Issue link: http://osercommunicationsgroup.uberflip.com/i/266194
A f t e r m a r k e t D a i l y N e w s 3 7 T h u r s d a y, N o v e m b e r 7 , 2 0 1 3 organizations such as O'Reilly, Sherwin Williams and Napa. The company's latest new offering, the vFan Gravity, is being unveiled this year at SEMA and AAPEX. AMDN: How does your background fuel your passion for Preval? SA: I grew up in a suburb of Detroit, and my dad ran a scrap metal business that recycled and re-purposed auto parts. In Detroit, everybody either worked for the auto industry, knew someone who did, or did business with the Big Three. Watching Detroit fail in the face of cheap- er, and in some ways inferior competition, seeded a desire in me to participate in the rebuilding of the industry, and in bringing American auto business, American-made products (like Preval) and the American approach to innovation back to life. AMDN: Why have you pursued new product development so aggressively? SA: When I joined Preval, I was very excited about the opportunity to build on the company's legacy for producing high- quality, affordable spray technology. At the time, Preval was best-known for the Sprayer, which had developed a sort of cult-like following among auto industry professionals and do-it-yourself con- sumers. My intuition told me that the same spray technology that made the Sprayer so prized could be put to use in so many other ways to satisfy the needs of every type of user in the auto industry and beyond. Preval Spray Team (Cont'd. from p. 1) AMDN: What drives your approach to new product development at Preval? SA: After some market research and getting to know a lot of people in the industry, I saw there was enormous consumer demand for new products to complement the Sprayer. The first few product releases were accessories to the Sprayer, and the feedback we got was so positive that I saw an opportu- nity to put our spray technology to work in new ways. From there, we launched the vFan, with its own line of complementary accessories. The vFan Gravity is a natural evolution of the original vFan. AMDN: How do you envision Preval in five years, 10 years and 20 years? SA: I see Preval being not only the leader in its category, but a market maker. I am not afraid to take risks, and I know there is still an enormous, large- ly untapped niche out there for Preval to fill. Our whole world has become differ- ent in the last decade. With a collective awareness that we need to act now to preserve our environment, and green technologies emerging to help, I see Preval playing a huge role in helping build and finish products that will last, as well as restoring, recycling and refinish- ing older vehicles like the 1995 Range Rover LWB on display at SEMA and AAPEX this year. Visit the Preval team at SEMA booth 11139 and AAPEX booth 41029. Visit online at www.preval.com for more information. originally launched the custom wheel craze. Performance-capable cars attract an owner demographic that's not satis- fied with factory OE "off the shelf" looks, so we expect the "modern mus- cle" car wheel market will remain robust. As far as wheel finishes, for the last few years black has been big but now we see real movement back to chrome. Chrome sales are up, but black wheels combined with machined sur- faces remain strong, particularly in the off road segment. Trends are away from big "bling" with movement toward more stable styles and sizes that have legs. Specialty paint finishes and so-called "concave" wheels are visible in terms of identifiable design trends. Steel wheels are back in a big way in the hot rod mar- ket, particularly due to the popularity of Rat Rods, and remain a staple of the rock crawling Jeep segment. Cragar's line of steel wheels are made in the U.S.A. at its factory in Ontario, Calif. AMDN: What should W.D.'s and distrib- utors be stocking to be ready for 2014 sales? CS: As far as applications, Camaro, Challenger, Jeep JK, Mustang and Toyota truck applications should be leaders again in 2014. The Chevy ｽ-ton pickup truck continues to be a leading target of aftermarket customization. For the first time, Cragar will offer a six-lug Cragar S/S for truck applica- tions. For off road looks, in addition to the Jeep JK's strong offering, a healthy inventory of eight-lug truck applica- Cragar S/S (Cont'd. from p. 1) tions would be a good choice. Here in California, eight-lug truck demand remains strong for wheels styled with an off road look and feel. Import per- formance car sales are strong but the market is flooded with low-margin afterady. AMDN: What's new and exciting in the Cragar line for 2014? CS: Cragar will offer the five spoke 617, a style reminiscent of old school muscle car styling for late model Mustangs, Camaros, Challengers, and other late model applications, in chrome and matte black finishes. We also added the "Prism" to the line, a leading edge