Crane Cams
Harvey Crane
Crane Cams, Inc., A Corporate Biography
By James W. Hill
Crane Cams and its parent company Crane Technologies Group 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 nearly $50 million dollar per year manufacturing and marketing company. Amazingly, it all began in an unused corner of company founder Harvey J. Crane, Jr.’s father’s Hallandale, Florida machine shop.
An apprentice machinist, young Harvey 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.
That first cam performed well, but when he ordered another, he found it was not at all like the first. Harvey’s machinist’s training and hot-rodder’s ingenuity taught him that camshaft design and accuracy exacts a critical effect on engine power. He also knew he was now capable of designing and manufacturing cams. What’s more, he knew he could design more powerful, far more accurate and repeatable camshafts.
Although money was scarce, Harvey traded his way into a well-used cylindrical grinder. Rebuilding it, he quickly developed cam manufacturing and design knowledge. Harvey’s “home made” cams proved to be accurately made and far 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 cam company spread. In response, Harvey founded Crane Engineering Company in 1953. It was an impressive name for a tiny yet highly ambitious firm.
By the mid-1950’s the flathead Ford V-8 was replaced by the powerful, compact Chevrolet V-8 and with it came a surge of growth for all forms of auto racing. Drag strips and oval tracks suddenly appeared, and the tiny backroom cam company grew as well.
In 1960, a Georgia Tech University engineering student and weekend drag racer, Pete Robinson, bought one of Harvey’s cams for his supercharged Buick powered 1940 Ford. After success on the street and at the drags, Robinson sold the ‘40 and bought a Dragmaster dragster chassis. Pete built a supercharged, small-block Chevy, and installed a Crane roller cam. Robinson’s new car ran well on Atlanta area tracks, and on a whim, he entered the “Southwind” dragster in the 1961 NHRA Nationals.
A complete unknown, Robinson’s little single-engine dragster shocked the field, winning Top Eliminator and smashing records in a major upset. Several other Crane-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 oval track racers. This reputation attracted a number of racers 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.
Crane Cams prospered greatly during the “car culture” years of the 1960’s. In early 1966 the firm moved into brand new facilities, at the same time developing and marketing innovative new products. Crane aluminum rockers, patented roller lifters, mass-produced racing cylinder heads, heat treated chromemoly pushrods, aluminum, steel and titanium valve spring retainers, machined steel valve locks, high-rev kits, and stud girdles firmly established Crane as the industry’s No. 1 cam company.
It was also during this time Crane Cams became a pioneer in the science of computerized cam lobe design. Previously, cam profile designs required lengthy, tedious mathematical exercises with a slide rule or mechanical calculator. Computer technology slashed this time and substantially increased lobe accuracy. For Crane Cams, the result was an explosion of knowledge gathered, expanded and utilized.
As Detroit accelerated and expanded its motorsports programs, Crane Cams was establishing itself as a supplier to the automotive industry. Ford, American Motors and Chrysler selected Crane Cams as their choice for a variety of products and services.
In 1975 Crane acquired its steel billet cam core manufacturer Universal Camshaft Co., of Muskegon, Michigan. That operation was moved in 1981 to a newly constructed manufacturing center in Daytona Beach. In 1985 the entire company relocated to Daytona Beach, moving into its current 160,000 square foot facility.
In February 1994, Crane Cams acquired Camshaft Machine Company and its plants in Michigan and Indiana. To better reflect its new market mix, the company’s name was changed to Crane Technologies Group.
A Young Harvey Crane working at the Cam Grinder
One of Harvey's Early Hot Rods
Early Crane Ad Featuring Pete Robinson
More to Come from Harvey Crane
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