Valley Head Service, a long-time customer of Egge Machine Company, builds automotive race engines, repairs stock replacement engines and does vintage engine work too. Larry Ofria started Valley Head Service 45 years ago on May 1st 1965 and has remained in its current location (Northridge, CA) for over 32 years. The legacy of Valley Head Service was built by legendary names such as Carroll Shelby, Holman/Moody, Smokey Yunick, Warren Johnson and Don Prudhomme. On our visit, we saw blocks ranging from a Ford V-8 60 to a pair of Lamborghini engines (a vintage Countach and a late model Audi built).

Larry is a master technician and built one of the first air-flow measuring devices for testing the air volume and mass in his head designs. He built two while he was at it, one for himself and the other for Carroll Shelby. He was excited to run a couple of race cars this weekend up in Bakersfield. A new car for him, a first generation Camaro prostock with a blown big block. and his “old-faithful” 57 A/GS class 388 small block Chevy running at best; 7.408 at 183.86 mph in Bakersfield March 2007.

Larry has been around vintage engines for quite some time. He quizzed us a bit and we learned the first double overhead cam, 4-valve engine was built by Peugeot in 1911! There were only three made and he re-built the only one remaining in existence for a local collector.

Valley Head Service relies on Egge Machine Company to supply his shop with stock, restoration and street performance engine kits and internal engine components. You can too with a quick call to our Egge Engine Parts Experts. They will start you off with a catalog and information on how you can increase your bottom line with Egge brand products and services.

Through SEMA and the SEMA Action Network, 38th California Congressional District Representative Grace Napolitano visited Egge Machine Company on August 18th, 2010. The visit was to address her constituents in Southern California about different social plans she is working on. She took questions from the audience, which ranged from Mental Health care for veterans to Solar Energy. Also addressed were some of the business concerns of the Automotive Aftermarket especially for small businesses.

Thank you to the Honorable Grace Napolitano and her staff, Chris, Dan and Nathan from SEMA for this opportunity.

The Long Beach Model T Club and the Orange Empire Horseless Carriage Club came in for a tour. Bob Egge and Neil Matranga showed them around the shop. Ending in the famous Babbitt Foundry.

Founded in Long Beach, CA in 1954, the Long Beach Model T Club is dedicated to preserving and maintaining Model T Ford vehicles of anciant age and historical value. The club also serves as an accurate and technical source of information concerning Model T Fords for the benefit of its members and the general public.

Today, Chris from Checkpoint Automotive stopped in with his 1931 Chevrolet 3-Window Coupe. While chatting with Chris, the car was restored in 1982 from a very solid original car. Chris was the care taker of the car for many years before purchasing it from the estate a few years ago. “It runs as good as it looks.” Chris states thanking Egge for helping him build a solid reliable engine. The dash still has the original paint and the odometer reads the original miles on the car at 33,215!

The 3 Window Coupe sold for  $535.00.  57,741 3 Window Coupe where produced out of 623,901 total production of Chevrolet cars in 1931. Dual side mount and wire/wheel options are rare on a Chevrolet, but to have both is extremely rare especially on a 3 Window Coupe. These options are normally found on Sport Coupes or Convertibles. In the late 20’s and early 30’s dual side mount-wire wheel options where typically found on the expensive models.

John poniedup to the shop today to see if we had heads for his HEMI drawn carriage. Essentially a hemi on a frame with a permanently attached carriage trailer. There is a 10 gallon tank under the buckboard and steering and such is hydraulic to the front framework. To crazy for words.

Bob came by our booth at SEMA to show us these photos of his awesome AMC. He recently rebuilt his original Hurst SC/Rambler 390 with Egge pistons. Here is a picture of the car was at the Detroit Autorama in the Chrysler Employee Motorsports exhibit.  The car had the engine that was done in conjunction with the senior tech editor of Hot Rod magazine, Marlan Davis.  It appeared in the March, 2004 issue of Hot Rod Magazine. Thanks Bob for sharing your notable Rambler.

