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32-569: Moon was one of the founding members of Speed Equipment Manufacturers Association in 1963. Dean Moon was a hot-rodder and innovator of speed parts. He built and raced cars from El Mirage Dry Lake and Bonneville Salt Flats to the drag strips and beyond, and established a company that became an icon in the hot rodding industry. Starting his business from modest beginnings in a garage behind his father's Moon Café in Norwalk, he grew it into an internationally recognized brand name. Early products were

64-777: A good friend and manufacturer of ignitions, camshafts and blower drives. In 1962, he moved the company to the Moon Equipment building in Santa Fe Springs, California , and continued producing Potvin products. The first A.C. Shelby Cobra to reach the United States, delivered to Carroll Shelby , was fitted with a Ford V8 engine and transmission at Dean Moon's shop in Santa Fe Springs, in February 1962. This historic location at 10820 S. Norwalk Blvd.

96-505: A multi-carb fuel block, spun aluminum wheel discs, aluminum gas tanks and a foot-shaped throttle pedal. Products carrying the Moon name, including the Moon disc wheel covers and Moon Tank auxiliary fuel containers, were very popular, and Moon Equipment's bright-yellow show cars and drag cars were used as prototypes for Hot Wheels toys. In 1960 Moon purchased the Potvin company from Chuck Potvin,

128-476: A new publication, buying an advertisement in the second issue of Honk! ; it paid off with new business. He was first to promote his business with T-shirts and uniforms. He would move from the Washington Blvd. location before coming back to Culver City, then ultimately moving the company to Gardena in 1966, where it remains. Iskenderian was also the first to offer a hard facing on camshafts, and

160-648: A number of manufacturers due to lack of space. Over the next few years, the Show grew much larger and soon filled the Convention Center to capacity and was moved to Las Vegas in 1977. Las Vegas was chosen because it provided room for continued growth, dependable weather, big-name entertainment and a world-famous location. In 1977, SEMA's Awards Banquet (run by Sheldon Konblett) was held at the Sands Hotel and featured Norm Crosby. Sheldon Konblett also developed

192-626: A reputation as a place where business was expected and completed. As part of the ’70s SEMA Shows, one of the must-attend events was Doris Herbert's Drag News party, which was topped only by the SEMA Awards Banquet. In 1975, the featured entertainers for the Awards Banquet were April Stevens and Nino Tempo . In 1976 (the last SEMA Show to be held in Anaheim), the show was a sellout with 570 booths and, in fact, had to turn away

224-658: A rolling testbed (driven by Gary Cagle to a win at the 1962 NHRA Winternationals ), then as exhibition car shows after it retired from racing. The car made a comeback in England in 1963 driven by Dante Duce. In 1964 Duce won the Brighton Speed Trials in the Moonbeam, a Devin -bodied sports car equipped with a supercharged Chevrolet V-8 motor. Many Moon products are still used today and are sought after for restoring and recreating old hot rods. The “Mooneyes” logo

256-492: A small shop at 5977 Washington Blvd., in Culver City, California ; it backed up to Mercury Tool and Die, which was owned by a high school friend of Iskenderian's, John Athan. In this shop, Iskenderian fabricated parts, including camshafts , for fellow hot rodders. He started with a single cam-grinding machine, which he adapted for the purpose himself. When the war ended, Iskenderian (like many other hot rodders) applied

288-649: Is a well known part of the history of the sport. Moon Speed Equipment "paused" after Dean died in 1987, then stopped momentarily after Dean Moon's wife died. In the early 1990s, Shige Suganuma, a long time Mooneyes dealer from Japan and close family friend of Moon, restarted the company as MOONEYES USA which continues to carry on the traditions of Dean Moon today, including the Mooneyes Hot Rod & Custom Show in Yokohama, Japan . SEMA (association) Specialty Equipment Market Association ( SEMA ) of

320-645: Is held at the Las Vegas Convention Center . It is among the largest conventions held in Vegas. The 2013 SEMA Show drew about 60,000 buyers. The displays are segmented into 12 sections, and a New Products Showcase features nearly 2,000 newly introduced parts, tools and components. In addition, the SEMA Show provides attendees with educational seminars, product demonstrations , special events, networking opportunities and more. The first SEMA Show

352-454: Is required. On August 5, 2020, SEMA announced that its 2020 show would be cancelled for the first time in the show's history, due to the COVID-19 pandemic . The SEMA acronym originally stood for Speed Equipment Manufacturing Association . In 1970, government regulations became an issue and the name was changed to Specialty Equipment Market Association to improve the overall image of

