Cruising returns to Van Nuys Blvd

I'm not coming back until I have my new Cragars and Mickey Thompson ss tires on my rig. I hopefully will have them by the 8th, we'll see.

I've been thinking about that night every day since. Can't wait to get back out there.

 

Hi Marlon!

 

Is there a flyer anywhere on your site that has July 8th on it so I can start email blasting it out? (My, how times have changed!) Email, woulda never even thunk of it in 1979!

 

not to be rude...but, take the time to read back a page of two in this thread and you will find out!

 

Flyers are in production now...But you can always bombard your friends with the info on your own...We're equal opportunity word spreaders around here.... "Thunk" ?

 

If you like cruising, take a cruise with the sopranos....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-1NVKU1Wuc

 

here's some more pics:

http://www.bangshift.com/gallery/Ev...s-from-Van-Nuys-Cruise-Night-609-gallery.html

 

Hi Rikki, the Chevelle is still looking good, so how goes it, have fun, maybe I'll see you on July 8th

 

At the scene of the crime...

 

I have followed this whole thread and can't wait to bring my 15yr son down this summer mabye Aug. Those that have mentioned it are right, the varitiy is a great thing to see, but I do see one group missing in the pics I have seen.......the muscle cars with the rearend all "jacked up" I know I will have to take some crap for this but anybody building any '70's tribute muscle cars to go with the vans(which are way cool)?

 

VN Cruiser:

My first story in the "Street Race Stories" thread in here was about racing Dean Stark's GTO (I got the year of his car wrong - It's as you say, a '68 NOT a '69). He E-mailed me about a month later. I asked him if he wanted to correct any of the details of the race, he said no - that they were essentially as he remembered them. He's been living in Henderson for 16 years and has a... well let me just copy what he said:

Dean Wrote:
"I currently have a "77 Suburban with a blown/injected 496 big-block. It runs low 10's (not bad for a barn). I have been lucky enough to drive a blown alcohol dragster for a few years going into the deep 5's @ 260 mph."

Back to realtime here. So did you hang out with the street racers at the Bank of America parking lot? What did you drive in those days? Did we ever race?

 

No...We never raced.....I hung out at B of A...Drove a dark green w/white roof 66 Galaxie... Was a member of "Race"....
I've known Dean since we were 12 years old and talk to him all the time...I saw your post about the race and called him, that's when he got in touch with you. He is already booking a flight to come down for the July 8th cruise....Saw you at the last one...last time I saw you I was working at Valencia Chevrolet and you brought in your Z06...I was talking to one of the techs...Both of us thinking it was you...You walked over and said "Yea, I'm Bottle Bob"...that was in 2002? Good to see you out there again....

 

So, it looks like I can "pen in" July 8th to dust off the Chevelle and bring it to the HOOD (insert gang sign flashing here). If people are booking flights to come down for this, this is serious stuff! I'll stay later this time. Had to leave at 10 because the BF wanted to go. (Damn!)
I can't believe Jack-in-the-box is still there! Gosh, but I have to press "1" for English!

 

Cool. Looks like I should make it again.

 

I think Goucho keeps a car about 43 minutes after he's done with it. I asked him the same ? not long ago and his answer was actually pretty good.., "I'm always trading/buying up"

 

VNCruiser:

So YOU'RE the one that alerted Dean, that's pretty cool that you've stayed in touch with him over the years & distance. Loyalty is one characteristic that I value greatly. Booking a flight? That's pretty hard core for a cruise thing. I hope I see him if we're both there.

I was never a member of "Race", I don't even know if I was ever asked - after all this time. I'm not much of a joiner, and if I HAD joined, it would probably would have put a severe crimp in my getting races - and I loved to race. I'd get little races at the meet spots and sneak off to run, then come back to the lot and try to get another one. I've had up to 7 races in one night.

Now the big races with "Race" members often were major ordeals with the whole lot turning out - everybody could get a reasonable determination of just how fast your car was - which could adversely affect getting future races.

So you were a service writer for Power Chevrolet?

If I go to the next VN cruise I'll try search you out to thank you in person for your effort of starting and coordinating these events.

 

Circa 1976, as when I cruised Van Nuys Blvd. listening to Blue Oyster Cult "Agents of Fortune" and KISS "Destroyer" on a Kraco 8-track.

OK...Here we go! I'm not much for message boards or Myspace of Facebook, as I work in the data processing field. Since, I went to the cruise last Wednesday, and after many conversations with several long lost friends and many others who frequented Van Nuys Blvd, the B of A lot and SFV street races, I have become involved in all of these online forums in order to keep up with everyone. It sounds like things on this thread and the next cruise are moving along quite smoothly now.

Hey Groucho - I had dinner with Darrell Young last night and I told him that you had asked about him. You may hear from him sometime soon.

