New Stipe Camshafts

[Bill Stipe]

I want to clear things up on New Camshafts. I have explained several times My son and I are still going to make cams, he fell on some very hard times and was not able to make them for some time now.
It seems that a rumor or lie has been spreading around that Stipe is no longer going to be making cams, that is a lie.
I purchased material out of my own pocket last year and my son and I were in the process of moving and setting up equipment in Auburn Kentucky which has been quite an under taking plus the effort of shutting down the Wisconsin facility which he is still working on.
Now I find out that some one else has made new T cams which is fine, competition is always going to happen and it makes the world go around.


But what I do have a problem with is copying my profile and my timing card and spreading lies that I am not going to make cams anymore.
Plus it was posted on Facebook that I copied a Winfield grind that is also a lie. The 280 super was a joint effort with the Tulsa group. I have the Cam data and profile design on my computer program to prove that also as with all my new cam designs and any other parts I designed and made over the years.



I want to thank everyone who has supported me and the hobby all these years. I just wanted to clear things up.

[updraught]

The British royal family just had a deluge on social media during a communication vacuum as well.
Your web site is down.

Are you going to make other parts, or just cams?

[Marshall V. Daut]

Hi, Bill! 'Good to hear from you again after such a long drought. We were worried about you. 'Sorry to see you leave our Midwest, but I hope your new abode in Kentucky works out for you. Your shop in Wisconsin was always a pleasure to visit. VERY impressive. Good luck to you and your son with your future business "down South"!
Marshall

[JayJay]

Great to hear from you. Will you be manufacturing the shock absorbers as well?

[Dodge]

Thank you Bill. Good to hear from you. Let us know when you get going again.
I was on the list for a cam I don't know if the list still exits but I am still patiently for
a great camshaft.

Dodge

[Bill Stipe]

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Originally Posted by updraught

The British royal family just had a deluge on social media during a communication vacuum as well.
Your web site is down.

Are you going to make other parts, or just cams?

Yes we will make all of our same products and maybe some new ones as well, We have not been able to access the website that company was bought out that hosted the website so we have to figure that out. thanks

[Don/WI]

Great to know that you are going to be back in the business in Arkansas. I purchase your cam quite a few years ago and a handful of members from our Nickle A Region MARC have also purchased that cam. We are all pleased with their performance. A few of us also purchased your shocks. They also work as they should. Our club also visited your facility in Plymouth. A friend who is building a 3/8 scale of the Model A engine and transmission has also received invaluable help from Bill on the design of the cam and crank for that project.

Keep up the great work and don't let all the naysayers bother you. We know the real facts.

Don

[nkaminar]

Bill, Thank you so much for letting us all know the status of your business. Good luck in the move and getting the web site back on line. I hope your son's times considerably improve.

[Bruce of MN]

Originally Posted by Don/WI

Great to know that you are going to be back in the business in Arkansas.

Don

FWIW, I believe Bill said Kentucky.

[gz]

Thanks Bill. Great to hear from you. Talk to you soon. Welcome back!!! - GZ

[Pete]

Originally Posted by Bill Stipe

But what I do have a problem with is copying my profile and my timing card and spreading lies that I am not going to make cams anymore.
Plus it was posted on Facebook that I copied a Winfield grind that is also a lie. The 280 super was a joint effort with the Tulsa group. I have the Cam data and profile design on my computer program to prove that also as with all my new cam designs and any other parts I designed and made over the years.

I want to thank everyone who has supported me and the hobby all these years. I just wanted to clear things up.

A little known fact among people buying performance camshafts is, one ground from a set of "pirated" masters will NEVER perform as well as one done from the original masters or one made from a set of new generated masters.
Thousands of performance cams have been sold over the years that were made from second, third and even fourth generation masters. They made the wheels go around but most of the time ran back in the pack.

When someone sells a pirated grind and mentioning the name of the original designer, they better be ONLY saying it is similar. Definitely not using a counterfeit tag.
That is downright illegal.

[Phil Brown]

Great to hear the update from you and hope things get worked out so that you guys are up and running soon at your new location.
I think I need one of those new cams.....I KNOW that I want one anyway

[Don/WI]

Yes he did say Kentucky. SORRY!

Don

[Bill Stipe]

Originally Posted by Pete

A little known fact among people buying performance camshafts is, one ground from a set of "pirated" masters will NEVER perform as well as one done from the original masters or one made from a set of new generated masters.
Thousands of performance cams have been sold over the years that were made from second, third and even fourth generation masters. They made the wheels go around but most of the time ran back in the pack.

When someone sells a pirated grind and mentioning the name of the original designer, they better be ONLY saying it is similar. Definitely not using a counterfeit tag.
That is downright illegal.

