Folks Of Interest Listen to the Camfather...

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Listen to the Camfather...

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I got to meet Ed a couple of years ago! We talked for a spell, like he had all the time in the world. I had no idea he was still with us! It was wonderful meeting a guy that I had heard of almost all my life! And a man that has contributed so much to our hobby! An American icon!


PS. He was grinding away on that cigar!


Bones

 

I’ve sat at the 200 MPH Club banquet at Bonneville a few times with Ed and Nick Arias and never had a dull moment. I never laughed so much. Same with lunches with the 2 of them and Joe Fontana. So much history and so little time.

 

CHRR

 

The Camfather....

 

Use to have lunch with Ed everyday (we called it "ISKYBURGER") till all this BS happening, But we still meet up every Sat at a group dinner. Still sharp as he ever was and no sign of slowing down, Still drives himself. As to his Mike Jackson glove on his hand, He has some peripheral neuropathy and his hand gets very cold

 

Every second of that video was great. There are some great messages for entrepreneurs, too.

 

Key Man who enjoys what he dose!
I loved the Isky Cams I got an used ;,,after the first bad one.*
I've used a number of cam Co. over 40+ years of racing,three at def times had been my go to Cam guys.
Crane ,Schooler an Isky. Each did there job well for what racing I was doing at the time.
Crane in the 1950s was a Tin Barn in Hallandale Fla. an I needed in late 59 a regrind ,so went to a close by place to get it done.
A few years went by,an I started racing oval track cars,a buddy let me have a Schooler cam that worked great;so used those like 12 years.
* I got new sponsor in 1983 on my race car,an they sold Isky cams,so wanted me to use them!
OK,I was racing Toyota R20 as power at the time,order Isky's recommended cam,put it in an lost near a sec. a lap. I should of checked better before just trying it.
Turn out lift was low an I found that there spec. called for a rocker arm that was never in the real world.
It took a number of calls too Isky before the employee on phone,even sounded like he'd admet there rocker arm spec. was wrong. Really ,if it had not been for Eyn ,owner of Select Sales sports car parts, stepping in,an telling the guy,I knew what I was talking about, he had to fix Isky's spec. so the cam's would work right or he would start selling Crane. !
I would of had too go back to my Schooler's. So the next Isky cam I got was done right lift, an work pretty well,won some races, an cam #3 from Isky with even newer spec.'s was better still.
Never did get to talk with Ed though,would of been fun.

 

He has the respect & administration of so many, like me, who will never get to meet him. It’s amazing what he has done for our hot rodding community not only for our vehicles but in bringing us all closer through the love of our hot rods! I hope he heard how much he is appreciated....


Sent from my iPhone using H.A.M.B.

 

Ed once explained the '5 cycle cam' theory to me: "The 5th cycle is the cooling one..."
I changed the subject.

 

In 1979 my first year going to Bonneville as a 17 year old gofer on Bob Joehnck's gas roadster I was in the State Line's casino. It looked like the back room at some gas station at the time to me. I was standing looking at the craps table totally lost as to what was going on. An old man (in a tuxedo jacket and an Isky t shirt ), looks at me and asks if I wanted to bet. I said I did't know how. He said just do what I do. I only bet one dollar at a time but what he showed me let me win about $50 a lot to a kid at the time. The next day I told my dad and Bob about it and they said that was Isky and he must have liked you.

 

My Dad and I got to meet Mr Isky at the 2009 CHRR in Bakersfield!
Great guy, talked to us like we were long lost friends!
Gotta quit washing that shirt, Im washing away his autograph, have pictures with him I cant find right now

 

Met up with Ed at So-Cal one night. Asked him for his autograph, he said it was not worth anything. I told him if he signed a $5.00 bill it would be. He said for that he would include one of his cigars, he reached into his shirt pocket and presented me with his last cigar. Still have it in the trophy case.
When I was building my flathead I gave him a call, he said send me down the original cam and he would give it a grind. Got it back and think of him when I hit 4,000 rpm.

 

Great Video. About 25 tears ago when I first started making my T5 Kit and my 409 water pump kit for flatheads I had a booth at the LARS with the products in one of my 32 chassis (same chassis that is underneath Scott Lorenzinis black 32 highboy sedan) I was just starting to pack up on Sunday when Ed sat down in one of my chairs and started a conversation about my products and his. We talked for about a half hour and it is one of the great moments in my life that such a famous man would take time to talk to me.

