TCracing, again, great photos. I wish one could be found of the Big Boy on Whittier Blvd. My sister worked there in the early 70s and while I was too young to drive, I remember the place well. The restaurant was in the center with the car hop service being at opposite ends but by that time, they no longer had car hop service. One thing I remember was the residential street next to the Big Boy had a barricade that was used to close the street during cruisin' hours to keep the cruisers out of the neighborhood.
Lot's of laughs and memories of cruzin E.L.A. in the 68 to 72. MY dragging 4dr. 57 chevy going west my bro in his 69 442 Olds going to WHITTIER. LONG LIVE THE MIDNITE CLASSICS CC. Living in Sactown still riding low in my 68 Cad or 51 Chevy. Old lowriders never die, we just go slower
I was lucky enough to cruise Whittier Blvd. Bob's with a good friend in his 427/4speed '63 Galaxie, bubble hood, Good Year stock car tires on wide wheels. San Gabriel to Whittier to Pasadena to Glendale to Toluca Lake...those were the good old days. Lots of pit stops if you had a Coke.
I have a bunch of memories, I just might keep this going to increase the history on our beloved Street! I have seen guys from both camps on here (Hot Rodder and Lowrider) come on and talk. Both groups co-existed because we usually were pretty respectful of each other! I really appreciated the craftsmanship and the paint jobs were works of art on the Lowrider cars and the hydraulics was always fun to watch and applaud! Thus on the tourist cruise section, it was driven by just about everyone whether Lowrider or Hot Rodder! Because of the proximity to La Puente, La Habra, and even in Whittier, where there were Clubs with some really cool cars originating out of those neighborhoods that were Lowriders and stayed more local to where mainly the Hot Rodder sect stayed and we were Ok with it. But where you didn't cross the line was trying to hit on each others women!!!!! If you did take a liking to a gal, then you better take the date off of the cruising strip! Also I remember down in East LA and to the east down the strip, there were generally more than one section where the Lowriders cruised as was happening with the Hot rodders down on the east end where you distinctly had the Whittier vibe and then the La Habra vibe.
Although my memories of cruising Whittier Blvd are short because I was at the tailend of the cruising fun, it remains LEGENDARY in SoCal folklore. It was special the few times I was able to go. This is why I love cruising events like The Great Labor Day Cruise --> http://www.occa-inc.com/. I can cruise all day and into the night, hanging with my friends and family in a party-like atmosphere watching others cruise--> best of all, did I mention I get to cruise MY car?
It was Urich's NOT Ulrich's. It was a Mercury dealership and I distinctly remember standing in front of their plate glass window drooling over the new DiTomaso Pantera they were selling. I THINK the price was $7995 or $8995 brand spanking new Board Ford was on Whittier Blvd. The prior dealership was up on Greenleaf and was Dore Ford. I think I must be like the last guy on earth who remembers Dore Ford. I lived in Whittier from the time I was 18 months (1956) old til 45. Graduated from Monte Vista H.S. Now and for decades the Sheriff's Academy.
I grew up in Whittier, 3rd generation. My grandfather was Frank Dore, who started the Ford dealership in Montebello, then in Whittier on Greenleaf Ave. My father, Robert and his brother John took over the dealership in 1946. They kept the dealership until 1969, when it was sold back to the Ford Motor Co and eventually became Board Ford on Whittier Blvd. Many great memories cruising the Blvd from the mid sixties to 1970.
I was there and like you, I still wish for an even earlier time. That's why we're all here on this board.
I found some photos of businesses and a few other photos of places on Whittier Blvd, in the Whittier area and a few in the E.L.A area. I hope this brings back some memories for those who remember these places.
I just fumbled upon this forum somehow and have to say, you guys have brought back some memories. Dan in Pasadena, we have to know each other as I graduated from MV in '72 also. Only went there two years as my family moved from Norwalk and I was previously a Santa Fe HS student. I can relate to the two Whittier Blvds. as my first two years of HS I was around a ton of low riders who cruised East LA and then around a ton of vans, and muscle cars when we moved to Whittier. I used to cruise in my dad's '64 Ford pickup (long bed, three on the tree) and had some great times. I even got to where I could make the U-turn at Mills without making it into a Y-turn!! Those were some fun days. Thanks for the memories you have all unleashed. Oh, and as a last note. I'm now in Golden, CO and we have a fantastic car cruising event the first Saturday of every month (in the summer). It's a really good mixture and the turnout is enormous. It's a slow cruise due to several traffic circles and the cops have as much fun as the rest of us. Oh, and did I mention that the Coors brewery is located here!?!
