Want an Engle K56 or any BB Engle cam? You're SOL like me

[bull]

I called Engle today to order a K56 and was told by Chris there that they have not had any three-bolt cores come in for three months and they sold their last one-bolt K56 yesterday so guess what? I ain't getting no Engle cam. Another in a long list of setbacks with this project. Like I told Ron, I'm beginning to develop an attitude. And it's not a good one.

[firefighter3931]

Dang, that sucks ! 


Ron

[Ghoste]

Did they give you any idea when they would have cores?

[maxwellwedge]

Yup - been waiting for mine for months - first - they were moving, now - waiting for 3-bolt cores. I am thinking there are only a couple of companies making the 3-bolt cores and Crane used to before they went under.

Good news - I can wait a little longer as the car wont be ready until spring. No use screwing the motor together to just sit for 5-6 months I guess.

Hey - maybe the one they sold yesterday is mine?    

[bull]

Sounds like the one-bolt cams are hit and miss since they just had one, which is a lot more promising than the three-bolt cams of which they haven't gotten a core for in three months. I don't think they have any way of knowing when they'll get some in.

I guess I don't quite understand the production process. Can someone explain top me why they need cores?

[Ghoste]

They don't manufacture the blank, they just grind it to spec.  The cores would come in looking much like a huge spool valve and they grind the lobes.

[bull]

I see. I guess I figured they were making the cams start to finish.

Well the one thing Chris did say is that his boss let the inventory dwindle to nothing before they moved to their new shop and now they're trying to play catch up to demand with nothing in supply. Not sure what if anything that has to do with the supply of cores but my guess is that if they weren't ordering cores like they once were the supplier probably cut production and moved on to other customers or other types of parts. I can see why a supplier would want to dwindle inventory before a move but it seems to me that it really screws the customer which is bad for everyone involved. The same thing happened when I was trying to get .040 over forged pistons. Federal Mogul had let the inventory drop to nothing before ramping it up again but that left a nine-month gap in service which included summer, which I would think would be a prime sales season. Meantime the customers who needed the parts, like me, had to go with something else and so they ultimately screwed themselves. But this situation has to be even worse for Engle because not only are the low-demand 383 customers getting hosed the high-demand 440 customers are too, and that has to hurt their bottom line. Any way you look at it they're losing money and for what? The convenience of a light move to the next building?

[ZSmithersCharges]

Well this is bad news for my 383 build 

[Runner]

my guess is this is happening as a result of crane going under, they supplied ALOT of cores to the other manufacturers

[ZSmithersCharges]

my guess is this is happening as a result of crane going under, they supplied ALOT of cores to the other manufacturers

Then how did they go under  Seems a company that is relied upon that much could only go under through bad management.

[maxwellwedge]

No bail-out package   

[ZSmithersCharges]

Maybe some good news? 

http://69.20.53.62/
"Performance industry icon Crane Cams has reopened under the new ownership of S&S Cycle, and is actively engaged in manufacturing and sales operations of its ignition and motorcycle lines. The company, founded by Harvey J. Crane in 1953, is newly housed in a facility at 1640 Mason Ave. in Daytona Beach, and a number of long-term Crane employees have joined the revitalized company.

S&S Cycle acquired Crane's intellectual properties, patents, trademarks, camshaft masters, inventory and some equipment in April 2009. S&S is best known for its broad line of components for V-Twin motorcycle applications. The 50-year-old company boasts extensive R&D and manufacturing capabilities, including a complete in-house 50-state Emissions Certification Lab.

Crane Product Manager Terry Johnson, a 12-year vet, said, "We have already ramped up production of the motorcycle valve train and ignition products, as well as the automotive ignition line. Many of the top NASCAR teams use Crane ignition products, so maintaining continuity for these customers is top priority."

Production of automotive valve train components may take longer. Chase Knight, who has over 40 years of Crane experience, has resumed his role as Valve Train Product Manager. According to Knight, "While we know the market is very hungry for our cam and valve train product lines, we want to make sure the parts we ship exceed the quality and performance expectations of our customers. At this point we can't put firm timeline as to when everything will be fully up to speed. We want to be sure to get this right!"