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384-590: Is where MOONEYES still resides today. Moon brought a level of showmanship to the sport of drag racing. His cars not only went fast but looked good with signature Mooneyes decals, yellow paint and chrome plating. His teams were well turned out in all white uniforms with the MOON Logo and cowboy hats. Revell made a plastic model kit of the Chevrolet-powered Dragmaster-chassied Mooneyes dragster , which they termed as

416-722: The GT awards have been presented at the SEMA Auto Convention, and these include categories such as Best in Show , Best Hot Rod , and Best European Import . SEMA was also presented with the Grassroots Motorsports Editors' Choice Award in 2012. Since 1997, the SEMA Action Network (SAN) has been a grassroots network for the automotive hobby. The SEMA Action Network is a partnership between enthusiasts, vehicle clubs and members of

448-487: The automotive aftermarket was formed in 1963 by Paul Schiefer, Roy Richter , Ed Iskenderian , Els Lohn, Willie Garner, Bob Hedman, Robert E. Wyman, John Bartlett, Phil Weiand Jr, Al Segal, Dean Moon , and Vic Edelbrock Jr. Now it consists of 6,383 companies worldwide, bringing together aftermarket manufacturers, original equipment manufacturers (OEM) , media, car dealers, specialty equipment distributors, installers, retailers, and restoration specialists. The largest of

480-472: The Chevrolet brothers (the "Fronty" kit) and the "multi-flathead" cylinder head developed by George Riley. After suffering a number of failures, and experimenting with Model As and Bs , he turned to the crankshaft of the flathead , which had larger bearings; it proved stronger. He fitted Maxi F cylinder heads and a custom-built "slingshot" intake manifold (provided by Ed Winfield). Iskenderian filled

512-635: The National Tire Dealers & Retreaters (NTDRA) trade show was combined with the SEMA Show. Affiliating the 77-year-old NTDRA trade show with the SEMA portion of AAIW provided benefits to both sides. In the same year, Goodyear sponsored the first SEMA-NTDRA “Racers’ Night Out” at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. In 1998, the SEMA Show broke the 500,000-foot mark with 502,912 net square feet of rented space. Each year since then,

544-1002: The SEMA Show Industry Awards Banquet. In 1990, the onsite registration fee was increased to $ 20. All exhibitors are eligible to submit an entry into the New Products Showcase at no cost. In 1992, the SEMA/AI Show and the Automotive Service Industry, Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Association and Automotive Parts & Accessories Association (ASIA/ MEMA /APAA Show—formerly the Big I/APAA Show) came together to form Automotive Aftermarket Industry Week (AAIW) in Las Vegas. The two shows together boasted in excess of 1.6 million square feet of exhibits. In 1997,

576-652: The SEMA events held annually during the first week of November is the SEMA Show at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas , Nevada in conjunction with the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Week. As part of this event, SEMA and other automotive aftermarket trade groups make up one of the single largest events on the Las Vegas calendar. This auto show is not open to the public. Registration as media, manufacturer, buyer or exhibitor

608-530: The Show has set new records of some sort. It now occupies more than one million net square feet, draws more than 3,000 media, and has a buyer attendance in excess of 60,000. The SEMA Show now routinely brings together more than 2,300 exhibitors, occupying in excess of 11,000 booths. Total attendance at the Show now tops 150,000 manufacturers, buyers and other industry representatives, making contacts and doing business. Lingenfelter Performance Engineering|Lingenfelter]] Concept on 4x4 by SG Concepts Since 2003,

640-570: The Vasco Jet 1000 springs. He worked with Don Garlits , creating the first corporate sponsorship deal in drag racing: The Don's Speed Shop/Ed Iskendarian dragster , which turned in a record 8.36 second/180 mph (290 km/h) pass with Garlits at the wheel. In the 1950s, Iskendarian was the first to offer contingency awards to racers; these small cash payments for applying corporate decals help amateurs continue to race, and have become big business. Not limiting his focus, Iskendarian offered

672-609: The association. It was also warned that bureaucrats in the industry may be turned off by the word "speed," which Corporate Council Earl Kitner felt they may associate with "the swinging generation." SEMA came about as a result of the company Revell Models attempting to fill a gap in industry trade regulation. Its first president was Ed Iskenderian . Other original members of the organization include Roy Richter , Willie Garner, Bob Hedman, Robert E. Wyman, Paul Schiefer, John Bartlett, Phil Weiand Jr., Al Segal, Dean Moon , and Vic Edelbrock Jr. Founding members of SEMA The SEMA Show

