I rember that car, I used to work at Marion Labs a couple of blocks away (mid/late 90's) and would see it when I went the back way. Think he'd flip if a buch of HAMBers showed up one day to check it out?
Prior to Dick Harrell being in that shop it was.......Bob Mondell's Ford World! Mid-60s they built the complex on 110th between 71 and Grandview Rd. Later on it was Tall Paul's Ford World, then that creepy guy who ran around in a barrel.
Tall Pauls was on the other side of 71 remember? My wife worked there in 1982 when it was Boots Williams ford. Colonel Billy was the man! the Man in that barrel!
Scroat, CERNER is in the Marion location for the most part and CERNER is building the massive complex on the old Bannister Mall site. I saw that mall from start in 1978 to death in early 2000s and it was sad. Violence and the wrong crowd took it down FAST!!!
Zombie and Degenerate, Was Ruskin Auto in the Ruskin shopping center? Now even I can't remember where it was. We used to sort of "race" from 107th up in front of Ruskin's football field now and then but not very often. Too many side streets. I used to work at a bike shop across from Paul's at 10505 Blue Ridge. Right next to Griff's old building. And did you know, there is still a Griff's in Sedalia and the food tastes the same as I remember? wish we could find a Smaks. Zombie, sorry again for polluting your original post seeking info on that custom. Tom
Not at all Tom, I dig the hell out of hearing this stuff man. This was my old man's stomping grounds, I like hearing about it! Brings back memories of summers in that area with my grandparents too. I remember watching Longview lake being built. You talking about fishing on top of Longview Road made me laugh, I was just telling my little girl about the old bridge that is under water there. Longview Road was the back way from the grandparent's house in Ruskin to our house in Lee's Summit.
Ruskin auto parts must have been before my time. I spent some time in the Western Auto at Truman Corners though.
Ruskin auto parts was in a long narrow building kind of across from the holiday inn on blue ridge close to 71. There was a dry cleaners sharing the same narrow building. Thats where I used to get parts and that where I first met Jerry Slover. Later when Jerry bought the business he moved it towards the west in a new building behind Truman Corners(across 71). A friend of mine rented a place in the back of that building and ran a radiator shop. That was also the first Pete&Jakes location for Jerry. I don't remember what was in Dickie Harrel's building prior to his shop but I remember after he died Wes Jerde took over the building and ran his operation from there. He got into custom Van accessories when that craze hit. Plenty of real fast cars in the area then. I just laugh at these young kids with their tuner cars, I know some of them run good but they sound like a fart, nothing like a 7000 rpm chevy or mopar.
Man, I've always said I was born about 25 years too late. I would have loved to have been able to see Dickie Harrel's place and everything else that was happening around then. Or to see KCIR in it's heyday. I remember my dad telling stories of a guy he went to school with that worked at a parts store (I assume it was Ruskin Auto Parts) that had a pretty tough '55 chev. My uncles also had a '55 that they played with. Really wish I could have seen it all in person.
Jim Green (Wild Child's Customs) was on old 71 a few blocks north of Hickman Mills with his first shop before moving into the "cave" off 37th and Main.
I remember (mid to late 60's) that Custom Car Creations (Don Seitz) was on Blue Ridge, just west of Russel's Cart Shop. Right next to a lawn mower joint? Also, I remember a guy called "Alley Oop"??? who did paint work for Dick Harrell. Another guy, Monte Wilson, also did some paint work there. Stu
Stu, the shop was FloMow mowers. It was owned by Floyd Kurzweil . He had a son with a 69 440 Cuda we used to race around with. Wes Jerdes van center, yep a sign of the times. I mentioned it here on the HAMB before but Jim Greene (Wild Child) is the man who painted my Cuda down in the cave off of Main in 1978. I think it was 37th and Main; a dungeon of sorts. I thought Ruskin was there across from the hotel. We never bought from them though but it was right by Charlie Huff's Transmission Shop! We had a MOPAR pal named John Conklin who was a manger at Grandview Auto Supply on Main in downtown Grandview. He and a few other locals got our limited money.