design that should sell well in our markets. As stated earlier, enthusiasts will be excited to see that we will be offering a 17-inch six-lug Cragar S/S for trucks. It's a great looking 6 spoke design and consumers have been asking for this style for a long time. AMDN: What is Cragar's sales outlook for 2014 U.S. aftermarket wheels? CS: Cragar is looking to 2014 as a peri- od of growth. We expect steady sales to a slight increase for our vintage muscle segment. Cragar will be debuting two new styles of modern muscle wheels this year, with more in development for release in 2014. It will be a good year for those that stock the right SKUs and listen to customers. For more information, visit booth 43049 at SEMA or go online to www.carlisle- transportationproducts.com. technology beam/frameless blade uni- versal "all-in-one" connector fits most vehicles, and the all-weather perform- ance eliminates need for winter blades. It is streamlined for better resistance to wind lift, and the frameless design deters snow and ice buildup. The Premium All Season Wiper Blades Spoiler creates even distribu- tion of pressure, the molded one-piece frame resists freezing and clogging, all-season performance eliminates need for winter blades, and the univer- sal adapter fits most vehicles, and RainEater (Cont'd. from p. 4) meets and exceeds OEM requirements. Originally developed for the aerospace industry, the RainEater Wiper Blades Premium All Season Wiper Blade was adapted for the automotive market to provide the very best performance in wiping rain, sleet and snow from the wind- shield. The universal adaptor was engineered to be amazingly simple to use, making for EZ-Quick installation in seconds. For more information, visit booth 40037 at SEMA or go online to www.raineater.com. with crews of noted mega yachts, who were tasked with not only keeping the yacht's exterior finishes clean and pro- tected, but also the various other high- end vehicles belonging to the yacht own- ers. This elite, uber-rich group is notori- ously picky, yet Sea-Shield's mirror-like finish and protective qualities managed to impress even them. "We've seen cases where a car was polished and protected with Sea-Shield, and left without further protection for Sea-Shield (Cont'd. from p. 4) months, and water still beads and rolls off the surface," says Linares. "That kind of outstanding weather resistance is what helps spread the word around." Be sure to stop by booth number 13075 at The 2013 SEMA Show and check out the full line of Sea-Shield products. For more information on Sea-Shield, visit booth 13075 or go online to www.sea-shield.com. For information on distribution or to become a wholesaler, call 800-898-8297. QUICK FUEL TECHNOLOGY INTRODUCES FOUR NEW HIGH OUTPUT FUEL PUMPS Quick Fuel Technology ® (QFT) has set new standards for racing fuel pumps with its revolutionary series of billet pumps capable of supporting up to 2,500 hp. QFT not only went after the big flow numbers, the company designed a series of pumps with increased durability and serviceability, and a new vane and rotor design that delivers a greater volume of fuel in the all-important 12-20 psi range. The new QFT High Performance Fuel Pump lineup includes a 230 gph continuous duty street pump that will support 1200 hp, a drag race/short duration 260 gph pump that supports 1,000 hp in rear fuel cell vehicles and 1,600 hp with front-mounted fuel cells, a 300 gph drag race/short duration pump that delivers fuel for up to 800 hp, and a 400 gph drag racing pump that is good for 800 hp-2,500 hp engines. All of these pumps are compatible with gas, alcohol and E85 fuels. QFT machines the pump bodies out of aircraft grade 6061 aluminum, then hard anodizes them for wear and corrosion resistance. All critical inter- nal moving parts are coated with DYNA- BLUE ® wear resistant coat- ing and the motor's armature shaft is made out of 316 stainless steel for corrosion pro- tection. Huge #10 AN inlet and outlet ports minimize flow restrictions, and both the 260 and 400 gph pumps fea- ture an externally adjustable bypass system with #8 AN ports to reduce cavitation. The continuous-duty street 230 gph pump comes standard with an external bypass regulator (P/N 30- 1900). The part numbers are: 30-230 for the 230 gph continuous flow model, 30-260 for the drag race 260 gph model, 30-300 for the drag race 300 gph ver- sion, and 3 0 - 4 0 0 for the huge 400 g p h pump. Every QFT high-output billet pump is tested for flow, pressure and leaks before it leaves the factory. Rebuild kits and lower housing body kits are available to rebuild these pumps in the future. An added bonus is that QFT is supporting these new pumps with a generous NHRA contin- gency program, so it is a win-win for racers – great pumps and more prize money. For more information, call 270-793- 0900, fax 270-793-0951 or visit online at www.quickfueltechnology.com.