MGB: Crane is back in business!

For those of you who haven't noticed, Crane was (mostly) bought out by S&S Motors, of motorcyle engine building fame. They already have the website updated and you can buy products directly from them, if you want an electronic ignition kit. The MGB cams are slated for future production, so don't ask. It may be a while!

Good. More suppliers is a good thing. ;)

I hope they hold the prices - the Crane "fast road" cam for the B was a great deal! Even so, good to hear they are back!

Somehow, after the conversation I had yesterday with their products manager, I think we can expect a modest price increase across the board. The billet cam will be priced more in line with other billet cams, rather than the wholesale prices we saw from Jegs and Summit. The "Walmart effect" is what took down Crane and you can be sure they'll protect themselves better this time around.

The new Crane will be following a less traditional approach toward "grassroots" motorsports and car enthusiasts, not focusing on mass sales and allowing their vendors to wholesale everything en mass. They actually want you to call them to place an order, where in the past it was like pulling teeth. They would rather you called an outside reseller.

I think the new Crane will be around for a LONG time! I got a hint of the new products they're considering, and they really have their heads on straight, analyzing serious market research.

While I am glad to see an american icon back on the market, I can not say as their product for the MGB was going to be missed. I have one of their sticks in the GT and have never been impressed. The fact that they did not make a matched component kit of springs and lifters aslo tells me they were not very devoted to the product. It WAS cheap and I guess I got what I paid for!

Pete

Hmmmm, maybe, they will come up with a better grind than Crane offered, it left a bit to be desired.

Hmmm, so the Allison ignition parts will be available from them as well? (Not that I will ever remove my distributor cap alone!)

Hap, if you want a better grind, they're listening at this point. Personaly, any cam that can generate near 100 rwhp in a well tuned engine is ok with me. Peter, its rare to see a new cam be a real billet cam at the price point they offered. Cheap? I think you mean inexpensive, unless you had a lobe fail or an inaccurate grind that you can share with us? I got more than 80 ft lbs of torque across nearly 4000 rpms with the Crane cam. That's a problem?

I meant that it did not cost a lot. I do not pretent to be a cam expert, but I find that the unit I installed in the GT falls flat on its face before by 5k on the rev counter. If anything, the engine in the GT should be comming awake at that point with the ported head, 45DCOE and 2" exhaust. It was istalled properly with a a degree wheel and dial indicator.

The springs and keepers they supplied to match the cam did not fit and are still in the box.

Peter

[quote=B-racer]
Hap, if you want a better grind, they're listening at this point. Personaly, any cam that can generate near 100 rwhp in a well tuned engine is ok with me. Peter, its rare to see a new cam be a real billet cam at the price point they offered. Cheap? I think you mean inexpensive, unless you had a lobe fail or an inaccurate grind that you can share with us? I got more than 80 ft lbs of torque across nearly 4000 rpms with the Crane cam. That's a problem?[/quote]

The problem with the Crane 010 performance cam is is taps out way early, like mid 5s, the VP11 or VP12 give you the same mid grunt and will pull another 1000 rpm making power. people bought this cam because they could get it from Summitt for a little over 2 bills, buit the grind leaves alot to be desired, drive a proper build engine with a VP 11 or 12, you'll see exactly what I mean, much smoother thru the rpms. Also alot of folks got the crane billet which has to be advance more than most cams, and simply lined the dots up, which was almost like nev er buying the cam to begin with. Trust me on this one, this is a middle of the road cam grind at best.

Oh and while I'm at it, I hate their valve springs as well, left over SBC spring with way too much seat and nose pressure. This company for me is like Deeves, I could care less personally if they come back or not, I never bought anything from them, I glad for the folks they will employ, but they won't sty in business oin what they sell me :) The best thing crane did for my effort was made A series cam billet core I could get to get ground elsewhere, which i can get in the UK anyway.

Disclamier, if I sound grouchy, I don't mean to, I always told you guys I would tell you what I really think, and there ya go, no sugar coating.

I'll agree with you Hap - the cam falls flat over 5K, especially if you advance it the way they recommend and use small carbs. I thought it pulled much stronger above 5500 with the DCOE. For street folk, that's probably a good thing - I consider it a margin of saefty preventing overrevving and a catastrophy.
Their springs ARE too stiff as well - factory double springs are perfectly adequate.

One thing they will have availalble for the British cars is their new XRi ignition - like Pertronix its enclosed in the distributor yet includes a built-in rev limiter. Cool stuff.

When I talked with them a few months ago they only had interest in the motorcycle stuff and didn't want much to do with anything else. Now they told me that some things with high volume are being considered which probably wouldn't be a cam like ours. FWIW

Anton and other have MGB cam billet cores readily available from the UK, so it's not a big deal, David doesn't grind anything wild enough for my A series race engines, so I go to Comptune or Elgin, and both of them use Crane billets.

As for a MGB camshaft, APT's VP 11 and 12 will go past 6000 without much fuss, it's not something most of us will not do in our street cars, but now 5500-6000, thats another story. I recommend the 11 for guys worried about a idle, and the 12 for those who are Ok with a 1200 rpm idle and want to go past 6000.

Hap and Jeff:

Thanks for putting that to rest. I will stop wondering where the other 1000 rpm are with the "performance" cam. I always had a nagging feeling that the lack of high end was something I had done wrong when specing out or asembling the engine. When I bought the cam, it was for the improved "Mid and Upper Range" power. The first clue should have been when it was willing to idle smoothly at 800rpm with the DCOE!

You can dial the Crane in a couple degrees retarded to get the upper rev range if you want it. Otherwise they fall off at 5k pretty consistently, like a lot of the aftermarket performance cams. t least the quality is good and you don't have to worry about welded up lobes or failing lobes.

The product manager at Crane told me they WERE considering the MGB cam for production, as it is one of their best sellers. Companies like Moss (who sell it as their in-house performance cam) drive the numbers up. Its worth thir while to produce the cores and the finished cams!