Pete Aardema
Written by Keith Fudge

Located in Escondido, California is the workshop of Pete Aardema.  Pete is better known as “The Cam Man,” or you might even call him a “mad inventor.”   You see, the moniker comes simple enough, for it has been Pete’s quest to see just how many different pushrod engines he can convert to using overhead cams!  When we talked to Pete a couple of years ago, he told us that his interests and his work are purely aesthetic, “I don’t do this for a living or for the money.  I want to do it the way I want to do it.”  In addition, Pete is incredibly humble about his achievements and his ideas as he adds, “Nothing I do is completely new or different.  I just take oddball stuff off one engine and then put it on another.”  Pete also notes that his biggest attraction toward working with cars and bikes is that there are no rules and you can do anything you want!  Well, recently, Dennis Gage had the chance to make a return trip to Southern California and visit with Pete to see what he was working on these days.  What we found were some overhead cam engines that were simply awesome and some rad street rods that would take your breath away!

After Dennis arrived, Pete took him on a tour of the shop showing him where it all began with the first engine he built more than 20 years ago!  This engine featured a variety of components such as Cosworth heads, machined cams, motorcycle lifters, and a four-barrel carburetor!  At this point, Dennis asked Pete what was his attraction to overhead cam engines.  Pete replied that the gains in horsepower and performance were too good to ignore!  Next, Pete showed Dennis a stock Chevy 350 that he had converted to OHC.  Pete said that he made 50 of these engines.  Further down the line we saw a “Chevy Hemi,” and what a beast it was!  The last engine that Pete showed us was a big-block Ford that looked as if it would definitely get the job done.  Soon the talk turned to some of the cars that Pete had created and he began by showing Dennis a car that holds a land speed record at El Mirage!  What began life as a Model A is now an overhead cam, Model A king of speed!  Using the original block, this car has four valves per cylinder and has achieved a top speed of 150 miles per hour at El Mirage.  Pete said that they were going to take the car to Bonneville this year and try to beat their best time!  Now, while this racer was really cool, what Dennis came to see was the rad street rods that he had heard so much about so Pete took him away from the shop and to the garage.  What Dennis saw was absolutely amazin’!  First, Pete showed Dennis a 1934 Ford roadster that was all about fun!  Covered in primer, this bad boy was all about getting serious on the streets!  Powered by an all-aluminum big block Chevy engine equipped with Porsche 928 heads (and the famous overhead cam treatment), Pete said that the car would make 550 ft/lbs of torque at 2,500 rpm and that is was making about 550 horsepower!  The car was built on a C-5 Corvette running gear that had been narrowed and the body had been widened so that the wheels fit properly under the fenders.  Pete described this car as, “a ball to drive!”  Next, Pete showed Dennis a custom street rod that was a bit more elegant in the form of a red 1937 coupe!  Now, there are several features that make this car special so we’ll just start from the top and work our way down.  First of all, the original, all-steel top is removable!  Next, this car is a rear-engine vehicle!  As Pete popped the hood, all that was underneath was a 20-gallon gas tank, a radiator, a battery, and dual brake cylinders!  As Pete and Dennis worked their way toward the rear of the car they stopped for a minute as Pete described the luxurious leather interior.  Fitted with embroidered Lexus seats featuring a logo of “SOHC,” and an aluminum dash covered in matching tan leather, this baby was all about show as well as go!  The back seat also featured a custom cooler and a rear-engine hatch for easy access to the engine.  While all this was reallllly cool, what Dennis was waiting on was what was under the trunk, and when Pete opened it Dennis had a grin from ear to ear.  Pete went on to say that the car was powered by a SOHC aluminum small block with power being delivered through a Toronado transmission and homemade transfer case.  The car also featured stainless steel exhaust and a host of other high-performance goodies!  Well, at that point, it was too nice a day to do anymore looking; it was time for cruising!  So, Pete suggested that he hop in the ’34 roadster and Dennis could have the ’37 and they would take on some of the California backroads!  It was a glorious day for a drive and while Pete really gave several examples of what the ’34 could do while Dennis respectively behaved himself in Pete’s ’37 coupe.  We can’t wait to visit Pete again and see just what he will have cooked up next!  That’s it from Escondido, California.  So until our next trip, “Honor the timeless classics.  Happy Motoring!”