Iconic — adj. \ī-ˈkä-nik\ — widely recognized and
well-established; acknowledged for distinctive excellence

What are the most iconic brands in the automotive performance aftermarket? We thought about that for a while and collected votes from thousands of hot rodders and performance enthusiasts on Summit Racing’s Facebook and Instagram in search of the answers.

Here is your choice for the #9 most-iconic aftermarket brand.

#9 — Crane Cams

Crane Cams wasn’t the first company to produce an aftermarket camshaft.

But Crane did revolutionize the way cams are produced and helped create a proliferation of aftermarket camshafts for hot rods and racing.

It all started in 1953, when Harvey Crane Jr. ordered a camshaft to help soup up his Flathead V8-powered Ford. Although that first cam performed well, Crane found that subsequent camshafts he ordered from the same company were much different than the first. In those days, manufacturing and machining inconsistencies made it tough to duplicate cam designs and profiles with precision.

Crane knew that cam design and accuracy played a critical role in an engine’s power production, so he used his machinist’s training to make his own camshafts.

Crane Cams was born.

Harvey Crane began grinding his own cams in the corner of his father’s machine shop using an old cylindrical grinder. These “homemade” cams proved to be more accurate and more powerful than anything he’d ever purchased. Word spread and soon a growing a number performance enthusiasts were using Crane Cams camshafts.

But that’s just the beginning of the story.

As camshaft technology evolved, so did Crane. Slide rules and calculators were replaced by computers, and the production of accurate, repeatable cam profiles increased dramatically. Crane was not only able to bring more camshafts to greater masses, but the company also was able to use its computer technology to explore possibilities in cam and valvetrain design. Crane would soon became known for making roller rocker arms and roller lifters more readily available.

“Crane wasn’t the first to offer roller rockers to the masses, but they popularized them,” said Wayne Scraba, OnAllCylinders contributor. “They had a large dealer network and their extrusions were always very high quality.”

In 1967, Crane Cams became a major sponsor for the NHRA. Legends like “Grumpy” Jenkins, Don Nicholson, and Don Schumacher all used Crane Cams bumpsticks and valvetrain products. On the circle track circuits, A.J. Foyt, Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt, and other big name racers won with Crane. General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler made Crane Cams their choice for street performance-related products.

Today, Crane Cams offers more than 80,000 different cam profiles, along with valvetrain components and ignition products. Crane Cams is truly the company that brought cam and valvetrain products to the masses.

Here are some of Crane’s most-popular products:

Crane Hydrualic Roller Camshafts

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Crane Energizer Camshafts

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Crane Gold Race Extruded Rocker Arms

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Crane Anti-Pump Up Hydraulic Lifters

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Crane Roller Timing Sets