Drag Illustrated Issue 147, August 2019 | Page 101

“Our job as manufacturers is to solve your problem. If you’re
complaining about something, it’s my job to fix it, because you
as the customer have the right to request everything.”
let’s say the pan is two or three pounds, it’s got a
windage tray and some oil in it, so it gets pretty
heavy. Well, because the main cap forms part of
the pan sealing surface on a fuel motor, under
power the pan starts vibrating against the main
cap trying to beat the gasket right out of it. If
the gasket raw material isn’t tough enough, that
pounding will vaporize the pan gasket at the rear
main and the powers-that-be don’t like oil on the
track. For several years we worked to develop a
gasket material tough enough to withstand the
vibration at the rear main cap of a fuel dragster.
If it’ll take that it’ll take anything. It’s a red, steel
core material and it’s what we use today for our
toughest sealing chores.
So what was next? Didn’t you move your
operation out of California?
Yes, we had a lot of manufacturing skills in
our Lancaster, California, facility but then in
2011 we were looking to expand our product
line further. I was trying to get some informa-
tion on a new process, so I called up another
IZONS
many years, with all of his crew chiefs, from Jim
Brissette to Rob Flynn, Ed McCullough to Dick
Lahaie – all of them – we’d work with these guys
and say, “Here’s a new raw material. Put it on
the pan and see if it lasts.”
Now, in a Top Fuel dragster, the worst vi-
bration in the entire motor is at the rear main
cap. It beats the hell out of itself, because all
that horsepower is coming through the crank,
which is glued to the clutch, which is driving
the car. So, it’s trying to throw the crankshaft
on the ground, starting at the rear main cap.
What that does to an oil pan gasket is crazy
– you know, there’s a fairly substantial bit of
weight flopping around on the bottom end –
manufacturer located in Iowa. I said, “Hey, Ron,
I hear you can make composite head gaskets
and I’d like you to make some for me.” He said,
“Sure, I can do that, but do you want to buy my
company?” That’s exactly how he answered.
So, I said, “Let me come up and take a look.”
That was in June 2011, and by October, we’d
bought the assets of the company in Iowa and
with it, a ton more gasket manufacturing skill-
sets came into our wheelhouse. We learned how
to make composite head gaskets, we learned
about perforated metal core insertion, coating,
material combining and more. We also picked
up a bunch of new customers.
Starting in California then acquiring the
Iowa operation meant that we had two loca-
tions, which is logistically tough. We needed
to get back under one roof and settled on Ten-
nessee as our ultimate goal. In 2017, we moved
the California operation to temporary quarters
in Mount Pleasant, Tennessee, about an hour
southwest of Nashville. Very soon we’ll com-
plete our new, permanent home, also in Mount
Pleasant, which will have us back under one
roof permanently.
What’s next for SCE Gaskets?
What next is what’s most exciting. In May
2018, after 18 months of due diligence and re-
search we formed a strategic partnership with
the Italian company Athena S.p.A. We had al-
ready known Athena for some time because
they’re making our MLS head gaskets. The
marketplace offered even more opportunities
for our two companies to work together, so we
began to explore a partnership in late 2016.
Though both parties initially wanted to part-
ner, we proceeded slowly to ensure that our
SCE Gaskets continues
tradition of innovative
solutions by partnering
with Athena S.p.A.
BY WILL MANDELL
business cultures would align perfectly, and they
do. Both companies are family owned and both
cut their teeth on performance.
The partnership of Athena-SCE, Inc. has
already brought new gasket technology to
market that will dramatically impact all forms
of motor racing. We now produce a complete
and growing line of multi-layer stainless steel
head gaskets; we call them our MLS Spartan.
Also, we just introduced another innovative
head gasket series called the Vulcan Cut-Ring.
These new products and others will continue
the SCE Gaskets tradition of offering creative
and superior sealing solutions to our customers.
The future is bright indeed.
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August 2019
DragIllustrated.com
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