Oh,the golden age of cruisin' and hanging out with other guys and girls. Now its more like the lawn chair nationals,a good example is 'Cruisin' Grand once a month down here in Escondido like everyone out by 9pm and sanctioned by the city. Just dosent have that feel and spontanuity that it once had, probably 'cos we are all getting old,much like the police dont hassle hotrodders ( meaning those in old cars of course) 'cos they know they are just a bunch of old retirees that dont squeal the tires at the stoplights! Its all respectable now which aint neccessarily a bad thing, times change and thats it.
Painter to Colima, I know it well. Just had me same food from Norm's Burger stand just the other day. Makes you sit there and think while waiting for your order to come up. Then you find your self flashing back to when it all happened. Does anyone remember a Chevy Van (late model for the time) that use to open up the side door and this chick would be topless showing her goods off .
The things that you remember Birthday Boy! Lots of great cruising on that blvd. I miss those days. V8 Vegas, 351 powered Pintos/Mustang II's, Duster, Challengers,VW's=all O/T vehicles,but that's what we had and could afford back then=basically anything went! There was no this and no that. Everybody knew their place. It was a very cool time, my girlfriend hated it, so we'd go out to someplace that she wanted to go 1st, then on to the blvd. We resided in San Gabe, we hit car nites mostly every nite. Midway Bowl in TC on thursday nights, later back in Pasadena at Victory Park. Fridays we began to hit Angelo's in Anaheim on State College, later in the 80's Kevin's Burgers in Reseda of that blvd. Even later at the other Kevin's in Canoga Park off of De Soto.(Lots of Street Racing) In 81 from May till Oct was Bob's Big Boy was re-cruise, I remember seeing Pete's Ca Kid 34 Coupe there @ Toluca Lake-Burbank parked in the alley along the metal partician which is now removed,so people can walk between the 2 parking lots. This cruise would alternate between Bob's original location in Glendale,Toluca Lake,Van Nuys and later Canoga Park. That was a fantastic cruise! Back to Whittier Bl. though. sometime in the Early 90's there was a place that openned called Hudsons Grill=now Ruby's. They had a thursday cruise nite, wasn't anyway near what was going on when we actually cruised Whittier Bl. It's funny because a guy named Rich throws the cruise nite at Ruby's and I decided to take it in last year and driving the 32 or 34 down the blvd was a dream of mine many years earlier and I found myself looking at all of these empty buildings, dealerships and even the mini mall that replaced Bob's and thought "Yeah you city fathers did real good by not having cruising in your town" What a bunch of Knuckleheads!!! Then when I was leaving that Ruby's cruise I looked directly across the street at was once Stick City!! It's now a 99cent store. What an irony???
I was only putting my arms up in the air saying "Can I get a witness" then from the Heaven's came Blue 69 with a confirmation. "Oh Thank you Lord" .
Blue69-9.80 I know most of those guys too. I raced out of the back row at Scotties with those guys. I had a Black Big Block 66 El Camino and later a Black 62 Plymouth Max Wedge car. Later I bought Bill Morehead's bad ass Kawasaki. Do you have any contact with any of those guys anymore? Last time I saw anybody (JR) was about 10-years ago at a race at Pomona. Very good times to be sure. I'm sorry to say that Big Willie Robinson recently passed away
Bill was a BIG man and he played the game well. He knew very well that a lighter rider made for a faster/quicker run when it came time for the money.
I cruised Whittier blvd for the first time in my moms 69 gto, in 1976, Dad bought me a 54 sedan delivery and we painted it yellow and put chrome moons on it and I was cool, ( it looked like a helms bakery wagon), I knew Bill Morehead and lived next door to Glen Johnston, went to school with Sharon Moon and first thing when I turned 21 was to go to the holiday, anyone remember Dicky Dickinson and his camaro with that 3 barrel center squirt carb, or Billy Curtis the first one to put a v8 in a Chevy luv truck, yea I cruised bellflower blvd and Van nuys too, when I got my 78 trans am the first thing I did was take it to Ak Miller for a dyno, cut off the converter, knocked out the gas tank hole so I could burn leaded gas. Wow what a trip, old times in Santa fe springs
which kawasaki, the small tire or the streached big tire bike? i do see a couple of them around here n there, every so often.
I meant I used to live next door to Glen Hare, right across the street from Santa fe high school, but Whittier Blvd was the best, hope to visit again someday
Well, it's not the same anymore, it's all changed. I grew up on the next main street over which is Lambert and Mills and I don't even recognize my old hometown now days. They do have a cruise night every Friday at Rubies by the Whittwood center (which by the way, is no longer a mall but a typical Target shopping center)
Does any one know if there was a movie made on whittier Blvd called ''boulevard nights'' back in the 70's.
