Rochester Products Division (RPD) was a division of
General Motors that manufactured
carburetors, and related components including
emissions control devices and
cruise control
Cruise control (also known as speed control, cruise command, autocruise, or tempomat) is a system that automatically controls the speed of a motor vehicle. The system is a servomechanism that takes over the throttle of the car to maintain a s ...
systems in
Rochester, New York
Rochester () is a city in the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Monroe County, and the fourth-most populous in the state after New York City, Buffalo, and Yonkers, with a population of 211,328 at the 2020 United States census. Located in W ...
. In 1995 Rochester became part of
Delphi
Delphi (; ), in legend previously called Pytho (Πυθώ), in ancient times was a sacred precinct that served as the seat of Pythia, the major oracle who was consulted about important decisions throughout the ancient classical world. The oracle ...
, which in turn became a separate company four years later, and continues to manufacture
fuel injection
Fuel injection is the introduction of fuel in an internal combustion engine, most commonly automotive engines, by the means of an injector. This article focuses on fuel injection in reciprocating piston and Wankel rotary engines.
All comp ...
systems in Rochester, now part of General Motors Automotive Components Holdings- Rochester Operations.
History
The company began as the Rochester Coil Company founded by Edward A. Halbleib in 1908, becoming the
North East Electric Company the following year. In 1916 the company was located at 348 Whitney Street, Rochester.
In 1929
Alfred P. Sloan announced the acquisition of the company on behalf of General Motors. "For some years this Company has been an outstanding manufacturer of starters, ignition systems and other electrical equipment." "It was consolidated with GM's former Delco-Light Company in 1930 and later renamed Delco Appliance Division." In 1937 Rochester Products was founded, planned as a second plant for Delco Appliance, but achieving Division status by 1939. In 1953 an advertisement in
''Life'' stated: "Rochester builds original equipment carburetors for
Chevrolet
Chevrolet ( ), colloquially referred to as Chevy and formally the Chevrolet Motor Division of General Motors Company, is an American automobile division of the American manufacturer General Motors (GM). Louis Chevrolet (1878–1941) and ous ...
starting with 1950, Oldsmobile from 1949 and Cadillac from 1951. Also, Rochester supplies ''replacement'' carburetors for Chevrolets from 1932." Rochester also supplied Pontiac, while using the Power Jet name in the replacement market.
In 1952 the ''Oregonian'' reported: "Automobile cigarette lighters produced by the Rochester Automotive products division of General Motors are tested to reach a temperature of 1400 degrees in no less than 10 and no more than 12 seconds."
The
2G (later 2GC and 2GV) carburetor, commonly called the 2 Jet, was introduced in 1955, and continued to be used on GM V8s until at least 1969. In all, it was used in at least 125 applications, including the
Brockway's
inline six. In 1957 Chevrolet introduced their first fuel-injected engine, the
Rochester Ramjet high-performance option on Corvette and passenger cars at $484. In 1956 Oldsmobile were also experimenting with Rochester fuel injection, at the GM desert proving grounds near Phoenix, but offered the Rochester triple-carburetor J2 option for 1957.
The company is best known for the
Quadrajet
The Quadrajet is a four barrel carburetor, made by the Rochester Products Division of General Motors. Its first application was the new-for-1965 Chevy 396ci engine. Its last application was on the 1990 Oldsmobile 307
V8 engine, which was last us ...
carburetor, which was originally designed in the 1960s and remained in production, with modifications to meet progressively tightening
exhaust emission limits, into the 1980s. The Quadrajet became computer controlled in 1980 in California and in 1981 in the rest of the states; its last application was on the 1990
Cadillac Brougham
The Cadillac Brougham was a line of full-size luxury cars manufactured by the Cadillac Motor Car Division of General Motors from the 1987 through 1992 model years and was marketed from 1977 to 1986 as the Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham. The optio ...
and 1990 full size GM
station wagons
A station wagon ( US, also wagon) or estate car ( UK, also estate), is an automotive body-style variant of a sedan/saloon with its roof extended rearward over a shared passenger/cargo volume with access at the back via a third or fifth door ( ...
with the
Olds 307 engine. RPD was a pioneer in
fuel injection
Fuel injection is the introduction of fuel in an internal combustion engine, most commonly automotive engines, by the means of an injector. This article focuses on fuel injection in reciprocating piston and Wankel rotary engines.
All comp ...
systems in road cars in the 1980s. In addition to carburetors, Rochester also made various emissions control equipment such as charcoal canisters and
EGR valves, which found use in GM vehicles as well as those from other makes. Other products made at this plant were locks and keys as well as steel tubing for both vehicular and non-vehicular applications. The last major carburetor design by Rochester was the Varajet II, essentially a Quadrajet halved lengthwise, and was one of the few successful progressive 2-barrel carburetors. It was installed on 4- and 6-cylinder engines from 1979 to 1986.
In 1981, Rochester Products and Diesel Equipment Division merged in what was publicly described as a cost-cutting move. At this time RPD had about 7,000 employees, and DED had about 3,300 employees. DED had plants in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
The headquarters remained in Rochester.
In 1988, the diesel fuel injection business was sold to Penske Transportation, and Rochester Products and AC Spark Plug merged.
In 1994, the Grand Rapids operations of AC Rochester were spun off.
SEC Info - General Motors Corp - 10-K405 - For 12/31/94 - EX-10.(B)
(132nd Page of 162).
See also
*Delco Electronics
Delco Electronics Corporation was the automotive electronics design and manufacturing subsidiary of General Motors based in Kokomo, Indiana, that manufactured ''Delco'' Automobile radios and other electric products found in GM cars. In 1972, Gene ...
*Detroit Diesel
Detroit Diesel Corporation (DDC) is an American diesel engine manufacturer headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is a subsidiary of Daimler Truck North America, which is itself a wholly owned subsidiary of the mulitinational Da ...
*Harrison Radiator Corporation Harrison Radiator Corporation was an early manufacturer of automotive radiators and heat exchangers for crewed spacecraft and guided missiles, as well as various cooling equipment for automotive, marine, industrial, nuclear, and aerospace applicat ...
*Holley Performance Products
Holley Performance Products is an automotive performance company based in Bowling Green, Kentucky. It was founded in 1896 in Bradford, Pennsylvania by George Holley and Earl Holley. When the company was based in Michigan it was a major producer o ...
, a competitor
*Remy International, Inc.
Remy International, Inc. (formerly Delco Remy) headquartered in Pendleton, Indiana is an American manufacturer, remanufacturer, and distributor of light duty starters, alternators, hybrid power technology, and Delco Remy brand heavy duty systems. ...
(formerly Delco Remy)
References
{{City of Rochester, NY
Auto parts suppliers of the United States
Manufacturing companies based in Rochester, New York
Manufacturing companies established in 1908
1908 establishments in New York (state)
General Motors factories
Carburetor manufacturers