2011 - Crane Cams

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Crane Cams History
Crane Cams History
Crane Cams was originally known
as known as “Crane Engineering
Company, Inc.”, and was founded in
1953. In 1970 the original name, “Crane
Engineering”, was shortened to “Crane
Cams, Incorporated”, better defining the
company’s products and market of that
era.
From that very humble beginning,
Crane Cams has evolved
into a manufacturing and marketing
company. Amazingly, it all began in an
unused corner of the company owned
by the founder’s father’s machine shop.
The founder, a young apprentice
machinist, became interested in “souping-up”
his flathead Ford V-8 hot rod.
Like most others, he was strongly influenced
by the various “hot rodding”
magazines, ordering his first cam from a
California cam company’s ad. The
founder’s machinist’s training and hotrodder’s
ingenuity had already taught
him that camshaft design and accuracy
exacts a critical effect on engine power.
He also knew he was easily capable of
designing and manufacturing camshafts.
What’s more, he knew he could
design more powerful, far more accurate
and repeatable camshafts.
Although money was scarce, the
young apprentice traded his way into a
well-used cylindrical grinder. In rebuilding
this old, used machine he quickly
developed cam manufacturing and
design knowledge. His initial “home
made” cams were accurately made and
surprisingly more powerful than anything
he’d previously purchased. Other
local hot rodders soon found out, and
began buying his camshafts. The reputation
of the backroom Crane cam company
spread quickly across Florida and
further into the Southeast. In response,
Crane Engineering Company was
founded, which was an impressive
name for a tiny yet highly ambitious
firm.
By the mid-1950’s the flathead Ford
and early overhead-valve Oldsmobile
and Cadillac V-8’s were replaced by the
powerful, compact Chevrolet 265-283
V-8 engine family. It seemed that with
the early small-block Chevys came a
surge of growth for all forms of auto
racing. Drag strips and oval tracks suddenly
appeared, not only across Florida,
but the nation, and the tiny backroom
cam company grew as well.
In 1960, a Georgia Tech University
engineering student and weekend drag
racer, Pete Robinson, bought a Crane
cam for his supercharged Buick powered
1940 Ford. After success on the
street and at the drags, Robinson sold
the ‘40 and bought a dragster chassis
from the Dragmaster Chassis company,
in California. Pete carefully assembled a
stroker crankshaft, supercharged, smallblock
Chevy, and installed a Crane roller
cam. Robinson’s new car ran well on
Atlanta area tracks and at a few NHRA
Division 2 events. On a whim, he
entered the “Southwind” dragster into
the field at the 1961 NHRA Nationals, an
event that had previously been dominated
by California based cars and drivers.
A virtual unknown, Robinson’s little
single-engine dragster shocked the race
field and the nation, winning Top
Eliminator and smashing records in a
major upset. Several other Crane-
CRANECAMS.COM
cammed
racers were
also successful,
but
it was
“Sneaky
Pete”
Robinson
and Crane
Cams that
suddenly
captured
the racing world’s imagination!
Soon, word of the amazing power
produced by Crane Cams reached circle
track racers. This reputation attracted a
number of racers and engine builders
including: A.J. Foyt, Red Farmer, The
Wood Brothers, Bud Moore, Bill Elliott,
Junior Johnson, Dale Earnhardt, Richard
Petty, Darrell Waltrip, Bobby Allison,
Donnie Allison, Cale Yarborough, and
David Pearson, all using Crane Cams
and winning heat and feature circle
track races across the South.
Crane Cams prospered greatly during
the “car culture” years of the 1960’s,
and soon outgrew the building where
the founder’s father had once operated
his own machine shop. In 1965, Crane
Engineering purchased property and
began construction on a brand new
building. The firm moved into its brand
new facilities in January of 1966, allowing
an expansion of its product line and
services. Soon Crane introduced its
hallmark, gold-anodized, full-roller aluminum
rockers, was granted a U.S.
Patent on a brand new roller lifter