here are many legendary names in the field of performance engines and performance parts. But few are as famous, or command as much respect as the name Edelbrock. Indeed, the name Edelbrock is practically iconic in the performance motorsports world. So much so that people who have never ridden a motorcycle or raised the hood of their car recognize that Edelbrock is associated with speed and horsepower.
     In many ways the Edelbrock story is the classic great American tale. It’s the story of an American family and their friends, who happened to enjoy hot rods and racing, and who followed a passion for building horsepower. The Edelbrock competitive spirit flourished on the dry lakes and dirt tracks of California, survived the depression, World War II, and government sanctions. It’s the story of a family who stuck to their basic values and created an industry that spans the planet today.

     Born in 1913, Vic Edelbrock, Sr. was the child of mid-western farmers who worked their 160 acres and had a small grocery store. His full name was Otis Victor Edelbrock, but everyone called him Victor, or Vic for short. He grew up working on the family farm and supplementing the dinner table by hunting, Vic was a crack shot. And, though he didn’t seem to enjoy farming, Vic had an amazing ability to fix and keep running all the equipment a 1920’s farm used. And if everything went as planned, our story might have ended there on that Kansas farm. But things seldom go as planned…or perhaps other forces were at work?
     Vic’s life was forever changed when in 1927, the tiny family store burned to the ground. Vic was only 14, but had to quit school and find work to help the family survive. He found a job at a local automobile repair shop and discovered his calling. He took to the work like the natural mechanic he was. He also learned to drive in order to supplement his income by delivering Model T Fords to local farmers. He quickly became an expert driver on the rutted, nasty, dirt farm roads of the era. And, Vic discovered that he enjoyed going fast. Enjoying speed and always looking for extra money, Vic picked up extra cash running moonshine for some of the local bootleggers.
     Soon, Vic Edelbrock had a reputation as a man who knew his way around an automobile, the man to call when a car broke down. He formed a philosophy that would stay with him for the rest of his life: When you do a job, do it right, and do it better than anyone else, because then people will ask you to do more.
     With the onset of the Depression money grew scarce in the mid-west, but Vic heard that California might have better pickings. So in 1931 he loaded everything up in his car and drove to the coast. Vic bounced around a bit, but soon established himself as a top mechanic. Then in 1933 he opened his own business, Vic’s Garage. He also met and married his wife, Katie. It was nearing time to establish a dynasty.
     Vic’s son, Otis Victor Edelbrock Jr. was born in 1936 and Victor Sr. was ready to expand his business. The word was out that Vic Edelbrock could not only fix a car, but also make it run better then ever. Soon the word reached local racers who started to bring their cars in to the shop. And Vic was invited to come to the races and a new passion was born in the mechanic, building racecars.
     Vic wanted to test his mechanical ideas and try his skills at racing. So he purchased a 1932 Ford Roadster, completely rebuilt it, and headed for the dry lakes where racers tested their speed in the open desert. It was on the dry lakes where the Edelbrock name first became associated with speed and horsepower.
     Racers are always searching for more speed and Vic was no different, except he was also a top mechanic and innovator. A natural engineer, Vic conceived, designed and then built a new, better manifold for the flathead Fords of the day. It was called the Slingshot and thus the Edelbrock Corporation was born.

In 1955, the Chevrolet small-block was the new battle cry for racers. Vic Edelbrock Sr. was ready, and answered the call with the X-1 Ram Log manifold.

     The rest, as they say is history, Edelbrock hi-performance heads soon followed the Slingshot manifold, as well as countless more hi-performance parts. And Edelbrock continued to race and expand. Countless records were set on the dry lakes and Vic’s midget racers dominated the dirt tracks. As the years passed, the Edelbrock Company continued to grow and wherever cars raced, from the dry lakes, dirt tracks, and drag strips to the Indy 500, Edelbrock performance parts would be there.
     And as the company grew, so did Vic Jr. Much like his father, the younger Edelbrock wanted nothing more then to hang around the shop and learn all he could about engines. Vic Sr. insisted on a college education for his son, so Vic Jr. went to school, but his heart always stayed with the family business. Vic Jr. also became a successful boat racer, pilot, and motorcycle off-road rider. The Edelbrocks planned for Vic Jr. to gradually take over the company, but it was thrust upon the young man when Vic Sr. died in 1962, after a hard fight with cancer.

Back in the day, Vic Jr. on his 1951 700cc Triumph Thunderbird.

Vic Jr. grew up around the shop, and, sharing his father’s passion for building and repairing, had learned to do all the jobs in the shop by the time he was in high school.