 

I can't remember what year, late 90's or early 00's, I was at the LARS and watched Ed drive his T in and power park. Pretty cool to see that.

 

Wow, great video! I was a Howard Cams fan (Jack Chrisman twin engine dragster!) I got to meet Howard Johansen in 1962 & still have the T-shirt (I think).... but NO WAY will it fit now!

 

Reading other people's encounters with him is further proof that it's not about what you say as much as how you make somebody feel.

 

There is one in my HEMI. Wow he looks good, how old is Ed now? It seems he has been around forever. I remember his ads in Hot Rod way back when I was a teen ager and I'm in my eight decade.

 

Born 1921

 

Talked with him after dinner at the Eagle Field Drags a couple of years ago. Amazing part of our history.

 

Ed is a wonderful man, having worked in the performance marketplace for 40 years I've enjoyed the times we spent together. May God continue to Bless him.

 

Ed is a national treasure and I loved hearing him speak. I've been in the same room with him at a NHRA Museum event but I never felt worthy enough to talk to him and take any of his time so I didn't bother him. He is so sharp at his age and I wish him many more years with us. Thanks for this great blog post!

 

Damn cotton always shrinks right at the waist ! I had the same problem so I chopped my carb intake way down and those shirts suddenly starting fitting. I can't explain why cotton reacts like that ! LOL.

 

He would be more upset that you didnt-- He does not consider himself a legend, Only ED

 

I remember reading an interview with him in an older RnC magazine...he gave props even then to us " Good 'Ole boys" for running his cams in the old days pre- Nascar. Such a blessed life, and truly a humble and approachable man!

 

I have used Isky cams in many of my rides over the years and was always happy with the performance. I have a Isky cam in my Corvair. The 260 grind is great for my turbocharged motor. Lots of low end torque before getting up on boost.
Thanks for many years of fun Ed

 

“We are very fortunate to get in something that I like and was interested in, still interested in…”

99 years and active, WOW!


Hello,

When my brother told me we were going to build a hot rod for the street and drags, I was all excited. At first it was a Model A coupe, then a 58 Impala, then finally, he stepped up and said a 1940 Willys Coupe. The motor was already picked out at a local small speed shop a short drive away. It was a long block SBC with an Isky Cam and kit ready to be assembled. That small shop said that this is the way to save money for them building a complete motor. The lower half is done and everything else needed to be done.

My brother said he knew of the Isky Cam Company in 1959-60 and that it was a good cam for the SBC motor. The top racers at Lions were running Isky Cams. All we had to do was put the rest of the motor together with our own choices of heads, manifold, carbs and distributor. We ended up buying that small speed shop’s inventory, Chevy truck heads, Weiand 6 carb manifold with 6 Strombergs, and other necessary supplies.

We finally installed it in the Willys Coupe and entered our first drag race at Lions. It felt fast, but despite the motor/trans/ rear combo, it just was not getting close to the top runners of the day. It was a fast street legal coupe and could hold its own on those slinky streets. (But, not with the 2.5 gallon Moon Tank and Pump…)

The Isky Cam did what it was supposed to do for our build. It ran well and we should have just adjusted to the new motor/Willys Coupe and worked with it. But, my brother was a little antsy and wanted to go faster and definitely quicker.

Jnaki

After looking at all of our digital files over the years, there were/are still the characters left over from our 1957-64 time period in drag racing. Ed Iskenderian is one of those real life characters.

Jump up to 2017 and when I was taking photographs of the grand opening dinner displays of the newly developed Lion’s Dragstrip Museum, I could not be happier. Lions was our home from 1957-62. Every weekend from morning to late night. The films still bring back clear memories of the dragstrip and the hot rod guys/girls hanging around doing something they loved doing.

When I sat down later to look at the films/photos I took, I could see plenty of old time guys having one of those "get-together" moments. As I stopped filming a clip about the Stone, Woods, Cook, Willys and Mike Cook, I turned off my camera. I was done filming and started my walk to talk to several people in the extended warehouse.

Later, when I got home, a surprise popped up in the end of the clip.

2017 Lion’s Dragstrip Museum opening, a surprise at the end.

“There weren’t any experts about this hobby, it was open to everybody to throw in their two cents worth.”

 

All I can say is... What a great video.

 

I met him last year at CHRR, coolest guy I've ever met!