It has been said that necessity is the mother of invention, and nowhere is this saying more true than in the automotive industry. For example, just take a look at how Jiffy-tite got its start. It all began in 1963 with an automotive supplier salesman named Bob G. Zillig. He was very successful as a salesman, and prided himself on consistently filling his orders and keeping his customers happy. However, dropped orders for the specialized fluid transfer fittings he sold to automotive manufacturers where becoming more and more common.

Ever the entrepreneur, Zillig saw the need for another fitting manufacturer in the market place and started developing his very own designs to help fill the void. The result of his work was a leak-proof male/female fitting system that simply snapped together without the use of any special tools – the very first Jiffy-tite Quick-Connect fitting. The revolutionary design caught on quickly and numerous OE automotive manufacturers adopted the design for use on their vehicles.

Jiffy-tite fittings are perfect for racers thanks to the massive amount of time they can save in the pits between rounds.

Fast forward to 1999, when Steve Zillig (Bob’s son) was approached by a drag racer named Duane LaFleur, who thought that the Jiffy-tite quick connects would be perfect for race cars because of the time they could save in connecting and disconnecting hoses. Once again, Jiffy-tite recognized the relevant need, and went to work developing fittings to help. Today, Jiffy-tite has a full line of motorsports Quick-Connect fittings made of durable 6061-T6 aluminum that can handle up to 200 PSI from water, oil, or fuel. They still slide together and disconnect in seconds with no special tools, and can save valuable time when you’re working on your race car or hot rod.

For more information on Jiffy-tite’s history and the fittings they offer, check out the full write-up on their website!