In the early days of the automotive performance industry,
you either ran what was available, or you fabricated something you
thought met your needs. Such needs were the building blocks of this
industry, and it was through the efforts of many that we have the
automotive aftermarket, but it was through the work of one name in
particular to which many in the industry owe a great debt, and that name
is EDELBROCK!
HOW IT ALL BEGAN...
Vic Edelbrock Sr. was born in a small farming community near
Wichita, Kansas in 1913. His father supported the family comfortably as
the owner of the local grocery store. When the Edelbrock grocery store
burned down in 1927, Vic left school at age 14 to help support the
family. He had a natural talent for mechanics. His first job was at an
auto repair shop where he developed his skills as an auto mechanic. When
the Great Depression hit Kansas, the young Vic Edelbrock looked to the
prosperous west for a new home.
|  | A NEW START IN CALIFORNIA
In 1931, Vic migrated to California to live with his brother. It
was here that he met Katie, who became his wife in 1933. With his new
brother-in-law, Vic opened his first repair shop on Wilshire Boulevard
in Beverly Hills. The business flourished and in 1934 he moved into his
own shop on the corner of Venice and Hoover in Los Angeles. Bobby Meeks,
who retired in 1993, started with Vic at this time and became his loyal
assistant.
Between 1934 and the start of the war, several important events
occurred. Vic Sr.'s reputation as an expert mechanic helped his business
grow and he moved his shop three times during this period.
Vic and Katie's only child, Vic Jr., was born in 1936. In 1938,
Vic Sr. bought his first project car... a 1932 Ford Roadster. This car
was a turning point in Edelbrock history.
It was Vic Sr.'s entry into the world of "hot rods" and it
inspired the design and manufacture of the first Edelbrock intake
manifold.
|  | THE SLINGSHOT MANIFOLD / EL MIRAGE
When Vic bought the roadster, he joined with Tommy Thickstun to design the "Thickstun" manifold for the Flathead. When Vic wasn't happy with the performance, he designed his own aluminum intake manifold. It was called the "Slingshot".
The Slingshot was a 180° manifold for a Ford flathead using two
Stromberg 97 carburetors. This was the first product to feature the
famous "EDELBROCK" name. Before the war, Vic produced about 100 of these
Flathead Ford manifolds.
Vic raced and tested his new manifold on his 1932 Ford at Muroc Dry
Lake, 80 miles northeast of Los Angeles (where Edwards Air Force base is
today).
Vic became a consistent winner with his modified roadster at
racing speeds of 112 mph. Vic would drive the Ford to the dry lakes,
remove the fenders and the windshield, then race the car. At the end of
the races, he would re-install the fenders and the windshield and drive
it home.
|  | THOROUGH TESTING DELIVERED RESULTS
The roadster became an important part of Vic's product
development. He would install his parts on the roadster to determine how
well they would perform. One of Vic's ideas was modified factory cast
iron "Denver" cylinder heads which incorporated a special high-altitude
design featuring higher compression. Vic would fill and mill the head
for a further increase in the compression, gaining even more power.
Meanwhile, Vic received multiple requests for his twin carb
manifold. This was the driving force behind the opening of his own
performance parts business.
Three weeks before Pearl Harbor and the start of World War II,
Vic was clocked at the speed of 121.42 mph in his '32 at Rosamond Dry
Lake.
During the war, Vic shelved his racing activities and used his
machinist skills for the war effort. Vic's war-time experiences
increased his perception of what he could build with the right machining
tools.
|  | THE NEW BEGINNING
At the end of the war, he purchased his first building to open a
machine shop and repair facility at 1200 North Highland in Hollywood,
CA.
It was here that Vic designed his first aluminum racing heads
for Flathead Fords. Like the Slingshot, these heads were well received.
The business was on the way to becoming more of a performance parts
shop than a repair shop. So much so, that the idea was set forth to
create a catalog offering parts for general sale.
The first catalog was printed in 1946 with the name "Edelbrock
Power and Speed Equipment" across the front cover. This catalog included
Edelbrock heads and intakes as well as pistons, steering wheels and
crankshafts. At this time, Vic was committed to running his business and
participating in his favorite sport... midget racing.
|  | MIDGET RACING... A SUCCESS STORY
Before the war, Vic bought his first midget and knew it wouldn't
be his last. In 1946, he bought a midget built by D.W. McCully. But it
was the third midget he purchased that would become part of racing
history. The 7th Kurtis Kraft midget, which the company still owns, was
purchased later that year. With Bobby Meeks as head wrench, they toured
the Southern California tracks, racing up to six nights a week. Vic's
winning team included such greats as Perry Grimm, Walt Faulkner, Billy
Vukovich and Rodger Ward.
Vic was now known for fast flathead Fords and race-winning midgets.
History was made when Vic's V8-60 equipped midget broke the winning
streak of the Offy-equipped midgets. With Rodger Ward at the wheel and
nitromethane in the fuel, #27 beat the Offys in the first and only V8-60
win at the famous Gilmore Stadium.
