more to report.

Thanks

Nick
 Alfano Performance
4849-76 st.
Kenosha, WI. 53142
262-308-1302
262-942-8271 after 6pm central and weekends 


Message: 5
Date: Thu, 26 Feb 2009 15:17:15 -0500
From: "Bruce Hevner" <scramblr@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: [Amc-list] Crane closes after 56 years
To: <amc-list@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
Message-ID: <005801c9984f$37438520$a5ca8f60$@net>
Content-Type: text/plain;    charset="us-ascii"
http://wot.motortrend.com/6460399/auto-news/report-crane-cams-closing-its-do
ors-after-56-years-in-aftermarket-performance/index.html
That's sad,,, at one time (back when I first went to work at the engine
shop) Crane was "Top Dog" when it came to cams. Their stuff was always first
quality and tech support was great. But the guy who started it (Harvey
Crane) sold it and then they tried to diversify by getting into the ign
field and some other things. I don't think that worked well for them.
Then that fricken COMP snowballed them with their advertising,,, oh well,,,

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