The Vision Expo is an automotive hi-tech training/goods and services expo. It is presented annually by the Automotive Service Association of Missouri/Kansas and is typically hosted by the Overland Park Expo center in Overland Park Kansas, a suburb of Kansas City. The Vision Expo is billed as The Midwest's Largest Automotive Industry Expo & Training Event.
Since we're located in Lee's Summit Missouri, also a suburb of Kansas City, this show is a 'no-brainer' for us. We have had a booth at the expo for the past six years and have already signed up for next year. Attendees come from all over the U.S. for the show, not just from the Midwest. This year our sales staff spoke with folks from all four corners of the country and all places in between, both big and small. The expo typically draws over 3000 attendees. It is a great place for us to court prospective new customers and to show off what we have to offer them. Telling someone over the phone about our complete drop-in engines is one thing, but actually being able to show someone in the flesh the actual engine as it would ship to them is invaluable. Most folks, even having seen it with their own eyes, find it hard to believe what we can offer for the prices we quote.
Dahmer already has thousands of customers nation-wide, so this Expo also presents us with an opportunity to meet some of the great people we are already doing business with. Every year I get to talk face to face with several people that I have been dealing with over the phone for years. You can't put a price tag on finally putting a face to a voice (Funny how they rarely look like the picture you form in your head, isn't it?).
This year, we displayed several engines. We had three brand new complete OE engines. The first was a GM 3.4 Liter with full production dress. The second was a 5.7 Chrysler Hemi also in full production dress. The third was a 3-valve 5.4 Liter Ford engine. It too was in full production dress. We brought two performance engines with us this year as well. The first was a GM ZZ502/502 Ramjet. Last, but certainly not least was our new Street Monster engine built exclusively for Dahmer Powertrain by Eaton Enterprises. The Street Monster is a 604 cubic inch GM tall deck big block that produces 725 HP and 720 lb-ft of torque ON PUMP GAS. No wonder it's called it the Street Monster.
Our booth also showcased a couple of completed vehicles featuring Dahmer Powertrain engines. One was a green '33 Lincoln with a 2003 Lincoln Navigator engine stuffed in the engine bay. If you look closely at the pictures that follow, you'll see where the engine side covers had to be modified to accommodate the extra girth of the Ford Motor Company dual overhead cam engine. Power is transferred through a Ford 4R100 automatic transmission also from Dahmer Powertrain stock. The other car was a 360 winged sprint car. It is owned and operated by our own warehouse manager, Kelly Hinck and his brother Terry. The car can be seen weekends running at any number of Midwest tracks. The car features a 360 cubic inch engine built for Dahmer Powertrain by Eaton Enterprises.
We had a great time this year. It was a resounding success and we talked with lots of people over the weekend. Following are a few pictures we snapped at this year’s expo if you'd like to take a peek.
