Who cruised Van Nuys Bl in the 70's?

MID-TO-LATE 'SIXTIES, FOR ME --

Most Wednesday ("club") nights, plus weekends. Our "loop" was June Ellen's Doughnuts on the south end, McDonald's (Sherman Way) on the north.

My dream as a kid growing up in the Valley was to land an apartment ON The Boulevard. At 17, I got within 50 yards, renting a tiny place on Valerio -- just down from the just-closed-down A&W Root Beer joint that was featured in "Hollywood Knights" (and was destined to become a Putt-Putt miniature golf course, if memory serves?).

Even the LA cops were cool, way back before cruising became a dirty word (mid-'70s?).

 

I saw this car blow the hell out of the rear end at the HAMB drags a few years ago. The "chunk" was on the ground spinning on the end of the driveshaft on the line.
Neat to hear a little of the history on the car.

 

Summer'72, My buddy and I were rolling around in his mothers brush painted funky assed green 62 falcon 4 door.. Thats when we "discovered" Van Nuys Bl... Cruised the wheels off that p.o.s. for hours.. The next time I went to Van Nuys.. I had a sorta quick 55 chevy.. Met a guy with a sweet blue 57 ford.. It had a 390 / 4 speed.. He was "showing me the ropes" Van Nuys style.. Our hang out was the lot next to the railroad tracks.. His big kick was for the two of us to get next to each other on the Blvd. block traffic.. horns honking.. people bitching.., until we had a block or so clear in front of us.. BANG.. It was on.. Looking back... We were kind of a couple of assholes..

Next Van Nuys adventure.. There was a little church down the street from my house.. I would work on thier cars.. oil change tune up.. wash them kind of stuff.. In '74.. the church got a new bus.. they gave me the old one.. I didn't really want it.. But I didn't want to be rude.. So...I took it home.. It was a '54 ford 18 pass. bus.. 6 cyl. 4 speed.. After looking at it for a few months.. In a moment of devine wisdom.. I got out the hacksaw and a hammer.. POOF... a '54 ford 18 pass. convertible bus... Wed. afternoon..We borrowed my mothers home Hi-Fi and a small generator.. Instant cruzin' vessel.. We headed out for Van Nuys.. We got there about 7 or so.. Two friends and I.. by 9 pm... we had about 30 people on that puppy.. About 11:30 we decided to call it a night.. As I was leaving, This dude comes up to me and asks if the bus was for sale.. ummmmmmmmmmm YEAH... Part of the deal was he had to drive me and my moms radio home.. An hour later I had $500.oo and he had most of a '54 ford bus.. That was probably my best night on Van Nuys...

 

Hey Groucho, excellent TOPIC, I was there in the late seventies, I remember Evil Ed at Biffs Coffee Shop in his in progress 49 Merc, which later became one of the first sleds back then known as "KOOL 49" black and flamed, later sold to Halicki from Gone in 60 seconds fame, also Nomad Steve was hanging out with his Blue and white 55 Nomad mild custom, Pat M. from Slymar in his 32 Ford phateon street rod, Phil & Jackson with Phils Hemi powered 27 roadster, next door was Super Shops, McDonalds was mini trucks (too many clubs to mention), B of A was VW's with clubs like the "Volksmasters", The van scene was ending with the club "Vandits" still holding strong, Street rods were in force with the "Hard Times" club, "Nova's Limited" with members from the south bay, the Pop's Toy Mustang was cruising, lots of 60's & 70's street racers.

In the 80's I remember running my Camaro or VW on streets like Woodman, Raymer, etc. You were there with one of your Chevys and I remember a guy with you that had matching yellow with black striped, 71 El-Co and a 69 Camaro.

For cruising it was Van Nuys Wed, Fri and Sat but for my street racing it was Bob's on Manchester in Westchester, the "ON Ramp" at La Cienga, Sandy's at Western in Torrance and Santa Fe and Del Amo, I am form W.L.A. and Teus night street racing was going on in L.A. on Crenshaw.

Good Times Gone, but it's nice to remember and read the stories of others who were there.

