I used to surf Stanwell Park quiet regularly back in the late70s/80s cool pic of your wagon with big surf
Cool Jeff,I love the 56 Chevy wagons,very nice mate.I almost imported a 56 Nomad about 9 years ago I kick myself everyday now that I didn't do it
Even though I'm still irritated with Ryan for deleting the post 'Go for a ride; mans best copilots', will add this to his post.
Hello, Envy is one powerful emotion. But, reality plays a big part in controlling that envious moment. Our whole group of friends had cars that we customized, drove daily to high school, built up with speed parts with our limited budgets, and raced when it was necessary. We looked at each others cars and enjoyed the camaraderie that was created in our friendships as well as the different hot rod builds. That is what Friday-Saturday nights at the two Bixby Knolls drive-in restaurant parking lots had until the closing times. There was teenage banter, envy, helpful hints, and impartial suggestions on future builds, etc. It was endless... but, a big part of teenage years and bravado. When a friend of ours drove up to the local drive in restaurant parking lot with his then used/new, red, 55 Chevy Nomad, all eyes turned everyone’s brain “envy button”, on with a flash. The question was…how in the world was a teenager able to buy a pristine, 1955 Chevy Nomad? He told everyone that he had been saving for years, had a good paying job and he got some help from his family. (80% family was suspected) But, it was a 55 Nomad, not a modified, backyard hot rod. Still, envy was strong in that drive-in parking lot that night. He was a hot rodder and a surfer, so he had the local vibe in place. Jnaki That moment has always stayed in my memory banks. It was brought to the forefront when I visited the Price Transfer Automobilia Museum for an invitation walk through in 2017. I spied a bright red, 55 Nomad with surfboards sticking out of the back. Instantly, it was the 1962-63 era in that Bixby Knolls drive-in parking lot. This red 1955 Nomad was spotless and I was told that it gets driven to different functions in So Cal, even though it was in show condition. Talk about envy !!! https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/friday-art-show-02-23_2018.1098171/#post-12453429
Hello, Nice photo of your wagon at the pier location. That spot on the North side of the Huntington Beach Pier was home away from home from 1960-65. It was one of the most consistent surf breaks right next to the pier in all of the OC. The development of the whole area since those times is frightening. My wife and I almost bought a condo in that development right in the background, on the sand in those early days. But, the condo was a little too rich for our tastes and budget. In the Southside parking lot, the above Salmon Pink, 1940 Ford Sedan Delivery was usually in the lot from pre-dawn to late afternoon. As we got older and that sedan delivery was sold, it moved across the street to be parked in front of a surf shop on Main Street. 1961 Jnaki Sometimes our dad would sneak up onto the pier and start taking movies of us surfing. At the time, it was a little embarrassing, but all of these years later, the movies that he shot were just classic movies of us learning to rip the waves with a lot of power moves. Thanks, Dad… 1962 Many years later, my wife and I bought/fixed this 327 powered 1940 Ford Sedan Delivery that was then a regular on either side of the pier, that was pumping those waves. (Summer: South, Winter/Spring: North.)
Hello, That was a nice photo of the scene at the usually busy Huntington Beach pier location in So Cal. It was and is a place for good waves and sometime empty waves for us early morning risers. The popularity of the location, being seen by millions of people in all sorts of cars daily, have given credit to the city normally called, “Surf City.” The condo project on the sand is an odd ball exception, due to the fact that any construction on the sandy shore would need the approval of the voting public. It is the only construction of living quarters on the sand, built in 1967. It was expensive in 1967 for a couple of 20 somethings and is very expensive for the size of each condo, today. Jnaki In drastic contrast for those of us that usually go or at least drive by the long stretch of beach on our coastal road trips, here are some recent photos from the local OC newspaper during our national crisis. Finally, “social distancing” and “locked in place” sunk in to those that persisted going to the beach. North in the distance and South to the lower right of each photo.
Jnaki- your recall is awesome and the home movies are treasures for sure. It was and is a way of life - cars, surf and music. Can’t help it! It’s interesting what you can come up with to make our current situation a little better. I decided to take a drive in the Surfmerc and put some music on and for a moment the worlds problems disappeared. So enjoy the short Video and hope it takes some of you guys somewhere to the fun place. Surfmerc
. Sorry guys here is the video mentioned above. Just learning how to do this. Hope it comes through. Thanks Jnaki
Huntington Beach, (PCH) Coast Highway parking spots, south side of the pier. Hello, Some interesting facts about this photo, in the background was a music/restaurant venue for some of the best touring musicians in the business. It was The Golden Bear. In this 1961-62 era photo (61 Impala in the next parking spot), Hoyt Axton was headlining. The kid on the right side roof seems to be this teenage surfer I met From Newport Beach, named Herbie. It was a long time ago… But, those spaghetti “all you can eat” days were just classic teenager surfers’ home away from home. Just down the Main Street was another competitor for the always hungry teenage stomachs, the Villa Sweden and their famous meatballs and gravy portions. (another all-you-can-eat place.) Those places were the drawing cards for hungry teenagers, besides the burger place under the pier. The photo also shows that some people did drive their 58 Impalas to the beach…(across the street and to the left.) Finally, the custom Clay Smith Cams Jacket on the guy in the right side. Those jackets were from the time that Clay Smith Cams was located on the Westside of Long Beach. Surfers and hot rods…a classic mixture… Jnaki If we did not go to “secret” Trestles Beach in South Orange County, we always stopped at the Huntington Beach Pier. If the waves were outstanding, we would spend the day and afternoon surfing the Pier. Sometimes, if we were very early and it was dark, then, if the pier was breaking, we took the chance and drove 22 miles South for some empty waves at Salt Creek. These were all forms of "vintage surf transportation" now, but basic teenage hot rod/cruiser/drag racers back then. By the way, it was not the Impala that made the surf trek farther down South, but the 1940 Ford Sedan Delivery.
The Jalopy Journal
