Don't remember but Grumpy put them on the map.............. back in the day.

Still have an old GK catalog from the late 70's or early 80's. No date on it.

 

Cam Dynamics I remember...General Kinetics is kinda vague

 

Here ya go straight from a person you can contact.

Ron,

Don't apologize....I sometimes think threads for him were meant for me, too...
Since you asked, I'll give everyone a very very short history of me, so you'll know where I came from.
1969---Went to work for State of Mississippi as computer operator, rose to be lead operator at CDPA, Central Data Processing Agency.
1972---Began working on cam design program in my spare time.
Dec 15, 1972---Sold 310AP SBC solid to Reed Cams, Georgia, for $125.00.
1973---Made $3000 selling to Reed, Isky, Engle, Norris.
1974---Designed Reed's RxxxULX line of rollers, and a lot more, including Benny Parson's 1975 Daytona 500-winning cam. Also Shirl Greer's TF/FC NHRA National Champion Nitro Funny car cam, designed for Norris, and it was a True Chrysler flat tappet, with .438" lobe lift.
1974---Became General Kinetics' cam designer, worked with people like Bill Jenkins and Jack Roush on the cams for their ProStockers.
1976---Jenkins wins Pro Stock Natinal Championship, with GK doing large-barrel cams.
1977---I start in January with Competion Cams, as their original cam designer. Over the next 3 years, I design them hundreds of cams, including the 268 High Energy. I introduce them to the unsymmetrical cam.
1979---I write them their 1st in-house cam design program. Before that, we shared a program with Cam Dynamics.
1980---After negotiating since late 1976 for some stock ownership in Competition Cams, I leave and start UltraDyne on April 1st, 1980. The 1st month I design the 288/296F5 and the 288/296R6, the 2 most popular cams I ever made.
1981---In September, I hire my 1st employee, Mike O'Neal, who ran my shop, made all my models and masters, etc.
1982---We're running 2 shifts, from 7:00 AM to 12:00 PM. Tim Goolsby comes to work for me, he is Mike's brother-in-law. I also design UltraDyne's first hydraulic cams, such as the 272, the 276, the 288/296H.
From then on until 2000, we all just worked. UltraDyne grossed over $1.2 Million a year from 1990 to 1999.
2000---A number of independent factors began to take their toll---Federal Mogul acquiring my 2 major solid lifter core manufacturers, and their later Chapter 11, Lifter companies disappearring, tremendous cash-flow problems in the end of 2000, initially triggered by the UPS strike---We lost around $50,000 in the strike.
2001---A un-named cam company in Memphis hires 8 of my 12 employees, and 2 more just leave because they think --that's it. Only Tim and Gail are left with me.
2001-2003---UltraDyne is in the Chapter 11 'Death Spiral'. I take a $0 salary for 2002, and pump all my, and my wife's, retirment money into UltraDyne, along with all the equity I could get on my house, etc, etc, etc.
June 2003---Everything is gone, the government locks the doors.
August 2003---I go to work at Lunati, charged with completely re-doing their entire line of cams. Mike is already there, waiting for me, along with Steve Slavik, who worked for me for 13 years (Mike for 19...). Then I meet the corporate world.....
Oct 2004---Lunati introduces the VooDoo cams. And they really work good.....

This has been the line and times of a cam designer, and even with the down sides, it has been the time of my life, and I'm going to stay at it as long as I can.....

No comments are necessary, you are all a great bunch, and as that Great American, Minnie Pearl, said, "I'm just so proud to be here!"

Thanks,

UDHarold

 

Don Tewels (sp)

 

Close enough. The winner in less than a half of an hour. Don Toolis. Wasn't printed much, just spoken.

 

Good stuff. I think that was my first cam in my 327, .480/288* I think it was or was it .488/280* with a set of Rhodes lifters.

 

Good stuff. I think that was my first cam in my 327, .480/288* I think it was or was it .488/280* with a set of Rhodes lifters.

Had my cam card hanging from my rearview mirror.

 

"Good morning Don, how you doing?"

Don- "Struggling!"

You could set your watch by that response.

 

Ben, What is Don doing now?

