Canton Racing Products Heritage
At the end of a gravel driveway, inside a two bay garage, sheet metal was being bent and welded to create the first Canton oil pans. That was 1979 and the oil pans were custom creations being designed and fabricated for local circle track racers looking for an edge. Canton founder Mike Zeranski adapted the large oil recovery pouches and windage trays that had proven successful in drag racing for use in these custom circle track oil pans. The result was more oil control and more power.
As is often the case when something works and helps win races, word gets around. More requests for custom oil pans came into the small garage shop and with each new pan built the designs were refined and standardized. The early focus on Small Block and Big Block Chevy pans quickly expanded to include custom options for Pontiac, Olds, Chevy V6, Ford, and Mopar. Over those first few years Canton continued developing through this hands-on effort to build better oil pans for racers who came seeking solutions.
By 1981, Canton Custom Oil Pans was officially a full time business and it was time to move out of the garage. Zeranski moved operations into a rented shop space the next town over. Now with increased space and production capacity, not to mention rent and payroll to pay, Canton was ready to expand their customer base. In the 1980’s, there was no better way to spread the word than trade shows. Zeranski, with the family station wagon and small trailer, hit the road to attend as many as he could across the east coast. In the days before PRI and EPARTRADE, shows like the Circle Track Trade Show in Daytona Beach were the best way to get out and meet new racers. Zeranski fondly remembers these early trade shows in hotel basements and less then optimal locations where he met many long time friends in the industry.
By 1986 Canton Custom Oil Pans became Canton Racing Products and was no longer just making custom pans. They now were stocking a full line of oil pans for circle track, drag racing, street performance, road racing, and marine applications, as well as oil control components like input adapters and the Accusump oil accumulator.
Through the years that followed Canton continued to grow and adapt to the needs of racers and high performance customers. They would also move buildings 5 more times in the period from 1984 to 2000 before settling in their current building, and adding an addition in 2003. All the while, the product line got bigger, but the mission stayed the same: protect engines, improve reliability, and give performance enthusiasts smarter solutions for demanding conditions.
Now, 45 years since moving out of the garage, Canton still serves racers and performance enthusiasts by solving the same kind of problems that inspired the business in the first place. So, stop by their garage for a chat sometime and maybe they can help you find your performance edge.
