ED LOEWEN

Pioneer - Hot Rod, Custom Car and Drag Racing - Inducted 2008

By Lorne Kerr, 2008

Ed Loewen has been building, painting and racing hot rods since the 1950s. He joined the British Columbia Custom Car Association (BCCCA) in 1955 and was an active member for many years.

Ed completed his first car in 1956, a 1950 Ford Tudor. It was flathead powered, lowered, had a filled hood and trunk lid, ‘53 Ford headlights and taillights and sported a Meteor grill. In his first drag race at Abbotsford airport he raced and lost to Larry Braine who was driving his father's 1954 Buick Century. Ed’s next car was a '51 Merc Fordor in which the frame was zeed, the hood and trunk lid were blanked and electric doors added.

In 1962, Ed started building his ‘32 Ford 2door, a car which became very well known. He rescued the body from Les Diack in Lynden, Washington. It had been damaged and stripped. However the top had been chopped by Don Campbell in 1953 so it was a keeper. Ed also found a ‘32 frame in Lynden for $20 and after many hours of work the car was completed in 1965, running a 370 ci US Pontiac engine. The car then became a very cool ride on the streets of the lower mainland for a number of years.

Ed got hooked on drag racing in the late 60s when he was helping Pete Reimer with his dragster. In 1967, he started drag racing his ‘32 at the old Mission Raceway and eventually dropped the 370 ci Pontiac for a 427 ci Chevy with a Turbo 400 transmission. This was followed by 454 ci, then 468 ci and 496 ci Chevy’s. Over the years his beloved ‘32 Tudor has become a crowd favorite at drag strips throughout the Pacific Northwest. In 2007, Ed was running a 454 ci World Products engine with a Lenco transmission and turned a 9.32 et and 141 mph. His ‘32 Ford Tudor door is unofficially the second fastest steel bodied ‘32 in North America The engine has been upgraded to a 588 ci for the 2008 season so don’t miss him at your local drag strip; actually he will not be easy to miss!

In addition to his racing Ed is a well respected body man and painter and is the owner of Canadian

Body Shop Supplies. Some of the early hotrods he painted include: Jack Plummer’s ‘32 Ford Vicki, Pete Reimer’s dragster, Roger Melanchuck’s roadster pickup, Lorne Kerr’s ‘40 Ford and ‘30 roadster and Dick Whelan and Don Holloway’s ‘46 convertibles. In the last couple of years he has also painted a number of cars that include John McCallister’s ‘40 Ford coupe. Ed completed the bodywork and paint on Luke Balogh’s current project, the 554 ‘34 Ford coupe.

Over 50 years and Ed is still hot rodding, still building and painting,, and running in the 9s at 140 mph plus . . .

Below: Ed and his 1950 Ford in 1956 (Ed Loewen collection)         Above: Ed in action (Ed Loewen collection)