Funny you mentioned bean factory. Mike told me he worked night shift at Stokey Van Camp back then and could hear the races going on.
My Grandparents lived in Oak Cliff by the bean factory and some nights you could hear two brothers named Vaughn givin their guitars hell. Yep, Stevie and Jimmy. I was informed they were just hoods.
might have been the end of Westmoreland south of Loop 12/Ledbetter at now what is Red Bird lane which didnt cross HWY 67 yet....was nuthin out there but factories...
they(I didnt have a hot rod) also ran the dead end Duncunville Rd at the entry to Mountain Veiw Colledge which was about the mid-seventies...
That sounds like the area. It was summer of 72 and I went to stay with my uncles family for 2 or 3 weeks. At 11 years old I was a raging gearhead. My cousin had a 67 SS396 Chevelle convertible, his brother had a 63 SS Impala, and his buddy had a 66 GTO. This country boy got to see alot of really cool stuff that summer. Went to the Astro or Apollo drive in (can't remember which) with my cousins buddies in the trunk. Remember eating my first fast food from a clown in a box, but most of all the street races. Wish I could re-live that summer again.
If I can just say a big thank you to all of you who either posted links to the library or provided this person with pictures of "Home " , well at least for awhile . I only wish health and finances would allow me to re-visit the Metroplex . Thank you one an all !!!!!!!!!!! From an ole Vanner who still beleives in vans . Scrubba
apound - that would be the Astro drive in on loop12/ledbetter around the corner from the street races - they extended Keist which ran on one side of it and some local racers moved over...seems we all drove from spot - Cali Crossing/Emeral?...over to the Groves/East Dallas bottoms looking for a liitle fun.... Lived on Southwood with my brother Jimmie and another street over on Bonniewood were Stevie and Jimmie who played at our schools sock hops back before the big time. Stevie took a ride in my brothers 62 Lark more than once as they both tried to find their way. Never forget running into Stevie in the alley just strummin away on the curb rise as I was riding my bike to get a slurpee.....just a regular guy....that could really play...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-JLzG1lm2IY&feature=youtube_gdata http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yEZFmYGfiQg&feature=youtube_gdata
d.reese...thanks...one of my car hop friends just retired a few months ago at 60 yrs old...she always said she'd worked the curb for...at last count 41 years...
This is an awesome thread ! Does anybody remember the Circle Drive in that used to be on Harry Hines accross from the Anchor Motel. My grandmother used to run/work there and she always talked about the racers who came over after the races were over at the Circle Drag Strip. She eventualy owned the Blue Shores at Commerce and Good Latimer from the middle 60's into the 70's. Hey MERC I graduated in 86 to and I must say we had some pretty races on the service road of 635. I was there when the someone put out the spotlight on the chopper and it landed in the field. The cops had all the exit roads covered, the must have been 50 squad cars . My truck was parked in the field and I backed it thru the fence at that trucking company between two trailers and it looked like a parade with eveybody driving thru that hole in the fence to get out of there.Of course I wasn't drinking Dr Peppers , I remember my friend asked how I knew there wasn't a trailer there and I said easy couldn't you see the hole between the two trailers and he said yea but what if there would have been a flatbed there. Well I didn't think about that. Great times till the whole scene got stupid.
I was raised 32 miles south of dallas in ennis, then moved to farmers branch, i remember going to green valley drag strip, i also remember a guy called hands raced a 56 chevy gasser, he was a freak of nature about 7ft tall very large head, could pickup a pair of slicks in each hand width wise, use to go to the drags with bill mclemore and joe fulton and race a b/st roadster. Barefoot
Ennis,Texas...yes Bill McLemore and Joe Fulton bought all their racing parts for me in those days... Not to contradict,but "Hands" was not 7 foot tall,,maybe 6 ft,,,Only thing big about his head was all the hair...But it was his hands that were enormous..half dollar coin would fall thru his ring....And he could lift the rear of that 56 gasser so someone could slide jack stands under.
Griff's is at 1150 S. Buckner Blvd. one block south of Lake June on the S.E. corner at Maddox Ave. That brown Falcon is headed east on Lake June at Buckner. Chubby's Coffee Shop across the intersection is long gone, now a self serve gas station. But the Piggly Wiggly building is still a grocery store. That water tower in the last photo is at 8122 Maddox Ave. right behind Griff's, between Griff's and the DISD football field. I learned pinstriping by watching Tony Grato (Mr. T's Hot Rod Shop) up the street at 738 Buckner Blvd.
Mike Minette was over there. Tony, what's-his-name, with the rocket funny car was over there. English Color was over there. Uncle Daniel's shop was on the other side of 35, down the street from Custom. Blue Max had a retail shop on Forest back then. Spent lots of nights freezing my butt off on Emerald, Manana and California Crossing. Remember when HRE was on Harry Hines right by the plumbing shop. That was a lifetime ago!
If you are speaking of Bobby Langley,,He did not have a shop in Dallas...worked from his home garage in Everman....
Thanks for clearing that up. I wondered about the validity due to the time frames involved. My shop is on Fabens on the east side of 35. But whereever this area is rich in racing history. There are so many "Yancy-Camp" buildings but thats another story all together.
So that would mean you graduated from Bryan Adams High school. The airport was called Dallas-Garland Airport. Used to fly u-control model planes on the field after that went away. I lived on Broadmoor, worked at the Fed-Mart. How about Prince and Charco's! Mike Norris and I ran top Fuel for awhile. Yeah, memories...
Tinker! You did the machine work on the '92's that the Norris Bros. kept blowing up each weekend! IT WAS FUN !!!!
Grew up in the "Lockwood" neighborhood, Jupiter and Garland. Raced go-karts in Carrolton, just South of DIMS. Used to stop at the "Tic-Tock" on Harry Hines after for burgers. Lots of hot rods. Motley had a really nice t-bucket, Bobby Sponseller (sp?) had a nice 32 coupe, First date with my wife was to "Hot Rod Exchange " on Beckley, I think. Traded some 331 hemi parts for a 312 Ford 3x2 setup. After all the cars and motorcycles and BS she's still around. That was 45 years ago. Rodding was more fun then.
Does anyone have pics of the stadium that used to be on 35. I faintly remember it , I think it was cobb stadium. Whatdid they use it for?
Yeah, B.A. '65, names Kernie Cook. We lived on Abston Ln. first, then in '60 we moved to Dalron just across Jupiter Rd. I flew u-control planes at then Hobby Park just next to the Dallas Garland airport. I remember when Lockwood Shopping Center was built and worked at the Safeway there. Frenquented Prince and Charco's on Garland Rd. There was a Griff's on Jupiter across from Lockwood. Remember Bedford's Steakhouse? How bout Curtis Body Shop on Barnes.
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