How it all began...
The Challenge
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 on the roadster to determine how well
great debt, and that name is Edelbrock. they would perform. One of Vic’s ideas was
modified factory cast iron “Denver” cylinder heads
The Beginning The Slingshot was a 180° manifold for a Ford which incorporated a special high-altitude design
Vic Edelbrock Sr. was born in a small farming flathead using two Stromberg 97 carburetors. featuring higher compression. Vic would fill and mill
community near Wichita, Kansas in 1913. His father This was the first product to feature the famous the head for a further increase in the compression,
supported the family comfortably as the owner of “EDELBROCK” name. Before the war, Vic produced gaining even more power.
the local grocery store. When the Edelbrock grocery about 100 of these flathead Ford manifolds. Vic
store burned down in 1927, Vic left school at age 14 raced and tested his new manifold on his 1932 The new Beginning
to help support the family. He had a natural talent for Ford at Muroc Dry Lake, 80 miles northeast of Los Vic received multiple requests for his twin carb
mechanics. His first job was at an auto repair shop Angeles (where Edwards Air Force base is today). manifold. This was the driving force behind the
where he developed his skills as an auto mechanic. opening of his own performance parts business.
When the Great Depression hit Kansas, the Three weeks before Pearl Harbor and the start of
young Vic Edelbrock looked to the prosperous west World War II, Vic was clocked at the speed of 121.42
for a new home. mph in his ’32 at Rosamond Dry Lake.
During the war, Vic shelved his racing activities
a new STarT in California and used his machinist skills for the war effort.
In 1931, Vic migrated to His work included welding at the Long Beach
California to live with his brother. shipyards in Southern California and hand
It was here that he met Katie, fabricating parts for aircraft. Vic’s war-time
who became his wife in 1933. experiences increased his perception of what he
With his new brother-in-law, Vic The “Slingshot” could build with the right machining tools.
opened his first repair shop on for the Flathead Ford was the At the end of the war, he
Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills. first Edelbrock manifold purchased his first building
The business flourished and in 1934 he to open a machine shop
moved into his own shop on the corner of Venice Vic became a consistent winner with his and repair facility at
and Hoover in Los Angeles. modified roadster at racing speeds of 112 mph. 1200 North Highland in
Bobby Meeks, who retired in 1993, started with Vic would drive the Ford to the dry lakes, remove Hollywood, CA.
Vic at this time and became his loyal assistant. the fenders and the windshield, then race the car.
Between 1934 and the start of the war, several At the end of the races, he would re-install the
important events occurred. Vic Sr.’s reputation as an fenders and the windshield and drive it home.
expert mechanic helpedhis business grow and he The roadster became an important part of Vic’s
moved his shop three times during this period. Vic product development. He would install his parts
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.
“SlingShoT” Manifold
and el Mirage dry lake
When Vic bought the roadster, he joined
with Tommy Thickstun to design the “Thickstun”
manifold for the flathead. When Vic wasn’t happy The first
with the performance, he designed his own Edelbrock Catalog
aluminum intake manifold. It was called Circa 1946
the “Slingshot”.
Edelbrock
Performance
Magazine Ad
-Circa 1950
MidgeT raCing…a SuCCeSS STory
The new shop enabled Vic to produce higher quality Before the war, Vic bought his first midget and
products such as this new head for 1949-’53 Fords knew it wouldn’t be his last. In 1946, he bought a
midget built by D.W. McCully. But it was the third
Thorough TeSTing deliVered reSulTS midget he purchased that would become part of
racing history. The 7th Kurtis Kraft midget, which
It was after the war that Vic designed his first the company still owns, was purchased later
aluminum racing heads for flathead Fords. Like that year. With Bobby Meeks as head wrench,
the Slingshot, these heads were well received. The they toured the Southern California tracks,
business was on the way to becoming more of a racing up to six nights a week. Vic’s winning
performance parts shop than a repair shop. team included such greats as Perry Grimm,
The first catalog was printed in 1946 with the name Walt Faulkner, Billy Vukovich and Rodger Ward.