 

Now that is cruising! Everyone of those places were cool! The SGV had as many as well, Carpenters-Arcadia,Henry's Alhambra,Pasadena, Glendale The Clock Broiler & Dick's Drive-In-Temple City. 2EE's Alhambra and then ended up @ the Broiler cause it was a 24hr deal! Everybody cruised the circuit looking to have a good time.
I'm glad that I had a chance to cruise Van Nuys Bl, Although it was short lived when I got my license. The cops put up baracades to keep us off of the main drag, And store owners thought that their businesses suffered before. Without the normal traffic flow which included cruisers, They lost their businesses, That was a six lane bl that could handle that kind of cruising! City fathers knew better and now their sales tax base is all car dealerships, Hell they even killed Bob's which had a bitchen cruise nite up till 93 when they dozed it for Keyes Acura!
Just for kicks & giggles, I cruised my friends 56 Olds down there on a rainy nite recently, it was nice to remember how it was in an old car.

 

Thanks to Hot Rod and Car Craft mags, we read about "cruising Van Nuys" back home in Germany. When we finally arrived at LAX in '78, we headed out to the L.A. Roadster Show in Pomona right away. There, we found this excellent '62 Nova - 327 with a tunnel ram, 4-speed, chromed straight axle (who needs front brakes?), roll bar, white vinyl tarp covering the rear seat area, and the equivalent of an I-pod back in the day - a cassette player. We owned exactly 1 tape, The Beach Boys' Greatest Hits, and our maiden voyage in the car took us straight to Van Nuys Blvd, grinning from ear to ear.
Even stayed in one of the sleazeball adult Motels a couple blocks from the Service Center.
Misspent youth - it doesn't get any better than this.
Thanks for bringing back the memories!
P.S. Today, this car would be labeled "gasser style" - 30 years ago, we had no idea . . .

 

That's what killed the main in Walnut Creek up in the Bay Area. It got so big that word got out. Then Car Craft covered it in their "Cruisin' USA" segments. Then outsiders began coming and fucking it all up. Different groups of assholes would get into shit with the locals and at first the cops would close it down around 11 pm but then the outsiders began vandalizing local shops along the street and just fucking up the good thing any way that they could. Once that trend took hold the merchants and the police shut it down. The last time I tried to cruise Walnut Creek in about 1980 or 81 the cops had the barricades up by sunset and aggressive patrols with detours out of the area and that was that. All good things come to an end, thanks often to sociopathic assholes who want to ruin someone else's good time. I'm glad I got to do it when it was alive and well. You never saw so many gorgeous teenage girls, nice cars (had to have a decent car, primer was OUT) and just good fun.

 

Old Roadster, You'll be happy to hear negotiations are underway to Rebuild The Broiler! Carhops & Hot Cars once again! So find that vette you had and make the Firestone Cruise in Late 08/Early 09.

Van Nuys Bl-the movie poster had the all time History Roadster on it, The Former Bob McGee/Dick Scritchfeild/Bruce Meyers 32
It's the coolest thing about the movie.

Whittier Bl.in Whittier as well as Valley Bl. in Alhambra had car clubs like the Chevelles,Sunshine Mini's, Vandettas,Tri Fives, So Cal Camaros and guys with names like Big Papa John! He was the fastest in the Valley & weighed a whole bunch. Worked @ Blairs and was their best engine man! Lost the weight,got married had a kid and is living the family life.

Rusty who drove a V8 Vega with a big block and later a Vette=RIP. and Glen Metz who had BOTLRKT, A 65 STANG That could lift the wheels a foot or so, which some where around here I have a photo of. Secret Squirel who drove a Black 69 AMC-AMX 401 that had more money in it than I'd make in two years @ that time.
Zorb, who delivered Pizza in a 413ci powered 34 Ford Sedan (I think he still has it).

Bush, who always had something new that week and never lost a buck on anything he sold.(All Camaro,Corvette & Chevelle stuff long before there was resto market).

Finally my Late Brother Gary(Psycho,Caveman,Bozo)He never knew it and I never got a chance to tell him, but he was my biggest Hot Rod hero! He drove all kinds of stuff from Big Block 68 SS-396 Chevelle to a Eddie Lawson Replica GPZ1000. He always had cooler cars than I, but for once a transition was occuring,he did get a chance to use my Chopped 30 Model A p/u.on ocassion and loved it.

He was also the person who showed me where the California Kid lived! We cruised Van Nuys together looking for races,went out to San Fernando Rd. sat nites,would stay all night and race home!

 

do you remember a guy that had a 32 ford 3 window coupe with a chop top no fender that use to race every Sat night on foot hill freeway?

