Melling Engine Parts got its start soon after World War II. At the time, car makers devoted themselves to making and selling new cars, showing little regard for servicing older cars that might need replacement parts. The market was ripe for someone who knew how to take advantage of it. At that time, George Melling Sr. and his son Ben operated a tool shop. They saw an opportunity to manufacture high quality automotive parts. High Quality was key. You see, back in those days, aftermarket parts had a bad name. They were called “rebuilt” and the business was nicknamed the “gyp parts business”.

George and Ben believed that people deserved better. So, they agreed ---only parts meeting the highest quality standards would carry the Melling name.

Their first product was the M-10, an oil pump for a 1937 six cylinder Chevrolet. On the surface, it was fairly unremarkable. But the M-10 was made with an attention to detail that the industry had not seen before. George and Ben knew they had made a good product and they recognized a need in the market.

But the overlying problem was how to find potential customers. So the family gathered around the kitchen table and together, developed Melling’s first mailing list, consisting of names culled from various yellow pages collected during numerous business trips and family vacations around the country.

Little did they know their humble oil pump would become the cornerstone of the business. They only knew that the M-10 prompted sales. Little by little, the product line grew. In 1948, Melling issued its first catalog. It included 14 part numbers.

It seemed a dedication to quality was paying off. Customers noticed the difference. In time, they also came to expect more from Melling. So Melling raised the bar by which it measured its products and service even higher. Once again, sales grew.

A banner year for Melling came in 1952. By then, the line consisted of 20 oil pumps, and 15 repair kits. Then, Melling developed and introduced the first High Volume Oil Pump. It revolutionized the automotive aftermarket for oil pumps. That year, Melling expanded its horizons beyond oil pumps when it became the first nationally recognized aftermarket supplier to distribute new replacement camshafts. Nearly 55 years later, Melling is still recognized as an industry leader in camshafts!

As time went on, the Melling Product line grew even stronger into the comprehensive product line we know today.

Today, Melling offers nearly 300 different oil pumps, 120 oil pump kits 150 oil pump screens, and about 60 oil pump intermediate shafts. That’s up from 14 oil pumps in 1948! With more than 4000 additional internal engine parts available from Melling, and 700 people employed throughout all of the Melling plants and distribution centers, it is clear that the company has traveled a long road in the past 59 years! And paving the way have been Melling customers!

The business has changed a lot since the Melling family huddled over the yellow pages at the kitchen table in the early years.

What has remained unchanged throughout the years, is the loyalty of our customers. Customers who appreciate the extra attention to detail and care that we take with our parts have been, and continue to be, the backbone of our business. In fact, it is our loyal customers who enabled us to withstand the storm of mergers and buyouts, leaving Melling one of the very few automotive aftermarket suppliers that are still independent and family owned after all these years. Today, the company is run by the 4th generation of the Melling family.