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 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 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 their highly regarded Quadrajet carburetor, which was originally designed in the 1960s and continued to meet emissions standards 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 and 1990 full size GM station wagons with the Olds 307 engine. Its longevity is a testament to the expert engineering achieved at Rochester Products Division and GM, even to this day, as RPD was a pioneer in fuel injection systems in road cars in the 1980s when they became the standard fuel induction system. In addition to carburetors, Rochester also made various emissions control equipment such as charcoal canisters, which found use in GM vehicles as well as those from other makes. The last major carburetor design by Rochester was the Varajet II, essentially a Quadrajet halved lengthwise, and was one of the few successful 2-barrel carb with a "secondary". It was installed on 4- and 6- cylinder engines from 1979 to 1986 when all GM V6s went to Electronic Fuel Injection.
In 1981, Rochester Products and Diesel Equipment Division merged "in a cost-cutting move." At this time RPD had about 7,000 employees, 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.
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“Perhaps universal history is the history of the diverse intonation of some metaphors.”
—Jorge Luis Borges (1899–1986)
“I am ashamed to see what a shallow village tale our so-called History is. How many times must we say Rome, and Paris, and Constantinople! What does Rome know of rat and lizard? What are Olympiads and Consulates to these neighboring systems of being? Nay, what food or experience or succor have they for the Esquimaux seal-hunter, or the Kanaka in his canoe, for the fisherman, the stevedore, the porter?”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)