New Stipe Camshafts

[Bill Stipe]

Originally Posted by 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.

Brent you don't have a clue what all transpired with Tony trying to produce the Specialty products and trying to keep Stipe Machine going or how it has now taken a toll on Cindy and me for our retirement! I have lost everything in this deal and I mean everything 45 years of my life's work is gone! Zero income from the sale along with that Tony lost everything to the bank. So enough said I should delete this entire post I am not looking for your sympathy or your analytical preaching on how Kevin spent all his savings and did the right thing. I was merely explaining what is going on. I highly doubt I will ever be able to recover my 45 years of work in the short time I have on earth, but I will survive.