Vic Edelbrock Jr., 1936-2017

Auto Week ^ | 6/10/17

[Impala64ssa]

Vic Edelbrock Jr. passed away Friday, June 9, at the age of 80 after complications from a cold.

“It's with deep sadness that we announce the untimely death of our visionary and leader Vic Edelbrock Jr.,” the company website read. “Vic passed away this evening from complications following a recent cold. His passing was peaceful and in the company of his closest friends and family. The Edelbrock Fun Team sends their deepest condolences to his family and will always hold him in our hearts.”

Vic Edelbrock Jr. took over the aftermarket performance parts company that bears his name after the untimely passing of his father, Vic Edelbrock Sr. Vic Jr. was just 26 when his father died in 1962. With a small but dedicated band of 10 employees, Vic Jr. not only kept the company growing but made it into one of the largest performance parts entities in the world.

It’s a long story that starts in 1933 when Vic Sr. opened an automotive repair shop on Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills. Soon after, Edelbrock cars were racing on the circle tracks and dry lakes of Southern California during the golden age of hot rodding. In 1938, Vic Sr. bought a ’32 Ford and used it to test new speed parts, more or less inventing the marketing tool that would later be known as “the project car.” The first big seller from an Edelbrock project car was the Slingshot manifold, used by Vic Sr. on the dry lakes to clock a prewar time of 121.42 mph in the ’32.

Business wasn’t the only thing growing for the Edelbrock name. Vic Jr. was born in 1936 and started working summers in his dad’s shop at age 12.

“I was making $2 a day and I thought I was really living,” he told us when we spoke to him for a 2002 story.

The towering Vic Jr. went to the University of Southern California on a football scholarship, graduated with a degree in business in 1959 and went to work full time for his dad’s business. Just three years later, Vic Sr. was diagnosed with inoperable cancer.

“He had no chance,” said Vic Jr. “Four months later he left us.”

Not only did Vic Jr. have to deal with the death of his father and mentor, but he suddenly found himself at the helm of a fully funded company with 10 employees and $200,000 in the bank.

Many an heir would have blown it all in a couple of years, and some expected Vic Jr. to do just that. But one thing the father had taught the son was the value of good people. Among the 10 Edelbrock employees were Don Towle, Bobby Meeks and Bob Bradford.

“They stuck with me,” said Vic Jr.

In 1965 Bob Joehnck, who had been a close friend of Vic Sr., called Vic Jr. with a suggestion.

“He said, ‘Make a manifold for the small-block Chevy,’” remembers Jr. “I said, ‘They already make one.’ He said, ‘Trust me, make one.’ So we made one.”

Did they ever. The Edelbrock manifold for the small-block Chevy became the foundation from which the company springboarded into legend. That manifold led to a relationship with Holley to mate Holley carbs to it, which eventually led to more parts for more cars.

We drove an excellent example of the Total Performance Package back then in 2002 in the streets around Edelbrock’s Torrance, California headquarters -- Vic Edelbrock’s own 1967 SS 396 Chevelle. With an Edelbrock intake, cams, heads, carbs and water and fuel pumps, the 468- cubic-inch big-block Chevrolet made 540 hp and 539 lb-ft of torque (those are gross figures, not today’s legal SAE net measurements). In keeping with the Total Performance Package philosophy, the car also came with Edelbrock springs, shocks, trailing arms and wheels. All we needed was a cigarette behind one ear.

The big-block started with a screech, reminding us how much internal friction these big, meaty engines have. The gauges jumped to life as the car body torqued in the direction opposite crank rotation. Steering through the big, skinny wheel was heavy, the way things were in 1967, and we cruised the streets waiting for the engine temps to warm up. In a few minutes we had enough heat to open it up a little and suddenly it all made sense. Why would a working guy spend a month’s salary on parts? Because of the way this magnificent old beast opened up when you floored the throttle. Suddenly the big-block roared in one long, uninterrupted wail, the exhaust note went to a higher-pitched whaaaaaaaa as the engine neared its 6000-rpm power peak and the ’67 SS leapt forward, scaring the hell out of a number of sensible midsized sedans nearby. Telephone poles, indeed, looked like a picket fence.

Goodbye, Vic Jr. Say hello to Senior for us.

[Impala64ssa]

RIP. 10 years ago I replaced the original Rochester 4GC carb on my 64 with an Edelbrock and it's been running better than new since.

[doorgunner69]

Edelbrock, an name that will resonate forever in car modification circles.

Millennials as usual have no clue who that is or what they produced...............

[ColdOne]

Had a Eldelbrock on my 77 pickup truck.

[DoughtyOne]

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Just $842.00 to 91.00%

[SteveH]

I have an edelbrock carb and intake in my 1968 f250 pickemup.

[Covenantor]

Iskendarian cams...

[doorgunner69]

Along with Crane and Crower, the good old days.

A dying hobby. Calif made it about impossible with their draconian smog checks ferreting out every non-CARB approved part.

[easternsky]

They have made some awesome products over the years, which many of us have used, too numerous to mention them all.

[Charles Martel]

Are there any old-school “speed shops” left? I wonder.

[llevrok]

Millennials as usual have no clue who that is or what they produced...............

So, is that like an Uber thing or something? /sarc

[moehoward]

Trip deuce

[Navy Patriot]

Are there any old-school “speed shops” left? I wonder.

Gotelli's is still there in it's original location (building materials yard withstanding), on El Camino Real South San Francisco: Gotelli's

Champion is long gone, as is High Performance Distributors, but Baca's Machine is still there on Old Mission Rd. in Colma, Andy's has moved, as has Sanderson Headers.

[DaxtonBrown]

I’ve got Edelbrock intakes and carbs on my 67 camaro and 57 Bel Air

[turbocat]

Oh, those days. I used to do the ads for K&N, Crane Cams, Accel, Russell - all those guys. Interaction with Edelbrock but not their advertising.

So much ended with electronic chips, etc.

Miss those days.

[married21]

The Edelbrock company has had a classic car show at their Torrance facility annually for some time. We went a few years ago. My favorite part what that they had a precision team of teenagers from a vocational program that assembled an engine, working against the clock. That was cool.

[Falconspeed]

Funny story. In 1985 my brother took me from Berkeley to SFO in his 1969 Chevelle and drover super fast. I asked, Why are you driving so fast? He said, "Oh, I thought you were an hour late." Then when he picked me up a week later, he drove 55 mph the whole way in reparation for the fast driving the week before. We always need an excuse to go fast.

[mad_as_he$$]

Met Vic in the 70’s in SoCal. He was at a speed shop pushing his hardware. He pried lots of $$$ out of my pocket over the years - worth every penny.
RIP Vic.

[mad_as_he$$]

Summit Racing tries very hard to keep the old school atmosphere. We are lucky one of their stores is here in town.

[mountn man]

Had a Eldelbrock on my 77 pickup truck.

I had an Edelbrock Torker2 on my '76 Camaro, back in the day.

[Ace the Biker]

His father was a pioneer and a genius. He was smart enough to not get in the way but to guide the company on a path of success.