Where It All Started—SCAT Crankshafts
Written by Ainsley Jacobs
Photography courtesy of the manufacturer
Now one of the leading crankshaft suppliers, SCAT Crankshafts got its start in the humble junkyards of Southern California more than 50 years ago.
SCAT’s founder, Tom Lieb, has always been a hardworking, driven individual. One of seven children in a working-class family, he grew up pulling his weight and worked mowing lawns, delivering newspapers, and more since he was about 10 years old. Lieb, now 82 years old, also had the good luck of growing up in the SoCal area where hot rods were huge at the time.
“When I got old enough for something of my own, I couldn’t buy anything so I built a hot rod out of junkyard parts,” recalled Lieb of his ingenuity. He soon realized that he could resell cast-off components for profit and began doing so. “I got my first business license in 1962 when I was still living at home. I’ve never worked for anyone other than myself for my entire life.”
When he went in to complete his licensing paperwork, though, Lieb was caught off-guard when the agent asked what the name of his company was. “I hadn’t even come up with one, but the first thing that came to my mind was ‘SCAT.’ My German grandmother was a great lady but very opinionated and always chased us kids out of the kitchen yelling ‘scat!’ when we tried to steal a cookie,” he reminisced in regards to the origins of his company’s unique name.
Lieb graduated from college in 1964. One week later, he rented a building in Inglewood, California, and moved his home-based operations to a more professional setting. He became the “Go To Guy” for engine blocks for the Top Fuel Dragster crowd as well as Sprint Car drivers. “I had blocks and cranks and all that stuff,” he shared of his in-demand supply of stock. “Then, Volkswagen came along with off-road racing and I had an opportunity to get into that and developed a product line. I was one of the first to make crankshafts for VW in 1967 and connecting rods in 1971.”
The proliferation of CNC equipment in the 1970s helped Lieb’s business rapidly evolve into what it is today – one of the major sources of performance aftermarket crankshafts. With such tremendous growth, SCAT needed a new home and found one in 1975 via a casual conversation. “Back then, Vic Edelbrock was also in the construction business and I told him that if he found a piece of land, he could put a building on for me, I would do it,” Lieb reflected on the handshake deal that led to a new 42,000+ square foot facility plus additional outbuildings in nearby Redondo Beach.
Mose Nolan, the legendary head of Ford’s engine design program, wanted specific crankshafts produced for Ford’s NASCAR program. Lieb committed to the project and earned a contract from the automaker, but it required him to purchase a specific crankshaft milling machine that weight 60,000 pounds and was embedded 6 feet into the ground. “That machine cost twice as much as what it cost me to build the new building we were in,” laughed Lieb.
That decision, though, put SCAT on the map and the company began cranking out both completed, finished billet crankshafts as well as rough supply for other manufacturers to do their own final finishing. Over the years, SCAT’s capabilities grew to include more than 70 pieces of equipment, including CNC machines, rod honing machines, and crankshaft polishing machines to produce the finest crankshafts and connecting rods in the world.
Although he has a true passion for what he does, Lieb began to realize he needed an “exit strategy” as he aged. Wanting to secure the future of the roughly 80 employees who had been loyal to him over the last 40-plus years, he searched for an opportunity that would keep the business in its longstanding location to protect their livelihoods. In late 2021, the SCAT Enterprises’ crankshaft business was acquired by Taglich Private Equity. The transaction also included the Procar by SCAT seating division, although Lieb retained the SCAT VW division.
Over the years, SCAT produced crankshafts for just about everything from NASCAR to IndyCar and even Pebble Beach’s beautiful antiques, as well as helping customers win everything from the Daytona 500 to 12 Hours of Sebring and drag racing championships at all levels. “We may not be at the forefront of fame, but behind the scenes, we’re supporting it all,” Lieb added proudly of his business which he built on the core foundations of providing excellent service and quality at a competitive price. “There’s no greater feeling than getting a win.”
