Folks Of Interest Ed Iskenderian turns 90 July 10th....!

Ed Iskenderian turns 90... Happy Birthday Ed....!

The Legend


The name Ed Iskenderian is a legend among racers worldwide. Ed's life history parallels the proverbial success story. He was born in 1921 in the grapevine country of Tulare County, California. His future as a winemaker never materialized because several heavy frosts destroyed the vineyards. These conditions forced the Iskenderian family to move to Los Angeles. While attending Polytechnic High School in Los Angeles, Ed's pet project was building a Model T Ford roadster. Ed learned the fundamentals of mechanics by working with the Model T Fords and later adapted the overhead conversion by Frontenac (more commonly known as Fronty), as well as the George Riley head known to the racers in those days as the "multi-flathead."
Experiencing repeated crankshaft failure, Ed began searching for an engine with a stronger lower end. He examined the Ford Model A and B and found them to be only slightly stronger than the Model T. Turning his attention toward the later Ford V-8 flathead engine, he found the crank to be much more rugged with larger bearings and a counter balanced crankshaft. He installed special Maxi "F" type cylinder heads (with overhead exhaust valves) and slingshot intake manifold. Ed had the combustion chambers in the heads cast iron filled and he then re-contoured the combustion chambers as advised by his good friend Ed Winfield. The actual compression ratio turned out to be a whopping 13:1, an extremely high ratio for the early days of hot rodding. This was Ed Iskenderian's first hot rod and it still occupies a corner of his plant today.
After graduating, Ed obtained mechanical experience working as an apprentice tool and die maker. This is where Ed developed the skill and experience of always striving for quality and perfection. His career was interrupted by WWII. Because of his interest in speed, Ed decided to try his hand with an even faster vehicle and enlisted in the Army Air Corps. He served with the Air Transport Command, repeatedly flying supplies to the islands of the Pacific.
After his war time absence, Ed lost no time in getting back to his hot rod and getting it ready for California's dry lake bed meets. When rebuilding his V-8, he wanted to obtain a special camshaft. However, the boom had hit hot rodding and there was a great deal of business for the few racing camshaft manufacturers on the west coast. Their production schedules were taxed, which resulted in slow delivery. During the five month waiting period for his special camshaft, Ed decided to enter the cam grinding business. He bought a used conventional cylindrical grinder. Drawing on his tool making and mechanical experience, Ed converted it to a universal cam grinding machine. This machine produced camshafts with a noticeable improvement in performance over the conventional racing Ford camshafts. Ed's cams were the first to produce 1 HP. per Cu. In. on gasoline in postwar OHV V-8 Dodge Hemi's and 1.3 H.P. per Cu. In. on gasoline in postwar OHV 283 Chevy V-8's.
Ed saw that racers could benefit from the advancement of higher-technology in racing so he created the first Hard- Face Overlay camshafts in the industry and became the first to employ computers in camshaft design. With the computer, Ed created the most advanced cam-profiles of the late 1950s and early 60s like the famous 5-Cycle and Polydyne Profile 505 Magnum's along with the very first Hydraulic racing camshafts in the industry. Not stopping here, Ed knew that these new camshafts needed equally technologically advanced components -- So, he developed the first High-Density Chilled-Iron lifters for the ever growing Fuel Burning Supercharged Dragster class (now known as Top Fuel Dragsters), the first drop-in self locking roller tappets and the first Anti-Pump-Up hydraulic lifters enabling Hydraulic camshafts to produce higher R.P.M. This created a new challenge. As the new camshafts were delivering greater lifts and durations for higher R.P.M., the resulting higher lift rates required advanced valve spring designs. Recognizing this, Ed then introduced to the racing industry the first Vasco Jet 1000 Valve Springs after having pioneered the first valve spring assemblies for racing a decade before. New Cams and Components were not the only thing Ed brought to the young Drag Racing programs. Under a gentlemen's agreement, Ed Iskenderian and a young racer from Florida named Don Garlits entered into the first corporate sponsorship of a race operation. During this time Ed was given the nickname of Isky the "Camfather".

