L. A. Street Racing Archive late 70's to ?

Back in 78', it was a 454 with ported stock rectangular port heads, a big cam and a modified 850 Holley. Bob made up his own nitrous system using 10,000 RPM solenoids.

The sidepipes had to come off because the slide-in glasspacks slowed the car too much.

A lot of the stress cracks came from too many paint jobs. I ended up with Bob's car and sanded off 5 coats of paint. One was even "pimp" purple. The car was originally bought from "Stick City" in Pasadena. It had a 427 with an old Holley 3 barrel (remember those, where the secondary was one big barrel). It was supposely an original L88 car but the original motor was long gone before Bob got it.

I remember once, Bob blew the trans and rearend on a Fri night, we spend all day Saturday, swapping a trans and rearend for Saturday night racing.

 

Get ahold of Groucho, he still stays he touch with a lot of the "RACE ?" crowd. "RACE ?" was the old bunch that met behind the BofA on Van Nuys Blvd.

 

It's nice to hear all the glory day stories, I have a few here from ventura county, but my stories took place alot later early 90's.
You guys have all the cool tales to tell your kids and grand kids, all they know is this rice rocket shit.

 

Hey, what about all the girls that hung out there too.
The ones we loved and shared???
Any one want to tell those stories??
Vic

 

We all need to get together like Tark said but what are we all driving or racing "NOW" ?

I'll start this off, been into Hot Rod's for many years starting with a Model A Hi-Boy on duece rails, then a 57 Lincoln Capri, 29 Model A Hi-Boy pick up, 27 Hi-Boy Roadster pick up and now a 70's style Model A tudor I'am currently changing to late 60's style.....

We need to find more of the people from those time's we need to spread the word and start looking in our old phone books !

Remember: Tow Truck Jerry in the brown 68 Camaro / Harwood snorkle scoop with "327" pinstriped on the side, Pee Wee in his Dodge van or Austin cruiser, Larry from Compton with his 67 Nova, Camalot with the red Camaro, Phil C from Crenshaw with his white & brown 73 BigBlk El-Co, VIc in the 70 Challenger white with a black top / Centerlines and all kinds of "converter", Mark from "Jr & Dirty Ron's Crew"in his 10 second white box Nova that later became a Pro Gas car.............................

Lets get it going we have a "Good Start"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

What a kick to read this! Especially from Tark hisself. I was up here, hundreds of miles away, but hearing these stories as they trickled up here. I was living to street race at that time (no good at it, but having a blast)...
This is exactly the kind of story I like writing, but alas, I think it should be written by someone who was there - I'd feel like a poser...
Scotty

 

They were all in your dreams Vic, none of those girls really happened for you. Lifes a box of chocolates and you got left with the wrappers.

 

A Bof A reunion would be killer! 'Fastang" Pop's Racer" The little Hillman wagon/gasser thing.. Woodly Ave,from Roscoe to Kester, with the Fire station in between. The firemen would sit in lawn chairs,with Co2 extenguishers ready... Who used to race the bright green AMX? rumored to have a bottled 401?..I still have a Rex Carson dual point plate,in the shoebox. Service Center,on Woodman,made a fortune!! After the racing,we would have late night -early morning coffee, at Tiny Naylors......good times, not a thing like 'street racers" of today...... I would love to see pics,but back then,if you had a camera, you were some kind of geek..ha ha ha

 

"Jumbo" (El Camino) RIP

 

I ran at Riverside Drive in the late 60's and early 70's.It was a great place to race.I ran my 65 GT 350 mustang.I was there every week and had a blast.One night there were about 35-40 cars lined up to race and 2 LAPD black and whites cruised up behind the last two in line with their lights off.They let everybody race for awhile then the paddy wagon came in from the other end,more cops from the other and we were done.Lots went to jail and several cars were impounded.My buddy and I made it out by sheer luck.Great times.

 

The Hillman called the "Hellion" was burned up in the owners shop, in Inglewood. It was owned by Marvin. Wonder what happened to the Mustang called "Fantasy"? Ah yes, Tiny Naylors. We also use to hang out at Alphies on the corner of Sepulveda and Nordhoff. Remember "Gotcha", the head of "RACE ?". Numerous cars, all Fords or Ford powered. The California Comet or Jill with the Maverick.

