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It
started as a one-man, part-time operation making engine parts for himself and
his hot rod buddies nearly 50 years ago. Today it has evolved into a multi-million
dollar, multi-faceted manufacturing operation, producing high performance engine
equipment for a wide variety of applications, including cars, trucks, boats,
tractors, motorcycles and antiques.
Many
of the top names in racing depend on these products for their high performance
needs. Legends like Garlits, Petty, Andretti and Foyt, as well as today's names;
Earnhardt, Gordon, Kinser and Scelzi, just to name a few. Although the company's
largest market share is competitive auto racing, it also produces products for
street and marine applications as well.
Crower
Cams and Equipment Company, Inc., is one of the leading aftermarket manufacturers
of high performance camshafts and related valve train components. But over the
years Crower has developed a more diverse line of products. Today, Crower is
the world's largest manufacturer of aftermarket crankshafts and connecting rods,
and the Crower line of clutches has been dominating the drag racing and tractor
pulling series for nearly three decades.
Bruce Crower, founder and president of Crower, is the thinking man's
racer, saying, "People don't think as much as they should. If you think
hard enough, the answer will come." Born in 1930 in Phoenix, Arizona, he
has been thinking about, and implementing ways to improve the internal combustion
engine for nearly 6 decades.
Today,
Crower Cams and Equipment Company, Inc., is still family owned and operated,
employing over 200 people at four separate manufacturing facilities. Utilizing
the latest in computer assisted design (CAD), Crower engineers render multi-dimensional
product templates that are then downloaded into one of Crower's 40+ state-of-the-art
CNC machining centers. The end result is an extremely efficient machining process
capable of producing thousands of products to exacting tolerances (0.0001").
All with quicker set-up and less down time between production runs.
This
greater flexibility, with tighter tolerances gives the customer more choices.
Choices that include ten different styles of steel billet or titanium connecting
rods and six variations of crankshafts for the small block Chevrolet alone.
Crower also lists over 500 catalog camshafts, but if a custom grind is desired,
Crower has accumulated an extensive inventory of over 3000 master cam profiles
to choose from in order to get the correct duration and lift figures required.
Valve train includes a variety of lifters, stud and shaft mount rocker arms,
pushrods and retainers all made in-house at Crower.
The
transition to a fully computerized design and machining environment only enhances
Crower's already superior line of products. This, coupled with an extensive
product development and testing program, keeps Crower and our customers one
step ahead of the competition.