Lee Manufacturing was established in 1965 by Tom Lee, as a job shop for the aerospace industry. Soon after, power steering development had become Tom’s main area of focus.
Tom’s first love has always been racing. He was a big part of the California Hot Rod scene in the late 50’s and drag racing at San Fernando Raceway. In 1962 and 63, Tom worked for Mickey Thompson Racing as a mechanic and machinist on the Harvey Aluminum race cars at the Indianapolis 500. Tom would later move on to race off road buggies and trucks, sprint cars, midgets, and go karts.
In 1968, Tom was the innovator of the power steering gear for Sprint cars. His gears were the first choice for most every top racer in the country. His original concept is still used today. In 1970 Lee Power Steering gears were used in the famous Parnelli Jones “Big Oly” and his off road legacy began.
Over the years, Lee Steering components and the yellow and black hex logo have been on countless cars that have won major races in most every form of motorsports. In addition, the hot rod world has relied on Lee Steering for muscle cars and special projects.
When Tom’s retirement began making the news, longtime friend and customer Allan Padelford decided to continue the legacy by getting the company back up and running. Today, we still have the same great employees, and have also incorporated some newer state of the art technology. Tom is still on board as a consultant and visits the shop frequently. Our goal is to continue on with the legendary steering technology and service that Tom pioneered.
