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BY BILL HOLLAND
Automotive Racing Products , Inc . – better known as simply “ ARP ” – can trace its roots back to 1968 when company founder Gary Holzapfel , who was then employed by an aerospace fastener manufacturer , sought to help some of his drag racer friends , Don Prudhomme among them , overcome their fastener-related engine reliability issues . The demand for premium grade head studs , and other fasteners , fueled the fledgling company ’ s growth , which has necessitated expanding from its original backyard garage operation to a current footprint with some 200,000 square feet under-roof in multiple facilities for R & D , manufacturing , QC , warehousing , and administrative operations . ARP remains a family-owned and operated business , with three generations ( founder Gary , his son , Mike – the company president – and grandson Ryan ) involved . The company ’ s goal is to make the best possible products and proudly does everything in-house at its Southern California facilities – from forging and heat-treating to precision machining , packaging , and distribution .
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As an interesting aside , Gary ’ s dad was a chef and instilled a love of fine food in his family . With a scarcity of good places to eat in the area , the company built a restaurant at the hub of ARP ’ s manufacturing operations in Santa Paula . It ’ s called “ Hozy ’ s Grill ” ( the nickname bestowed upon the chef ) and it ’ s open to the general public . It ’ s decorated in a racing theme , staffed by classically trained chefs , imports the highest quality meats , poultry , fish , and vegetables , and |
even carries an impressive “ 2 Glass ” rating from the prestigious Wine Spectator . It ’ s well worth checking out at www . HozysGrill . com .
From a drag racing standpoint , the motto of the long-time NHRA major sponsor ( and sponsor off the newly-announced “ 6-Second Club ” for Factory X competitors ) is “ Working together , we win races .” As such , the company has developed strong working relationships with many of the sport ’ s leading competitors , crew chiefs , and engine builders . ARP ’ s in-house testing capabilities ( which rival that of major Detroit automakers ) are employed to develop new fasteners to solve issues that racers are having .
The company also provides free torque wrench testing services at NHRA national events . Over the years they have seen many competitors come with torque wrenches that were off by as much as 30-40 % or more . Since the effectiveness of a fastener depends on it being properly preloaded , ARP urges racers to make sure their torque wrenches are properly calibrated .
Another potential problem lies in how the fastener is lubricated , as inconsistencies in the lubricant itself can lead to a condition known as “ preload scatter .” That ’ s why the company invested considerable
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PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF ARP |