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I've heard from Bluto that there might be a celebration when Ed gets back from church... Bluto wishes he could attend but the SST stopped running a few years ago!

 

Hey!
That's tomorrow!!
Happy Birthday!!!

 

I have had Isky cams in cars for 50 years and am going to put another one in my 57 Chevy. A Z-30 solid lifter.

Happy birthday Ed.

Pat

 

i share my birthday with a hotrod hero,cool...

 

Legend in this hobby!

 

Happy Birthday! Thank you for all you have done.

 

thats really AWESOME! happy birthday sir!

 

Happy birthday!

 

One of my prized possessions. Note the autograph below the rear tire. Happy birthday.

 

I stopped by his shop back in the 60s to show him a dirt track cam of his i bought for $5.00 from a drag racer i hung around with in Ridgecrest Ca. while stationed in China Lake Ca.He said it would work on the street,and it did for a while.It didnt like the stock lifters and got flattened after about 400 miles.Hey,i was a poor old serviceman and didnt know any better and it was cheap.The experiece of meeting Mr. Iskenderien was worth it.

 

congratulations to a true legend, he is inspiring to all of us !

 

Happy Birthday to YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks for all you have done for us.
Enjoy your day! You are very special to all of us.

 

Happy Birthday ! a true legend in the hobby.

 

He is also just the nicest guy.... Happy 90th Brithday old friend

 

Happy birthday to a man who helped start an entire industry. My bucket list still includes building a dup of Ed's "T".

The Rock

 

While working a booth at the 1998 PRI show in Columbus Ohio Ed Iskenderian walks up to see what we have. I proceed to offer my hand and told him what an honor it is to meet him.

His reply? "It's an honor to meet you also." What a humble and incredibly talented man.
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Happy Birthday Ed. I'm so glad you're still around. Your life has spanned the best century of mankind Ed, and you chose hotrodding. Can't beat that eh. Stick around eh.
Cheers

Ed

 

Happy Birthday to the Camfather!
From a fellow central valley boy

 

I had the honor of meeting Ed while visiting his shop last month before the LARS. He not only interrupted his lunch to give us a shop tour, he gave us 1st class treatment. I was astonished to hear some of his stories and to learn about how his empire evolved. After about 2 hrs of his time I realized that I would cherish the experience for a lifetime. Ed Iskenderian is a true pioneer, and an Icon to the history of Hotrodding!

Thanks Ed and Happy Birthday!!!

 

I think it's "Super Leggera".

 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO A LEGEND! Best wishes for continued good health and many more B-days!

 

Jim McFarland told me a story about Ed buying a new Cadillac, driving it until it was full of litter, then parking it and buying another. He even drove me by a lot that was supposedly owned by Ed and there were more than a few Caddy's parked on it.

Has anyone else heard this tale?

 

HAPPY B DAY ED!!!!

He's the coolest.. We got to take him out to breakfast at a little Mexican restaurant by his shop..We were there to Cast his hand for the wall of legends for this years Mototrama..it was cool talking about being in the War and his T.. A moment i'll never forget..





Heres the old post:
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=544991

 

Well happy birthday! An isky cam in my flathead forever

 

Best wishes Mr. Isky....I love my 550 cam.......stay young!!

 

And heres hoping he lives for another 90, the man is a dead set legend and I'll definatly be raising my glass for a toast to the king of cams.
Happy birthday Ed.

 

Yea I have, a friend of ours over here knows Ed well and he told me a very similar story, full of paper work etc, a man who never throws stuff out by all accounts.

 

As D said, he literally treated us like family while we were there. I was super amazed that a man that created an empire and is truly a legend in an industry as big as ours was so down to earth and friendly. It was truly an inspirational experience for me.
Happy birthday Ed and thanks for everything you've done, you're truly a hero.

 

happy birthday '' pal '' your're a blast your brother...luv youse'

 

Happy Birthday!!