<VV> Re: Oil Filters - an interesting thing......

[John Beck]

About five years ago I worked on a promotional video for
Hastings/Baldwin. That may have been before Clarcor.  At the time, they
were making filters under the Hastings and Baldwin names and also house
brand filters for many parts vendors.  There were even some NAPA Gold
filters coming off their lines.  Prior to that, I thought Wix made all
the NAPA Golds.  I looked, but I did not see any changes to the
production lines when they switched from one brand to another.  There
could have been changes that I was just to dense to notice.  I suspect
that oil filters are more of a generic commodity item than many of us
would suspect.  --J.B.

John wrote:
> 
> The Hastings LF215 has the same large external gasket.  At last nights
> CORSA of Baltimore chapter meeting a member had one on his engine.  He
> reports some unexplained oil pressure changes with engine load.  I too
> have a notched mounting bracket and I'll have his Hastings filter to
> test this weekend.  I suspect the Baldwin B4 is also identical since
> Hastings and Baldwin are both owned by the same company, Clarcor.
> 
> Perhaps Hastings/Baldwin also makes the Purolator filter.  It's parent,
> Clarcor, mentions the Purolator brand in their annual stock report.  But
> that doesn't quite jive with Purolator Products Co., the seller of
> Purolator filters, being owned by ArvinMeritor.  It's like tracing a
> family tree to understand the global auto parts business!