 

hey daveyboy56 what was the name on your jacket

 

Never Cruised there, but I did buy my 56 a block off of Van Nuys Blvd. Found it in the LA Times used car section on line in 99. Plan was to drive it home, 1 way ticket, 2 touresty looking guys with a Midwest look, tool boxes, and back packs dropped on a corner by a shuttle bus from LAX. A fresh CC and a dream. Got picked up in it by the owner, straight to a Bank of America to pay the guy, then Hit a parts store and bought a case of oil. Hit the 405 headed to Marina Del Ray to my sisters apartment. We had 4 stops on the Brakes before the wheel cylinders were blead out. E brake only & no tail lights down to Washington Street near Culver City. Cheaptickets.com got me a 99.00 flight to Chicago, and 750.00 got the wagon a Truck ride home. 1st & last time I was in LA.....

heres a pic of the wagon as it was when I got it home.

 

I wish all of this could be compiled in some kind of book-it brings back so many memories of what it was like then. We only hit Van Nuys Blvd once but "E" St and Magnolia were every Friday and Saturday. Times really were better I think.

 

Been looking for some interesting dirt on Van Nuys. Used to read about it in all the Hot Rod mags years ago, was world famous. Theres nada on this on the web anywhere. Agree, book or site thats features photos and stories of this iconic time in hot rodding history would be v cool indeed. Have enjoyed reading some of the comments from the people lucky enough to have been there at the time.

 

Grew up in Duarte and hit it a few times with friends late 69 to 71 in either a metal flake green 60 Falcon axle car with a 390 or a dark green 55 with a built 409 motor. Moved to Newport Beach and found some new cats to go up there with. Won a couple of Wednesday nighters with a turbo pinto that suprized the hell out of more than a few, then in '75 came back with a Mustard Yellow Ford Courier (mini truck) with a 302. Couldn't get races with that one cuz everyone said it was fast. Funny thing was it would never hook and the best we ever got out of it at OCIR was low 15's, smokin the tires all the way down the 1/4, 60's style. Did race an honest high 11 Camaro one night on a rolling start and got him by two, so I guess we should have worked on the chassis and launch

 

After the Boulevard was closed down does anyone remember cruising early 80s over to Kevin's in North Ridge?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQ0pMZldwXQ

Yes thats my T-bird

 

I think the begening scenes of the movie King Of The Mountian were filmed on Van Nuys.......you know with the speedster & the T/A settin the race up

 

I remember going to Kevin's and hanging out. But, I don't remember any cruising. Every parking lot around the joint was FULL of cars. It was pretty cool. But, Van Nuys on Wednesday (and weekends) was the best by far. HUNDREDS of cars, and THOUSANDS of kids for about a 3 mile stretch.

 

I grew up in the San Fernando Valley, graduated in 60 and of course cruised Van Nuys Blvd.
Hung out at the Bob's Big Boy there and in Granada Hills on Sepulveda Blvd.Into the 70's. Also cruised Holly Wood Blvd. When it was still clean before the whores and druggies took it over.
Those times seemed to be the best of times. For as many people as there was there didn't seem to be a lot of traffic problems. There seemed to be no end to cool rods traditional and otherwise. Street racing, when it happened, was more of a spontaneous one on one thing late at night rather than a crowd affair. It was not unusual to hear of someone like Donny Prudome trying his race machine out on the street before week end racing( not on the Blvd). In the early 60's most people hung out at the Big Boy's and things were quit orderly and the kids well behaved but in later times and into the 70's they began to hang out all up and down the street, and things seem to degenerate into groups of people some of whom seemed bored with life and were bent on stirring up trouble of one kind or another.
I guess you could say those were the good old days fore me. In the 50,s I can remember my Dad taking me to school every day in his duce coup. He was the tune up man at the Buick agency in North Holly Wood.

 

Came all the way from the Uk stayed in whittier with friends went cruisin most nites ,used to go in Scotties or bobs or arbys, did Van nuys a couple of times and as said it was like being in a movie ,the white arc street lamps playing off candy paint n chrome, california babes every where , rubber smoke, loud mufflers it was really something ,take you a couple of hours...............................................

 

I did and what a blast. I had a 55' chev wagon 2dr with a 327 and a mincie 4 speed. It got stolen that Christmas day, that year.

Charlie

 

I was looking for a car to buy and saw a V8 Vega. It was light green with a black rally stripe running along the body of the body. It also said 427 in the stripe. The car had a 327, 400 auto and 4:56 gears. Tubbed with 14" slicks. I wasn't really into Vegas but the kid said he would be out at Kevin's that night.

