With Crane Cams shuttering operations, products like its legendary cams and these roller rocker arms for Chevy V8s (shown above) may be history.

The Daytona Beach News-Journal is reporting that Crane Cams, the 56-year-old performance parts manufacturer, has closed its doors and laid off its employees.

SEMA's midday calls to Crane's Daytona Beach headquarters received an automated message stating that the offices were closed after-hours. Calls to Mikronite Technologies, Crane's parent company in New Jersey, yielded the same message.

The News-Journal quoted a Crane employee as saying the company had told workers during the past week that layoffs were likely. Crane had gone through a series of small layoffs recently, he added. A handful of comments on the News-Journal's webpage hosting the story, purportedly from Crane employees, speculated that the company was still in a buyout transition.

Sources at magazine publisher Source Interlink Media—venues for Crane's advertising—however, confirmed their information that the company had closed.

Crane Engineering was founded by Harvey J. Crane Jr. in 1953. Mikronite, an industrial technology firm, bought Crane in 2006.

Crane Jr. was elected to the SEMA Hall of Fame in 1981.

Tom Hecklinski, seen here with SEMA's Ellen McKoy, was instrumental in founding the Professional Restylers Organization (PRO) and played a key role in the council’s transition into SEMA. 

Tom Hecklinski, president and founder of Razzi Ground Effects, died on Thursday, February 19, after suffering a heart attack.

Soon after founding Razzi in 1984,  Hecklinski became active in SEMA and was instrumental in founding the Professional Restylers Organization (PRO) as an independent association and later played a key role in PRO's transition as a SEMA council. 

As a charter member of PRO, Tom served numerous terms on the council’s Select Committee and was the driving force behind the creation of the council's voluntary code of ethics for member manufacturers. In recognition of his numerous contributions to the restyling industry, Hecklinski was honored with the PRO/Jim Borré Lifetime Achievement Award in 2005.

"Tom was more than a colleague; he was a dear friend for nearly 25 years," said Ellen McKoy, SEMA senior director of dealer relations. "He was a man of integrity with an unbridled passion for the industry and his loss will be felt by many whose lives he touched."

To help installers earn their credentials as SEMA-certified accessory specialists, SEMA and Webasto Product North America have teamed up to host an ASE A6 training workshop on Saturday, March 28. The hands-on workshop launches at the headquarters of Auto Trim of Denver.

Prepare for the A6 exam in an interactive setting where you can ask questions and get the answers you need on the spot. Key focal points include electrical systems, diagnosis and repair, gauges, battery testing, circuits and circuit testing and more.

Cost to attend is $40 per person and includes continental breakfast, lunch and training manual. Pre-registration is required; registration deadline is Friday, March 13. To download the registration form, click here.

For questions or additional information, e-mail Beverly Rosen at beverlyr@sema.org.

Filler for eNews

Learn the skills you need to build long-lasting, successful relationships within your supply chain with upcoming webinar, “Relationship Management Within the Supply Chain: Get the Most From Your Suppliers, Company and Teams.”

Nancy McGuire, founder of the McGuire Consulting Group, will address how to manage relationships within the supply-chain organization, including negotiating with suppliers, competing internally for investment dollars on projects or leading a team.

When: Thursday, March 5, 10:00 a.m.–11:00 a.m. (PST)
Presenter: Nancy McGuire, Founder, McGuire Consulting Group

This session is part of the 2009 SEMA Recession Survival Series, a collection of online workshops to help member businesses survive the current economic crisis. The new program focuses on topics specific to today’s challenges, including managing cash flow, retaining the best employees, managing inventory and leading your company through 2009 into the new business environment.

To register for this or other upcoming sessions in the 2009 SEMA Recession Survival Series, click here.

SEMA's Webinar Program: The SEMA webinar program brings the world-class business seminars featured during the SEMA Show right to your desktop. Different business-building sessions are constantly added to the program, offering members the latest insight and practices from today’s leading speakers.

