Ed Justice; founded car care products firm with brothers

Ed Justice, a race car builder who, with his brothers, founded the Justice Brothers car-care products firm, died Saturday. (Associated press)

ARCADIA, Calif. - Ed Justice, a race car builder who joined his brothers to start the Justice Brothers car care products company, has died. He was 87.

Mr. Justice, the last surviving brother, died Saturday in Arcadia of complications from kidney failure, said his son, Ed Justice Jr.

Mr. Justice and his brothers Zeke and Gus founded their business after World War II with $2,500 they earned from selling a midget race car they built in their garage.

The brothers brewed fuel and oil additives in their back yard. An early success was a stop-leak additive for transmissions.

The company's reputation was enhanced by sponsoring the winning car driven by Johnnie Parsons at the 1950 Indianapolis 500. Justice Brothers, now based in Duarte, went on to sponsor winning cars in virtually every form of racing.

Born in Paola, Kan., Mr. Justice and his brothers built their first race car as teenagers. After World War II, Mr. Justice joined Zeke in working for famed Southern California car builder Frank Kurtis.

"My dad and his brothers were stereotypical Midwesterners who came to California to find a better life, and they did," Ed Justice Jr. said in a statement released by the company.

The main reason for the move to California was its status as the center of hot-rodding and Indianapolis-style racing, he said.

In addition to his son, Mr. Justice leaves his wife, Linda; a sister, Marie; two stepdaughters; two granddaughters and six step-grandchildren.