“Edelbrock Power and Speed Equipment” across the The firST
engine dynaMoMeTer Vic was now known for fast flathead Fords and
front cover. This catalog included Edelbrock heads race-winning midgets. History was made when Vic’s
and intakes as well as pistons, steering wheels and With a solid business now developing, Vic bought V8-60 equipped midget broke the winning streak of
crankshafts. At this time, Vic was committed to one of the performance industry’s first engine dynos in the Offy-equipped midgets. With Rodger Ward at the
running his business and participating in his favorite 1948. With this 200 HP Clayton dyno he was now able wheel and nitromethane in the fuel, #27 beat the
sport… midget racing. to get actual data to gauge the effectiveness of his
to Offys in the first and only V8-60 win at the famous
products. This dyno allowed Vic to prove that his Gilmore Stadium.
products.
designs not only won races but made measurable
designs
This was Edelbrock’s first Vic was the first to use nitromethane as fuel, and
ad in Petersen’s Hot Rod performance gains.
performance
needless to say, his competitors had no idea what that
magazine in September By
By now, Vic Edelbrock Sr.’s equipment was on strange smell and color was coming from the exhaust.
1949 almost
almost every winning car on the dry lakes and the
midget
midget tracks.
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.
... And How We Evolved
rePuTaTion growS aS edelBroCk
equiPPed CarS SeT reCordS
In the early 1950s, dry lakes racing
activities expanded to include Bonneville.
Edelbrock-equipped cars continued to domi-
nate. 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 The development
of the Edelbrock C4B
a 283 cid small-block Chevy manifold paved the way for future
with the new Cross Ram Edelbrock performance milestones such as
manifold. This breakthrough the Edelbrock 2101 (seen here). The 2101 is the most
led Edelbrock to develop manifolds popular aftermarket manifold ever with over 1.5 million
for Pontiac and Chrysler engines as well. having been produced since 1982 and has been inducted
into the Hot Rod Speed Parts Hall Of Fame.
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 edelBroCk Today
Vic Jr. and a group of loyal employees, most of From 1971 to 1974, he Edelbrock Corporation has seven locations:
whom had been with Vic Sr. since the beginning. served as President of the four in Torrance and three in San Jacinto,
They knew what it took to continue the traditions Specialty Equipment Marketing California, totaling over 500,000 square feet.
Vic Sr. had begun. Association (SEMA) to educate Torrance Headquarters include: R&D;
both the public and the legislators
legislators manufacturing; state-of-the-art testing facilities,
a greaT Crew advertising and tech support.
in Washington to the benefits of
Vic Sr. left behind a great team of very talented a strong and legal performance Less than a mile away are the Russell
people. Bobby Meeks, Don Towle and Robert Bradford parts industry. Plumbing, Exhaust and Suspension Divisions,
were on hand to assist Vic Jr. in continuing his as well as our new Distribution Center and Vic’s
father’s dream. In 1964, a good friend named Bob The ’80s and ’90s brought about a new direction
about direction
Garage. This location also houses the Company’s
Joehnck saw an opportunity to develop an intake for as Edelbrock Corporation moved into a more diverse collection of street rods and classic cars, as well
a small-block Chevy. Vic’s response was, “No, the product line with carburetors, camshaft kits, valvetrain
parts, exhaust systems, engine accessories, fuel as the company archives containing our extensive
factory already makes a manifold.” He changed his collection of historic photos and memorabilia.
mind a week later. The C-4B manifold was another system parts, cylinder heads and more.
Please give us a call and make an appointment if
turning point for the Edelbrock Equipment Company. you would like to tour Vic’s Garage.
The “golden age of the 1960s and 1970s” brought
about the Tunnel Ram, Tarantula and Streetmaster Our Aluminum Foundries are located close
manifolds. Vic Jr. was looking towards the future of by in San Jacinto. In 2008 we added a new
the industry. 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.
On tap for 2010 is the expansion of the E-Force
Supercharger line. Edelbrock is continuing
the success of the Ford Mustang GT
E-Force systems with new applications
for the all-new 2010 Ford Mustang GT.
GM owners have a lot to look forward to in
E-Force Supercharging as well. New E-Force
systems have been designed for 2008-10
Chevrolet Corvette (LS3) and 2010 Camaro SS. These
revolutionary designs deliver instant, reliable and safe
horsepower with low boost for minimum stress on the
engine. And they fit under the stock hood!
Appealing to the more traditional street rod marketplace
is the new Edelbrock ’94 Series carburetor, carb and
intake kits and accessories. These carburetors have
been a part of the hot rod movement since Chandler
Groves originally produced them for Ford back in 1938.
The ’94 Series has found a new home with Edelbrock.
