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Folks Of Interest Offy is suffering

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by F-ONE, Apr 7, 2020.

  1. F-ONE
    Joined: Mar 27, 2008
    Posts: 3,271

    F-ONE
    Member
    from Alabama

    This is second hand info from a Flathead Social-media group founder. He states that Offenhauser reached out to him that they’re in trouble.

    Normally I would not post such as this but these are unprecedented times. Mismanagement is one thing a forced shut down is quite another.

    I would hate to see them go.

    Honestly I think better times are coming for American manufacture. If......If they can make it through this hump.

    So..... need an intake, a set of valve covers, heads or even a T shirt?

    Maybe it’s a good time to consider Offenhauser.
     
    51 BIRD, CobraJoe, dan31 and 6 others like this.
  2. 41rodderz
    Joined: Sep 27, 2010
    Posts: 6,540

    41rodderz
    Member
    from Oregon

    That’s not good. But I would of thought they were a stronger company that could stand up through this . Maybe not . Need to know the inside particulars.
     
  3. JeffB2
    Joined: Dec 18, 2006
    Posts: 9,484

    JeffB2
    Member
    from Phoenix,AZ

    Offenhauser was for many years a family run company I met Fred Jr. back in the 70's and talked a bit with him they never really believed in product promotion and development like Edelbrock did it was as if the their name was enough for them to carry them through. After the 70's there were very few products that came out and with minimal advertising and in today's competitive markets you don't grow by sitting still. So many of the pioneer manufacturers are now part of conglomerate corporations these days and have lost their way. :(
     
  4. mgtstumpy
    Joined: Jul 20, 2006
    Posts: 9,214

    mgtstumpy
    Member

    Accuair are in trouble as well thanks to this crisis. Chances are others will follow. Now is the time to support local businesses and please don't even consider that cheap Chinese junk when it swamps the market!
     
    Sporty45, realsteeler, dan31 and 6 others like this.

  5. Phil1934
    Joined: Jun 24, 2001
    Posts: 2,716

    Phil1934
    Member

    I bought their BBO hi rise dual quad and it was a low rise with a 1" spacer cast on top. They need engineering to advance. They are the source for antique engine manifolds but need improvement. http://www.eatonbalancing.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/YBlock-146-Craine-3X2-Test.pdf
    It may be the demand for intakes to fit these old engines is just drying up. Racers would look for better flowing intakes so just smaller antique crowd. It has been 30 years since Detroit used a carb, 50+ years for multi-carb.
     
    Last edited: Apr 7, 2020
  6. There is a market for a reasonably priced 318 Plymouth Poly intake..........Offy did a couple back when and if the molds still exist they would sell............andyd
     
  7. Hopefully they will persevere. If not, maybe another company doing manifolds, and heads will buy them out, or merge with them. I would hate to see them go, they were some of the pioneers for our sport.
     
  8. I met the owners last year. they are just a father and son team that bought the company because they wanted to preserve the business and the equipment. they seamed like nice fellows and were very proud of their equipment and business plan.
    I hope the best for them.
     
  9. sliceddeuce
    Joined: Aug 15, 2017
    Posts: 2,981

    sliceddeuce
    Member

    And not a single one of you panicked when Studebaker went under...:mad:
     
  10. Phil1934
    Joined: Jun 24, 2001
    Posts: 2,716

    Phil1934
    Member

    I was 10 in '63
     
    J Man, 41 GMC K-18, loudbang and 2 others like this.
  11. I use to own a NOS, 3x2 Plymouth (non-Hemi) intake... Couldn't give it away.
     
    loudbang and lothiandon1940 like this.
  12. oldolds
    Joined: Oct 18, 2010
    Posts: 3,407

    oldolds
    Member

    As much as we like to think our traditional hot rod hobby is a big business it is not big. A small private owned company like Offy may really only make enough money to pay the bills and make the owner enough money to be comfortable. Especially if he just bought it and has a mortgage against it and then something changes to disrupt the business. Traditional type hot rods had a strong resurgence in recent years, but I suspect it has leveled off. Before this crisis he may have been holding on, but 8 weeks of shut down hurt. I suspect it will quite a long time before car shows and other things that drew crowds get near the numbers they were before this happened. This virus may subside in a few weeks, but until they get a cure for it most people will be afraid of crowds.
     
  13. liliysdad
    Joined: Apr 1, 2013
    Posts: 98

    liliysdad
    Member
    from Oklahoma

    I love Offy stuff, but they really ought to develop some relevant stuff if they want to keep going. The aftermarket performance scene is booming, but its not in FE intakes and carburetor adapters. Their website sucks...the newest catalog on their site is from 1987, and there is no way outside of searching that .pdf catalog to know what they even make.
     
  14. Small businesses as a whole are having a tough time right now. If they can survive through this I’m sure they will only be stronger. Adapt and diversify.
     
  15. Hot Rods Ta Hell
    Joined: Apr 20, 2008
    Posts: 4,670

    Hot Rods Ta Hell
    Member

    I'd imagine they're not unlike any small business right now, sheltered down and trying to ride out the storm as best they can.
    I'd guess they can still "work" (machine and ship out product to their distributors), so it's not as if they're a retail store that's been completely locked down with w/o any walk ins. Probably more of the fact that retail sales have slowed tremendously. Consequently, the wholesale orders don't flow in and things start to creep toward a halt in their manufacturing shop.
    Speedway and Summit among others carry their line.

    I bet very few households are at 100% income right now and buying expensive Hot Rod parts is a low priority. They'll have to "tough it out".
     
