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A host of virgin LS stroker cranks lined up and waiting for magnaflux check.
One of the absolutely joyous perks of working in our industry is the opportunity to visit both engine build shops and engine component manufacturing sites.
About a week ago, I decided that it was time for a road trip, so I drove my trusty Ford dually crew cab turbo diesel to Callies Performance for a chance to see how street and race forged cranks are made (Callies is also heavily invested in manufacturing components for the aircraft industry, which iss soemthing I hand’t previously known). Since my office is only a stone’s throw (about 100 miles) east of Callies’ Fostoria, Ohio plant, it was an easy cruise.
Adam Keiser, Callies’ sales & marketing manager, was kind enough to give me the dime tour, and I had a chance to visit with a longtime buddy, Sales Manager Duane Boes. From the raw forging, cranks walk through the extremely well-organized processing path, with stops at automated milling machines, getting counterweights, snouts and flanges rough-cut, followed by finish cuts, and journal shaping, deburring, pin drilling, through-main gun drilling, oil passage drilling, journal and fillet grinding, journal and snout polishing, cleaning, magnaflux inspection and balancing. Very cool.
By the way, during my visit, I learned that Callies is now manufacturing steel camshaft cores (filling the void left by the unfortunate closing of Crane’s Daytona, FL operation).
Once in the expansive machining area (I was in heaven), the sweet aroma of cutting fluid filled the air (if someone would bottle the stuff as an aftershave lotion, I’d buy it). The visit was a real eye-opener, and gave me a real appreciation for the work and attention to detail that Callies and other high-end performance crank makers invest in producing the backbone of any go-fast engine.
The oil passage drilling phase.
Raw forging about to be treated to initial shaping on milling machine.
Over the years, I’ve had the good fortune to tour many manufacturing facilities (pistons at JE, injectors at Bosch, engine parts coating at Swain Tech, gaskets and bearings via MAHLE Clevite, race driveshafts at Spicer, etc.). Each time, I’m impressed with how relatively little these firms charge their customers, considering the enormous investment in equipment, manpower, design, research and engineering.
After seeing first-hand what it takes to pop out a ready-to fit high performance crank, I’ll never bitch about price again. I only wish that your customers (both street and race) could obtain this up-close view. After appreciating what”s involved to provide the components for their new engine build, they may still wince at forking over the dough, but they’ll finally understand what a bargain they’re getting.
- Mike Mavrigian
Editor
Tags: Callies, Crankshafts, manufacturing, Racing, street performance