Rob

 

HOLY SHIT! I love the new avatar pic. I wish I had a "still" shot from the video to put for mine

 

A story about Bottle Bob's avatar car. I maintained his fleet of street race cars in the 80's. A VERY fun job. Lots of cool, clandestine parts, as well as many "test" trips during the week to LACR, a local drag strip. Anyway, Bob steps up, and buys a very expensive Lingenfelter BBC, gauranteed to make "X" amount of power. I put it in the Vette, drag it to LACR, tweaked on it's tune-up, and if I remember right, it only went high 11's. I called Bob at home with the dreary news. Bob says, put on the "motor eater" (a homemade "kill" nitrous unit Bob made), and I'll be up shortly to blow the piece of shit up
Bob later designed Frankensqueeze, which was later pirated by a big nitrous brand, AFTER THEM CLAIMING IT'D NEVER WORK

 

Groucho:

First, I didn't know if it was kosher to post an Avatar of a car than no longer exists. Ya French Fried that one good Grouch, eh.

Second, let me make some minor corrections. I doubt if I would have said: "I'll be up shortly to blow the piece of shit up." As I don't normally speak like that. But the engine certainly didn't perform as advertised, and needed some serious HELP!

Third, let me copy the relevant portions of a post I made in '99 to the Camaro group:

This is on an '82 Camaro that had a 400 small block in it before it was turbo'd. I almost always did my own manifold plumbing when it came to nitrous. This was in a time period that I had no time to work on the car myself so I went to NOS and told them EXACTLY how I wanted them to plumb the manifold. With TWO solenoids on either side and to just leave the jets blank because I'd drill them myself (since I used 15 psi for fuel in all my units and not the NOS standard of 4 psi). Mike Thermos and the rest of the crew called me "Crazy Bob" <g> and said it wouldn't work and that they wouldn't guarantee the unit. I just told them I don't care about any guarantee, I just wanted it plumbed like I told them.

Well, it DID work, and then about 6 months later I was reading a car magazine and what do I see? It's an NOS ad for their NEW State of the Art Pro-Shot Fogger, with 2 solenoids on either side of the manifold, just like I had them do for me! Jeeze, I should have patented it.

The Frankensqueeze unit (which was on the Avatar Vette) consisted of two solenoids on top of each intake runner for a total of 16 solenoids. I haven't seen that type of system reproduced by any commercial Nitrous manufacturers. But then I don't keep up with the latest Nitrous technology.

 

Yea, I was a service writer there...Left in 2003....now working at Land Rover & Jaguar in Hollywood....
Dean and I used to set up races on our Schwinn Stingrays on the 100 yard dash track in Jr High.. Got a few bucks even back then...And took on a few 10 speeds to boot...LOL!!! He'd even race on foot if the price was right!
Later we not only cruised his brother's '55, we also took out his dad's car...A lowered '69 Caprice, triple black with Cragars and glass-packs, and dyno tuned by Fiasco...great car...and still in the family....

 

Ah, yes on the nitrous. I'd forgot about the other unit, as "Franky" was so much more memorable. But, I DO remember something to the effect of hurting/wounding/killing/blowing up the Lingenfelter being talked about. I just don't recall the exact wording. But, you weren't happy. I almost recall some "talk" about killing it and sending it back in pieces.
</g>

 

I'm glad everyone has enjoyed my pics. If anyone needs higher res pics pm me. Hopefully I can get more at the next cruise!

 

Will you be on the boulevard on July 8th???

 

Would you Guys mind if I photoshop Mrs ElRobo's original flyer with the July 8 date? I'd like to have something to give out at our (LimeWorksSpeedshop) open house tomorrow, and our booth at LARS this weekend. Unless there's a new one planned - let me know, cheers,
CraigR

 

hey craigr were working on a new flyer! we should have something really soon! i'll let you know when were finished with it! hopefully by tomorrow so that you can pass em out!

 

The Frankensqueeze unit (which was on the Avatar Vette) consisted of two solenoids on top of each intake runner for a total of 16 solenoids. I haven't seen that type of system reproduced by any commercial Nitrous manufacturers. But then I don't keep up with the latest Nitrous technology.[/QUOTE]

Bob - enjoy reading your stories, all well written, thanks for posting. You've spoken before about tryin to keep somewhat of a low profile to keep getting races - how on earth did you convince anyone to race after they'd seen "Frankensqueeze" - that must've been an intimidating sight!?
Cheers mate,
CraigR

 

Wow that was quick!!
Appreciate the effort, thanks & Hi to your wife - dinner's on me next month - any fast food joint on the boulevard!

 

well i drove down van nuys today and there was a hand full of people out there even some hogs. i let them know that we would be back on the 8th