I was raised in La Mirada, went to Monte Vista (graduated 1977) and spent almost every waking hour on Thursdays and Fridays cruising the Blvd. Saturday night was usually reserved for being out at OCIR, Irwindale or Lions. What great memories! Bob's Big Boy was located right across the street from what is now Polly's Pies, next door to Arby's. That entire strip mall was the site and the drive in there was a gathering place for a lot of people. Scotty's parking lot was about 1/16th of the size of Bob's and was just sort of a place for people on foot to hang out. People would line the streets there on cruise nights. In the summer it was EVERY NIGHT. No one ever get hurt up on the Blvd. Not really a lot fights; well if there was any, it ended rather quickly when the Quaker P.D. came a callin'. I used to have a saying, "Why do they look so down on cruising the boulevard? It keeps the kids off of the streets!" And that was matter of fact the truth. People enjoyed it; the proprietors of Blvd.-based businesses made money and it brought on a lot of good, memorable times for years to come. The City of Whittier basically killed the cruising. Towards the end it got sort of ridiculous how easy they would pull people over. Officers stationed at certain places on the blvd. They would cite you if they saw you go back and forth more then twice. sometimes they would even arrest you. (I never got hassled once by them, and we chose to do most of our hanging out at Bob's) For racing, well it was off to Dice Road in Santa Fe Springs--The Box Factory we called it. Pretty good place to race with no one bothering you. It was basically just vacant out there.
Stories of Whittier Blvd.? Oh, get me started!!! Let's warp back to 1968. The car: Red Nova - '66 Chevy II SS, 350HP 327. Cruising almost every night between Painter and Colima, hanging at Bob's Big Boy. Met an awesome girl there.... fell in love for the first time. My best friend and I cruised for races, sometimes for $50 (a lot of bucks back then!) The street-racing actually took place a few miles away in an industrial area on a then long safe stretch of Sante Fe Springs Rd. We did some SERIOUS street racing back then. The Chevy-II was a true "sleeper", but easily pulling high 12's in the 1/4-mile so we took in a lot of money until the word got out to "not mess with that red Nova". After that we just had some great times meeting new friends and fellow car enthusiasts. My old buddies and I were recently reminiscing about that summer... it is burned in our memory like it was yesterday.
I just have to make a few more comments. We were so into the Whittier Blvd. scene that for fun I built a fully functional mini "Christmas Tree" that we 'displayed' in the back of a friend's el Camino while cruising around near Bob's Big Boy. A Cop pulled him over and told him if he ever got wind of any street racing that involved a Christmas Tree, he'd track us down and we'd all go to jail! Well, that tree did get used a few times just for fun, but no jail time was ever done! Hah! To be fair, we also did a lot of "legal" racing at Irwindale and Lions, but it was still always fun to pull off a quick run late at night on some quiet Whittier backstreet. Some other contributors have commented on the boulevard scene. They are accurate... I remember people parked in any available space, out of the cars just standing around all along the sidewalks or sitting in lawn chairs and the traffic around Bob's was so thick that it was almost gridlock. It actually made some sense why the Police blocked some of the sidestreets... it would have been a big nuisance to the neighborhoods to have people looping around. On the boulevard, the only problem that ever came up was minor fender-benders where somebody rear-ended somebody because they weren't paying attention while creeping along at 5 mph checking out girls in the car next to them. There were some awesome cars cruising the Blvd. back then. Lots of big Mopars, Chevelles with Rat Motors, Vettes, and crazy custom stuff. I remember some guy had an older Chevy II that was about 3-feet off the ground ... we called the guy "Sky Pilot". OK, enough for now ... maybe somebody else will get inspired to post more on this topic.
Haven't heard anybody mention the Bully Beef. It was on the opposite side of the street from Bob's. Used to see some badass cars pair up in the parking lot and head towards Santa Fe Springs. I cruised from '70 to '74. Had a '60 Impala and then '70 El Camino painted Corvette Lemans blue with a 350 and 4 speed. Sure wish we had a Bellflower or Whittier today.
Hot Rod Don Maybe we know each other. I use to be the guy behind Nabisco in the late 70's and 80's with the friend by the name of Dyno Don we were the two guys starting the races with our flash lights at the starting line we are to this day very into the VW scene. We would race after we had a VW ralleys on Saturday evening and afterwards go street racing behind Nabisco which is no longer standing. I am sure that you know who I am. I use to cruise Tweedy blvd in South Gate from 1968 0n until they stopped it. Than I would go down to Bellflower blvd cruising between Alondra and the hamburger joint turn around and start all over. Later we would go to Whittier blvd and cruise at Bob Big Boy. Later we also cruised at Johnny's Broiler on Firestone in Downey ( Harveys ) I was there the last time they told us they were closing down the drive in. A lot of good memories all around. I am planning to bring my 1932 Hot Rod Lincoln to the grand opening of Harvey's broiler. Before we moved to Tempe AZ I drove a 1941 Lincoln Zephyr at Harvey's and Frisco burgers on Woodruff in Downey Thanks for the great post Frenchy Dehoux ( Doc Detail )
I cruised Whittier from about 73 to 79. I had a 57 Chevy Sedan Delivery I bought form the back lot of Stick City (which was not across from Scotties, that was Street Rods, Stick City was almost to the corner of Beach and Whittier.) If a VW bug would stop at the light in front of a crowded night at Scotties, we would run out and pick it up by the bumpers and turn it sideways. Then we thought that was really funny, now my back says "No"! Anyone remember the night the funny car light them up and pulled the wheels at the light in front of Scotties? And Boyds Nova was trick, his other Nova with the two-barrel was even more so and the one that got him started, his daily driver, 9 second v-8 Vega was just too cool! He made a bit of cash at the box factory with it.
