R.I.P. Joe, sorry to say we have lost another legend,Back in the 70's I had a '63 Nova with a 302 SBC with Mondello heads,wish I could have kept that car it was a strong runner!
had the pleasure to meet and talk to joe a few times at nitro altered nationals. great guy- class act all the way. sad news R.I.P. joe another legend gone.
I spent a week porting heads with him a few years back,jumped on a plane with a shovel head under my arm and a head full of ideas.I left with a friendship as well as a education.We would go out to dinner to bench race and have a few drinks,He made it a point to enjoy life a little.That was the other part of my education i will never forget. Every so often he would call to say hello and see how things were going.Damn im going to miss those calls. God speed Joe,You could most certainly walk your talk.
met him when I lived at Paso Robles the man was a walking talking anything fast olds guy and what he knew about flatheads was unreal. told me one time his back was bad from porting blocks and noting more. he did a cam for a 455 I was building and its still in the box all these years latter. sad day indeed. true loss and a fine man. much respects
http://blog.hemmings.com/index.php/...erformance-guru-joe-mondello-dies/?refer=news The automotive performance world was dealt a sudden blow on Wednesday when word of Joe Mondellos passing began to circulate. Mondello had undergone surgery to treat an intestinal blockage, leading to complications that claimed his life. He was 74. Most car enthusiasts today associate Mondello with Oldsmobiles and drag racing, as this was where hed focused much of his efforts in recent decades, though in actuality, Mondello had involvement with numerous other types of engines, and in a variety of motorsports. Mondello was born in Southern California and got his first automotive job before he could legally drive, at age 14. This position provided lots of automotive engine education, and led to doing valve jobs for his boss, who was impressed enough by the young apprentices drive and enthusiasm to allow Mondello to work on the shops flathead-powered circle track racer. This in turn led to his next job, porting and relieving Ford flathead engine blocks for increased performance; it was this work that would form the foundation of Mondellos vast contributions to automotive performance and racing. Building a hot rod Ford was a natural, and Mondellos 1940 coupe saw action at airports and dragstrips across Southern California. His ability to make power was recognized early on, and he soon became known for his prowess at reworking cylinder heads to optimize airflow and combustion efficiency. In fact, Mondello had gone so far as to design his own combustion chamber, dubbed the Posi-Flow, which was first applied to Chevrolet racing engines in the early 60s with great success; its a design that would later be used by multiple auto manufacturers and makers of performance aftermarket cylinder heads alike. Further recognition of Mondellos abilities led to numerous notable collaborations, including a part-time stint for Carroll Shelby that yielded the engines for the Shelby Cobras that swept the first four places of Le Mans in 1964. Famed race-engine shop, Traco, then known for winning Indy and sprint car engines, began using Mondello-built cylinder heads exclusively. Mondello was also involved in his own racing effort, as part of the Mondello-Matsubara team, competing with a Fuel Altered. The effort produced the fastest wedge-headed Chevrolet at the time, and Mondello heads were soon found on virtually all of the top competitors engines; the first 7-, 6- and 5-second passes in Top Fuel would all be made using Mondello heads, among numerous other drag racing records. There would be plenty of other records and victories, at venues that included Pikes Peak, Bonneville, and even on the water with various racing boats. Research and development work from manufacturers included cylinder-head programs for Oldsmobile, Ford, AMC, Harley-Davidson, Polaris and others; his work with the aftermarket was simply too vast to detail in this space. Along the way, Mondello started Mondello Performance Products, providing an array of engines and components to performance and racing enthusiasts, and also founded the Mondello Technical School to teach others the engine-building and head-porting skills hed accrued over his career. Though Mondello Performance Products had been run by his business partner in recent years, Mondello had continued to educate others at his school up until his passing.
Man that sucks. We had been working with him over the past few months on Headers for the old Classic GMC motorhomes that he had become heavily involved with. He was great to work with. What a shock I think maybe I'll keep the set of camel hump heads I was thinking of selling that Joe had personally ported.
Very sorry to hear of his passing, still remember his altereds, never got to know him well but his legend will live on.....
The first time I called Mondello Performance I got to talk to Joe himself. Great guy, answered all my questions and he gave me some tips. I bought a set of extended length burs that I use in Flathead Ford center exhaust ports. Always think of that phone conversation when I pull those burs out. I feel fortunate to have spoken to a real legend. R.I.P.
Went to the memorial this evening. His old shop truck was parked outside. Rest in peace "Dr. Olds" Uploaded with ImageShack.us Uploaded with ImageShack.us
Here's Joe behind the wheel of his GMC motorhome. They were front wheel drive with an Olds 455 or 403 (Photo by Dan Gregg)
R.I.P. Joe, I had the pleasure of talking with him for more than a half hour in Gainesville last month and I have to say I'm glad I got to meet him when I did Great guy another legend that will be missed
I asked him once "whats the best thing I can do to better the flow of a Ford Y Block head?" He said "ahh those things with the apartment complex ports, Just put a blower on it an all your troubles will go away!" And thats just what ill do. RIP Joe
Please sign for Joe. And pass along to others. http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/latimes/obituary.aspx?n=joseph-mondello&pid=150218222 </pre><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="if(typeof(jsCall)=='function'){jsCall();}else{setTimeout('jsCall()',500);}" id="jsProxy" type="hidden">
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