Chevrolet Dealership history VNC,Wa PDX,Ore

Folks,the wife and I are trying to come up with a paint "theme" for her AF/X Nova.
We have several ideas floating around,based on vintage photos and such.
I "googled" for a long time trying to find listings of older Chevrolet dealers in the Vancouver Wa,Portland Ore area. But having no luck at all.
Does anyone have links or info they could lend.
Looking for a dealer that has long since closed,but was around in 1960's?
Thanx,
Brandon and Tara

 

Well to start with ROn Tonkin Chevy in PDX sponsored a bunch of cars in the 60s including a alterwheelbase nova for the Late Richard Schroder ,later of the emergany one wheelstander....I would use the now defunt FRIENDLY CHEVORLET,outa Lake Oswego,just on the edge of Portland the building is still there when you enter from the west its on the south side before A street,there was Murray chevy and one in Tigard and might still be there,I used to get all my hi-pro chevy parts from Lyman Slack Chevy it was on sandy blvd by benson high and the Caddie dealer,There was a guy named Fred that could spew part numbers by memory and get ya damn near anything ya needed miss those days, there was also Fowley Chevy in Vanc,Wa.............does that help (your lucky I a old guy and still remember this ****...........

 

Marv Tonkin Chevrolet

 

If all else fails, the boys over at the NCRS (National Corvette Restorers Society) forum are really up on this stuff. I think you have to be a member to get access to it, but they are really into this stuff. By providing them with the serial numbers of my cars, I was able to get the selling dealers name, number, and zone. It would seem to me that if the information still exists for Corvettes, it must still be around for the rest of the "family".

 

Heck yea guys!!Thanks. Exactly the info we needed!
Brandon and Tara

 

Fields Chevrolet on Grand Avenue near Burnside, Frank Chevrolet on N.E. Union Avenue, Fanning Chevrolet in Gresham, Knaus Chevrolet in Tigard, Victoria Motors on Union Avenue who everybody thought was a Chevrolet dealer but they really were not. And maybe a few more I forgot like Lyman Slack on Sandy Blvd..

 

Talked to a few guys at the track today.Lots of votes for Lyman Slack Chevrolet.Must have been a real influence in the area back in the day.
Brandon

 

"Marv Tonkin Chevrolet"

Nope. Marv was Ron's brother and ran a Portland Ford dealership.

- EM

 

Thanks for the memories Meatball. Loved the picture of Schroeder's Nova and remember seeing him run at Woodburn many times. It was alway's funny how they would kid him about his (body) size!

- EM

 

There was also Ray Hunt Chevrolet in Camas. Ray even sponsored a race car or two in the 60's.

 

When I bought parts at Lyman Slack I dealt with Monte Rowland. Monte and his dad Earl were Oregon drag racing legends. With Earl building and tuning and Monte driving they were the first to top 100 in the quarter in a full fendered car (33 Ford coupe) at the Scapoose Drags. They would go on to bigger and better things with a blown Chrysler powered slingshot dragster! They also had what was called the "Corvette Corner" where my friend Loren Bennett was one of the best on Rochester fuel injection working there.

 

All this history is awesome! Knew I could count on you guys.
Thanx,
I did a "google images" search for the Lyman Slack logo,but again...no luck.
By chance anyone have a pic.
I'll probably do the common type face that you see in many photos,but if I could see the logo,might be cool too.
Brandon and Tara

 

let me look.they were known for their USA-1 lic plates on their cars......yellow with blue letters dash was a bowtie..........let me look for pics,find some old programs for the roadster show or PIR or even high school yearbooks they should have ads in there,try the libary on 10th or go talk to Kibby at super chevy.............

 

In the early 70's Lyman Slack was the place to buy factory hot rod parts.

 

I have cars from several Portland area Chevy dealers, and am always trying to learn more history on them.

I would add Fred Bauer Chevrolet, who was located in St. Johns area, and became Syd Dorn in the early 80s.

Also, Fields changed name in 1967 to Ed Randall's Chevytown. Apparently Mr. Fields died, and GM would not let his widow run the dealership, so she had the GM Ed Randall run it and changed the name accordingly. It was sold to Wentworth in 1977.

A. B. Smith Chevrolet was located on 13th and Burnside. They closed some time in the late 60's, and their property was sold to Blitz-Weinhard in 1969.

And a couple spelling corrections, so people searching can find this info. It was actually Knauss Chevrolet in Tigard (not Knaus), and Foley Chevrolet in Vancouver (not Fowley).

 

And here's a scan of a Ron Tonkin "High Performance Tuned" decal I picked up at a swap meet a while back:

 

There was also Frank Chevrolet "The Quiet Dealer".

 

Ron Tonkin sponsored Robin Whitcomb's Pro Stock Camaro.

 

Whitcomb's car at Pomona, I believe 68 or 69.

 

Bought my first car at Knauss Chevrolet, a black 61 Impala.

 

Red White and Blue

 

The Tonkin dealerships are still around so that probably is not the best idea. I'd say there should have been plenty of small Chevy dealers on the Washington side that are now long gone. Maybe not as performance oriented but a license frame from one might give a dealer name to the equation and make things jive. Or one of the chrome dealer emblems that were popular in that time frame.

 

One more Portland-area dealer that I am hoping to find out some more information on or find a license frame from is Hayden Chevrolet in Estacada. Hard to find any info online from them. I just picked up a 70 Chevelle that was sold new there. Any info or leads would be appreciated!