Lokar is a leader in the automotive aftermarket. Differing from competition by ensuring that quality is a focus in everything Lokar, whether it is the product, the process, or the people. Lokar provides American Made, quality products to all customers, backed by a Lifetime Warranty. As a leader in the automotive aftermarket, Lokar continues to raise the bar by developing products that fit the ever-changing needs and demands of the customer.
Offering parts and accessories that range from an extensive line of automatic transmission shifters, throttle cables and mounting brackets, pedal assemblies, and dipsticks, they have your project covered. With complete in-house design, engineering, prototyping, and manufacturing they have the ability to maintain a “hands-on” approach from start to finish ensuring their customers receive the highest quality products and service available.
It is Lokar’s steadfast belief of “Made in the USA” that sets them apart from others. It would be easy to stray from that belief given the state of the economy and the ever increasing foreign influences, but American Made is the foundation of the company, and Lokar continues to stand by it.
Lokar looks to the demand in the market place and works to provide you with the most useful and needed products possible. Lokar is excited and proud to introduce a new series of products within their Midnight Series, the Black Stainless Steel Housing Line, some of which includes transmission and engine dipsticks, throttle cables, kickdowns and matching mounting brackets.
Lokar promises to continue serving you with Quality… Plain & Simple.
HISTORY
1988, the year it all began – to date – a 32 year affair with manufacturing American Made hotrod parts. However, the heart of the company started well before that, when Skip Walls, a young teenager in the early 60’s was driving his first 1932 Ford 5-Window. Skip worked on, raced, and accumulated many cars through the years, until he met Debbie in 1980. Not long after, Skip went into business for himself and started Lokar as a machinery repair business (a trade he learned working with his father). The name, Lokar, easily associable to his desire to lower every vehicle as low as he could was an idea given to him by Debbie.
While in business servicing and repairing machinery, Skip would continue to work on his hotrods, buying parts, modifying each one to his liking. Skip became frustrated often, not being able to find products that were of high enough quality. Debbie recognized his desire to make these better quality products and in 1988 she helped Skip transition the business from a machinery service company to a manufacturer of quality products, Lokar Street Rod Parts. Eventually, the company became known as Lokar Performance Products to better represent the breadth of products offered.
The 30 year journey started with a garage attached to their house in Southern California and has since led to a 52,000 sq. ft. facility in Knoxville, Tennessee. The company grew with staple products for Lokar, such as the Spring Return Kit, designed by Skip to better mount the cables and a double spring for safety... something he is very passionate about. Later followed brackets for Kickdowns, then U-Cut-to-Fit Throttle Cables, and later Transmission and Engine Dipsticks.
It was in 1988 that a trip to the NSRA Street Rod Nationals in Louisville, KY, found Skip and Debbie in pickup truck with a camper-shell, driving across country. They would drive through the day and build throttle cable assemblies at night in the hotel room, just trying to make sure “everything” was ready for the big show that would change everything for Lokar and the lives of Skip, Debbie, and their family. It was after the show, taking their time driving home, when they realized that they wanted to move to the southeast.
By 1989, Debbie had left her job as a legal secretary and committed herself full-time to Lokar. That same year, while visiting East Tennessee, Skip and Debbie, determined that Knoxville, Tennessee was their future home. The company wasn’t ready to move until late 1992, when the Walls family and Lokar had finally relocated. Going from just 1900 sq. ft. in Walnut, CA to a 6000 sq. ft. facility in Tennessee didn’t last long, as expansion happened just 3 years later as the company grew. After two more expansions, the facility was nearly 20,000 sq. ft. in 2000. The company began to reach outside the industry of hotrods, producing products for the performance aftermarket vehicles, muscle cars, and drag racing. With growth never waning, Lokar completed building their 52,000 sq. ft. facility in 2014 and moved the overly compacted facility down the road, yet still in Knoxville, Tennessee.
Lokar will continue to provide quality products, made in the U.S.A., backed with a Lifetime Warranty and unmatched customer service.
ALWAYS MOVING FORWARD
Lokar’s mission has always been to provide quality products that are exciting, innovative, and reliable. Customers like you return to them year after year for products that you can count on. They believe that this is true because they run their business with Honesty and Integrity, providing support after the sale, remaining dedicated to their customers and offering a Lifetime Warranty. Lokar has spent a lot of time planning and designing their new facility with state of the art equipment and efficiencies to improve their processes. Increased space allows them to concentrate on Innovation, Quality and Growth.
With Innovation they are prepared to develop cutting edge products, meeting the demands of modern day drivetrain technology, such as their new Drive-By-Wire Pedal introduced at SEMA. Their concentration on Quality remains one of the highest priorities they have. With the new facility, they will be in a position to implement new and improved quality practices, giving you the ultimate experience in quality products.
With their new found space, Growth will be welcomed and they will be in a position for many years to accommodate the new business that comes from those innovative, cutting edge products. They have brought in new, talented staff with experience from different markets who have innovative ideas and the ability to meet their needs of high quality products that their customers have always come to appreciate.
They are proud to keep their manufacturing in the United States and continue to lead the way in the automotive aftermarket. They would like to profess their gratitude to all of their employees, whose long term loyalty to Lokar has been instrumental in their growth and success. Thank you to ALL of you for your dedication to brand mission of Quality...Plain & Simple. “The achievements of an organization are the combined effort of each individual.” Vince Lombardi. They believe their customers are company greatest asset! Lokar wishes you a rewarding and prosperous 2016.