 

CornerFool, is this Fat Mike...

 

The one and fuckin only

 

Kick ass thread and its great to know some ROMPIN RAMBLERS played a part as well.

 

I can't believe I forgot Corvette Eddie from Culver City with his bracket winning 64 Nova wagon and his partners blue Hillman panel, the gas stuck one day as they were putting it on the trailer and launched it on top of the tow car.........

Ron from Culver City "had a gas station on Culver & Sawtelle, orange 72 El-Co and was building a 69 RS Camaro (don't know if it was ever finished)

Venice & Culver Boys: Hector L. 55 blue & white Chevy (now a track only car), Scott T. bikes and a 69 red & white El-Co, Peter Y. 69 Z/28 Camaro yellow w/black stripes "ZLEEPER" lic plate,

I remember some cars only: black Duster "Night Moves", red 64 Malibu Cragers & sm/blk w/tunnel ram and no hood (show car).........................

It's all coming back !!!!!!!

 

Ed Conrad (Corvette Ed) RIP. Had a heart attack a couple of months back in the waterbox at Irwindale.

 

Back in the mid 70's, I had a dark green 55' Chevy 210 with a 327, 4 speed and 4:56's. It was my daily driver. There was a light green Maverick with a tunnel rammed 302 that was owned by a gal named Jill. Word was, she was the daughter of George Puttnam (news caster) and had bought the car from Popular Hot Rodding (it was a project car). Don't know if it was true, but it was the rumor.

Anyway, I wanted to race her but I didn't want to lose. I set up a race with the California Comet (65' Comet with a dual quad 289 and 4 speed) in Burbank. The Comet and Maverick were pretty close in E.T.. Our famous Groucho was the starter.

Groucho flagged us and we took off. 1st gear was pretty even, 2nd gear I pulled ahead. 3rd gear kept pulling and 4rd gear was about 4 car lengths. Turned around to get Groucho. As I approached the starting line at Vanowen and Hollywood Way, I saw Groucho running down the street, chased by a crowd with baseball bats. He jumped in the car and said, "Lets get out of here! They called the cops!". I floored it as a Burbank cop turned onto Vanowen. I turned s/b on Hollywood Way and punched it.

We ended up hiding in a trailer park, where Mark with the California Comet lived. We could see the cops talking to Mark, then they (cops) split. Mark came over and said he only got a lecture.

That night, I couldn't wait to choose off Jill at the BofA on Van Nuys. I walked upto her and asked her to race. She said no, she was selling the car. Never saw her after that.

 

Maybe some of you locals could go to the car cruise, Saturday mornings, at the Starbucks on the corner of Artesia and Hawthorne in Redondo Beach. Gassers Garage is usually there, and me once in awhile. We always seem to have a street race story for each other...... Maybe we can pick a date and meet up.

 

Zanga? Anyway, I heard about street racing while a kid in the 60's through magazines about Big Willie and the Street Racers, and though that to be the absolute coolest car club, PERIOD! Got a license, messed around with performance shit, and decided to find these street race spots. In the beginning, nobody at the "meet" place would tell me and my friends where the races took place. One night, I got a tip to be at.........at 1.30AM. Well, SOB, there were hundreds of people there. Most at a Jr High School parking lot watching a Pro-Stock looking 70 Camaro uncork, adj clutch, install slicks, and change plugs, to be later push started to race a 41 Willys Gasser with a Max-Wedge Chrysler motor. Burnouts, dry-hops, culminated into the Camaro "killin" the Willys with a wheels up launch, followed by a slight 2nd gear wheelie. To see this shit on the street, in the middle of the night will just take your breath away. Anyway, I'm hooked! Like a fucking drug. Got my ass handed to me several times on my way to making somewhat of a "mark" for myself street racing for MANY years. MY best friendships, to this day are from street racing, NOT High School as many "normal" people. I raced with many big local names previously mentioned. But I think "Bottle" Bob was left out, as well as........................well, I'll leave his name out of it as I think he, as my friend would want. But, back in the day, he was an avid street racer, and I'm proud to call him a friend, was the crew chief, and "brains" of the top fuel legend that has a reptilian nickname

 

SoCalMerc thanks for the info on Eddie R.I.P.