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704-631: The combustion chambers with cast iron, then rebuilt them under the guidance of Winfield, producing an astounding (for the period) 13:1 compression ratio . At the U.S. entry into World War II, Iskenderian enlisted in the United States Army Air Forces , and flew supply missions in the Pacific Theatre with the USAAF Air Transport Command . After the war, Iskenderian established a business in

736-453: The day prior to the Show's opening attracted anything near the more than 460 who attended. That same year, Willie Nelson was the featured entertainer for the SEMA Awards Banquet. In 1983, the import parts section of the SEMA Show was added under the auspices of sister organization, Automotive International Association, thus changing the name to SEMA/AI Show. In 1984, there was a combined SEMA/AI/APAA Show in Las Vegas. The Industry Awards Banquet

768-411: The design for the SEMA trophies, which have come to symbolize product innovation and excellence in the industry. In 1979, Nile Cornelison began plans for his Innovations Day seminars program, which has since become one of the major annual association programs. The following year, Innovations Day was a smashing success and featured Lee Iacocca as the keynote speaker. Never before had any activity held on

800-426: The early 1970s, sophisticated display and marketing techniques were visible throughout the show. At that time, a Show booth cost $ 375.00. The Show moved to a different location—the new and expansive Anaheim Convention Center (across from Disneyland). Booth sales and attendance kept increasing dramatically. The SEMA Show continued to cater to the needs of industry representatives rather than consumers and began to develop

832-450: The experience and expertise gained in the Army to car building. Demand for speed parts was high, so when he was forced to wait five months for a new camshaft, he decided instead to grind his own, with homebuilt grinder, adapted from a cylindrical grinder. Iskenderian's new grinds offered markedly better performance than stock ones. To promote his business early on, Iskenderian took a chance on

864-450: The first complete valvetrain kits, including camshaft and valve gear, for stock racing classes, as well as street cars. He also produced the first roller lifter cams for Chevrolet engines and the first bushings and cam keys to allow cam timing to be adjusted. Iskendarian got together with Vic Edelbrock Jr. , Roy Richter , Bob Hedman, Robert E. Wyman, John Bartlett, Phil Weiand Jr, Dean Moon , Al Segal, and Willie Garner in 1963, forming

896-414: The first to apply computers to cam design. Isky also offered the first camshafts designed to work with hydraulic lifters . To serve the burgeoning new supercharged fuel dragsters, he developed better lifters, drop-in self-locking roller lifters, and anti-pump-up hydraulic lifters (suitable for high-rev use). The high valve lifts and long durations demanded better valve springs, too, so Isky produced

928-417: The grapes, compelling his parents to move to Los Angeles . He had an early interest in ham radio ; soon, he became fascinated with hot rods. Like many others, he went lakes racing at Muroc Dry Lake , which was interrupted by the U.S. entry into World War II . Iskenderian attended L.A.'s Polytechnic High School. He built a customized Model T , adapting the overhead camshaft conversion kit produced by

960-479: The specialty automotive parts industry in the United States and Canada who have collaborated to promote automotive hobby-friendly legislation and laws. In the past, the SAN has: Ed Iskenderian Ed "Isky" Iskenderian (born July 10, 1921) is an American hot rodder and entrepreneur. He was born to first-generation Armenian immigrants , in "grapevine country of Tulare County, California ." Bad weather killed

992-526: Was held at the MGM Grand, and the entertainment was provided by The Platters and Gallagher. By all indications, the move to Las Vegas has been an overwhelming success. In 1986, Car and Driver magazine noted that the Show was a “...prime opportunity to monitor the West Coast car culture without breathing the smog or fighting the freeways.” That same year, Jay Leno made his first appearance on stage at

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1024-723: Was held in 1967 in the basement of the Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles , California before moving to the new Anaheim Stadium in 1974. In 1967 they had 98 manufacturers manning booths and an attendance of 3,000 people. In 1967 there were 5 cars on display, including a 1967 Ford GT40 in the Shelby America booth and a drag-race-prepped Dodge Dart. The early shows, held in Los Angeles and Anaheim, California, were exclusively card-table-and-masking-tape affairs, but by

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