This white boy cruized the east LA side.. I was rolling a tan '62 Impala juiced front/back.. running sidewinders and "jets".. couldn't afford a "gate" or reds.. crager s/s 5.20's from house of wheels on valley bl (they stocked seconds/blems).. The shit that happened on the blvd was just shit that happened on the blvd...... one time i hit "uptown Whittier", i was greated by red lights and a large shotgun held by some guy with a badge yelling way too loud " let me see your fucking hands!!" I stayed where I belonged after that... ahhhhh the memories........
OK, Summer of 2010. Does anyone want to cruise Whittier? Not just park at some lame mall and walk around (with canes) and look at someone's car. I mean actually drive up and down Whittier as in the good ol' days.
Since I was from the Rosemead / Temple City area , our route took us first to Bobs' Big Boy in Pasadena at Clororado and Kinneloa. Then we'd cruise down to Whittier blvd. to check out what was goin on, then depending on the mood , sometimes we'd cruise to the East LA side of the blvd. This was around the '66 to '70 era. Lots of cool cars, and chicks , good times of my misspent youth. Would'nt change a thing !
I grew up in Whittier. Lived my entire life there, married my high school sweetheart. I attended Monte Vista H.S. from '68 to '72 and cruised Whittier Blvd as much as I possibly could. FIrst in my '55 Chevy but later in my '66 Chevy van - DOH! What can I say, it was the van era and I wanted the van so much ore than the shoebox. It pains me to admit it. Later, me and the high school sweetheart divroced after 20 years, I live in Pasadena now and have for the last 10 years but I make it back to Whittier regularly. Anyone besides me remember The Custom House? Nowadays it is nothing to go online and find nearly anthing you want for your car. In those days, finding cool car "stuff" was pretty much limited to Pep Boys - then diagonally across from where Norm's Burgers is today (if you remember THAT, well...you're as old as I am!), The Custom House - the owner's Dad worked the counter and had a lime green Pinto with EVERYTHING they sold stuck on it, or Johnny's Speed and Chrome down Beach Blvd in Buena Park. Monte Vista has been a Sheriff Training Center for decades now. Whittier City "government"...ahem....killed cruising which did nothing but bring business albeit small transactions to the town. Whittier just isn't what it once was; it's notthe town I grew up in anymore.
Bellflower... my old turf...Just noticed Fritz's Thats It is closed when I went by the other day. I can remember it all just like it was yesterday. We were Lakewood High boys but I had some friends that went to Bosco. I had my first car, a 1956 Chevy Bel Air that I worked all summer to get $185 to buy it. 265 cu in of pure hell with dual Thrush cop callers dumpin out under the car. But those Pos-A Traction tires were boss lookin. We used to make a laps up and down Bellflower Blvd. to see if we could get a few races before we jumped on the new freeway that had just partially opened - the 605. The 91 wasn't even built yet. Then it was up north to Whittier and past the home for bad boys Fred C. Nelles, my buddy's Uncle's junkyard on Philadelphia, the big gas station Urich, and then got down to serious crusin. I can remember making the turnaround at Whitworth Center. What the hell was the name of the Dept store? Hmmm...Hinshaws just came to me. Stick City, The Custom House (wasn't that in a funny shaped building?) and Der Wienerschnitzel for cheap food. Our little caravan was Maniac drivin Tim with a 66 Dodge, Ron's beautiful 55 Bel Air, the King of Speed yours truly in the beat up 56 Chevy, and a lowly Ford Cortina. A 32 Ford highboy yellow in color was always around. One night the deuce was turning into a side street when a Whittier cop was haulin ass along the right and blew threw a right turn only lane and plowed into the coupe. Man was that cop pissed as we all laughed and taunted him. Poor guy in the rod was screwed. Vibrasonic sound was still in with Boss KHJ Sam Riddle vs. KRLA Real Don Steele. If you had bucks you could get one of them new Muntz 4 track players and be the cat's ass. The older you get the faster you were is true. I remember those VW's - we called 'em Hitler's revenge. Some were even fast enough to beat them slow 289 Mustangs...but I never met a VW that didn't eat my dust...... Purple Hornies, Put a Tiger in Your Tank, Holley 3 bbls east of 605. West of 605 East LA was dingle balls, angel hair, organ pipe speakers in the rear window, Plaques, and hydraulics if you had the dough. "For your precious love", "Sittin in the park" was painted in the rear quarter windows. Those damn arabs and the oil embargo of 1974 ended it all more than anything else. Suddenly gas was a big issue and lining up to buy gas put a big hurt on racing and crusin.... What a shame but at least we were there during an era that will never be seen again. America was king, jap cars were junk (still are IMHO), and horsepower and chicks were always on our minds. Then there was the time we decided to drive to Frisco to see the Monterey Pop Festival and hang around Haight-Ashbury ... but thats another story.