1934 Terraplane 6 Convertible

The installation of your new pistons on my 1934 Terraplane is almost done. I used #0 pistons, since the engine got dry sleeves, after a major engine problem in 2000. After we bought the car in Copenhagen and drove from there to Germany, the cam follower for the fuel pump broke off, got between camshaft and valve lifter, which broke the camshaft into 6 pieces, which in turn ruined everything in the crankcase like pistons etc. The spare parts for repair I bought at your store. After that, the engine was running, but with a lot of other problems to be taken care of. Again with the help of Egge and the ROC / Railton Owners Club in the UK we traveled extensively i.e. 10,000 km until the increasing blow by made us look into the engine and found to my amazement the broken piston rings. I needed new pistons and rings from you, which were installed, this time checking the piston ring gaps and now I am in the procedure to finish the repair by putting the cylinder head on etc. The car is, according to an expert in antique cars, the one of six known vehicles of the 1934 Terraplane 6 convertible, which is still running on the road. The other 5 are in museums or collections.

Again, thanks to Egge, for the assistance to keep this early marvel of engineering excellence running!
Friedrich Goes, Germany

What do you get when you put a Flathead V-8 60 and a Toyota tranny in a bucket roadster?

Well, if you're William Seal you get this fun little hot rod that you drive all over the place! William stopped by the Egge Shop to pick up some parts for his next project and shared this little jem with us.

Enjoy the photos.

Here is my 1933 Model 57 Buick four-door sedan, which is under restoration using Egge pistons, valves and valve springs, and roller tappets.  The car has its original two-tone blue paint.  Special features are the side-mount spare tires on each front fender, the wire wheels, and, instead of a back trunk, an openwork metal trunk rack that folds up against the back car body.

I bought the car in Denver in 1973 in honor of my father’s favorite Buicks of the mid-1930s, remembered well from my family’s annual summer drives from Kansas City out to our cabin at the foot of Pike’s Peak in Colorado.  I drove the ‘33 sedan lightly during the mid-seventies and then stored it for thirty years while I concentrated on other car passions.
The attached photos were taken recently during my rediscovery of the Buick and its rescue from somewhat dusty storage! 

As my son and I plan the work on the engine, it appears to be in excellent condition. Here, from the right side, is the massive cylinder head with covers removed from the valve system and spark plugs.  The straight-eight design and construction uses 16 push rods and rocker arms.  The fuel pump is on the left and the distributor behind the generator.

The cylinder head with covers on, from the right side.  One of the first restoration activities that I did was to order the 8 pistons, 16 valves and valve springs, and 16 roller tappets from Egge Machine Co.

The instrument panel is set into a wood-grained metal dashboard.  From left are ampmeter, oil pressure and water temperature gauges, speedometer and odometer, and gasoline gauge.  The mileage shown – 47,347 – is not realistic considering the wear on the car.

Note the Buick emblem on the dashboard.  A rubber floor mat was standard.

The ’33 Buick ignition switch is located on the steering wheel column. The interior body and seats are in taupe cloth.

In answer to "other projects?", none except the Buick are "in the works" right now.  However, many completed in previous years, since high school days in the late 40's -- from a '28 Pierce Arrow and a '19 Buick to two '38 MG SAs (the big ones).  My fondest attachment is for my grandfather's 1926 Chevvie coupe, still taking family for spins in the mountains around our cabin at the foot of Pike's Peak.  I'll send in pictures of "Tillie" sometime later, for she has Egge innards, too.

—    Larry and Joyce Herold, Denver, CO

218 flatty bored 30 over with a 230 crank.  High compression Edgy head from 7:1 to 9:1

Egge Pistons, bearings, rods, all went into this car. I'm very happy with it.

This car, with the parts from your company, made to Detroit and back to Mt. View CA two years in a row.  That's driving, not trailer.  Went to Woodward Dream Cruise twice out there, and going again in 2010. 

I did all the work in a single car garage.  Lowered the car in the front almost three inches, had to build a skid plate for the oil pan.  Lowered one inch in the rear. Changed from 6 to 12 volts, has Vintage Air AC, power windows and door locks. Converted the old radio to modern 12 volt stereo with 10 disc cd changer.  LED tail lights.  More goodies and the list goes on and on.

Thanks for taking a interest.

