Talking With ARP At The 2016 NHRDA World Finals

Events like the NHRDA World Finals are more than just a fantastic way to see the wonders of diesel; they’re also a chance to get some serious face time with the individuals that make up the hobby and are looking for ways to make their rigs beefier.

With that in mind, ARP was out at the event to talk shop with the coal-rolling crowds, as well as sell product and enjoy the scene. On hand was Art Vinegas, who had been to the show in 2015 and was excited to be back again.

“Since last year, and the few other races I have been to, it’s grown a lot,” he said. “It’s always a great time, and it’s wonderful to see how many people are starting to get into diesels.”

Naturally, the display at ARP’s booth was touting much of what the company has to offer diesel customers. “What we’re emphasizing here are the head stud kits,” said Vinegas. “We have our two different material sets: the ARP2000 and the ARP625. We’re promoting the way that they’re made and the process involved there.”

That process was clearly not one that could be accurately replicated on-site at the Texas Motorplex, but it could still be portrayed in an easy-to-understand way. ARP did this by showing the stages of crafting head studs for a 6.0-liter Power Stroke engine, as displayed by 13 different pieces of metal.

“They come in as a coil, then they get milled for an Allen wrench, then they get chamfered, heat treated, ground, and threaded,” explained Vinegas. “This is just a cool way to show what is involved in producing our head studs. One thing to note is that all of our head studs are hand-threaded, not done by some machine.”

We surmised that building a set of these head studs is a meticulous process, and Vinegas confirmed it. “We take our time and inspect the product at every stage, and it takes about eight to ten weeks to get from start to finish,” he said.

The attention to detail and quality is what makes ARP such a great choice for automotive enthusiasts, but those are just two traits. As Vinegas stated, “We’re still a family-run business, and we love being a part of the diesel community. We want to thank everyone for using our products.”

For more information on ARP and its products, check out the company’s website and Facebook page. We’re not done yet with our NHRDA World Finals coverage, so stay tuned!