Written by Ainsley Jacobs
Photography courtesy of the manufacturer
Now one of the leading crankshaft suppliers, SCAT Crankshafts got its start in the humble junkyards of Southern California more than 50 years ago.
SCAT’s founder, Tom Lieb, has always been a hardworking, driven individual. One of seven children in a working-class family, he grew up pulling his weight and worked mowing lawns, delivering newspapers, and more since he was about 10 years old. Lieb, now 82 years old, also had the good luck of growing up in the SoCal area where hot rods were huge at the time.
“When I got old enough for something of my own, I couldn’t buy anything so I built a hot rod out of junkyard parts,” recalled Lieb of his ingenuity. He soon realized that he could resell cast-off components for profit and began doing so. “I got my first business license in 1962 when I was still living at home. I’ve never worked for anyone other than myself for my entire life.”
When he went in to complete his licensing paperwork, though, Lieb was caught off-guard when the agent asked what the name of his company was. “I hadn’t even come up with one, but the first thing that came to my mind was ‘SCAT.’ My German grandmother was a great lady but very opinionated and always chased us kids out of the kitchen yelling ‘scat!’ when we tried to steal a cookie,” he reminisced in regards to the origins of his company’s unique name.
Lieb graduated from college in 1964. One week later, he rented a building in Inglewood, California, and moved his home-based operations to a more professional setting. He became the “Go To Guy” for engine blocks for the Top Fuel Dragster crowd as well as Sprint Car drivers. “I had blocks and cranks and all that stuff,” he shared of his in-demand supply of stock. “Then, Volkswagen came along with off-road racing and I had an opportunity to get into that and developed a product line. I was one of the first to make crankshafts for VW in 1967 and connecting rods in 1971.”
The proliferation of CNC equipment in the 1970s helped Lieb’s business rapidly evolve into what it is today – one of the major sources of performance aftermarket crankshafts. With such tremendous growth, SCAT needed a new home and found one in 1975 via a casual conversation. “Back then, Vic Edelbrock was also in the construction business and I told him that if he found a piece of land, he could put a building on for me, I would do it,” Lieb reflected on the handshake deal that led to a new 42,000+ square foot facility plus additional outbuildings in nearby Redondo Beach.
Mose Nolan, the legendary head of Ford’s engine design program, wanted specific crankshafts produced for Ford’s NASCAR program. Lieb committed to the project and earned a contract from the automaker, but it required him to purchase a specific crankshaft milling machine that weight 60,000 pounds and was embedded 6 feet into the ground. “That machine cost twice as much as what it cost me to build the new building we were in,” laughed Lieb.
That decision, though, put SCAT on the map and the company began cranking out both completed, finished billet crankshafts as well as rough supply for other manufacturers to do their own final finishing. Over the years, SCAT’s capabilities grew to include more than 70 pieces of equipment, including CNC machines, rod honing machines, and crankshaft polishing machines to produce the finest crankshafts and connecting rods in the world.
Although he has a true passion for what he does, Lieb began to realize he needed an “exit strategy” as he aged. Wanting to secure the future of the roughly 80 employees who had been loyal to him over the last 40-plus years, he searched for an opportunity that would keep the business in its longstanding location to protect their livelihoods. In late 2021, the SCAT Enterprises’ crankshaft business was acquired by Taglich Private Equity. The transaction also included the Procar by SCAT seating division, although Lieb retained the SCAT VW division.
Over the years, SCAT produced crankshafts for just about everything from NASCAR to IndyCar and even Pebble Beach’s beautiful antiques, as well as helping customers win everything from the Daytona 500 to 12 Hours of Sebring and drag racing championships at all levels. “We may not be at the forefront of fame, but behind the scenes, we’re supporting it all,” Lieb added proudly of his business which he built on the core foundations of providing excellent service and quality at a competitive price. “There’s no greater feeling than getting a win.”
