Trade
and Retail
When a business is as busy as this one, the service they provide must be good!
Franklin Cam Services has been operating under its current owner, Adrian Healy,
since 1997, however his tenure with the business has been longer than that,
having managed it for 10 years prior. The company specialises in the repair and
modification of camshafts, and has developed a formidable reputation for the
excellence of the service it provides. The core business is in servicing the
automotive trade and in particular the engine reconditioning sector. A large
market has however developed in recent years with the advent of the importation
of a large number of used cars from Japan. High performance cars are now able
to be purchased at a very reasonable price, by a predominantly youth market,
which is prepared to spend a considerable amount of money on improving the
performance of it’s cars. Those with a lesser budget are finding that the older
Japanese cars are very reliable and also able to be “hotted up” very
successfully. Much of the work on these cars is being done by the owners and as
a consequence a large retail market in repairing and modifying camshafts has
developed.
Motor
Sport
The performance car market, and in particular motor Sport competitors, are
interested in improving the performance of their vehicles. The essential
ingredient of a high performance motor is to get the fuel into the motor
efficiently, and to get the exhaust gases out quickly after it has been
exploded in the combustion chamber. This is the task of the camshaft as it
operates the inlet and outlet valves. To rev higher, a motor needs to expel the
gases quickly so that it does not “suffocate” itself. Franklin Cam Services are
experts in profiling camshafts to gain optimum performance. Franklin Cams
provides the restricted cams for the HQ Holden series, while supporting a wide
range of motor sport competitors. One of Adrian’s lads, Jason, is an
enthusiastic motorcycle racer and as a consequence is an expert on motorcycle
camshafts. He also does a lot of work on camshafts for the TQ midgets that race
at the speedway. Such is the strength in the performance market that it
accounts for 60% of the work at Franklin Cam Services and is growing.
Problem
Motors
Franklin Cam Services often gets inundated with camshafts from problem motors.
At present there is an epidemic of camshaft failures in Nissan SR20 motors. The
motor itself is a superb unit that produces considerable power but it does
suffer from clogging of the lubrication system that supplies oil to the
camshaft. The result is that the oil does not get to the camshaft and lobes get
knocked off. One man is kept fully occupied at Franklin Cam Services building
up the lobes so that they can be ground back to the correct profile. Prior to
that, Mitsubishi Pajero camshafts provided a steady flow of revenue.
Specialist
Processes and Innovation
Franklin Cam Services is able to provide an exceptionally high quality of weld
when repairing a camshaft. Three years ago the company acquired some unique
welding equipment that uses hydrogen converted from water. The flame burns at a
very high temperature, which melts both the base metal and the metal being
applied to the camshaft so that they combine to form an extremely strong bond.
It is believed that Franklin Cam Services is the only company in the world
using this process. This specialist equipment not only produces an excellent
end result, but it also halves the time required to complete the job and
operates at a fraction of the cost of a conventional welding system. This
process, combined with the computer measuring software that provides up to date
information on the cams to be worked on and provides an overlay to show the
desired profile, allows Franklin Cam Services to provide a superior quality of
workmanship.
Franklin
Cam Services work on all sorts of camshafts. They have even repaired camshafts
from the RNZN’s frigate Te Mana! Work on camshafts for vintage motors often
takes a lot of research, to find out information such as the direction the
engine turns, the followers used, the rpm the motor will run to and the type of
springs used, before the process can be started.
Not
content to limit themselves to repairing and modifying camshafts, Franklin Cam
Services also prides itself in having the ability to create new products. A
recent landmark development, done in conjunction with Hans Verbiesen who is a
tutor of engineering at Uuitec. Hans designed a roller camshaft for the type 4
VW motor, which is popular with off-road competitors and at the speedway, and
Franklin Cam Services manufacture it. Such a camshaft was considered impossible
to build, despite many attempts in the USA, a testament to kiwi innovation.
Such is
the reputation of Franklin Cam Services that top motor sport competitors, such
as the late Possum Bourne, uses its camshafts, and the demand is international
with camshafts being sent to customers in automotive strongholds such as Japan
and Detroit.
Franklin
Cam Services has become so busy that it has outgrown its current premises and
needs to make a decision about larger premises. Can’t be all bad can it?
If you
need work done on a camshaft or you have any questions please don’t hesitate to
contact us
or simply fill out an
order form