It is always interesting to ponder how the decisions that we make today will impact our future environment. Some individuals are frightened of making big decisions, and unfortunately never get the opportunity to shine their brightest, while other’s simple decisions to follow their dreams and passions open up doors they never quite imagined were possible. Similarly, it is highly unlikely when the Holley brothers formed the Holley Motor Company in 1903 that they could have imagined it would still be going strong 113 years later.Through the years Holley has ebbed and flowed, changing with the times, but has never altered in its dedication to the performance aftermarket. Throughout the years Holley has acquired several nostalgic performance brands. Our most recent acquisition was the MSD/ACCEL group in 2015. Those products are manufactured and operated in various places across the country, but at our Bowling Green facility we currently manufacture products for the following brands: Hooker BlackHeart, Holley EFI, NOS, Demon, Earl’s Performance Plumbing, and Weiand.Recently we invited photographer Wes Duenkel up to Bowling Green, Kentucky to take a walk with us through our manufacturing facility and document several of the processes that go into the production of the parts that we are so well known for. He did a masterful job of capturing what we do on a daily basis to ensure that enthusiasts everywhere are getting their horsepower fix! Take a walk with us. You may learn something you didn’t already know about our wonderful industry.Since its origin in 1903 Holley has manufactured over 250,000,000 carburetors. These carburetors have powered all sorts of land, sea and aircraft. From the DC3 Douglas airplanes and Packard PT boats of World War II, to the Holley equipped race cars on a Saturday night circle track, Holley continues to manufacture and produce thousands upon thousands of carburetors annually. Whether you’re rocking two barrels of carburetion or four, if you’re in it to win it, Holley has the carburetor for you.Some of our fans may not realize it, but Holley has been manufacturing Demon carburetors since the acquisition of Demon Fuel Systems in 2011. Since that time Holley has infused our high quality control standards into the existing line-up of Demon carburetors and has even added to the product line with our successful Street Demon series of carburetors.

A crucial area of the carburetor line is the flow bench, where all of our carburetors are wet-flow tested and confirmed in working order. Following the flow bench, they are wrapped, Instapaked, and then boxed for shipment. Any carburetor that doesn’t meet our specifications on the flow bench takes an altered course to a master technician so it can be remedied. That carburetor will ultimately be tested on the same flow bench again and verified before it makes its way out into the world.

 

One of the most impressive areas of our Bowling Green facility is the research and development lab. This is where nearly all of the performance products that we manufacture are put to the test after they have been designed and prototypes have been developed. The facility houses two engine dyno cells as well as a chassis dyno for the establishment of baselines and verification of added performance for various parts. We also use these machines in order to perfect tuning strategies for our fuel systems, whether utilizing carburetors or Holley EFI. The R&D lab also houses our project vehicles and test mules that we use to test products in various stages of development.

Our development area is also utilized for Hooker BlackHeart exhaust development. Hooker BlackHeart manufacturing comprises approximately 10,000 square feet of our facility. In that space we house our 304SS raw material, our CNC bender, water jet, and various welding bays that help facilitate production of headers and exhaust systems in their various stages of development. Four lifts are frequently in use as we do our best to release products to market for all of the latest domestic muscle cars, imports and LS swap components for popular retrofit chassis.

 

Here you can see one of our BlackHeart long tube headers being welded together by one of our craftsmen in our Bowling Green, KY facility. Purchase with confidence, knowing that your products are going to install well, sound great, and alter the personality and performance of your vehicle for the better.

 

Holley prides itself in utilizing the latest technology in a lean environment to provide the highest quality parts at the best value to the customer. CNC machines are utilized for all machining processes required for desirable products such as our Weiand superchargers, Holley Hi-Ram intake manifolds, LS engine swap oil pans, etc. Here, machine operator Paul Stockton is working with one of our SysteMAX lower intake manifolds in Carbon Black designed for use with Ford Mustang applications.

 

As in all manufacturing segments, releasing quality components to market is one of our greatest concerns. This is especially important considering we are honored in supplying NASCAR Sprint Cup teams with Holley EFI throttle bodies, NHRA PRO Stock with Holley EFI systems and billet Pro Stock throttle body, and keeping GM COPO Camaros stocked with Holley Hi Ram intake manifolds and Holley EFI systems. The ARCA series is also proudly utilizing Holley EFI as their system of choice for fuel injection along with our Hooker Tri-Y headers, Holley HydraMat fuel blankets, fuel pumps and regulators.

Here CMM Programmer Andrew Kaiser works with one of our Hi-Ram lower intake manifolds on a CMM machine. These machines allow us to measure the physical geometrical characteristics of an object. The machine can be either computer controlled or manually operated to a programmers liking. A probe attached to the third moving axis of the machine is how measurements are achieved.

 

Our engineers are heavily involved in the manufacturing process, ensuring that our products are meeting the high standards of our customers. Here Senior Manufacturing Engineer Joel Brawner inspects a throttle body that just completed one of it’s stages of machining.

 

Another one of the amazing nostalgic brands that we manufacture here in Bowling Green is Earl’s. Earl’s Performance Plumbing was started by Earl Fouts in Lawndale, California back in the 1950s. Fouts got his start by supplying high quality military aircraft surplus plumbing components purchased from well stocked aircraft graveyards. As this graveyards began to dry up, Earl foresaw growth potential in this market. Taking it upon himself he began developing products to support the burgeoning racing community. Earl’s was the first company to introduce the “self-indexing” hose end in 1973, called the “Swivel-Seal”. Earl’s is also credited with the invention of several of today’s well known special purpose AN adapters.

Nitrous oxide has been utilized to increase the performance and speed of vehicles for a lot longer than one might imagine. Nitrous oxide dates back to at least World War II when Allied forces utilized it for boosts in airspeed and high altitude capability.After nearly 30 years of nitrous oxide being used on motor vehicles, racers were finally able to perfect the use of nitrous oxide on their racecars. Nitrous Oxide Systems (NOS) was born. Today NOS remains as the most recognized supplier of nitrous kits and accessories for the performance aftermarket.Whether you’re in need of help with your Holley carburetor, or you are traversing new territory with modern modifications, our Holley Technical Service team is capable of providing you with the answers you need. Our team is well versed in all of our Holley and family brand products and can offer you the support you need to get your car back on the ground and running. Don’t have time to speak with someone on the phone? No worries. Our system is capable of taking voicemail messages which we strive to return in 24-48 hours. You can even fill out a form online and send it to us via email for assistance.