Vic was the first to use nitromethane as fuel, and needless to
say, his competitors had no idea what that strange smell and color was
coming from the exhaust.
|  | VIC'S FIRST PURPOSE-BUILT SHOP
Business flourished and in 1949, Vic moved into his first
purpose-built shop on Jefferson Blvd. It was 5,000 sq. ft. and equipped
with a small machine shop, repair bays, engine dynamometer, a small
stock room and office space. In this new facility, Vic expanded his
business by designing more cylinder heads, more intake manifolds and
even racing pistons for several different applications.
|  | THE FIRST ENGINE DYNAMOMETER
With a solid business now developing, Vic bought one of the
performance industry's first engine dynos in 1948. With this 200 HP
Clayton dyno he was now able to get actual data to gauge the
effectiveness of his products. This dyno allowed Vic to prove that his
designs not only won races but made measurable performance gains. By
now, Vic Edelbrock Sr.'s equipment was on almost every winning car on
the dry lakes and the midget tracks.
|  | EDELBROCK EQUIPPED CARS SET RECORDS
In the early 1950's, dry lakes racing activities expanded to
include Bonneville. Edelbrock-equipped cars continued to dominate. The
first single engine streamliner to go over 200 mph was the
Edelbrock-equipped Bachelor-Xydias So. Cal. Special. Don Waite, former
Vice President of Engineering at Edelbrock from 1990-95, raced an
Edelbrock-equipped 160 mph 1927 Model-T Roadster. When Don decided his
Roadster needed to go faster, he worked with Vic Sr. and Bobby Meeks
from 1950 to 1952 to streamline the body and build a 304 cubic-inch
flathead. Now called "The Edelbrock Special" the roadster was equipped
with an Edelbrock 4-carb intake, Edelbrock heads and pistons. Using
nitromethane, this 1927 Model-T went 192 mph on the Bonneville Salt
Flats.
During this time, the business continued to expand. The Edelbrock
catalog grew as Vic expanded his line of cylinder heads, intake
manifolds, flywheels, pistons, cams and adjustable tappets for Fords,
Mercurys and Lincolns. His catalog also included parts from Paul
Scheifer, Ed Iskenderian, Harmon & Collins and Ed Winfield.
|  | BREAKTHROUGHS
Vic Sr. began dyno tests on the brand new small-block Chevrolet
engine in 1955. Several power-producing manifolds were the result, the
first being the three-carb intake manifold that was featured on the
cover of Hot Rod magazine. The six-carb Ram Log manifold
for the street and strip was the next development. Then in 1958, Vic
managed an industry first by getting one horsepower-per-cubic-inch from a
283 cid small-block Chevy with the new Cross Ram manifold. This
breakthrough led Edelbrock to develop manifolds for Pontiac and Chrysler
engines as well.
|  | FROM FATHER TO SON
At the early age of 49, cancer took the life of Vic Edelbrock Sr.
He was a man held in high esteem and it was a sad day for the
aftermarket industry and for those who loved him. The year was 1962 and
the Edelbrock Equipment Company was handed over to Vic Jr. and a group
of loyal employees, most of whom had been with Vic Sr. since the
beginning. They knew what it took to continue the traditions Vic Sr. had
begun.
|  | A GREAT CREW
Vic Sr. left behind a great team of very talented people. Bobby
Meeks, Don Towle and Robert Bradford were on hand to assist Vic Jr. in
continuing his father's dream. In 1964, a good friend named Bob Joehnck
saw an opportunity to develop an intake for a small-block Chevy. Vic's
response was, "No, the factory already makes a manifold." He changed his
mind a week later. The C-4B manifold was another turning point for the
Edelbrock Equipment Company. The "golden age of the 1960s and 1970s"
brought about the Tunnel Ram, Tarantula and Streetmaster manifolds. Vic
Jr. was looking towards the future of the industry.
From 1971 to 1974, he served as President of the Specialty
Equipment Marketing Association (SEMA) to educate both the public and
the legislators in Washington to the benefits of a strong and legal
performance parts industry.
The '80s and '90s brought about a new direction as Edelbrock
Corporation moved into a more diverse product line with carburetors,
camshaft kits, valvetrain parts, exhaust systems, engine accessories,
fuel system parts, cylinder heads and more.
|  | EDELBROCK TODAY
Edelbrock Corporation has six locations: Three in Torrance
California, two in San Jacinto, California, and one in Sanford North
Carolina totaling over 500,000 square feet. Torrance Headquarters
include: R&D; manufacturing; state-of-the-art testing facilities,
advertising and tech support. Less than a mile away is Russell Plumbing,
our Distribution Center and Vic's Garage.
This location houses Vic's collection of street rods, classic cars,
and the company archives containing our extensive collection of
historic photos and memorabilia. Please give us a call and make an
appointment if you would like to tour Vic's Garage.
Our Aluminum Foundries
are located close by in San Jacinto. In 2008 we added a new Permanent
Mold and Heat Treat facility next to our existing sand cast foundry,
which has been called "the most state-of-the-art sand cast foundry west
of the Mississippi." This investment in American facilities is part of
our commitment to "Made in USA" products and performance.
|  | INTO THE FUTURE...
"Proven Performance" is the philosophy that began with Vic Sr. in
1938 and it continues today with the same high standards of performance
and quality. Vic Sr. would be proud of what has grown out of his small
garage in Los Angeles, California.
As we go into 2014, we are excited to announce continued development of the E-Force Supercharger
line with the addition of our NEW E-Force supercharger for the 2014
Corvette Stingray and GM Trucks. We have also expanded our existing
supercharger application base with new offerings for 2009-'12 Dodge
trucks, 2011-'12 Chrysler Charger, Challenger and 300. We are also
excited to announce NEW E-Street EFI applications, crate engines,
manifolds and cylinder heads such as the NEW Victor Jr. CNC cylinder
head for Chrysler 426-572 HEMI applications.
As we move throughout 2014 and beyond we hope you will continue
to give us your input, praise and suggestions as it helps us to
continue producing the best parts for the best enthusiasts in the
automotive aftermarket. .
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