  16. liliysdad
    Joined: Apr 1, 2013
    Posts: 98

    liliysdad
    Member
    from Oklahoma

    If they, like Holley or Comp Cams, would modernize their site, and sell direct from the manufacturer, I would imagine they would see a considerable increase in sales and profit.
     
  17. egads
    Joined: Aug 23, 2011
    Posts: 1,419

    egads
    Member

    Now that's funny as hell. Needed a good laugh today.:):):):)
     
  18. sliceddeuce
    Joined: Aug 15, 2017
    Posts: 2,981

    sliceddeuce
    Member

    I do what I can...:)
     
  19. denis4x4
    Joined: Apr 23, 2005
    Posts: 4,198

    denis4x4
    ALLIANCE MEMBER
    from Colorado

    I did Offy's ads, catalogs and PR from 1965 to the early eighties. Fred was not the easiest man to work with! At the time, Fred's brother Carl ran the shop and Ollie Morris did the R&D. Fred was convinced that he was the heir to the Offenhauser Engine Company and then his uncle sold it to Drake. Remember, when Tay ran the company, everything including the property and equipment were free and clear. I'm sure the new buyer has a debt load that would choke a horse. Speedway has a deal to use the Offy name on other items. It's my understanding that Speedway has no interest in owning real estate in California. Vic Jr. is gone and I doubt if anyone at Edlebrock can see the potential of adding Offy to the line as a "boutique" series of nostalgia products.
     
  20. Start making plans for when you get that stim-less check.
    It's the patriotic thing to do.
    To paraphrase: "Baseball, apple pie, and hot rod parts".
     
    Pinstriper40, nochop, Baumi and 3 others like this.
  21. dreracecar
    Joined: Aug 27, 2009
    Posts: 3,476

    dreracecar
    Member
    from so-cal

    I was there a couple months ago at their "open house". Talked for length with the owners and everything seemed fine, Patterns were getting rebuilt and their business plan was straight forward. I got the impression that this is a secondary company for the new owner and not a single source of income. I cant see where this current downturn would have any affect that problems would happen so quickly. In any business purchase/plan there usually enough capital to stay afloat for at least a year without selling anything
     
  22. tubman
    Joined: May 16, 2007
    Posts: 6,913

    tubman
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    Tell me about it. When I saw that "Chrysler Power" was coming out with an early 318 4 BBL manifold a few years back, I was one of the first on the list and promptly sent in my $400. Almost two years later, after a lot of struggle, I finally received my manifold. I will say it was a quality piece. It seems that the guy making them had seriously underestimated the demand, and decided that he could get a lot more than $400, so he tried to stiff the original purchasers whose deposits had made the whole endeavor possible.

    I will say this. I have done internet searches for stuff I wanted and usually ended up at the Offy catalog on the "Exeter Automotive" site, There was exactly what I was looking for, but it was always discontinued or otherwise unavailable. That catalog has been a long time source of frustration for me.
     
    Last edited: Apr 7, 2020
  23. Stooge
    Joined: Sep 9, 2015
    Posts: 504

    Stooge
    Member

    I follow several vendors/ distributors of accuair stuff, and after it was announced, it sounds more like they used the virus as a scapegoat, ( though im sure the shutdown didn't help) where they have been having financial issues for awhile now, and this was just a good time/ excuse to get out of it, and leave their distributors out of money and product. AVS, (a well known suspension vendor/ builder) said they are out close to 100k as they required full payment bank transfer before they would start building/ fulfilling the order, and others have said they were waiting months for orders to be filled and were constantly getting the run around.

    Im a little nervous, I have accuair on an off topic truck that's been sitting for awhile, hope everything still works! :eek:
     
    chickenridgerods and Tman like this.
  24. Stooge
    Joined: Sep 9, 2015
    Posts: 504

    Stooge
    Member

    bchctybob, Deuces, egads and 2 others like this.
  25. Kan Kustom
    Joined: Jul 20, 2009
    Posts: 2,739

    Kan Kustom
    Member

    Always good to hear from someone who has been involved in some way close to the actual subject/ history so we get a better understanding of what is going on and thanks for sharing with us but this still makes me sick to hear this and I hope they make it.
     
    5window, Deuces and Gasser 57 like this.
  26. 51504bat
    Joined: May 22, 2010
    Posts: 4,755

    51504bat
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    Why is it that the good companies start to circle the drain and go the way of the white buffalo and the crappy ones like the Hoffman Companies flourish?
     
    Tman and Kan Kustom like this.
  27. liliysdad
    Joined: Apr 1, 2013
    Posts: 98

    liliysdad
    Member
    from Oklahoma

    Because a shitty company with good marketing will last longer than a company with a good product, that refuses to keep with the times.
     
  28. Kan Kustom
    Joined: Jul 20, 2009
    Posts: 2,739

    Kan Kustom
    Member

    Because some companies are started and ran by passion for what they are doing with finances being the neccessary evil. Others are in business with no or maybe a passing interest in what they are making / selling with the almighty dollar being their true first love. It is a match made in heaven and is unfortunately less common when a company has both sides balanced.
     
    bchctybob, egads, town sedan and 3 others like this.
  29. sliceddeuce
    Joined: Aug 15, 2017
    Posts: 2,981

    sliceddeuce
    Member

    Oh yeah?? Well I was 8 before I was 9.....
     
    egads and Deuces like this.
  30. 392
    Joined: Feb 27, 2007
    Posts: 1,206

    392
    Member

    Sorry to hear if true. They helped me with adaptor for intake to carb. Only ones that had it and it was old off the shelf. Good guys.
     
    town sedan and Deuces like this.

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