History Low Riders, Zoots Suiters and "Pachucos"

Surfing the net looking for early builds (40s-mid 50s) isn’t producing much. Could be me.

 

I like & respect all car people. Lowriders, Tuners, JDMs, Hot Rods, Restorers...all segments of the vast Car Culture hobby, --> really it is a lifestyle. Do I have a preferred segment of the hobby? Of course! The majority of us do. But a car person is a car person in my book --> we all need to be pulling in the same direction so we can all enjoy this lifestyle.

 

I that it is a very important thing to remember that some folks in the broader car community might internally see us as separate groups; however, I can assure you that those looking in from the outside the car community see us all as one big thing: car people.

Irrespective of anyone's opinions on this, we are all in this together. Any adverse action that is ever taken against any of us, will be taken against all of us.

We have a choice, we can respect and support each other, and police our own, or face the consequences.

Benjamin Franklin said: "We Must All Hang Together, or Most Assuredly, We Will All Hang Separately."

In this case, if we choose to hang separately, most assuredly, we will hang together.

 

This has been a very educational thread............Just some observations....one thing I've noticed for years about both lowriders and (my newly learned term) Bombs is their respect for the original exterior design of their rides. They are consistent in the fact they are never altered. The other thing I've always noticed about the groups as a whole, is that they all know who they are. They are obviously a proud group, not lost souls trying to figure their lot in life. When looking at the pics posted earlier in this thread that included the people more so than their cars, I was reminded of a write-up that Ryan did a year or more ago about pulling up to a stop light and observing a Hispanic man next to him and how obvious it was that this guy knew exactly who he was. Sorry my writing is not as eloquent, lol.

 

Love em' or hate em', I think as far as attention to detail is concerned low riders are up there with the best of them, the stuff is mind blowing, I would never be able to achieve what they do paint wise (and I used to do paintprep and bodywork for living - on vintage cars).

 

Growing up in rural Al, an occasional Low Rider magazine would end up at the grocery store or I’d find one at the book store.
Such a contrast of the rides I’d see locally. Then the mini truck craze hit.
I was hooked on low.
Started building other people rides but they were all street rods. I never could understand why these local guys built everything nose down. Cheesy wheels and tweed interior.
Anyway, I guess that maybe one reason I used to get called “big Mex”

 

The low rider car culture seems to me to have a larger component of fine art than other groups from the car world. Most of the "art" involved in hot rods and customs is in bodywork, selecting the right paint scheme, and perhaps some pinstriping. The artwork in the paint and engraving I see on some low riders is just nuts. Obviously when you get to the point where you are polishing and engraving your brake disks you have built something that will not really be driven, but I could look at that stuff for hours. (Although I suppose these guys may just swap brake rotors for display.)

 

Ok guys in regards to my previous pots here is the picture I was talking about .I hope it works.

 

Japan
https://www.cnn.com/style/article/japan-lowriders-subculture/index.html

some San Diego lowrider pics
https://digital.sandiego.edu/lowriders-all/index.html

 

Doesn't look like they're worried about chroming prices.

 

My rig
Greenspan's (greenspansstore.com)

Ripple and Silver Satin were big in my neighborhood

 

The Who came out of the Mods and Rockers era in England. I’ve were cool and at times considered doing my ‘46 Chevy that style. Even Disney tip their collective hats at th eZoot Suiters in “Who Killed Roger Rabbit” as well as “Cars” (low and slow...).

 

Tom and Jerry. 1944

 

thanks for that! yeah, i know about jody. we had two in our AIT class who were doing that every night with a couple of wives whose husbands were in 'nam.

 

The clothing style or the Zoot suit seems to exist from coast to coast with more than one ethnic group.
The car style seems to zero in around Cali, Tijuana and south west.
Lowered rides with an ethnic twist.
I guy from Guatemala here locally owns our best restaurant, he likes my bus. Says it reminds him of home. Well, other than being stupid low. I’ve driven through Birmingham, our “big city”, and have had people that appeared to be foreign visitors, (didn’t speak English) think my old bus was public transportation. I’ll give em a ride anyway.
Brightly painted, overly decorated trucks, busses….seem to be common in other cultures. Some for religious purposes, some for tradition it seems.
Old rides maintained and kept in service out of necessity much longer than our “use it and throw it away” mentality. Vintage Cuban rides for example.
Growing up, we did similar, just didn’t decorate them. Doing what ya had to do to maintain a vehicle for survival.
So I guess this is one reason I dig this segment of the hobby.
These guys built cool stuff with little. As did many hot roders and customizer of the time.
Last week I had a conversation with a body guy from Mexico. Sent me picks of hand hammered parts. Impressive work.
Common ground found through a shared interest.

I’m rambling. Trying to get early 60d caddy power windows going.

 

They don’t seem to be that way to me either. You won’t see painted bumpers on Van Nuys or Whittier Boulevards..

 

The thing I’ve always admired about the low rider culture is that they are all different in so very many aspects. What I mean is, one minute you’ll see one with fully chromed everything ( I.e chassis, wheels, bumpers, etc) and the next it’ll be powder coated all around. Even the wheel and tire combinations vary, from 13 inch wheels on 5.20 tires to 17’s on 7.20 tires ( sounds like an algebra problem, don’t it? lol) . And the paint schemes, good lord are they wild, from multi layered panels to single colors with ghost graphics and murals everywhere.

 

Mmmmm

 

Yeah, I forgot about them, and a year after the riot in LA. Well it makes sense as the entertainment industry would have clearly heard about the riot. All this CARtooning around seems to cement the whole idiom as car culture than any criminal (police friendly media?)...

One question about the modern low-riders with their little 13” tires...tires have weight rated specs I believe so what happens if one of those vehicles is involved in an accident that is tire related? Whats going to happen in regards to insurance?

 

The 13s should be rated at 850 pounds.
3400 pounds total
A 520/14 tire is 1200 pounds

 

One of the cars that stood out to me when I was younger was the low rider Impala in the movie Boyz in the hood. Still love that car.

 

Isn't the average speed about 5mph?

 

The Tom and Jerry Zoot suit cartoon is an anomaly as it doesn’t portray the Zoot wearer negativity.
In a 1943 Disney cartoon, the Zoot wearer is a “National Socialist” hindering the war effort
In a Mighty Mouse episode, the wolf wears a Zoot suit to lure little red riding hood.
Tex Avery’s wolf sported Zoot suits from time to time as he battled Droopy, but seems far less negative than the Disney use of it.
The well dressed wolf chasing the girl is more than likely a Jody reference

 

Even without the wild and intricate paint work, you have to admire the fit and finish on every single detail of the cars, both inside and out. Also note that the youngsters are brought into the culture at an early age as part of the family.

 

"Ain't no use in going back, Jody's got a Cadillac"

 

The Pachucos were a Latino street gang, not necessarily "low rider guys." they did often roll traditional low riders which was/is a latin styled custom. Later starting in about the '70s or '80s the uninformed Non-Hispanic public coined the term Cholo for low riders. This is improper usage as well. A Cholo is the Latin term for OG or Old Ganster. has nothing to do with cars.

OK so much for cultural education. I like the older low riders and I would hope that we would see some of the men from my generation roll out some old juiced hoppers. When I was a kid I loved those cars, hydraulics, the ass dropped down on the drag plate, sparkin, blowing flames at a stop light. Good times.

 

im gonna have to find a sun visor now

 

Yup!!!^^^