Ed Iskenderian

Lore & Background

Iskenderian was born in the farming community of Cutler, California, to first-generation Armenian immigrants. After frost destroyed his family's grape crop, they moved to Los Angeles. He developed an early interest in ham radio before becoming fascinated with hot rods, racing at Muroc Dry Lake until World War II interrupted. He attended Polytechnic High School and built a customized Model T, adapting an overhead camshaft conversion kit and a multi-flathead cylinder head. After experimenting with Ford Model As and Bs, he focused on the flathead V8 crankshaft, fitting Maxi F cylinder heads and a custom slingshot intake manifold. With guidance from Ed Winfield, he filled combustion chambers with cast iron and rebuilt them to achieve a 13:1 compression ratio.

During World War II, Iskenderian enlisted in the United States Army Air Forces and flew supply missions in the Pacific Theatre with the Air Transport Command. After the war, he established a business in Culver City, California, fabricating camshafts and parts for fellow hot-rodders. Forced to wait five months for a new camshaft, he built his own cam-grinding machine from a cylindrical grinder. His grinds offered markedly better performance than stock ones. He promoted his business with an advertisement in the second issue of Hot Rod magazine and was first to use T-shirts and uniforms for promotion. He later moved the company to Gardena in 1966, where it remains.

Reader's Guide

Iskenderian's significance lies in his transformative contributions to the hot rod and racing industries. He was the first to offer hard-facing on camshafts, apply computers to cam design, and produce camshafts for hydraulic lifters. For supercharged fuel dragsters, he developed better lifters, drop-in self-locking roller lifters, and anti-pump-up hydraulic lifters suitable for high RPM use. He also produced Vasco Jet 1000 valve springs to handle high valve lifts and long durations. Iskenderian created the first corporate sponsorship deal in drag racing with Don Garlits, resulting in the Don's Speed Shop/Ed Iskenderian dragster that ran a record 8.36-second/180 mph pass. He was the first to offer contingency awards to racers in the 1950s. He also offered the first complete valvetrain kits for stock racing classes and street cars, the first roller lifter cams for Chevrolet engines, and the first bushings and cam keys for adjustable cam timing. In 1963, he collaborated with other industry figures to form the Speed Equipment Manufacturers Association (SEMA), serving as its first president. In 1985, he was named one of Chevrolet's 'Legends of Performance,' and in 2025 he was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America.

Did You Know?

• He built a customized Model T with an overhead camshaft conversion kit from the Chevrolet brothers.
• He was the first to offer hard-facing on camshafts and the first to apply computers to cam design.