Thanks Pete,
I appreciate you input on this matter, If I were going to make a cam to compete with the market I certainly would not copy someone else's work that is still in business I would design my own that is potentially better. It's a different scenario with a company like Winfield who is no longer with us but even then why not try to improve the design? Bill Stipe

[Lawrie]

Bill, this is good news.
Lawrie

[BRENT in 10-uh-C]

Bill, I know we are friends and so I want these thoughts to be understood as friendly interaction, but look at the perspective from both sides and realize this is not as bad as you may believe. I know this is about to be very long-worded, but I would encourage you to read it in its entirety.

Copying someone camshaft and 'plagiarizing' if you will is nothing really new in the restoration hobby. We as hobbyists copy (-reproduce) many of Ford's original work and seemingly pass it off as if it was Ford's work, -and often charge money for doing so. Matter of fact, many hobbyists actually complain if the Model-A parts manufacturer deviates from originality if something is not reproduced aesthetically correct.

With specific regard to camshaft comparisons, about the only thing I have seen similar to the new Model T camshafts being offered is the grind specifications. Your camshaft is billet steel, and Kevin's is nodular. Chaffins was reproducing an off-shore manufactured camshaft that was very similar to your cam along with several other re-grinders that were putting the same 280 lift grind. This has never been a secret, and until now seemingly never was a problem.

Now this next part is not intended as being critical of you and/or Tony, however please understand my own position in this (-and I have heard similar first-hand testimony from others, even just this past weekend in Luray). If you are wanting me to be sympathetic of your situation and support you 100% in this, I would ask you to at least be sympathetic to us also.

Back before Covid, I placed an order with you & Tony for (10) IB330 camshafts and (5) 280 camshafts. I waited for several months and then after several failed ship dates you worked it out that I would receive (3) IB330 cams and you asked if you could substitute two IB340 camshafts. These are not camshafts that I typically order but it was all I could get so I gladly accepted them. To date, I have never receive the remaining (5) IB330 camshafts. Also I have not received any of the 280 Model-T camshafts that I ordered. I have spoken many times to you by telephone and even as soon as a few months ago you indicated you might be able to make me one from a blank you had found.

So with that said, I totally get-it that you both have seen financial struggles resulting from Covid, ...but please allow me to share my own situation, and please realize that times have been difficult for your commercial customers too. I presently have 6 Model-T engines that have been poured, machined, and partially assembled awaiting 280 camshafts. This is in excess of $30,000.00 dollars of money that if the jobs were completed I could have used many times since COVID to make payroll or pay my own bills and utilities. Please realize there have been many other engine rebuilders who, like me, have faced very similar situations. Many of us have repeatedly spoken with Tony and yourself about this delivery situation and then relayed what was told to us to our customers. Many of our customers understood supply issues when it was during the pandemic or in the immediate years following. Now we are in the 4th year post-COVID, and our customers no longer are being compassionate or tolerant with us.

Now, when you look at it from Kevin's perspective, his engine rebuilding business is SOLELY dependent on new parts being supplied. By you and Tony unable to supply his business needs, he sold assets and cashed-in his retirement funds just to produce what his company needed, -AND some additional camshafts that his business competitors needed. I personally view that as a very unselfish act when he could have potentially forced his competitors out of business simply by not supplying those competitors any his new camshafts.

While I definitely can see how you may view his camshafts as plagiarism, it should be viewed more as a flattering act since we all know how well your camshaft has performed over the years. We all needed camshafts years ago, and have waited and waited, ...and in my mindset (-and the minds of others) we didn't need to wait yet another year or two designing a different camshaft and then wasting even more time R&D-ing that new design before bringing it to market. Do we feel like Kevin's camshaft's is good as your camshaft's quality? Absolutely not. Will I still want to use your camshafts when they come back available? Absolutely!!

So bringing this full circle ...I, and many, many others truly appreciate what you have done -and are presently doing. You know that I have purchased and promoted you and many of your products for years, and I am not about to change just because someone else stepped up and filled a critical need that many of us had. Like you, since COVID many things have changed for me both personally and in my business that detrimentally changed my life, but my only way out was to buckle down and deliver on my promises. Am I there yet? Nope, ...but instead of whining I am proving to my customers that I can provide instead of making excuses. Bill, I feel confident you will persevere in this. We as your friends all know you will. Just focus on what you did so well for so many years, and don't get distracted gauging yourself by what others are doing.

[Fullraceflathead]

Very well said Brent!

[CarlG]

I have always cherished the parts/tools I have that are made by Bill Stipe. His IB330 got me down the road close to 450 miles just this past weekend. Still looking for a few more of his treasures once they become available again.

[Dodge]

Anything this good is worth waiting for......