I worked at a motorcycle shop on the 6000 blk Whittier and remember every Saturday wedding parties cruising up and down Whittier in lo riders honking horns celebrating. I also got my first ticket for a non functioning horn in my sisters 67 Shelby. I guess the cops were getting tired of all the cruisers so they used to set up roadblocks and ticket for any little infraction. I was staying in La Habra so it was only a ten minute drive for the Friday night action.
just found this site brings back memories I remember Dicky's green 68 Camaro 4 speed 327. Bill used to race Rick plumber's mustang, remember the girl with the v8 Vega always saw her on Whittier BLVD
I lived in sunland tujunga it was the suburbs of the san fernando valley i never made it to whittier blvd but on wednesday night we were cruisin and street racing in van nuys and we had two bobs big boy restaraunts one on the corner of van nuys and roscoe and one just past the tracks on van nuys and oxnard and we had a super shops on van nuys and sherman way theres alot of whittier blvd people in this thread where are all the van nuys people at ?
I recall cruising Whittier Blvd, in my 70 Chevelle SS396. The first time we cruised there we didn't turn around when we should've, we wanted to check things out further down the road, and ended up in the low rider cruise. 3 long haired surfer looking white boys, we knew we didn't belong, and we beat it out of there fast.
Haha! That's funny but that's Whittier Blvd. All the Hot Rod/Muscle Cars cruised Whittier Blvd in the city of Whittier. I grew up off Lambert Rd, so I was close to the Blvd. Anyways, if you continued West, as you did, that was Montebello/E.L.A area of Whittier Blvd, and that's where the lowriders did their cruisin'. Many people don't realize that there were two sections of cruisin' on Whittier Blvd. There was a "Cruise Night" this past summer on Whittier Blvd in E.L.A. Lot's a of lowriders and bombs and it was cool to see them cruisin' the Blvd again.
damn...sometime in mid 1973 i bought a 56 corvette from The back row at that dealer for $200 no engine no transmission no top and they towed it to my rented room in a house in Placentia with a valid pink slip!!!
it must been 1971..maybe even 1972... I had a yello 59 el camino... i remember the LA street racers and big Willy and his super bird or whatever... it was at the mall behind Sears in Pomona off Holt blvd. I myself cruised Whittier Boulevard in the city of Whittier back in the late 60s and early 70s. Never made it to the Whittier blvd further west of Washington at the railroad overpass. I used to also cruise Van Nuys Blvd. and Garry Avenue in Pomona.
I sure enjoy reading this blog even though I never got an opportunity to cruise the great Whittier scene back in the day but in the late 70's early eighties we had the great "D block" in Greeley Colorado small town but a great cursing spot! we didn't have a Big Boy drive in but we had JB's drive Inn still there and car hops to boot! I did find out back in 91 I had a great Whittier connection though, My great Aunt & Uncle owned Ricker Motors a long time dealership from back in the 40's to 90's selling Packards, Studebakers, Hudsons, then AMC in the 60', 70's and classic cars in the 80's & 90' after they retired, Mike Ricker passed away some 10 yrs ago now, but my great Aunt Anne just celebrated her 101 st birthday yesterday Christmas day, I called to wish her a happy birthday & Merry Christmas, she is slipping a little but still talks about her family Mike & the car business on Whittier Blvd. Here is a picture from a few years ago when we went out to Pauly Pies restaurant her favorite place to dine.
ue69-9.80, post: 7618990, member: 181840"]who remembers the "honda boys" with their killer honda triple?[/QUOTE] I do. Seen them get beat. TE="Blue69-9.80, post: 7618990, member: 181840"]who remembers the "honda boys" with their killer honda triple?[/QUOTE] I re
[QUCamaroE="Billistic, post: 11506133, member: 282251"]JM??[/QUOTE] 69 Camaro blue flames. 65 Chevy van. Black with blue flames.
I used to work the midnite shift at that shell station at the corner of whittier blvd & santa gertrudes
I remember them both. I used to live just the other side of the tracks on Mina Ave on inside corner just behind Ranchers Pie & Supply. That was the go to market for the neighborhood. Holy House had the best roast beef subs.
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