John

1956 PLYMOUTH BELVEDERE
ORIGINALLY HAVING A 277 V-8 , AL CONVERTED IT TO A 318 V-8 AND 904 TORQUEFLITE TRANS FROM A 1976 PLYMOUTH VOLARE. ADDED AN ELDEBROCK INTAKE MANIFOLD AND CARB ALONG WITH SOME CHROME VALVE COVERS AND A B & M FLOOR SHIFTER. CAR WAS LOWERED 3 INCHES ALL THE WAY AROUND. THE TWO TONE PAINT AND THE “SPORT TONE” SIDE MOLDINGS MAKE THIS CAR A REAL LOOKER.

Hot Rodders of Tomorrow 2011 competition Race and Performance Expo

St. Charles, IL -February 26th and 27th 2011
 
The Egge Machine Team is from Tri-County Auto Service Technology in Covington Indiana coached by Mr. Dallas Peffley. The team worked as one with fluid motion. They where nearly 5 minutes ahead of the other teams in the heat but unfortunately had three penalties and did not qualify to compete at the 2011 SEMA show.
 
Students must properly disassemble the engine using only hand tools, utilizing proper de-torque and disassembly procedure.  The cam and crank remain in the block. The team then returns behind their bench and waits for the judges to call them back. Teams then begin working to reassemble, once again with the correct assembly procedure and torque specs, all while being viewed by judges and spectators. Time-added penalties for dropped components, improper disassembly, assembly, sportsmanship, etc., are compiled and added to the end completion time.
All procedure penalties are in the rule book provided to the schools at the start of the school year. The team with the fastest time, including penalty minutes, wins.

Pennsylvania philanthropist John Rich opened his collection after retirement so people of all ages could experience the wonders of automotive history. The Rich collection includes many notable vehicles related to the development and ever evolving progression of the automobile such as the Ford Model T and A, the Flathead V8 and other Ford cars produced throughout the 1930s and 40s. Bugatti, Ferrari, Jaguar, MG and Morgan vehicles are also on display and capture the essence of historically important sports cars. Representing the posh Classic era are such names as Packard, Rolls-Royce, Lincoln, Mercedes and Bentley. Unique, rare and one of a kind vehicles, some with past owners just as special, are also displayed. Among these is a 1915 Simplex, claimed to being the most expensive vehicle in America at that time along with a custom roadster body built for department store tycoon John Wanamaker.

All in all, the collection has something to offer for any car enthusiast. The collection is private, and not open to the public on a regular basis.

The Antique Automobile Club of America (AACA) originated the concept of a collector-oriented automotive museum as a compliment to its research center and library. Since opening to the public on June 26, 2003, the AACA Museum has been recognized by the Smithsonian as an Affiliate Museum which is an extremely rare honor. The AACA has also been recognized as one of the Top 12 Automotive Museums in the world and is a must see for anyone that loves cars.

The SEMA Cares program hosted the second annual SEMA Show and Shine event on Saturday July 24th, 2010. Chip Foose was the Grand Marshal and special guest Dennis Gage was on-hand signing autographs. The show was sold out with 120 custom and classic vehicles. The Show 'N Shine is a fundraising event, with proceeds benefiting two children's charities: Childhelp and Victory Junction Gang Camp. The car show was held in conjunction with the 3rd Annual SEMA CARES Pinewood Drag Races.

The guys from South Bay Touring A's came by the shop today for a tour of our foundry, babbitt and machine shop. Follow along as these gentlemen get schooled on old-world craftsmanship with new technology.

Did you know Egge manufactures valves for vintage domestic engines? Egge’s machine shop in Santa Fe Springs offers small run valve manufacturing for custom and stock applications.

They start with hardened stainless steel blanks, which differ from the stock forged steel valves. Stainless steel is much more stable and doesn’t stretch or bend like forged steel under extreme heat/cool cycles and more stable in the life of the valve as well. Forged steel tends to lose hardness in time.

Egge’s stringent quality assurance program ensures that the quality is very consistent with a 90% “low-tolerance” and the remaining 10% falls within 50% of the tolerance gap noted in the specifications. For example in a valve stem of .3725” specifications state that the tolerance must fall between a +0.0010 oversize and -0.0005 undersize. 90% of our valves are at .3725” and the other ten percent may fall within +0.0005 and -0.00025.