 

Back in 1972 a guy who I knew well had a 67 Camaro with a 350 with a GK cam and dual quads on a tunnel ram. We this was back when speed records on public roads were all the rage we made it from Bethesda MD to Ocean City (leaving at midnight) in 81 minutes and that included two stops for gas . Although that is no big achievment these days back the General opinion was that the Kinetics involved in running a valve train at that rpm for that amount of time would lead to engine failure.

 

Mapquest=Total Travel Estimate: 3 hours 1 minute / 153.74 miles
Plus stopping for gas? Too bad they didn't have camcorders back then, it would be a hell of a tape.

 

GK was the shit back in the 70's

 

The scary thing was it was a convertible....although it had a roll bar

 

I still have my Catolog. I had Wally Booth sign it a few years back. I remember odering a cam and one the the employees delivered it to me. My brother always ran there stuff.

 

my first cam was G/K
270 dur/454 lift
the speed shop that I picked it up from said that the guys worked in a basement with little light.
I was amazed!

 

My GK cam card.

 

How can I get hold of Don Tewels to ask name of detroit person who owned a 1967 Corvette Coupe L88 color red that in 1970 was a drag racer, and his car was used to evaluate performance parts by General Kinetics Camshaft Company.Motor City Dragway, Detroit Dragway and Lapeer Dragway

From: Bill Keogh e mail: wllmkeogh@yahoo.com

 

in on jaun!

 

My Pops ran a GK cam in his 66Chevelle years ago.

 

Old thread. Glad somebody bumped it. Who still has a catalog 70's-80's ? Interested in the specs on a .632 solid lift, BBC cam. They had some good stuff. Thanks.

 

I have an old G/K master cat. in my stash.

I will post what I find later after looking through it.

pdq67

 

We ran ALOT of ultradyne cams in roundy round asphalt motors........

 

"August 2003---I go to work at Lunati, charged with completely re-doing their entire line of cams. Mike is already there, waiting for me, along with Steve Slavik, who worked for me for 13 years (Mike for 19...). Then I meet the corporate world.....
Oct 2004---Lunati introduces the VooDoo cams. And they really work good....."

So the Luanti VooDoo cams are really a similar GK design perhaps?
and I can stop looking everywhere for a NOS GK Ford Cleveland roller stick?

 

Blizz-
Harold Brookshire was responsible for the VooDoo line of camshafts as you've already learned. Previous to that Mr. Brookshire owned ULTRADYNE, which was THE cam company for serious ford guys.
Bullet Cams now owns all the old Ultradyne masters, and can still make anything you wish from that line.
http://bulletcams.com/

 

FWIW, the correct spelling is Don Teweles.

 

I think I still have several catalogs. Hell I think I still have several new GK cams on the shelf.

I bought cams from Don and GK (it was called camshaft merchandisers later, I think) into the early 90s. Then I think Lunati bought them.

Very good cams in my opinion.

I think Don was a pioneer in cam design. Very sharp guy.

 

Vamodsquad,

G/K BBC solid lifer cams at approx. .632" gross lift.

.371" and.372" lobe lift for a BBC solid lifter family of cams.

---Adv/.050" durations

1. 300/264 -- .372
2. 305/265 -- .371
3. 310/271 -- .372
4. 315/276 -- .372
5. 320/274 -- .372
6. 320/279 -- .372
7. 326/285 -- .372
8. 326/282 -- .372
9. 332/286 -- .371
10. 340/293 -- .372
11. 296/263 -- .371 -- (newer design?)

Hope I got these copied over correctly?

Good luck,

pdq67

 

Thank you very much. I appreciate it.

 

In high school I ran a 427 in my street car/race car I had One Of the Gk332B cams in it, ir sounded wicked, ran well too.

 

I had some GK stuff back in the 1970s/1980s. Used to go down & pick them up. They worked out of two or three old houses on Trumbell across from Tiger Stadium and transported cams from house to house in a wheelbarrow using the sidewalk. Lost a couple dollars betting Don on how many pieces a junk cam would break into when he tossed it up in the air and let it fall in the parking lot. They broke into three - he said they alway break in three after catching me twice. Don't know if that is really true or if he just got lucky...but I bought lunch...