Starbucks sounds good lets see who wants to go ??

And now for a Street Race Story:

One night at Bob's a white 67 or 68 Camaro came rumbling in, hard hitting motor, fat Center Lines in the rear with skinnys (front runners) sitting real low, glass front end with weird clear headlight covers and an RS grill. We had never seen him or the car before and he wanted to race "a little to cocky" for being new to Bob's.

He picked a race with Sammy "Sammy mexican dude with long hair aways with his blond girlfriend" Sammy had 2 brown 68 Camaro's his Big Block and his G/friends Sm Block both were identical and he would lose on one night with the Sm Block and get you next week with the Big Block. This guy gives up 10 cars and the move, we all caravan to Pershing. He does a couple of hard burnouts and we count off 10 cars (long cars "remember those days") and they line up. Sammy leaves and this guy catches up super fast! as he comes up on Sammy he goes toward the curb missing Sammys rear, corrects it and ends up on the 15' median sideways full thottle, rear tires spinning, he catches traction and heads towards Sammys car again about half track, misses Sammy again (Sammy said he didn't even see him coming" hits the curb agin and tears some of his front end off on a light pole, comes to a stop with flat tires, busted rims and blasted body damage. he was O.K. but after that we never saw him or that white Camaro again (his shit was too quick, made it had some assitance) but Sammy won "glad I bet on him"

Anyone remember this? Correct some of the details if I'am wrong, but that car skidding sideways on the median and motor runing full RPM seemed to be moving in Slow Motion when it was happening..

I have another story of my car I will post at a later date! anyone remember the night on the "On Ramp" when 2 Malibu's my black 64 Big Block (driven by Ron H.) and a white 67 Big Block Malibu owned by the late Fat Jack from W.L.A. R.I.P. buddy you had some of the baddest cars !!!!!!

 

SoCalMerc - I like that idea and location. Why don't we pick a Saturday next month so that word can get around and we can meet there. Don't make it too early though, we're all gray hairs now. Here's a few more names to throw around if anyone knows where they are: 7up Larry aka Larry the Dairy Man aka Fred Flintstone and his 67 blue GTO, Marathon John - 66 Mustang, Lon Mower - 66 primered Mustang, Disco George - 64 396 Chevelle and my ex girlfriend through those years - Teri. I know she married a drag racer that died at a major event at the end of the quarter mile when he rolled his car through the lights, that's the heroes way to go out - Amen. Plus the other guys mentioned in all the posts and those doing the posting.

Cornerfool=Mike M. Ha, I was almost going to guess that one,. I'm going to meet up with Trick Vic and hopefully Big Daddy Tom at Edelbrock sometime in the next week hope to see you soon. Jumbo:RIP, that sucks! Hope we haven't lost too many others.

Head Rush - Long time! Even you found your way to this, good to hear from you, hope to see you at the reunion day! Do you see the Vince and Joe Motta anymore?

 

OK, back in the 70's Van Nuys Bank of America story. We're hangin out after midnite, as usual on Saturday, Street Race night, and this mid 60's Mopar gets towed in behind a Caddy with a very short piece of chain. This piece of shit's got the roof sawed off, no fenders, 1000 screws/rivets holding the hood on, motorcycle lights where the fenders used to be, torched rear wheelwells with slicks sticking out on those white-spoked Van wheels, black spray can primered, with the words "The Thing" stenciled on the doors. A huge crowd draws around this pile. I fight my way through the crowd, take a look, and say this looks like some wreck Marv would bring out(he's the owner of the famed Hellion previously mentioned). Marv fights his way through the crowd, and in his thick New York accent says, yeah, that's my fockin cah, make me a fockin race, ya focka! After a bit of negotiating, I consent to race him in my 68 big block Camaro for $100. A "grip" of money back then. I BEAT him. Holy shit. A few days later, he gets my # from someone and calls me at home in the middle of the week. Ya got my money ya focka, I wanna rematch. I meet him on a Tuesday(?) and clean his clock again for $100(big money), and AGAIN on Thursday. $300 is more than I made as a mechanic then in TWO weeks. The following Saturday(our street race night) I ask where's the "Thing"?? He says after the beating I gave him last week, he crow-barred the hood off, took his Nitrous off, and lit the car on fire in the parking lot of his shop

