Engine & Performance Warehouse

About Engine & Performance Warehouse (EPWI)

Engine & Performance Warehouse, Inc. (EPWI) is widely recognized as one of America's premier engine parts specialty distribution companies. EPWI's roots trace back to 1972, when founder Paul Van Woensel launched Heads by Paul — a performance and racing cylinder head specialist. A decade of growth in the machine shop world led to a pivotal moment: Engine & Performance Warehouse was formally established in 1984 to serve the engine parts needs of independent machine shops and engine rebuilders who had nowhere else to turn for a reliable, specialized supply source.

From that single-minded mission, EPWI grew into a powerhouse. Today, the company warehouses and distributes over 100 engine parts product lines, stocking more than 120,000 SKUs with daily fill rates that routinely exceed 96%. That kind of consistency matters enormously to professional machine shops and automotive jobbers, where a missing component can bring an entire engine build to a standstill. EPWI services thousands of active customers — including automotive jobbers, machine shops, and engine rebuilders — across the Central and Western United States, supported by strategically placed distribution centers designed to enable next-day ground delivery to the vast majority of its service area.

A Wholesale Distributor Built for Engine Professionals

EPWI operates exclusively as a wholesale distributor, selling only to qualified automotive machine shops and automotive jobbers. This traditional three-step distribution model is a point of pride for the company — EPWI has firmly refused to "sell the customer's customer," a commitment that has earned the trust of the professional trade for decades. That loyalty-first philosophy is backed by a team of 14 field sales representatives and more than 35 qualified customer service specialists with deep engine parts expertise.

EPWI is also one of the nation's leading engine kit suppliers, having shipped well over one million engine kits throughout its history. The company produces its own detailed engine kit catalog and all accompanying support materials, covering applications from everyday passenger vehicles to marine engines. Private label offerings — including the EPWI Private Label, E-Force Performance, and E-Direct Value Brand lines — give customers additional choices across quality and price points. EPWI is also a member of the Engine Pro distributor network, further broadening access to top-tier engine components.

Core Engine Parts Categories

EPWI's catalog covers virtually every internal engine component a rebuilder could need. Valvetrain specialists will find a strong selection of engine push rods and engine rocker arm studs — the precise, hardened components that transmit camshaft motion to the valves and keep the valvetrain geometry dialed in under high-RPM conditions. For bottom-end builds, EPWI stocks critical sealing and rotating assembly parts including engine piston rings — sourced from Vendor of the Year recipients like Hastings Manufacturing and Total Seal — as well as engine crankshaft main bearings from trusted names like Clevite and Dura-Bond. Whether the job calls for a basic street rebuild or a high-performance build, EPWI's depth of inventory and engine-focused expertise make it a go-to resource for serious engine professionals.