It's sad that in the car capital of the world somebody couldn't have saved the historical aspects of the building.How can you know where you are going if you don't know where you've been?
Happens everywhere and over every field concerning heritage, culture, tradition. Its sickening. This is a real common wealth issue.
That is why this jalopyjournal.com , Rodders Journal , and many others are important to what we love and enjoy so much. We need to support them or the past of hot rodding will be lost the same way.
Dude place has been totally made over....I got some great pics of some of the stuff in Walts building behind the shop before it was all cleared out. I miss driving by there and seeing the old shop
As sad as it is to see a piece of auto hobby history go away, what few seem to want to admit is that things change and time marches on. The building is basically a non descript industrial building, nothing of any historical significance to the larger population. In North America there is very little sentiment for old things in general. If you want to see history preserved in architecture and other things you need to go to some European countries. They have a different mindset and will preserve what has been there for centuries.
Thank you for sharing this. I live near St. Louis, and would never have known about this otherwise. Beautiful photos, beautiful history. I'm glad I got to see this.
J.Ukrop., Thanx for the sad update. I have stopped by the building with the Cyclone numerous times to try and reflect back on the history here over the past few years. I'm so glad I did!!
ClearSpot, Any way to redo those pictures in B&W?? Cool car, is that a genuine Dyno Don Nicholson hood?? Very sad, what is becoming of the very essence of what built the cars, that certain auction houses are parading around, like circus freaks. Blue One, yes I have been to Germany and France and they do honor their automotive heritage to a better degree. The old neighborhood Speed Shop, is fading into the sunset. Kinda surreal, as I viewed the slide show of the building, the radio was playing this cosmic ambient prog rock music. In no way am I showing disrespect towards other cultures, but did you notice the realtor's name??? Got me thinking of who is living in these neighborhoods nowadays. No longer is it "Joe Lunchbucket", with a '69 Camaro Z-28. JT
Walt's Puffer has been a favorite of mine since building the kit way back when. Thanks for posting Joey.
There's a barely visible big ol' Model T era Ford banner on warehouse brick that we let slide down here. It has some bland new thing pasted halfway over it. Aussie cities feature plenty of FUGLY.
I spent many a hour in that building.....Jerry Dodson, Walt , Bob Sweatt, and a host of others made it like "The fast boys of Dearborn Heights" locker room.... Walt and I used to do Custom motorcycle business.... Walt had the S&S connection I had the build skills to make em go fast.....Great times indeed! Walt Senior was the real driving force behind the drag race thing....Here is the last bike we built out of there.... Hand made everything before the TV made fabricating famous.. I dont think I could ever part with this thing.....or the drag race memories ....
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