What was the Speed Shop that said it all for you?

Thrifty Auto.
Been gone for years now.

 

Nance speed equipment, wichita , kansas.

 

Speedway Motors, Lincoln, Ne. Went there for the first time with my Dad in about 1954 and he bought some Smitty mufflers for his 48 Ford coupe. Dad said, these are real hotrod mufflers kid, it stuck with me. They went from that little N St. location to the mega complex it is today. ~sololobo~

 

Ran the retail counter here in the 70's in Sacramento and wrote the radio commericals "M&M Speed Engineering has it all for You" The Gasser was owned by the Spiegel brothers who ran the wholesale warehouse USW.

 

Steve Kanuika Speed Shop outside West Chester, PA. Was just a kid, use to have my mom stop there so I coud get a copy of Drag Times. Always drove my Jungle Jims house on way home.......

 

Strick's Automotive On 14th st Wash DC. in the automotive section of the city at that time within walking distance of the White House. A classic old converted town house with hard wood floors and long display cases filled with cool stuff. It all went up in smoke in the riots of 68. They relocated to MD. but the ambiance was never the same.

 

Grand Prix in Tulsa. Still around, although it has been years since I have visited.

Anybody remember Roy Loving Speed Shops? I think they dissipated back in the early '80's.

 

Red Line Automotive in Lexington, KY. They had a used parts section that was always full of cool stuff.

 

Harry's Hot Rod Shop in Dallas in the 70's

 

Was a place in Nor Cal called Speedway in the late '50s. Really pissed Speedy Bill off. They were more of a race shop than a parts peddler. I spent a lot of Saturdays there in my very early formative years.

In high school there were two places that influenced me, Hillsboro, Oregon at Colletti Chrysler Plymouth had a race shop that they called a speed shop. I worked there until the state figured out I was too young.

The other was Danny Kilcup's place in Portland. I don't remember reading the sign it was just Danny's Place to me. Danny really helped me out when I first started racing. Him and the Ol' Man were pretty influencial in my figuring out that I was a better builder than driver. I used to work some out of danny's place but as a contractor and not an employee it was harder for the state to figure out I wasn't supposed to be doing that.

 

In the fifties, Vic Hubbards was all volunteer Firemen of the Cherryland Fire Dept, in Hayward Calif.
It started in a small bldg behind the Fire house. My friend Les lived across the street
and we spent a lot of time there and around Al and Vic jr. Even chased a couple of their dragsters around the Cherryland neighborhood when they were testing.

 

Still hanging tough, I was there last week...

K&G Speed Associates - Broomall, Pa


8-07KandG-SPEED0006 by Joe Grippo, on Flickr

8-07KandG-SPEED0002 by Joe Grippo, on Flickr

 

In Memphis, Racing Head Service had a coupla shops. One in Southaven and the other on Summer. I spent time and money in both. When I move to L.A., and lived in Echo Park, I hung out at T.N.T. on Glendale Blvd. It was not a speed shop per se, but my friend Nick, who built everything from Pro-Street to Pro-Stock and lots of weird and advanced projects (Turbo Kawasaki? Bullet proof windows for ) and his brother Tony, who ran the parts house, were both easy going, very knowledgeable and gentleman. God Bless 'em. I also haunted Glendale Speed Shop that had the most counter space of any speed emporium I've ever been in. They also mounted tires, a bonus for new rims. And, anyone who hasn't mentioned Super Shops should. I liked the one in Eagle Rock. And, a trip to Earl's was always a treat. Ditto, for Chet Herbert's place. when I lived in Echo Park 'cause is was just over the Hill. The last real speed shop where I was a customer was Blair's in Pasadena.

 

Hot Rod Exchange, Dallas , Texas. Ben is missed.

 

Brougher's did the rebuild/balance on my OT 302 back in the '70's, for the previous owner ( a high school buddy ). Thank god they didn't deck it, or it'd be just another sbc today.

The go-to place in our area was Coultrap's Speed Shop, Tappan Lake, Ohio. Actually had someone there who knew their shit. Tin Indian pilot, and later M/P champion Doc Dixon.

 

Midwest Auto Specialties.

 

Graph Brothers Speed Shop - Poland, Ohio
They had a great shop and campaigned some nice cars. They ran the old Shinholster and Lehman Willys and an ex Wally Booth Pro Stock Vega for a while.

 

Tennessee Speed Sport & Car Co
Hunters Custom Automotive
Bob Amos, Music City Rod Shop

Has any one mentioned Honest Charley in Chattanooga.
There was a discussion on here recently about Berlin's Speed Shop in Nashville.
Tom S.

P.S. These Bill Truby photo's trip me every time. The action shots are good, but these candid in the pits etc really take me back.

 

Mayfair Autoparts on Vanborn in Taylor Michigan was the place... On saturdays in the summer, the baddest cars would all be there.. Then on telegraph road that night!!!!

 

Hall's spped shop in wichita, been around since the 40's still going strong today, same building same location.

 

Gotelli speed shop in South SanFran did it for me
http://www.gotellispeedshop.com/

the local autoparts store in eureka square (in pacifica) had a great machine shop (long gone now)

Also Kibblewhite was aways cool to wander through http://www.kpmivalvetrain.com/

 

Gor-Den Automotive, Buffalo, NY

 

we had 2 here . first was "performance auto" , second was "sarmento's" . sarmento is now a famouse car builder & performance auto is still a speed shop ! .......... steve

one in marsyville & one in yuba city ....

 

"Gold's Speed Shop" Greeley, Co., back in the 60's. Sadly its long gone, but I have fond memories of going in there with my friends. We'd druel over the really cool stuff and then leave with whatever we could afford. Gold gave many a kid the addiction with his candy

 

Before I ever set foot in a real speed shop I was mail ordering from Honest Charlie. But locally I dealt with Sport & Swindle....uh, make that Sport & Custom, Gor Den Automotive, Jan Cen Automotive, which is still around.

 

Had a collection of Honest Charlies catalogs before I could drive. When I got my first car in the early 60s (53 Chev BelAir Hdtp) I went to the State BB tournament in Lincoln and all the high school car guys would go to Speedy Bills first store and gauk at the parts. They treated you like you were a pain in the ass for being there. They were probably right.

 

When were you in Pacifica? I was there from '57 to '60.

 

Ditto!

 

Blanchards Speed Shop in Dale, B & B Speed Shop, Appleton Crankshaft. They built stock car motors + any street motor you wanted. Loved the smell in those places.

 

Eddies Auto Parts in Knoxville, TN in the 60's and
Service Center in La Mesa, CA in the 70's