Many of the experienced techs who have helped racers over the years are back on the phones and can be reached toll-free at 1 866-388-5120."

[bull]

I'm not waiting around for Engle to get their $yit together. I would love to run an Engle because of their reputation but a reputation isn't worth jack squat unless they can produce parts. So per Ron's advice I'm going with plan B: a Crower 32242 and a set of their hydraulic lifters for around $240. Crower has cores and promises a three-day turnaround. I called a guy at Engle today and he said they haven't seen any K56 cores for months and there is no game plan in the works to get any in. Screw it. Onward and upward. In reality how do we know if the new Crane owners will be making good quality cores? They might just source them out to China for all we know. At least the Crower cores are made domestically, or so they told me today.

[Rolling_Thunder]

I would call Engle again - Ask them if they have something like a K60/K62 laying around - as long as it is a bigger cam they can regrind it down to a K56 for ya...    the bigger it is they have a better chance of altering the LSA - but if they have something on the same LSA you're looking for then it just needs to be ground down...   

They have done this for me in the past - I needed a K56/K58 and they ground down a K60/K60 they had in stock

[Rob R]

I have K62's with a .012 quieting ramp ground into them

[bull]

I would call Engle again - Ask them if they have something like a K60/K62 laying around - as long as it is a bigger cam they can regrind it down to a K56 for ya...    the bigger it is they have a better chance of altering the LSA - but if they have something on the same LSA you're looking for then it just needs to be ground down...  

They have done this for me in the past - I needed a K56/K58 and they ground down a K60/K60 they had in stock

I'm surprised they didn't offer me that option. My guess is they don't have any K60 cores either but I'll ask. EDIT** Yup, I called them two minutes ago and it's just as I suspected. You ain't getting a 383/400/440 cam from Engle for the foreseeable future. They don't have any BB Mopar cores... PERIOD! All their Mopar BB cams come from the same basic core which they cannot get.

Also, the price I listed above on the Crower cam is wrong because it reflects a one-bolt setup. The job becomes a custom grind to turn a 32242 into a three-bolt and it adds another $40 to the price (three-bolt is the standard roller rocker build). So basically it's $280 instead of $240 when you include the lifters. It's too late for Engle as far as I'm concerned; the Crower's been ordered.

[ZSmithersCharges]

I guess they're are not as many Mopar fans as Chebies?    At least my car is sexier and worth more 

[oldkimmer]

.............I have had very good luck with Crower cams.............i like the 32207 +the32208 hyd 1s............kim.........

[firefighter3931]

I'm not waiting around for Engle to get their $yit together. I would love to run an Engle because of their reputation but a reputation isn't worth jack squat unless they can produce parts. So per Ron's advice I'm going with plan B: a Crower 32242 and a set of their hydraulic lifters for around $240. Crower has cores and promises a three-day turnaround. I called a guy at Engle today and he said they haven't seen any K56 cores for months and there is no game plan in the works to get any in. Screw it. Onward and upward. In reality how do we know if the new Crane owners will be making good quality cores? They might just source them out to China for all we know. At least the Crower cores are made domestically, or so they told me today.

Curtis, the HDP271 grind is an excellent choice for your application. It won't give anything up to the K56. Be prepared for lots of tire frying torque and strong horsepower up top. 



Ron

[ZSmithersCharges]

I'm not waiting around for Engle to get their $yit together. I would love to run an Engle because of their reputation but a reputation isn't worth jack squat unless they can produce parts. So per Ron's advice I'm going with plan B: a Crower 32242 and a set of their hydraulic lifters for around $240. Crower has cores and promises a three-day turnaround. I called a guy at Engle today and he said they haven't seen any K56 cores for months and there is no game plan in the works to get any in. Screw it. Onward and upward. In reality how do we know if the new Crane owners will be making good quality cores? They might just source them out to China for all we know. At least the Crower cores are made domestically, or so they told me today.

I wouldn't expect you to wait  Screw that I just thought it was interesting.  But your more than likely right, they probably just bought out the company so they could use their good name on their shitty products.  They can't replicate what Crane did because lets face it, they went out of business for a reason so some things would have to be changed.  And probably not for anyones benefit but for the new parent companies, Ie. Chinese manufacturing.