Alan , Jay et al,
I can fill in the blanks here.
Art Francis - retired police officer and Ford lover. During his employment ( LAPD) , "finds" Buddy Barr ( company) and becomes friends with one of the ( now) 5 family owners. He inquires about "old" manifolds they used to produce and "buys" the "Shelby" patterns with the agreement that the logos be removed. BOOM ," A.T. Francis " is in business and selling through FPP , Cobra Restorers , Tony Branda , and others , nothing "direct". Name changes to Blue Thunder to provide more product visibility and less to the now defunct FPP.
Buddy Barr was / is the foundry used for all but his cylinder heads. Art has great personal pride in making top quality parts. There are often "production lapses" that are frustrating for sure. I believe he is approaching 80 and the enthusiasm might be slowing.
Randy
Very interesting. I've never checked to see if they have a website, but they do, with a couple of interesting videos showing their casting foundry and processes.
https://buddybarcasting.com/ Quality seems to be first rate and their top priority. They're also listed as a "Certified Tier Two supplier to FORD Motor Company", among some other big names in quality automotive racing products, like Mopar, Whipple, Arias, Roush Racing and Holley. But looking at the building from Google Street View, you'd be surprised that
anything of quality was produced there....and employee parking seems to be at a premium in the area (which seems to be a heavy manufacturing district)..lol
When it comes to BT though, I wonder why, when somebody is advancing in age and losing interest (or the ability) to continue producing a quality product that is in demand, why they don't pass it on (sell) to someone who will continue the product. They only hurt the industry that they were trying to support. I get not wanting to lose control of the quality, or flooding a market with overproduction (obviously NOT an issue with BT with multiple year long waiting lists), but when you're nearing the final curtain, why bury it with you? Why hurt the consumer that you were supporting out of "love" for the industry? BT makes some of the best products out there, but what good is it if you can't even get the product?
