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A HISTORY OF THE
INDEPENDENT 0EM, RACING & BILLET CAMSHAFT MANUFACTURERS
-- BY --
HARVEY J. CRANE, JR.
SEPTEMBER 2005
SOME INFORMATION SUPPLIED BY
EX EMPLOYEES OF THESE COMPANIES
MUSKEGON CAMSHAFT COMPANY
(THE ORIGINAL NAME WAS MUSKEGON MOTOR SPECIALTIES)
MUSKEGON, MICHIGAN
FOUNDED IN 1908
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THE FOUNDER WAS CHARLES
JOHNSON WHO LATER BECAME THE FOUNDER OF SEALED POWER CORPORATION (SPX). THEY
WERE THE FIRST MANUFACTURER OF SOLID STEEL CAMSHAFTS. PREVIOUSLY ALL STEEL
CAMSHAFTS WERE ASSEMBLED FROM LOBES KEYED TO A SHAFT. MUSKEGON CAMSHAFT WAS
THE FIRST COMPANY TO SELL CAMSHAFTS TO OTHER THAN OEM CUSTOMERS. THE
AFTERMARKET CAM SALES STARTED WITH REPLACEMENT CUMMINS CAMS AROUND 1958.
LATER CAST IRON CAMS WERE SOLD IN THE REPLACEMENT MARKET. |
CAMSHAFT MACHINE COMPANY
JACKSON, MICHIGAN
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HERM MELLING (AN INVENTOR),
WHO WAS BUD MELLING'S FATHER, FOUNDED CAMSHAFT MACHINE COMPANY IN 1942. HIS
TWO PARTNERS WERE HAROLD F. ANDREWS (A STOCK
BROKER) AND FRANK TITUS. FRANK CAME FROM MUSKEGON MOTOR SPECIALITIES AND WAS
IN CHARGE OF MANUFACTURING. |
UNIVERSAL CAMSHAFT COMPANY
MUSKEGON HEIGHTS, MICHIGAN
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UNIVERSAL CAMSHAFT COMPANY WAS
FOUNDED IN 1946. THE FOUNDERS CAME FROM MUSKEGON CAMSHAFT CO. THESE
EMPLOYEES LEFT DUE TO A LONG LABOR STRIKE AT THE FIRM. THEY LEFT TO SUPPLY
CUMMINS ENGINE, WHO WAS A MUSKEGON CUSTOMER. DURING THE LONG STRIKE.
UNIVERSAL CAMSHAFT WAS SOLD IN 1974 TO CRANE CAMS,
INC. CRANE CAMS WAS FOUNDED IN 1953 BY HARVEY J. CRANE, JR. IN 1974 HE THEN
BECAME THE PRESIDENT OF UNIVERSAL CAMSHAFT COMPANY, INC. HARVEY ALSO
REMAINED THE PRESIDENT OF CRANE CAMS, INC. OF HALLANDALE, FLORIDA.
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WEYBURN-BARTEL
GRAND HAVEN, MICHIGAN
ENGLAND & GERMANY
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THE ORIGINAL WEYBURN COMPANY
WAS ESTABLISHED IN THE UK (ENGLAND). WEYBURN THEN ACQUIRED BARTEL CAMS
(GERMANY). THE NEW WEYBURN-BARTEL THEN ACQUIRED CAMSHAFT SPECIALITIES OF
GRAND HAVEN, MICHIGAN IN 1975. IN 1990, WEYBURN-BARTEL WAS ACQUIRED BY AN
ENGLISH FIRM, T&N PLC. DURING 1998, FEDERAL MOGUL CORPORATION ACQUIRED T&N
PLC!
THIS WILL MAKE FEDERAL MOGUL THE WORLDS LARGEST CAMSHAFT MANUFACTURER!
IN 2003, THE GRAND HAVEN
OPERATIONS WERE PURCHASED BY ASIMCO TECHNOLOGIES OF BEIJING, CHINA! |
ENGINE POWER COMPONENTS, INC.
GRAND HAVEN, MICHIGAN
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FOUNDED BY DWAINE QUIGG AND
RAY STOWERS IN 1979. BOTH MEN WERE EX EMPLOYEES OF MUSKEGON CAMSHAFT AND
WERE THE FOUNDERS OF CAMSHAFT SPECIALTIES.
RAY STOWERS FIRST CAMSHAFT EXPERIENCE WAS WITH UNIVERSAL CAMSHAFT COMPANY
UNDER THE SUPERVISION OF BUCK REDDING, THE CHIEF ENGINEER. THEY SOLD
CAMSHAFT SPECIALTIES TO WEYBURN IN 1975. RAY STOWERS DIED ON JULY 2, 1997.
DWAINE QUIGG'S SON MARK QUIGG IS NOW THE PRESIDENT. |
EONIC, INCORPORATED
FOUNDED IN 1946 |
THE FOUNDERS WERE ED MERTZ, JOHN YANKUS,
RUSS MEYERS AND JIM HEAD. A YEAR LATER ED TURNER PURCHASED THE INTEREST OF
JOHN YANKUS. IN 1952 JIM HEAD LEFT THE FIRM.
THE NAME EONIC IS FROM THE GREEK WORD MEANING "ETERNAL AND EVERLASTING".
THEY WERE A MANUFACTURER OF PROTOTYPE CAMSHAFTS FOR ENGINE TEST AND NEW
ENGINE DEVELOPMENT.
IN 1960 EONIC PURCHASED A 49 PERCENT INTEREST IN ZEPHYR CAMS, LTD OF
ENGLAND. I PERSONALLY VISITED THIS FIRM AND I WITNESSED THE FIRST CNC
CAMSHAFT GRINDER MANUFACTURING CAMSHAFTS FOR FORD MOTOR COMPANY. THAT
MACHINE WAS MADE BY LUND (ENGLAND).
AT ONE TIME EONIC'S CUSTOMERS INCLUDED MACK TRUCK, CUMMINS ENGINE, COOPER
INDUSTRIES, SUPERIOR AIR, CHRYSLER AND COLTEC.
EONIC WAS SOLD TO NEWCOR, INC.
EONIC'S PRODUCTS ALSO INCLUDED CAMS (PLATE TYPE AND MACHINE TOOL TYPE)
AND OTHER PRECISION PARTS.
IN 1996 NUCOR OFFERED EONIC, INC. FOR SALE.
IN 1997 NEWCOR SOLD IT TO AN INDIANA CORPORATION (TENAX ?).
THE LAST EONIC, INC. ADDRESS THAT I COULD FIND ON THE INTERNET WAS 900 WEST
SMITH STREET IN YORKTOWN, IN 47396
EVENTUALLY, SOMEONE LIQUIDATED EONIC'S ASSETS!
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ALL OF THESE ABOVE FIRMS
HAD EMPLOYEES OR FOUNDERS THAT WORKED AT THE ORIGINAL USA CAMSHAFT COMPANY,
MUSKEGON MOTOR SPECIALTIES.
ALMOST ALL REPLACEMENT CAMSHAFTS SOLD UNDER OTHER NAMES ARE MADE BY THE THE
FIRMS LISTED IN THIS HISTORY OF CAMSHAFT MANUFACTURERS.
A FEW OTHER FIRMS THAT MAKE CAMSHAFTS MAKE THEM PRIMARILY FOR THE ORIGINAL
EQUIPMENT ENGINE MANUFACTURING COMPANIES. ASK ME FOR THE OTHER NAMES OF CAMSHAFT
MAKERS IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN "WHO MAKES WHAT FOR WHOM".
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