STICK CITY worlds largest hot rod dealer

I live on the east coast but Stick City was well known as the greatest Hot Rod store in the world back in the early Seventies. My friend and I hopped a plane in September of '73 and headed for Stick City. We could not believe all the "candy" for sale. Hot Rods, Corvettes, Customs, Woodies, all kinds of '50s cars and trucks. My friend bought an ex-movie car, a custom Chevy powered early Jag and I was trying to make a final decision on what I would drive back when an LA fireman drove up in his Chevy powered '29 A RPU. I asked him if he would sell it. That's what I drove back to North Carolina. Man, those were the good times.

 

A friend of mine bought a 71 Camaro from stick city had a Ed Pink Small block in it(or so they said) car was fast we used to street race it in Van nuys back in 1980.

 

I consigned a V8 VW bug there in the early 80's, fun place.

 

I remember the one in Pasadena. My face stuck to the window when Dad drove by. There was also a small hot rod dealer in San Bernardino in the 60's that was across from the best hobby shop in town. I remember they had a custom 2 seater T bird out front with the paint already cracking on it. Then down the street from that was a big pet shop with alligators in a fenced pen out front and Piranas in the main tank. It was a bit of a bike ride but a whole lot of cool stuff to see. Things were certainly different then.

 

ahhh Stick City,remeber it well. I met Rabbitt way back when. There was also a place in Buena Park near BeACH bLVD{cant remember the street it was on} . A guy by the name of "Crazy Joe Upshaw" ran it. My cousin worked there and did upholstery and also mechanics on the cars he sold. he mainly specialized in Vettes. I bought a 60 vette from him that was very fast. It had a 283 bored to a 301 ,30/30 cam,4spd. I got hit head -on in the car and they literally swept it off the street. I was lucky, got only a piece of the dash through my leg and knocked out cold. engine was shoved all the way past the firewall.

 

This AA/FA was from my neighborhood in Malden, MA. The owner Bill Lazurus rebuilt the car in the winter of 69-70, with an updated frame, twin tube Loghee style like the funny cars of the time. Spring time 1970, he moved out to Southern California and brought the car with him. I got word from another friend that the car was put up for sale at a used car lot. Do any of you guys that went to these high performance car lots remember seeing this car there?

 

btt

 

not to hi jack this thread
There was a Car lot in San Leandro called Bill Parkers 4 Speeds a friend of mine Was a syndacated cartoonest that did his back window decals Mell Warenback

 

Always thought that the Norm "Rabbit" Samuels was the owner, can you tell us more?

 

I grew up in Orange county in the 60's, also hung out at Bob's Big Boy in Whittier,with my 56 Chevy sedan delivery, straight axel and pontiac engine. I later had a grey primered 65 GTO altered wheelbase (street Legal) that I consigned there, and they sold.I used the money to by a van, because I got too many speeding tickets.
I also hung out with Larry Baker, he crewed on the Stick City Camaro funny car. I used to go to Orange co. raceway with them and hanging out. Larry owned "Chassis Masters" in Orange. I bought the GTO from him.
We went for a ride one night to some high school shop, where Larry was building the chassis for the next "Stick city" car, which I believe to be another Camaro.I don't believe it ever got finished. Larry also traveled and crewed on the "Paddy Wagon" Corvair panel wheel stander. Anybody know where Larry is?

 

Besides his Stick City car lot,Puppet was a bail bondsman

 

I wanted to bring this bttt a buddy and i were talking about this place just this weekend. I remember riding my bike there and looking at all the candy, Later when I had my license i would drive over and look. It was across from the Whitwood mall back when it was an open mall. I also remember the place on the corner of Beach Blvd and Whittier Blvd there were cool cars there also. I loved Stick City!

 

Hey Candy,

Have any photos of that '56 Hardtop?

Chris

 

MTS,

That's fantastic! You have a connection to a HUGE piece of hot rod culture history. Do you have any news articles about the dealership?

I'd like to write a Wikipedia article about it.

Chris

 

stick city,brought back some good memories.my cousin and i spent alot of time there.anyone remember the bantom altered w/hemi ,70s ribbon paint or the purple 64 vette w/large flaired wheelwells.some cool shit down back too.cant for the life of me remember the joint up the way.also a shop at the end of whittier blvd that had some cool shit but think it was a resto shop. being from the east coast i thought it was the balls to have open shop bays.