50's through 70's Rods,Customs and Shorts(lowriders) cruised Whittier between Atlantic and Eastern.The Rods and Customs left the East La part of the Blvd in the early to mid 70's
I grew up on 3rd st and whittier blvd.I rememeber sitting infront of sams liquor and seeing all the fine babes riding in cars.I remeber seeing a big fight at the garmar theatre when they showed blvd nights. Does anybody remember the drive thru mortuary acroos the st from the ford dealer on whittier?It was used in a movie?
I went to school off of Whittier and Greenleaf. I cruised there in the 80s and on in the watercooled VW scene. The cops had barricaded everything by that point but were would go from passon(pico) all the way down to Beach(buen park) that way we wouldnt get tickets for "cruising". We also would run down to the OC and cruise Balboa a lot. I used to love spanking the muscle cars with my little 4banger watercooled GTI, and then with a 6 cylinder GTI. They had no idea what was under the hood.
Frenchy, remember all the DKP 1 guys, Fleming and Aronson? Zavala? The Berg "Berglar" blue car? Spoke McClendon? Dyno Chamberlin had the Notchback back then, didn't he? I think even your PHX neighbor, and former PHX Bugorama promotor, Rick Mortensen, was behind Nabisco playin' around back then, wasn't he?
Now that I think about it...Does anybody remember the other crusing spots? Tweedy Blvd. in South Gate Redondo Beach over by the pier and behind Edison Steam Plant. Even Beach Blvd. down by Knotts Berry Farm.
Isn't your question supposed to read Market or E Street? I know after the P.D. shut down Market, people moved onto Magnolia, I never heard of folks cruising Mt. Vernon?
o yes happy days start going in 1975 in my borther 69 z28 its was bumper to bumper in 76 in 77 i had a green datsun with a small block chevy shut down lots of cars scotys was 4 the fast guys and bobs was kind of the older rod guys seems like yesterday
Used to cruise the Blvd. in the sixties.Muscle cars were just comin out and not too many guys could afford them. Lots of Hot Rods,50 Fords and Chevy"s with any thing you could find in em. Buicks, Olds< and always small block Chevy's. Tom McMullens 32 Roadster was the hottest thing around most of the time. Even saw him pop the chute right in front of Bob s about 1 in the morning one night. Marvin Miller had a little Anglia with a 409 that was pretty darn fast . I can remember caravan s to Harvey s Broiler to see what kind of trouble we could get into. A cop named Harry Bach was often directing traffic for the first part of nite then bustin up parties till dawn. We all got drafted to high or married in the summer o love 1969, and it never was the same. Anybody else get to be there?
lakewood high 1969.. cruised whitter blvd ,bellflower blvd pretty much had a good time every where we went had a 56 210 sb 4spd nice car . the racing, girls,parties. I think you'd really haved to been there.awsome days,it's all true
I'm surprised nobody is old enough to remember Whirly's Drive In on the South side of the blvd down towards Greenleaf. It was the the place to find a race and there were some really fast, barely steetable cars that hung out there. I grew up in La Habra just east of Whittier. I got my license in '61 and it closed up shortly after that I believe. Most of my cruise time was spent at Bob's. You would sit in line for an hour just to cruise through and then turn right ang go aroung the block through a residential neighborhood, and get back in line. Probably the most notable car in the area was Tom McMullen's blown roadster and he would show up once in a while. There were always the 426 Mopars, 409 Chevy's, 406/427 Fords overheating in line. You had to have a good battery because you couldn't leave the car running or it would overheat. Another memory was walking home from high school before I got my license and seeing Rich Siroonian in his '59 Impala 348 (and later '61 Corvette FI) go through the gears toward Hacienda Blvd after picking up his girlfriend at La Habra High. The '61 Vette eventually became the John Mazmanian (Rich's uncle) blown gasser. Times were good back then
I knew many of the DKP guys back then. Fleming, Aronson and Thurber (FAT Performace). John Lazenby (Now owns Royze), Ed Craig, Mike Ahlstrom all worked at Auto Haus with me along with Doug Mische (DKP II) I also knew Roger Graco, Mike Martinez, Keith Goss, The other Dyno Don (Chamberlin), Roger Crawford, Bill Rogers and many others I can't remember aymore It was the hay day of the Cal Look scene for sure.
I grew up in the east Whittier-La Habra area. Right up the street from Stick City. Spent hours there as a kid looking at the cars. Spent quite a few nights cruising Whitter blvd on both sides of the bridge. For all the action its strange there are so few pictures. Like others have said-too busy enjoying the moment to even think about recording it. Great memories of summer nights-
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