Where It Started—Weldon
Written by Ainsley Jacobs
Photography courtesy of the manufacturer
With stringent aviation-quality regulations driving innovation for its automotive performance pumps and components, Weldon has fueled championship-winning racers with the highest-quality products for nearly five decades.
Founded in 1918 by Carl Bergstrom, the Weldon Tool Company of Cleveland, Ohio, was asked by the United States Government during World War II to design and manufacture alcohol de-icing pumps for aircraft in support of the war effort. It was from that initiative that Weldon Pump was officially formed in 1942 as a division of its parent company. Two years later, Weldon Pump earned the US Army-Navy "E" Award for "E"xcellence in recognition of its production of war equipment.
“Weldon Pump continued to supply components to the US government after 1945, but saw its greatest post-war growth with the adoption of its de-icing pumps by the burgeoning General Aviation market in the 1950s and ’60s on civilian, fixed-wing-type aircraft,” explained Jim Craig, Weldon’s Racing Products Manager since 2004.
At the time, Weldon Pump was still a division of the Weldon Tool Company and was situated in a corner of the parent company’s facility. As Weldon’s production of aviation pumps gathered momentum, the company branched out into racing in the 1970s and early 1980s. “In the early '70s, there were a great number of racers who were in need of reliable, high-quality fuel pumps for both car and boat applications. Those racers ultimately found Weldon,” Craig continued of the company’s market expansion. “Around 1982, the Bergstrom family sold Weldon Tool but three of the founder's grandchildren kept Weldon Pump and moved the company to our current facility in Oakwood Village, Ohio, in the mid-’90s.”
Today, Weldon Pump continues to expand its General Aviation pump solutions. Weldon is equally committed to the design and manufacture of high-performance racing fuel pumps, regulators, and filters for both carbureted and EFI applications. All Weldon pumps and components, whether for General Aviation or racing applications, are manufactured to the same stringent ISO 9001:2015 and AS9100D quality standards.
“At Weldon, all our General Aviation and racing pumps and components are manufactured at the same facility, on the same assembly line, and under the same exacting quality control processes. The company also takes great pride in that all of our materials are sourced domestically,” commented Craig. “At Weldon, the passion for innovation, design, and the highest quality manufacturing processes are all part of the company's proud history, part of our very DNA."
Weldon has been a loyal supporter of the NMRA since its inception as well as the NMCA, NHRA, Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, and many other sanctioning bodies. Weldon is dedicated to supporting sportsman racers as a contingency sponsor for the NMRA/NMCA, and Craig is on-site at most all events throughout the season to provide direct racer support.
Written by Ainsley Jacobs
Photography courtesy of the manufacturer
With stringent aviation-quality regulations driving innovation for its automotive performance pumps and components, Weldon has fueled championship-winning racers with the highest-quality products for nearly five decades.
Founded in 1918 by Carl Bergstrom, the Weldon Tool Company of Cleveland, Ohio, was asked by the United States Government during World War II to design and manufacture alcohol de-icing pumps for aircraft in support of the war effort. It was from that initiative that Weldon Pump was officially formed in 1942 as a division of its parent company. Two years later, Weldon Pump earned the US Army-Navy "E" Award for "E"xcellence in recognition of its production of war equipment.
“Weldon Pump continued to supply components to the US government after 1945, but saw its greatest post-war growth with the adoption of its de-icing pumps by the burgeoning General Aviation market in the 1950s and ’60s on civilian, fixed-wing-type aircraft,” explained Jim Craig, Weldon’s Racing Products Manager since 2004.
At the time, Weldon Pump was still a division of the Weldon Tool Company and was situated in a corner of the parent company’s facility. As Weldon’s production of aviation pumps gathered momentum, the company branched out into racing in the 1970s and early 1980s. “In the early '70s, there were a great number of racers who were in need of reliable, high-quality fuel pumps for both car and boat applications. Those racers ultimately found Weldon,” Craig continued of the company’s market expansion. “Around 1982, the Bergstrom family sold Weldon Tool but three of the founder's grandchildren kept Weldon Pump and moved the company to our current facility in Oakwood Village, Ohio, in the mid-’90s.”
Today, Weldon Pump continues to expand its General Aviation pump solutions. Weldon is equally committed to the design and manufacture of high-performance racing fuel pumps, regulators, and filters for both carbureted and EFI applications. All Weldon pumps and components, whether for General Aviation or racing applications, are manufactured to the same stringent ISO 9001:2015 and AS9100D quality standards.
“At Weldon, all our General Aviation and racing pumps and components are manufactured at the same facility, on the same assembly line, and under the same exacting quality control processes. The company also takes great pride in that all of our materials are sourced domestically,” commented Craig. “At Weldon, the passion for innovation, design, and the highest quality manufacturing processes are all part of the company's proud history, part of our very DNA."
Weldon has been a loyal supporter of the NMRA since its inception as well as the NMCA, NHRA, Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, and many other sanctioning bodies. Weldon is dedicated to supporting sportsman racers as a contingency sponsor for the NMRA/NMCA, and Craig is on-site at most all events throughout the season to provide direct racer support.
