Camcraft Newsletter
September 1, 2007
Editor: Charles Reichard
Dear Customers,
School has started in most places by now. Hopefully a little money will free up for the racers. Lord knows they need it just to be able to get to the track anymore.
Sept 24th is the due date for our daughter Betty’s first baby. It is also their anniversary date. They have been together 12 years. Two years ago they celebrated their 10th anniversary by getting married. It was a grand affair.
End of year testing
This time of year we are busy making cams for people wanting to try something a little different than what they normally run. With the end of the racing season near and most points battles over, now is an ideal time to try out those ideas you’ve been thinking about for next year. That different chassis setup or a different cam can be tested without loosing valuable points while you get it sorted out. Then next season you have a jump on the competition. While they sort out their new ideas, you are showing them the quick way around the track. Don’t waste these valuable non-points weeks running your same old combination. Try new things to prepare for next year. The same applies to any other type of racing as well.
Price increases
There continues to be significant price
increases in steel over the past year. We have delayed price increases as
long as possible but the time has come to do it again. The increase in flat
tappet cam prices will be a very modest 3-4% or so. The roller cams are a
different matter. Expect 6-8% increase in prices on about everything steel
and some of the oddball combinations like 55 mm bearings and 4/7 firing swap
may be even a bit more. We hate to see this happen but it is a hard fact of
life. There will be a noticeable price increase in everything made of steel.
We hope you all have had enough success with our cams that the price
increase will not matter. Our profit margin, in some cases, is reduced even
with increase.
Antique performance cams
Sales have been brisk with our Antique Performance Cams. Camcraft has the most extensive listing in the industry for new performance cams for the antique market. Most of our customers have restored cars and just want a little better performance and fuel economy with a good smooth idle. Performance cams for restored antique cars do not have to turn it into a hot rod. Of course we also have offerings for the street rodders that want a lopey idle. Current materials are also far better than the old OE castings. Call today for your application!
We now have a catalog for older factory performance cams. We already stock many of these and now it will be easy to look them up. Some applications included are 348 & 409 Chevy 350 409 and 425 hp, 390 Ford GT 335 hp, 428 Cobra Jet, 425 hp 427, 429 CJ and SCJ, 271hp 289, 289-302 Le Mans, Most small Block Chevy factory high performance applications, Mopar 340, 360 & 440 cams and many more. This catalog is available online as well as via e-mail. We will have a few printed copies as well.
The popularity of our polished lifters is increasing dramatically. We get a consistent 2-3 ra finish and that reduces wear significantly. Try some soon!
Tony Alteri of TA Engines in
Plainfield, CT reported the following wins: Mike O’Sullivan #13 Late Model
at Stafford; Tommy O’Sullivan # 16 Late Model at Thompson Speedway and Dave
Cranmer #59 Modified at Wall Township Speedway.
Pettit Racing Engines powered Keith Rocco #78 to another win in the SK Modified class at Thompson Speedway
.
Woody Pitkat, a long time customer of Performance Engines by Billy The Kid and a competitor in SK Modifieds at Thompson and Stafford Speedways as well as being a Late Model driver, is still the current leader in the national NASCAR/Whelan All American series. He currently has a 62 point lead over the 2nd place driver. Woody is a past northeast regional champion at least twice.
Keen’ Automotive Machine in Smithfield,
VA had the following wins. Ken Roundtree picked up his 6th win in
6 starts at East Carolina Speedway in his #43 Limited Late Model and Jeff
Sampson got his 7th win in his #8 Wolf Truck at Langley Speedway.
Jason Leftwich got a win in his #92 Grand Stock. On the APBA scene Jason
Browning was the overall winner in his 1.5L Hydroplane “Bad to the Bone”.
Sister Kasey Browning won the North American Championship at Cambridge, MD
in her 1.5L Hydro “Hott Stuff”. She was Hot Stuff again in Hampton, VA where
she won the Summer Nationals Championship as well as the Hampton Cup, which
is given to the driver who sets a new record or comes closest to breaking a
record.
Charlie High of Charlie High racing
Engines in Moyock, NC reported a win by Greg Edwards #27 Late Model at
Langley Speedway. Nick Smith # 21 Late Model picked up 2 wins at Langley.
Alan Holmes of Lincoln County Auto
Parts in Fayetteville, TN picked up wins at Winchester Speedway and Duck
River Speedway in his #59 Open Wheel car. Other Lincoln County customers
with wins include Jerry Ashley #7 Late Model with 2 wins at Winchester and
Henry Hanger with 2 wins at Winchester and a win at Duck River. Jeff Frame
got 2 wins at Winchester Speedway in his #8 Super Stock. Don Adams picked up
wins at Clinton County Speedway in Alpha, KY and Tazewell Speedway in
Tazewell, TN in his #1 Open Wheel car.
Dan Bedell reports the following wins at Lebanon Valley. Pro Stock, Kevin Arnold #76, Jason Corbin #8, and Mike Middleton #38. In Sportsman Modified Frank Harper #25, Cory Sanstead #80 and KP Goewey #2. Both Cory & KP are Chrysler powered. In Big Block Modified Hector Stratton has 2 wins. At Thunder Mountain Don Hart #H10X (Ford) and brother Rodney #10X have wins.
We
appreciate your support!!
Charles, Harriett, Clarence, and Chuck