A little history regarding Cold Form Products and TruLine

[AirCooledRebuilder]

(I hope I have this in the right forum.)

In 1984, I had the privilege of meeting Hank, the owner of Cold Form Products, which built TruLine boring bars. I don't recall his last name, but I’ll never forget the man. At the time, his shop was located in the city of Paramount, on Compton Blvd. Hank was in his mid to late 60s, and he had a deep passion for his craft.


Interestingly, Hank performed line bores for anyone who brought a VW case to his shop. Having said that, his main business was building and selling his TruLine VW boring bar kits. When I met Hank, he operated entirely on his own—the definition of a one-man operation. I don’t recall if Cold Form Products produced any other tools besides the Line Bore Bar kit, the thrust cutter, and the center cam tool cutter. (This cam tool cutter would cut only the center main cam journal back to the original specs. Without performing this cut, on some VW cases, the center cam bearings would be too tight, making it difficult to turn the crankshaft when the case halves are bolted together.)
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What made Hank stand out wasn't just the quality of his craft, but the time he gave to others. He’d offer hands-on demonstrations to anyone who wanted to learn how to use his boring bars. All he charged was the going rate for a line bore—around $30, (it might have been less).

My business partner and I had acquired a set of four line boring bars. Not only did we pay for a ‘hands-on’ demonstration (truly a no-brainer). We paid for two more demonstrations just because Hank was such an interesting man to talk to.

When setting up the VW case for a line bore, Hank was meticulous, while showing us how to thoroughly inspect the case halves for any nicks or burrs. Then, carefully filing them down when needed. He paid special attention to the case ends so the feed mechanism and the smaller guide tool were able to fit inside smoothly. He would lightly coat the brass bushings with white grease, then guide both ends over the bar simultaneously, (twisting the small end in, and pushing the feed mechanism in to place). Then he would tap the feed mechanism with a rubber mallet.

One interesting detail he explained was the use of a small steel “safety” rod inside the feeding mechanism. If I remember correctly, this two-piece(?) rod—about 4 inches long— was one piece of steel rod (around 1/4 inch dia) crimped(?) over a smaller diameter rod (though it could have been one piece). This is the small rod that connects the line bore bar to the feed mechanism in which it is housed. Anyhow, he designed the steel rod to shear off if the operator didn’t stop the drill in time, preventing damage to the feed mechanism.

Hank also pointed out that the center cutter was intentionally offset (the cutter that bores the split-bearing center main journal). This made it easier to monitor that cutter specifically—once it was done cutting, you knew it was time to stop the drill. Back then, he recommended using a heavy-duty ½-inch drill, spinning at 500 RPM—similar to this one:

( i.ebayimg.com/images/g/48EAAOSwQChk8zwO/s-l1600.webp )

That ½ drill was almost identical to the one he used and the one we purchased – solely for line boring.


Around 1987, Hank was preparing to semi-retire. He’d found a new place near Big Bear Lake, a house where he can live that included a shop on the same property. Sadly, his business suffered a serious set back during one of his trips moving equipment to the new location. His heavy-duty truck broke down and it was loaded with steel bar stock (20ft lengths) and finished/unfinished boring bars. Cell phones were a rarity then so he left to get help. By the time he returned, everything had been stolen—likely scrapped for metal. He was devastated. We all were.

After that, Hank rarely produced any new line bore bars kits. He still had a bit of inventory, but his passion was gone. The theft seemed to take the wind out of his sails. At least he got to spend his final years in the mountains, close to fishing holes.

For context: I was involved with air-cooled VWs from 1983 to 1997. Back when I met Hank, I co-owned a small engine rebuild shop with a partner. We were located near I-5 and Rosecrans Blvd., not far from Hank’s shop. On average, we built about 125 engines per month, sometimes hitting 160 during the summer. After our fourth year, we turned more towards service and repair. Like others here, we built a dial gauge fixture for checking cutter lengths. As long as we had just "one" guy dedicated to line boring, we rarely needed to readjust the cutters.

That’s all I have for now. If any other memories come to me, I’ll be sure to add them.


One last note: After reading the conversations here regarding TruLine boring bars, it’s easy for me to envision Hank with his big old grin smiling down this forum and people like NSRacing. It’s almost as if NSRacing has become the defacto Hank 2.0

[jbbugs]

Great story. Thanks for sharing.
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