About three years ago, I asked Barney Navarro to pick one thing about his legacy that he was most proud of. "Awee Hell, I ain't done yet so I don't answer questio...<P><P>To read the rest of this blog entry from The Jalopy Journal, click here.
People don't always know or remember where innovations come from. Barney Navarro was an innovator of the first order and will be missed in this hobby. Prayers to his family and godspeed from me also.
Didnt have an opporturnity to meet Barney. I am sure I missed alot. A very talented man who was a genius. His creativity went into areas that we never knew. Navarro Engineering’s experience isn't limited to the track - Mr. Navarro has been involved in many specialty products over the years, including the development of a heart-lung machine used for thirteen years at the Kaiser Hospital in Hollywood. http://www.navarroengineering.com/about_barney.html
Shesh! That's some sad news. A true innovator indeed! I plan on using one of his circle track tricks on my flathead to keep it from overheating. From interviews I've read of him, he was a really interesting guy. Rest in Peace Barney!
An awesome man for sure! His tech articles in Hop Up were brilliant. He kinda seemed liked a one man show too. Going to lakes with Barney Navarro was a great story. Heck the writer even pitched in to help Barney. Thank you, for what you have done. Ken
It is inevitable for all of us, but its always a shame when someone like him passes away. Rest in Pride.
Our Flathead rail got one of the last intakes before he sold out. It's a fine piece. Good to see he stayed in the game as long as he did. He will be missed.
A lot of legends of Hot Rodding have passed this last year,the bench racing behind those Pearly Gates must be awesome!Guess we all need to clean up our act so we can check it out when the time comes.R.I.P. Barney!
It is always a sad thing when one of us passes away, but Barney will truely be missed. He was a true hot rod innovator of the first order. He will be sorely missed.
A few years back I had the honor of talking Flatheads with Barney Navarro on the phone. Nice man and patient with me. It was one of the conversations in my life that I'll never forget. It felt to me like after God created the Flathead he sent Barney Navarro to earth to preach Flatheaders gospel, and I felt lucky to be someone to hear it first hand. Seriously though Mr. Navarro is yet another member of the "Great Generation" that has left us. I dunno if we baby boomer's can ever fill their shoes. R.I.P. Mr. Navarro
nobody ever makes it out alive.. but he is in a better place probably doing what he loves best. Godspeed!
He was a true gentleman-genius... I hold our brief conversations, and the time I spent with him sacred. In life you do many things and have many intrests. These interests are associated with people... Founders... People who walked the path that you found and in fact, blazed the way for you to follow days, months, years later. You hold these people with a certain, measurable, esteem that spawns day-dreams about what it might have been like to BE that person and do what they did, how they did it, and in the time they did it. If you're lucky enough to be living in the same time as they are, you think about what it would be like to actually meet them. You build them up based on your idealized interpretation of what they did and who you imagine they are which likely has little basis in any kind of truth. But from time to time you meet someone who actually increases in stature AFTER you meet them. For me, Barney Navarro was one of those people. If it sounds sappy, you never met him... Or don't like hot-rods...
Used to stop by his shop in Glendale whenever I got out to LA and a couple of years back finally bumped into him. We spent several hours bench racing and talking flatheads. I'll always remember that. Sure has been a tough year for the hot rod community (Peterson, Navarro, etc.). RIP.
It's very rare that I'll be out in my garage fiddling with a flathead and not think about the things Barney Navarro has done. Options abound.
people are always going to die...no mercy in death. barney's 27 is my all time favorite. because he jam packed his life with as much as he could...barney was imortal long before his death. think his gravestone will be made out of cast aluminum? good thing flesh rots faster then steel! rest in speed.