 

"Conrad" was a cool dude. We had MANY a "friendly" $5 street race. He just dug racing. He had a 66(?) Ford a while back with a 406 SBC, and the firewall was beat back in it, and the motor set back. I commented, for weight transfer, right? He said no, I beat the firewall back until the only driveshaft I had would fit between the trans and rearend. . RIP brother

 

hi boys. well, wow ! someone writes about the good old days at Bob's Big Boy and ???? Steve, you are right ! there're coming out of the woodwork alright ! like the meet idea ! be great to see everybody.. hey, alittle technology goes a long way ( huh Steve ? you sure enjoyed it for awhile !!!! yeah I know, what did you used to say ??/ WHOAAAAAAAA !!!!! ?? something like that.. I was personally thinking we could score a couple of bulldozers and mow down the condos, build back the bank, grade the empty dirt lot ( I remember a few pull-offs too there.. ) anybody remember Tad ? Nova and black Chev Silverado 4x4.. we could make it like the old days again.. as I wrote eariler, I drove by the place with cornernfool ( yes, Steve, you were right,, Mike Martin, and for the record, he wasn't the only dude to ride in the bitche's seat in your Mustang with you ! he's a little warped these days about his car selection, but he's working hard on a new project, you will be happy to know that yes, its Ford, well, Lincoln powered.. and its going to be cool... if it doesn't kill him first !!! I know Mikie watched the movie " CARS " waaaay too much .. he's having Piston Cup nightmares) and we didn't even know where we were ! well, I didn't, streets are the same, everything else is different. word got through to a lady friend I know about this site and she went nuts too, she wanted the link to check it out, she used to work at Bob's Big Boy as a waitress when all of this was going on, her husband went there too, but at a different time then most of us. thinking about cars, anybody remember the Japanese guy's with the 69-70 dark colored El Camino with a small block, it ran ok, what was cool, these guy's only ran I slick on ther right rear !! don't know why I remembered that ? well, we will continue this some more, glad people are still alive and excited. thank God for the internet, this site would of never happened, nor any of us talking about our younger days..

 

you know, I forgot about Smitty and Sandy from Inglewood Service Center.. I know Smitty is working at Edlebrock, I'm pretty sure Sandy is in police work, spent alot of time there too.. shit, Srevice Centers were everywhere .. Downey used to do my machine work I think ? and I should mention Bob Fox and Performance Unlimited.. remember his Red Corvette ? forgot who he got that from ? I'm sure this will go on for awhile...

 

I'm warped? Guy has a running, driving 66 Fairlane GTA that he won't even look at. He'd rather go fishing. Help me yank this Guy's chain to dig it out of mothballs and bring it back to its glory.

 

.....found some pix

http://www.flickr.com/photos/7552532@N07/sets/72157603712632579

 

Guy858, Bob Fox's Vette was once owned by a guy named Derocko, always driven by Mike Gillespi from W.L.A. Service Center, Mike had many cars but the one I remember was a clean ice box white 67 Nova SS with Center Lines and a Harwood Snorkle, Mike could drive and the Vette was fast I think it ran in the 9's made $$$$ side betting on that car many times..........

 

I think Gilespie was the kind of short guy with long hair that used to hang out at Bob's in the early years and he had a 67 Camaro with a dual quad tunnel ram all under a factory hood ( no hood scoop). That was his line when he used to setup races " how could I have a tunnel ram under a flat hood?". Well, you tell us Mike! His car was fast, I wish I could have raced him, but I just started hanging out there when he was at the end of street career. Darn!

 

Steve,
I haven't seen Vince Motta in over 20 years now. I do talk to Joe every now and then. He's goind well and living down near Fallbrook area. I did email him this site maybe we will hear from Joe Mamma one day on here. Let's keep the stories going. Them we're some kick ass day's at Bob's. It's to bad we never worked out a deal to run Head Rush and your hot rod, would have been a fair fight with me getting a few and the go. LOL