Flo-mo was right next door to Russel karting specialties. I remember Don Seitz, his shop was the back of the flo mo building. Later on the flo mo guy had more RC model airplane stuff for sale than mower parts. When Don Seitz left the building "Flywheel" from Petes Auto Salvage (Hickman Mills Dr) opened up his own shop there. He built me a muncie rock crusher for my Chevelle. This thread has me digging into my memory bank.
Don Seitz did a 64/65 Plymouth for Floyd's son. Nosed, decked, and a real slick pearl white paint job. Someone stole Don's '58 Corvette that was customized, around that time. Stu
I first met Jim Greene in the mid-60's when he sold me a reverberator (sp). Anyone remember those? They were fine until you hit a bump and it sounded like being inside a steel barrel. Jim did a Harley Sportster for me in 1972 and the place was just east of 37th and Main. In the late 80's or early 90's he moved to a shop south of Linwood and Gillham Plaza Rd. and was there for a lot of years. I haven't seen him since about 1995. I'm also a Raytown product (class of 1965) and had a '57 Chevy BelAir until my senior trip to SE Asia beginning in 1966.
Here you go Denerate: you know why they minimized mower sales? I suspect and strongly believe it was because all the hard core safety standards kicked in and the magnesium or aluminum bases could not be modified cheaply enough to make it worth their while. The lower sales likely were related to this. We had one and it was so light and kicked ass when you had to mow a lot of grass. I am Class of 1974 and would have been 1st Hickman Mills graduating class but moved to Ray South in 1970. LJL, you still in LJ? My pal lives off of Spainhower Road there.
Talked to Jack Walker today. He rememberx driving by and seeing the car just sitting there. He didn't know who owned it. He hasn't been in that area in quite a while. He thought it was a 1946 coupe. He's headed to Indy for the custom car show this weekend. I will talk to Jerry Slover and ask him about the car. He might know. He has a pretty good memory.
Thank you for asking him. I appreciate it. It's so odd that everyone seems to remember it setting, but few know any details on it... Really makes me even more curious than I was before
Hate to break the news, but Griff's in Sedalia closed a couple of years ago. I remember one in Lee's Summit in the 70's. I beleive they are still in Texas.
I remember another great drive-in in Sedalia called The Wheel. Now closed and torn down a few years ago.
Johnny Rays in Lee's Summit still open and do a cruise one Saturday night of the month. Been doing cruises for I believe 55 years.
When I was a kid, in the '80s I used to ride my bike to Johnny Ray's to check out the cruise night action. Cool know they're keeping up the tradition. They had pretty good burgers if I remember right too.
I grew up in Kansas City. The cruise circuit included Nu-ways, Sidneys, Allens, Winsteads and Valentines on Main St. Every Friday and Saturday it was always the same, cruise the circuit. There were multiples of some of the above spots. The only singles were Winsteads and Valentines. The police were always thick in the drive-in areas. Some great memories.
I remember when Don Seitz did the pearl painted fury. Also around that time he did a mid '60's corvette for a local guy named Kenny Hazen(sp) that was a green color with widened out fender flares and his version of a mako shark type front end. Living at 124th and blue ridge around that time that was a regular run on my bicycle. When I got a little older I got into harleys(they were cheap) and I had my mom drive me to wild child's to get an estimate on a custom paint job on my fuel tank. It was there I met Dave Mann who was doing freelance work there. You bring a few laughs when you are 14 and have your mom drive you to a custom shop.
Kenny spent quite a few bucks on that Corvette. I believe they named it Aquarius, if I recall correctly. I know for a fact that Don did all the work on the Plymouth in lead. He was a good craftsman. Anybody know where he's at? Stu
Speaking of Harleys.. remember that big green beast that sat in the front window of the Army surplus store in Grandview?
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