     The saying, “The more things change the more they remain the same,” certainly applies to the Edelbrock Corporation. The things that remained the same are that the company is still family run, by Vic Jr., and all the employees are enthusiasts that use the products personally. And performance and quality are still the highest priority for all Edelbrock products.
     What has changed? Edelbrock is a global company that produces and markets countless products; you can even purchase whole engines from them. With their growth came new manufacturing facilities, more employees, and the most modern computerized machines available.
Still, almost every product, from concept to packaging is handled in-house. They have their own in-house advertising department, run by Vic’s daughter Camee, along with a design department, manufacturing facilities, packaging, and shipping. They even have their own foundry where raw materials are smelted and turned into Edelbrock performance products. They are very proud that almost everything is handled under their roof and made in the U.S.A.
     While their main focus was on cars, the Edelbrocks loved motorcycles too. Both Vic Sr. and Vic Jr. were almost never without at least one bike. Vic Jr. added motorcycle products to their line in 1995, and like all Edelbrock products, they have proved to be a great success. Off-road and ATV carburetors, brake lines, speed bleeders and fuel filters are popular with the dirt set. And for Harley-Davidson, they’ve got some amazing things. Vic Jr. personally rides and travels to almost all the major rallies and an Edelbrock semi goes along to show the flag.
     Edelbrock offers a complete line of Power Package components for Harley-Davidson that includes high-quality manifolds, carburetors, nitrous kits, aluminum accessories and more. There are a lot of riders that work for Edelbrock as well as Vic Jr. and they are rarely completely satisfied with the performance available. So they are constantly raising the Edelbrock power targets for Harley’s robust twins. They also have assembled their finest matched sets of intake components to simplify everybody’s tuning rituals. And as with all Edelbrock products, bolt-on is quick and easy and fits right the first time. And if you have any problems at all, you can call or email, as Edelbrock employs two full-time techs to answer your questions and help you through the assembly process.
     Edelbrock is a QS9000 certified manufacturer and supplier. What this means to you is a higher quality of product every time you buy an Edelbrock component that meets or exceeds the standards set by original equipment manufacturers like Detroit’s big three and Milwaukee’s great one.

     Edelbrock’s biggest selling Harley items are their carbs and Power Packages. The Power Package concept is to offer, in one package, everything you’ll need to increase the performance of your machine at all levels. The 95-Inch Twin Cam EFI Performer RPM Power Package Kit, for example, is designed for 2001 & later Softails, 2004 Dyna and 2002 & later Touring with stock throttle body and Delphi ECU. Edelbrock CNC ported heads are the heart of the package, which they match with exactly the right parts to give you the gut-wrenching power that every rider wants. The kit includes Edelbrock CNC-ported EFI cylinder heads with a 72cc combustion chamber and your choice of black, polished or natural finish; Edelbrock Performer RPM chain or gear driven camshafts; Edelbrock/JE pistons, rings, wrist pins and pin locks for 95-inch motor; Gasket set (includes all gaskets needed for upgrade); Adjustable pushrod set; EFI Intake Manifold for the stock throttle body; High-Flow 8-inch EFI Air Cleaner; and a CD-ROM with fuel calibrations for popular aftermarket pipes. This kit will increase the performance to an honest 107+ HP, 102 FT/LBS at a Compression Ratio of 10.25:1.
     The beauty of this kit is the CD-ROM. Edelbrock did all the testing to map both cylinders at all throttle percentages with the most popular and best performing pipes. Now understand, Edelbrock doesn’t sell pipes, but they know that when you purchase an EFI Power Package you’ll likely be buying a new exhaust system as well. So they have already done the mapping and calibration for you, free of charge, so that your machine will run right the first time right after assembly. It is a huge bonus and saves you the guesswork of matching components and performance.

A set of Vance & Hines exhaust pipes are
“sacrificed” to allow for the insertion of metering tubes that collect data for the Edelbrock fuel calibration CD.

     For those who really want to play the power game, take a look at the Edelbrock Nitrous Systems. These are the most complete bolt-on Nitrous Kits available designed specifically for Harley-Davidson motorcycles. Like all Edelbrock products the Nitrous systems are engineered and Dyno tested in-house, for a true 35 horsepower increase at the push of a button. They claim that this is the only Plate System available for Harleys. The system comes with stainless steel jets that won’t erode like brass jets found in most systems. There is also a unique Electronic Module and RPM sensor that activates the Nitrous at 4300 rpm to reduce the chance of engine-damaging detonation. American Thunder conducted an independent dyno test on a 2000 Nite Train with a Harley Screaming Eagle 103-inch stroker. With the addition of Edelbrock Nitrous Kit #71916 and Nitrous Plate #71927, maximum horsepower jumped from 105 horsepower to 140 horsepower! Talk about boost!
     Other Harley products from Edelbrock include cylinder heads, pistons, cams, gaskets, intake manifolds, carbs and air cleaners. All bear the Edelbrock name and that means quality and performance.
Everything at Edelbrock is dyno and emissions tested. They have their own labs and Quality Control that include constant checks of everything on the line. There are over 600 employees now and several divisions and each division has its own set of engineers.
     “We have good products and good systems,” says Vic Edelbrock Jr. “And we love motorcycles and what we can do with them. When you buy our products, all you have to do is put it on and it will work. We even had the whole Harley-Davidson engineering team come here so we could show them what we’re doing.”
In the preface to the book about the company, Edelbrock, Made In USA, Vic Edelbrock Jr. states, “Throughout the years, Edelbrock Corporation has had the good fortune of an exceptional work force. Today, every employee, from the youngest novice to the most experienced executive, remains part of the family, just as it was when the company began. My dad believed that your products and your reputation were only as good as the people who stood behind them.”
     The Edelbrock family could have sold out long ago and retired with millions, but they didn’t. They own and run the company and put their name on every part, and stand behind every part. We’re proud to have Edelbrock as part of the Drag Specialties family. Contact your Drag Specialties rep for more information on all of the great products that Edelbrock has to offer.

Edelbrock even has its own museum, chronicling the history of the company with machines, photos, products and much more from Edelbrock’s storied past.