Company

Valley Crankshaft Inc.

Valley Crankshaft Inc. is a small, high performance machine shop, with 2 people on staff, and has been in business since 1984. We started as a crankshaft grinding and repair facility, and slowly evolved into a full service machine shop. Our capabilities include precision block, crank, rod, piston and cylinder head machining and assembly, using a full compliment of BHJ products. Mig & tig welding are also available in-house. Custom crankshaft work, including wet magnafluxing, offset grinding full radius at journal’s edge; indexing throws and nitrating are available. Custom cylinderhead work, including valve guide repair, welding (aluminum only), radius/multi-angle valve seats, porting (using our Flow Data/Audie Tech acquisition flow bench), angle and flat milling, and chamber cc-ing are all available. We have a SF901 Super Flow engine dyno, so after the engine is built, we can break in, custom test & tune it for the application. This way we can ensure that you’ll get the maximum performance out of the engine. We have many dyno proven combinations.

Our customer base ranges from drag racing (NHRA Stock/Super Stock/Super classes/local brackets), some circle track racing applications, Sprint boats (from large cubic inch small block injected or alcohol to mid-size small blocks, carbureted on gas), marine performance inboard (mostly jet-drive white water river boats), and custom high performance street rods.

Some of our customers include Terry Anderson, 2002 NHRA Division 6 Super stock champion, winner at Fram/Autolite national event at Sonoma in 2003 (machine work only), Mick & Jackie Alley, Division 6 NHRA Stock Eliminator racers, Ralph VanPapeghem, past Division 6 Super stock champion and currently racing in Competition Eliminator (machine work only), and Jimmy Band, past NHRA Division 6 Super street champion. Customers also include Burt & Mark Roberts (father & son team), won 2nd place U.I.M. World champion in 2002 World series Jet-sprinting in Super boat class. They are also the top two leaders in U.S.; both Super boat & Group A class, and have been for several years. We also have numerous customers with custom street/strip rods; many of them shown at the Boise Roadster show in past years.

Valley Crankshaft Inc. has been the proud sponsor of the Pro Bracket Class at Firebird Raceway near Boise, Idaho for several years. We have had first and second place winners in Pro Bracket 1998-99, 2000, 2002, 2004-05!

2006 Update:
Valley Crankshaft sponsored the Pro Bracket Class at Firebird Raceway again in 2006, and will also in 2007. Mike’s ’69 Camaro was voted as “Best Appearing Vehicle” for 2006, at the annual Firebird Awards banquet. (We were pretty excited when they announced his name for this award!)

Owner/Operator: Mike Hering

Mike is the brains & founder of Valley Crankshaft. As previously noted, he started the business over 20 years ago. He probably has more knowledge of engine building than a person would ever realize. He’s always been one to build the best combination known to him, and doesn’t settle for just anything. Mike’s very particular about every aspect of engine building; from tear down, measuring, cleaning before, during & after machine work, to the configuration of the engine with all parts precisely chosen. He uses quality parts & takes a lot of pride in his work. All engines built at Valley Crankshaft are built to last as long as the application will allow; providing everything else in the car/boat/truck/custom rod is built & set up properly.

Mike has done all types of racing in the past, beginning with dirt bikes when he was young. He still likes to trail ride and also rides a snowmobile. (Boon docking is his favorite!) He has done drag racing; river racing, and even tried Jet-sprinting a couple of times. Mike built our 70½ Z28 Camaro (twice now from the ground up) for a street (sometimes strip) car. He is currently building a 69 Camaro (from the ground up) to run in A/S class drag racing.

Feel free to call or email Mike with any questions.

2005 Update:
Mike, with a lot of help from a good friend, finished his 1969 Camaro in late summer. The paint job turned out awesome! Mike put a pump gas 406SBC/605hp bracket/drag racing motor in the car to beak-in and learn how to drive it. When Mike feels he and the car are ready, he's going to put a 427BBC/425hp engine in the car. He was only able to get a few test runs before the season ended for 2005. Watch for him in NW Division 6, running NHRA A/S Class in 2006! Photos to come! The 406 SBC is for sale by the way.

2006 Update:
In the spring of 2006, Mike took the 406 SBC engine out of his ’69 Camaro, and replaced it with the 427 BBC (Stock eliminator legal) engine. He raced several races at Firebird Raceway, including the “Ignitor” opener in May, the “Nightfire Nationals” in August, and the “Halloween Classic” in October. Mike raced two Division 6 and two Division 7 races in 2006. These included Woodburn, OR, Fallon, NV and the divisional at Las Vegas, NV in early November. He put 70 full passes on the car in 2006. By sorting out the car, he ended the year with a best of .85 under the index. He pulled the motor in December, and has since put 55 dyno pulls on it. Through various dyno tests, in Dec 06 & Jan 07, Mike has found 40+ more horsepower.

Mike has been using Joe Gibbs racing oil, and is very pleased with the outcome of the motor. (He’s made a total of 93 pulls & 70 passes with the racing oil.) After disassembling the motor, he says that everything looks great! He’s a true believer of this oil! He also uses Joe Gibbs break-in oil on the racing engines that he builds and dyno tests. Mike suggests that anyone with a flat-tappet cam in his or her motor should use Joe Gibbs racing oil. (Of course, we are a dealer for Joe Gibbs oil, and they will even drop ship to our customers.)

Owner/Bookkeeper: Cheryl Hering

Cheryl has been in the automotive business for 20+ years. She’s done everything from delivering parts, counter parts sales, both store & warehouse parts ordering, to her current job of bookkeeper/owner of Valley Crankshaft. She finally gave up her other full time job at KAPS warehouse in early 1995 and has been here since. Just last year, Cheryl tried drag racing for the first time, and is continuing in 2004 in the “Naughty Girls Racing” club. Cheryl & Mike have been the sole owners of Valley Crankshaft, and have been married 22 years.

2005 Update:
Cheryl raced for the "Naughty Girls Racing" in the Club Challenge Series. She raced at Firebird Raceway in 2004 and some in 2005. In August 2005, Cheryl and Mike took their 1970½ Z28 Camaro to an Autocross race in Jerome, Idaho. This was the first time they tried Autocross and they both say, "What a blast!"

2006 Update:
Cheryl decided to “sit out” the 2006-racing season, so Jenny could race for the Capital HS drag team. (She started middle to late in 2005, racing for the Capital HS team. She also raced a few times for the “Naughty Girls” at the Firebird Club Challenge races.) Jenny definitely enjoys drag racing, and of course, got a lot of support from Mike. She graduated in May 2006 from Capital HS. She hopes to get a “Letter” in drag racing for racing on the Capital HS team.

Cheryl is thinking about “hitting” some of the races in 2007. She does enjoy the “rush” of going down the track in her 70-1/2 Z28 Camaro. (Though she’s gotta get that “tree” figured out!) She’s looking forward to going to some of the divisional races with Mike, and going to some different places.