Yes there is a movie called "Boulevard Nights". The movie is about lowriders on the East L.A. side of Whittier Blvd. On this thread, it's been about the City of Whittier side of Whittier Blvd. Whittier Blvd runs from La Habra, Ca to Downtown L.A. where it changes to 6th St and then Wilsher Blvd. And let's not forget the song by Thee Midniters.
Funny thing I was just remembering that movie. Was just down that section of East LA yesterday and all be damned, there's a 51 or 52 (no time to tell) Chevy light green in color parked on the south side of the Blvd. Reminded me of the one in the jumper cable seen if I remember correctly. It even looks like it's been sitting there since the movie was shot.
I remember Whittier, Bellflower, Tweedy, Van Nuys, and Atlantic. Had a 64 GTO in senior year, spent many a week night out smokin the hides with the boys.
I bought the 1200cc Nitrous standard swing-arm small tire bike. In it's day it was pretty fast, Slick no Wheelie Bar high to mid 9's. Just OK by todays standards but back then that was FAST. I rode the long arm Turbo\Nitrous STREET bike several times, fastest thing on wheels I have ever driver, rode or been on.
With regards to the Quote: “and John & Laura Maycock with his 56 Chevy (engraved in the back window with ASNG) who made off with the money from the fund raiser on his behalf”.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" /><o></o> To Blue69-9.80 <o> </o> I am the “Laura” mentioned in this quote. This “Memory” regarding Whittier Blvd, the memories of all whom were (considered, however, delusional) my friends in the past, and regarding the proceeds from the car show, is nothing short of a gift. I don’t know who you are but you clearly have some resentment that involves me. I don’t know how I have hurt you as I don’t know who you are however; I pray you will experience peace and serenity. I sincerely apologize for any pain I have caused you personally as a result of being acquainted with me and I would like to know how I can make that up to you? I can't speak for John so I will speak for myself. I did a lot of things I was not proud of some 25+ years ago. Dewayne Powell was an acquaintance to me however; he was a dear friend to my ex-husband John. John asked me to organize a memorial car show for Dewayne. It was a significant amount of ego fueled by an active cocaine addiction that gave me the energy to do just that. The show was a success. The proceeds (all that was left) went to Dewayne's wife and kids. I know this because I wrote the check. I do know that I took it upon myself to recouped $820 (don't tell John, he still doesn't know) of the $2500 dollars’ worth of drug money I used to invest in the show. Heck, who knows who all robbed the til from the show. The cash box wasn’t in my hands until the end of the show. Back then I was reckless and irresponsible with no concept of consequence. I'm pretty sure I did enough cocaine to finance a small country. In the condo's John and I lived in at the time there were 35 units of which 22 were street racers and/or our cocaine customers. I hurt people, I gossiped about people, I caused as much drama and chaos as a mob of valley girls. It wasn’t my brightest hour. I can assure you however; that I have made direct amends to everyone that I have come into contact with, financial and otherwise. As ‘God’ sees fit, he will put others in my life that I need to make amends to and I will, at that time, do just that. The Powell Family will probably never know how I paid the $820 dollars back to them. It would be arrogant of me to believe they would care. For me however; I’m clean and sober, and blessed with a life that is truly by the Grace of God. Just think how it could be if we all got what we deserved for how we behave back then. WOW.. that could have been tragic. Right?? <o></o>
OH HELL YES it was HOT RODDIN BABY!!!!! 1969 - 79 Wally's car lot "Stick City"...... Hell many a nites the street race betting began on Whittier blvd!! head down to "the BOX" and settle it!!!
I missed Whittier, but I did do to Johnnies Broiler or Friscos in Downey (my grandmother lived there) from Newport beach. On a completely unrelated sorry side note, I found this a little while ago from my late 80's/early 90's cruising times............
And don't forget, right down the street from "Stick City" was another Hi Perf car lot "Street Rods"......... Both on the La Habra end of Whittier Blvd.... and just up the road a bit was "Hacienda Motors" a run of the mill 70's car lot and my first attempt at business in the shop I rented out back.. A bit out of the normal cruze, at the Pico end of Whittier Blvd in the late 70's was the Railsback's place... AKA "Blower Drive Service" nice folks.....
All do respect I think Street Rods was on the corner of Oceanview and Whittier Blvd in Whittier . But Stick City Was in La Habra almost to Beach .
Um?, Well, I don't know how I know this but it was and still is the Holiday. Oh, just to make things worse for myself. It's the Dog Patch, and that was in Bell on Florence.
so it was the Holiday. I don't live in Whittier anymore but when I do drive through the area, I remember how simpler it was before. When we lived in La Mirada, we had cows to left and oil fields to the right and there we were stuck in the middle. Any one remember the old Whitwood (1 screen) movie theater with the balcony? Or the old Fox with the ceiling full of tiny lights to mimic the night sky? Who remembers the "red light" district that was on Whittier BLVD between Norwalk BLVD and the 605 freeway? There was a bunch of nudie places.
The Jalopy Journal
