History John Siroonian Western Wheel

I’m not seeing the mixup Marty. All you did was agree and later provide further do***entation to @RmK57 ‘s statement that Rich Siroonian was in fact the nephew of John Mazmanian.

 

Thanks Larry, the key was "Big John" !

 

If I recall correctly, I think I remember reading Doug Cook even drove the Maz Willys for a time.

 

I now own the Phaeton that was featured in the Feb. `78 Street rodder with his cars!

 

Can you share a picture please? We still have that Phaeton in our collection.

 

Well gee @Marty Strode , everybody new ya didn’t give no lip ta Big John. Lol

 

Sorry for the confussion! Mine was built by Robert Elston and was on page 60 of the issue with all your `32's Charlie.

 

Got it! I was worried at first. I’ll have to take a look at your ride! That’s awesome it was featured also.

 

I was a 16 yo kid and fell in love with this car in the mag. I saw it for sale on here in dec of `19 and drug out my feb `78 mag and told my wife that's the car we're buying..... 22K later it's ours! pm me a cell # and I will send pic's? Thanks Charlie.

 

I frequent a place where the clientele includes Blackie Gejeian's nephew and several other well connected fellas of John's era. I've heard many stories over the years, so I'll have to refresh my memory/re-ask.

My general sense was that Western Wheel was on McKinley between Blackstone and Fresno on the south side of the street. IIRC the manufacturing arm was in SoCal . The turbine mags on my wife's OT car was a Western Wheel as was the honeycomb wheel on the '70s Firebirds and Trans Ams. I had a set of wheels re-chromed there decades ago. I don't recall the chromed trash cans, but hell most everything I recall could be wrong.

 

We still have the chrome garbage cans from Western Wheel on McKinley. The location you said might be Western Chrome. Western Wheel started as John’s Custom Wheels. I’m not sure on street though.

 

The plant was on the Southside of the 5 fwy on the frontage road (Firestone Blvd) near Valley View in La Mirada.

 

Being on McKinley is correct, but my recollection was that it was a bit further east. Maybe as far east as between Cedar and First street. But, it's been a long long time. And I could be wrong. The area between Fresno Street and Blackstone had a bunch of store fronts right up to the sidewalk, and it included "Sebring West" a**** others. Western Wheel was set back pretty far.
I got my first set of custom wheels built there 'round about 1971 or '72. A set of 13 X 7" chromies for a "hot rod" VW. That was all the rage back then. A bit of auto-cross flavor!

 

Hey Payton:
As pledged I asked some of the guys and have a lead on a fellow who knew John well. I was told yesterday by a fellow who knew him, said his older brother was friends with him. He said that John had 3 daughters (so you must be a great nephew maybe?)
I was also told the original shop was as OlScrounger recalled, north side of McKinley just east of Blackstone. Started out in the late fifties and expanded and grew until he sold it to Rockwell in 1978.
And of course you are correct on the Western Chrome detail, thanks for setting me straight.
I have one more contact to get you more info on the hot rods, and maybe a story or two.

 

That’s awesome to hear and I’m so excited to hear more. I’m his only grandson and my aunts all had daughters so they aren’t as interested in any of this. The stories people have told me are always new and it’s just so awesome to hear about him because I wasn’t around him very long, he p***ed when I was 5. Thank you for sharing I can’t wait to hear anything else that comes up!

 

Hey, Payton. I just happened to find this thread when I searched for John because I was curious what became of him. I worked for your grandfather over 30 years ago in both his race shop (where he ran the Outlaw Sprinters, although it had been a while since they actually raced) and his Heron Pointe complex. I've driven many of the cars in his collection (at least the collection he had back in the late '80s). One notable example, related to this site, was a '34 highboy roadster in progress. I remember driving it to and from the upholstery shop to get the top done. It was black with beige leather interior, and then he added the top to match. A lot of memories, especially going through the Corvettes to freshen them up. Sorry to hear of his p***ing. It was his collection that gave me a p***ion for Corvettes that remains to this day, and I've owned six so far (currently own a 2011 Grand Sport roadster). I also remember working on a black Z28 Camaro that was driven by either your mom or one of your Aunts. I got pulled over by Fresno PD in that car when I was "blowing out the carb" after rebuilding it. Doh! I also got stopped in his 500 SEC AMG Mercedes once. Too funny. Thankfully, Fresno PD knew your grandfather well, so I just got stern warnings. LOL!

 

That is awesome!! We still have the majority of his vettes and 32s and 34s but they don’t get driven like they used to. Those we’re the days I wish I was born. Sounds like a lot of fun back then. I think it was my moms Z28 lol what a story. She’ll definitely get a laugh outta that. Thank you for sharing this made my day.

 

Do you still have his light blue El Camino? Or Evel's Pantera? I remember he still had the cigarette ****s in the ashtray. I actually have a photo somewhere of me in one of those 1967 427 Tri-Power roadsters (black on red) in front of his office. He wanted me to drive it over there for his inspection after we got it road worthy again (rebuilt carbs, rebuilt braking system, refreshed fluids).

Whenever he went out of town, I'd have to pick up either his Mercedes or the El Camino at the airport or his office, and drop the other off for him for when he returned. The El Camino was his airport car since he didn't want the Mercedes sitting there while he was away. That Mercedes got ****er-waxed every week. I think I was around 20 or 21 years old at the time, which is probably close to your age now.

 

Yeah I’m 20 at the moment turning 21 this August and now I get to go through the vettes and 32s/34s but only when I have time. We don’t have the el Caminos or Evels pantera, which I just learned about right now when you said that which is bad***. But we have the Sprint Car still and his 2400ccVW dunebuggy. My mom said you have a great memory and we were wondering if your still in the Fresno area. Was it the red Mercedes or the black one? It’s so cool hearing these stories.

 

It was a black 500 SEC AMG, and it was imported from Germany because everything on the dash was in German. Beautiful car. And, no. I've been in Texas since the '90s, but I grew up in the Bay Area, and still have a lot of family in Fresno. And, yeah, I'll never forget that IROC Z because I wanted one (mainly because it was more attainable than any of the other cars he had)..

 

Anyone have any more info or pictures of the drag boat? I vaguely remember a Blown Fuel Hydro with Western Wheel on the top of the sponsons.

 

Here's one that I found. That's a hard-core motor sport. Although I'm sure he didn't drive it, it sure demonstrates his love for speed and beauty.
It actually says Western Mag. I'll bet it was a Sanger hull.