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 No matter what kind of engine or fuel you use, the real
key to the combination’s performance is the carburetor
bolted to the top of the power plant. Just ask us
at VDL Fuel Systems, located in the Mobile suburb of
Theodore, Alabama.
VDL
has quietly become one of the major players in the carburetion business
– not because we try to mass-produce carburetors for everyone, but
because we build them to customer need and customer specification.
Ironically, we have become so successful at doing this, many of the
drivers and race teams that use our product don’t want anyone to know
about it because they fear losing the edge they have. |
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 That’s an unusual dilemma
for us, and owner Dan VanderLey, who founded the company
in 1998 after working for most of his life in the engine
building business and other attendant positions.
VDL (its initials come from the name VanderLey) came
about from Dan’s long association in the business.
He first worked for the family company, VanderLey Racing
Engines. He continued honing his skills in that
arena while working with Pontiac – complete with an
engineering degree – and then serving as an engineer for
five years for Champion Motorsports where he learned
everything there is to know about spark plugs. In
his years at Champion he worked with most types of
racing engines from Indy Cars to dirt cars and
everything in between. He also worked for two
years as a track engine tuner for the likes of Gibbs
Racing in the Craftsman Truck Series and with Dodge when
they re-entered big time racing. On the side, he
was a major tech writer for Circle Track magazine and
collaborated with some of the top names in the sport,
including legendary mechanic Smokey Yunick. |
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 Our major goal here at VDL
isn’t to become the major producer of carburetors in the
country. Far from it! “With my long
experience in the field, I wanted to build a better
carburetor and beat the other guys,” Dan says simply.
In order to do that, we have developed a simple but
effective policy: individual specialization.
“We do not stock our shelves with carburetors and send
them out to customers if they seem appropriate for a
certain application. We build to order, sort of
like the Burger King slogan, ‘Have it your way.”
We do this by staying current on all the technical
applications of the latest racing engines and working
directly with engine builders to make sure each
carburetor is exactly what the customer needs.
There is no way that mass production of carburetors can
be part of this equation. We will not be
everything for everybody, but we will be the best for
each customer.”
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