We also measure each valve for concentricity. Concentricity is the consistent measure of the seat angle to the shaft. The valve is laid in a device to keep the shaft straight and a sensor is placed on the valve seat. A slight spin to the valve notes any bumps or fluctuations of valve seat circle diameter. The valve scope shows an enlarged silhouette of the head to check the angle of the seat and the chamfer around the head.

All of this detail refers back to Egge doing smaller runs. With smaller runs they are able to control the quality and have the opportunity to really look at the product and make decisions, which help to keep the tolerances low and the quality high.

When you are ready for new valves for your vintage domestic engine, consider Egge Machine and Speed Shop. They can create enhanced stock versions or custom applications with your specifications. Each one, hand made in Santa Fe Springs, California, U.S.A.

Call your Egge for a free catalog of domestic engine components and nostalgic performance parts for your classic car, 800-866-3443 or visit www.EGGE.com for more information.

Egge Machine and Speed Shop was there when Jack Roush was awarded the Petersen Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2010 Hot Rod and Restoration Trade Show in Indy.

Take a walk through our shop and meet the people behind our foundry, milling, valve manufacture, babbitting, and pump remanufacturing departments in Santa Fe Springs, CA.

An unusual mold for an unusual piston. The E663 is a Farmall Tractor Piston. Egge, known for their nostalgic engine components also has permanent casting molds for AG and Motorcycles.

A recent visitor to our website asked: How are the pistons different in this Flip-Mold" procedure?
The pistons are not necessarily different.
You get a better casting when poured from the top of the piston. As the aluminum solidifies it pulls material from the gates and the larger the piston, the larger the gates are needed to pull the heated aluminum from. When opening the mold, we need to remove the center piece. We can't do this from the bottom, so the entire mold is flipped to remove the center structure.

In hydraulic molds (which is our usual) the center of the piston drops down thus no flipping involved. On the hand molds we need to turn the mold over to release the inside piece of the mold. Timing the cooling is important in these hand molds. Flip too early and material moves around in the mold. Flip too late and there may be cracks as we pull the casting from the mold.

Many people, including some of our most seasoned customers don’t believe that we actually manufacture pistons here in Santa Fe Springs, California let alone in the western hemisphere. Not only are we the oldest American manufacturer of engine parts, we are the ONLY manufacturer of cast aluminum pistons. This month, we present a shop tour as we follow the production of the E279 piston for 1942-54 Desotos with a 236 or 250 cubic inch 6 cylinder engines, from a raw ingot of A-332 aluminum to loading on the delivery truck to your door. A-332 aluminum is a high silicone mix aluminum perfect for piston manufacturing.

Here is a short video of the boys pouring pistons at Egge Machine and Speed Shop in the Santa Fe Springs, CA facility.

Best Gasket is our Egge Expert chosen gasket manufacturer. Best makes engine, transmission and rear axle gaskets for vintage American automobiles from the 1930’s through the 1960s with few exceptions. In a discussion with our Egge Experts John and Jim here are reasons why they prefer Best Gasket: Coverage; Best offers kits for models other gasket companies don’t stock. Quality; Their GraphTite rear main seals work really well especially over the conventional rope seals. Likability; People like them. The folks at Best Gasket are easy to work with and if there is a problem they are proactive in finding a solution.

We had the opportunity to take our cameras behind the scenes and meet with owner Armin Brown as he gave us a tour of their facility. Did you know? Armin is also the Lead and Rhythm Guitars for The Torquays whose music is featured with two songs; Twitchin' and Pit Stop on the video!

Located in Whittier, CA; Best Gasket is a relatively small company with a focus on manufacturing gaskets using the highest quality modern materials and a dedicated team to put them all together. Dies are created by re-engineering existing new old stock. Material ranges from rubberized cork to steel reinforced graphite or copper. The use of material is economized for instance when they punch a bunch of timing cover gaskets the discarded material is used for fuel pump gaskets. They have several rows of dies, which resembles a hot rodders library. In a larger adjacent room was row upon row of gaskets to sell individually or in the next room there is a team who assemble complete engine kits. As cool as all this sounds, don’t go and call them for an order. Best Gasket only sells to the trade and Egge is one of their premier distributors. Call our Egge Experts, you are sure to get the correct set and at the best price right here at Egge Machine Company.