Camshaft Socks
Description: Like other performance pioneers, Ed Iskenderian was a Southern California hot rodder in the years leading up to World War II, learning speed secrets in an effort to make his own T roadster go faster. Grinding camshafts came after the war when a sudden demand for parts - fueled by returning GIs eager to get back to hot rodding - was so great that Iskenderian was faced with a long wait for a cam he wanted for his own car. Figuring he could do as just as good himself, he bought a surplus cylindrical grinder, converted it into a cam-grinding machine, and went to work. He wasn't just making a similar cam to those available at the time - he made them better, rightfully earning him the nickname of 'The Camfather.'
Description: Dempsey Wilson was an accomplished race car driver in the '50s and '60s who competed in the USAC Championship Car Series. He had over 30 starts, including the Indianapolis 500 in '58, '60, '61, and '63. Outside of racing, Wilson was a master machinist who custom-milled his own cams and ran a business called Dempsey Wilson Racing Cams in Hawthorne, California, which both made new camshafts and refurbished old ones. His primary clients were hot rodders and street racers, but he also did work for his fellow open-wheel racers, even providing some of his secret grinds to those he really liked.
Description: A black background features white cursive text "Clay Smith Cams" across the top. To the left, a red roadrunner with yellow accents on its beak and head, holds a lit cigar in its beak. To the lower left, large yellow numeral "90" is shown. To the right of the "90", red text reads "YEARS OF AMERICAN HORSEPOWER". A red rectangular box with white text "MR. HORSEPOWER" is positioned above the cigar.
Description: Dempsey Wilson was an accomplished race car driver in the ’50s and ’60s who competed in the USAC Championship Car Series. He had over 30 starts, including the Indianapolis 500 in ’58, ’60, ’61, and ’63. Outside of racing, Wilson was a master machinist who custom-milled his own cams and ran a business called Dempsey Wilson Racing Cams in Hawthorne, California, which both made new camshafts and refurbished old ones. His primary clients were hot rodders and street racers, but he also did work for his fellow open-wheel racers, even providing some of his secret grinds to those he really liked.
Description: A gritty vintage hot rod poster depicting a ferocious, yellow-eyed beast with shaggy fur, wearing a mechanic’s shirt and jeans, gripping a massive camshaft like a weapon. Behind him, a roaring custom hot rod emphasizes the raw power and rebellious energy of 1980s car culture. The distressed textures, bold red lettering, and cartoon-meets-muscle aesthetic capture the over-the-top attitude of custom automotive advertising from the era.