I told my neighbor and he wanted to go see the car. We arrived at Kevin's and I pointed out the car to my neighbor. My neighbor told the seller, he was only interested if the Vega could beat his Suzuki. The Suzuki ran a best of 11:21 at LACR. The kid agreed to race heads up if he got the go. The Vega won and my neighbor bought the car. Eventually, the Vega ran a best of 10:90 at LACR.

 

Was at Kevins regularly with my step dad....black 32 5 Window with green flames (painted by Dean Jeffries) , and a Yellow 41 Ford Pickup

 

I went to June Ellen's. Then we used to go into Hollywood with our motorcycles. Or I would cruise the Boulevard with my 64 El Camino. We tried to start a El Camino Club, but nobody was interested.

 

I am very happy to say that I was there, I was fifteen years old when I first cruised Van Nuys on Wednesday night. and also hung out behind B of A for the first time.
I was hooked after that.

I started going to the street races every weekend damn I can remember waiting for Saturday night like it was Xmas. I met some very good people at the street races some thought me a lot.

I can remember this loud guy always running his mouth and he was pretty funny and I said I gotta get to know that dude, and he always had some tough rides, a different ride every weekend. Turned out his name was Groucho.

I tried to talk to him a few times but all I got was a smart ass remark out of him..lol

then I had bought a very nice loaded 68 camaro and one day my mother was looking out the window and she told me "Hey there is some guy looking under your car there in the driveway" so I went out to see who it was and it was this guy named Jim Brannom, he wanted to buy it and was trying to trade me some cash and some beat to hell camero and when I declined his offer I guess he called Groucho and told him about my camaro and Groucho came over to look at it and again my mom said "hey there is some dude out there around your car" I'm telling myself "What these people don't know how to knock on the front door...lol" So I walk out to see who it was by my car and there he was, the loud guy from the street races who wouldn't give me the time of day.... His smooth fast talk, talked me right out of that fine camaro. I Wonder how much of a finders fee brannom got from groucho.

It was all down Hill from there I started meeting all the fast guys who always had some real tough stuff. People like Jim and Jeff Leronis, Steve Johnson, Bottle Bob, Just to name a few.

Let me tell you this If I started telling people the stuff I seen race on the street, Not one of them would believe a word I said, It was crazy and it was the time of my life and great memories I am so happy to say I got to live them.

I am still friends with Groucho and most everyone I met.

P.S. My brother and I got the name Frick & Frack from who else...Groucho..lol

Whats cool is there are a few that race nitro funny car and dragster that I hung with every weekend, All from the San Fernando Valley.

Frick & Frack

 

Hey Tom, remember that topless Corvair that showed up at Lumber City with a big block Chevy mounted in the middle of it like a Funny Car? I think Jim Grant "killed it" with his turbo bike

 

I remember that turbo'd bike. When Jim got it, he took it on the freeway and rolled the throttle on in 5th gear. When the turbo hit, it stood on end. He added struts and tried it again. Still stood on end. Finally went to an extended swingarm.

 

Got to for one weekend in 81, good time.

 

Cruised on Wednesdays and the weekends until '67 when my Uncle Sugar requested my company. It just wasn't the same when I got back.

We would start off going to Glendale Bob's then over to Toluca Lake Bob's, maybe check out if anything new was in Barris's window. Then to Van Nuys Blvd (and Bob's of course) over the Hollywood Hills to Hollywood Blvd, cruise to Sunset then on to PCH, back over Laurel Canyon to Van Nuys Blvd and home.

What a trip, great thread. Thanks Groucho.
Mike

 

rickyracer ,not only do i remember that 57 but i crused in it at van nys blvd and state street in s.b.!!,my friend mike arelono (sp?)bought it with a 283 ,4-speed,and put a lt1-350,th400 ,456's in it and dragraced it in santa maria at the strip by the airport,this was in the late '70s we ,another friend, aram alaxender drove the car down to v.n.blvd and crused it ,tachin like 4000 at on the 101 with those gears was fun.one nite after crusin state street the alternater had gone out and we thought we could make it over the hill to santa ynez but the bat was going dead so we would try and follow a car with our lites off, but they all thought we were fn with them and haul ass so we nursed it home . dont know what happened to the car. but one time the line-lock hung up at the strip and the car went sidewase at launch and it wasnt pritty!i think that was the selling point for mike. another time in aram's 69 z-28 we were crusin v.n.blvd wearing gorilla masks and the cops didnt see the fun and let us know on paper !

 

Anybody remember or know the white Triumph Spitfire coupe with a tunnel rammed 454 that would make use of his wheelie bars?
Absolutely one of the coolest thing iv ever seen.