Engine Hats
Description: Robert Paxton McCulloch formed McCulloch Engineering in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the city in which his grandfather made millions as an early pioneer of electric utilities and manufacturer of electric trolleys. McCulloch hired on a number of engineers at the firm, including Francis L. Colburn, who designed a simple, easy-to-install centrifugal supercharger. McCulloch began offering the superchargers as kits for Ford’s flathead V-8 engine, advertising them to truck owners as well as racers and owners of every day street-driven cars. The crankshaft-driven supercharger had a fixed 6:1 ratio and was seated horizontally between the carburetor and intake manifold. McCulloch first offered the kit in 1937 and by 1942, his sales topped $3 million.
Description: This Pennsylvania-based performance legend started out as a maker of motor mounts for engine swaps and floor-shifters back in 1958, but they steadily expanded their product line through the 1960s. Hurst wheels, Line/Loc, and Swifter Shifter gloves were developed among other items, and later, Airheart Brakes and the Schiefer Manufacturing Company, which made clutches and other driveline components, were acquired. Hurst Performance floor-shifters were skillfully engineered, reliable and stirring in appearance, plus, their marketing was in tune with the times, catering to the flourishing muscle car movement of the 1960s. Their shifters infiltrated the drag racing, stock car racing, off-road racing and many other areas of motorsports.