All SEMA webinars are conducted live and are open to all employees of SEMA-member companies free of charge. To participate, all you need is a computer with Internet access and a telephone. All previous SEMA webinars are available for download by clicking here. To view upcoming presentations that you can attend via telephone and Internet, click here.

A week after Chrysler revealed its 2010 Dodge Ram Heavy Duty pickups at the Chicago Auto Show, Brenda Priddy's spy photographers caught the first covered and camouflaged test trucks of its biggest competitor, the Ford F-250 Super Duty, scheduled to arrive in 2011.

The 2011 Super Duty is expected to receive a major styling revamp, similar to the extent of the 2008 model year update. Current Ford heavy-dutys take their exterior design cues from Ford's F-350 Tonka concept shown at the 2002 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. This time around, it appears that the bold F-250 Super Chief concept shown at the 2006 Detroit show has provided the design inspiration.

The current Super Duty's hallmark side nostrils appear to have vanished, replaced by distinctive trim pieces on the sides of the grille that (at least for now) end abruptly at the top intake. Taillights are also another likely upgrade, similar to those on the new 2009 F-150, Priddy says.

Mechanically, we expect the 2011 Super Duty will carry over the 6.7L "Scorpion" V8 diesel expected to debut in the 2010 model year trucks. The gasoline engine should be the new 6.2L premium V8, which should replace the current 6.8L V10 next year.

Another major powertrain change is the likely end of manual transmissions, though the engineering mules in these pictures show Ford continuing its unique tradition of manual locking front hubs for 4WD Super Dutys.

Photos copyright Brenda Priddy & Company. Reuse or reproduction without copyright holder's consent is prohibited.

SEMA-model legislation to create a vehicle registration classification for street rods and custom vehicles and provide for special license plates for these vehicles was approved by the Wyoming State Legislature and now awaits the signature of the governor before becoming law.

The bill defines a street rod as an altered vehicle manufactured before 1949 and a custom as an altered vehicle at least 25 years old and manufactured after 1948. The bill allows kit cars and replica vehicles to be assigned a certificate of title bearing the same model-year designation as the production vehicle they most closely resemble.

For more information, click here.

For details, contact Steve McDonald at stevem@sema.org.

On the heels of the defeat of a U.S. Congressional proposal to create a national Cash for Clunkers program, a bill has been introduced in the Washington State Legislature that would implement a vehicle scrappage program for passenger vehicles more than 15 years old that are not emissions compliant. 

Under the bill, qualifying vehicles would have to be registered for a 24-month period and be in satisfactory operating condition. Replacement vehicles purchased under the plan would be required to have an EPA highway gasoline mileage rating of at least 30 mpg. Participants in the program would be granted a sales-tax exemption for the first $2,000 of tax paid on the purchase price.

All trade-in vehicles would be destroyed, regardless of their historical value or collector interest. If this effort is successful, hobbyists could be denied the availability of vintage cars and parts for restoration projects. 

For more information, click here. 

For details, contact Steve McDonald at stevem@sema.org.

For the fourth time, a bill has been introduced in the West Virginia State Legislature that would further restrict the ability of West Virginia vehicle hobbyists from maintaining inoperable vehicles on private property.

The bill would redefine “abandoned motor vehicles” to include vehicles or vehicle parts, which are either unlicensed or inoperable, or both, are not in an enclosed building and have remained on private property for more than 30 days. 

Under current law, the abandoned vehicle law applies primarily to vehicles on public property. The bill would make violation a misdemeanor offense punishable by substantial fines, community service and jail. SEMA has defeated previous versions of this measure. 

For more information, click here.

For details, contact Steve McDonald at stevem@sema.org.

SEMA-supported legislation has been introduced in the Tennessee State Legislature that would amend the state’s current law defining antique motor vehicles to permit use of these vehicles for general transportation purposes. 

Under current Tennessee law, use of antique vehicles is strictly limited to club activities, exhibits, tours and for general transportation only on Saturday and Sunday.

For more information, click here.

For details, contact Steve McDonald at stevem@sema.org.