 

Cool - that looks like the Hillman wagon that Pete Chapouris built in an earlier guise?

 

Originally Posted by mtsclemente
Stick City was owned by my Grandfather. His name was Wayne Smith. Saddly he passed away this year on May 7th.

My mother and my sister are in the process of organizing the things he left behind, including photos and other things he left behind from Stick City.

I know he had a picture of himself and the Beach Boys on the wall in his house. I'll get it posted, when I get it.

Interesting that we never heard another thing from this guy after this post above and my question .....

 

I remember a place called Dragstreet(?) that might've been in the same area

 

btt

 

i met norm samuels sometime around 1974. he was bringing the occasional car into the shop to get some pipes / mufflers hung so he could sell the darn things. he had us doing work on cars from both stick city & street rods which was on the southeast corner of whittier blvd & ocean view ave.

 

Anybody have anymore pictures or information on this car????

 

I had a T Bucket on consingment at "Norms Stick City" in the 70's. Loved that lot. I bought my recent ride from Norm at his latest, "Highline Motors" in Brea Ca. He still has his T flatbed truck with the blown small block, hiding in the back of his building. There are lots of cool cars. I go by there almost everyday to look. Norms son Eric is running the business with him, and they are both a couple of Good Guys.

 

Not to high-jack this outstanding thread but on Van Nuys Bl near where the freeway crosses it was a lot that had lots of customs. Anybody remember it?

 

you know that looks a lot like the car in american graffitti.

 

I bought my 1955 Chevy 210 Coupe Hi-Boy from Stick City in 1981 from Wayne...with $5 down to hold it,$2500 total down at signing and payments of $89 dollars a month.when we went for the test drive,as I pulled out of the driveway I chirped the tires....the first time ever and I was astounded....he said to "watch it,that it may get away from me IF I let it....and from that point on I was hooked !! It has gone through constant change up until the 1994 Northridge Earthquake,since then it has been dismantled and awaiting a new frame amaong other things.

 

I tried and tried to talk my wife into buying a Nomad from Stick City for a family wagon but no luck. They had three nice ones at one time. Think they wanted around 8 or 10 grand for em and they were all nice cars. We ended up with a front wheel drive Buick wagon that developed a flat cam after about 20,000 miles and sold for nothing. Of course if she had listened to me most of the time the fam would have been driving around in a model A with the kids in the rumble seat.Maybe with seat belts but probably not.

 

There was 'Street Rods' to on the corner of beach bl and whittier bl,but before that they were down near Scotties drive in close to Calmada.

 

I don't know if Norm Samuels owned Stick City. I do know that he owned Street Rods which was down the street. My late wifes brother in law, Jim Crawford used to be the mechanic at Street Rods from around 1973 to about 1978. I used to go there just about every day after my day job to hang out with Jim and help around the lot. Jim and I used to cruise the orange tall T truck with the blown small block that was mentioned earlier in this thread, before we detailed it for shows for Rabb. My sister in law (Jims wife Shirley) used to babysit Rabbs kids on occasion. Rabb had us, along with Jims best friend Richard, put together a 55 Chevy from spare parts in the shop and an old 55 Chevy race car that was in the back of the lot. It had a 402 BBC with a 4 speed and a hidden nitrous unit by Marvin Miller. Marvin was one of the pioneers of nitrous, long before NOS was around. Marvin also had one of the fastest street racers in the area. It was a yellow 55 Chevy with a white one piece 56 front end running a 409 with massive doses of nitrous. We took the black Street Rods 55 to the first night at Terminal Island in Long Beach with Big Willie Robinson and his Brotherhood of Street Racers. I'll see if I can find some pics of the 55 and the T and get them scanned and post them later.

Harry

 

How about Taylor Engines off Washington? The only place to go for engine work. I was friends with Jay there since the 70s until he passed away couple years ago.

 

This thread brings back memories. I remember the place real well since I lived about a mile from Stick City, near Mills and Lambert. I would ride my bike just to look at the cars and dream about driving them. One time they had my brothers car on the lot for sale. It was a 63 Impala but I don't know how much it sold for. I lived in Whittier from 68 to 92 and it was a great place to grow up but it's not the same now days. Thank God for the memories.