It’s always fun to go see the guys at Crane, because they are clearly a group of car guys that love what they do. You’ve heard us gush our love for Chase Knight, the valvetrain guru over there, and the rest of the gang is pretty cool too. When we went to visit them at this week’s SEMA Show, we were thrilled to also see that racing engine legend Keith Dorton was hanging out with them. We met Keith a few years ago at Bonneville, and he’s been a friend ever since.

Once we got done laughing and talking with all these guys, we started asking them questions about their latest parts, including the giant 65mm Tool Steel Cam Cores like the one we ran in the Drag Week S10. And while the giant cam is cool, we’re going to be telling you more about it in another story.

What we were really excited about was the new Crank Trigger components from Crane though. Not only do they have new Crank Trigger Distributors, but also a new Crank Trigger Pickup Sensor that is unlike any other we’ve seen.

The new distributors are available for Chevrolets and Small Fords, and feature a super low profile, billet housings, stainless shafts, a bearing up top and bronze bushing down below for accurate alignment and long life. Each one includes a bronze drive gear, solid brass lugs in the cap, and an adjustable collar for different deck heights on all Chevrolet models.

And at less than $300 retail, they are a great value for any high performance race car that needs a crank trigger.

To signal that trigger, Crane has also introduced a new Crank Trigger Pickup Sensor like none other. It has zero speed sensing, unlike any of the competition, and an LED static timing light so that setup is ultra easy and accurate.

What’s impressive is the fact that the sensor is good to 12,000 rpm or more and will live with heat up to 150 degrees Celsius. That’s over 300 degrees Fahrenheit, which is way hotter than you’d expect it to ever see. It’s a completely sealed unit, has great connectors, and works at a variety of voltages. What was also very exciting to us was the incredible .085 inch gap that it will still operate at. Most crank triggers start seeing degradation in signal well before they get to an air gap that large. And to keep you front wiring it backwards and killing the sensor, Crane has added Reverse Polarity Protection.

Inside the sensor’s billet aluminum housing, a fully sealed and surface mounted circuit board and components are secured precisely will fully encapsulating silicone.

Getting this new upgraded sensor will cost you $145 retail, but like the distributor, it’s a great value.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THIS, OR ANY OTHER CRANE CAMS PRODUCTS, CLICK HERE