O/T?.........skateboarding and rods.....

In no way do I consider myself a skater but there was a time when it was a hobby of mine....mid 70's. Problem was there was absolutely nothing available in New Zealand back then so we made our own or if we got lucky we'd get some wheels or a board from someone going to the States. We did get the magazine so we had plenty of inspiration. First time I found an empty pool I broke my wrist so I never got any good at that. Then I broke it again flying into some bush on a high speed run. Damn thing never healed right and I'll feel it 'til I die.

 

I Started Skating When I Was About 6yrs Old In 1986 ,mostly On My Knee Then Learned How Ride. I Skated All Threw Out My Teen Years Into My 20's , Then It Ended, I Had A Injury To My Knee , Had Surgery And Skating Now Isnt The Same. I Still Pick Up The Board But Its Only Ramp Riding Now, No More Street. I Think Hot Rodding Goes Hand And Hand With Skateboarding. Punk Rock,skateboarding And Hot Rods.

 

the POWELL board was my christmas gift from my girlfirend. Original unskated deck she just had a shop add the trucks and wheels. i'll unmount the deck and use the trucks and wheels on one of the old school blanks i bought at a car swap a few years back, they were like $10 a peice =)also roll my Vision longboard during the summer at the beach, and the DOGTOWN board was my last deck i skated, along with some other stuff i got. i'm looking for a pic i took (can't find it) with CAB at the mooneyes christmas show a few years back, i pointed out how the car show was right across the street from the old SKATE CITY VILLA and asked if he minded taking a pic with me, pretty rad meeting one of your childhood heros. (i used to ride a CAB deck when i was a little kid, on my Knee of course)

 

My dad, George Cooley was the creator of the Bun Buster, Challenger and Jr. Bun Buster. We still have two of the models up in the rafters of his home.

It was his birthday recently, and it was fun hearing how he started manufacturing these boards in his driveway. He also used the cerebral palsy foundation to help with other aspects of the business. He was a pioneer in the industry and its really cool having a dad who has some great stories!

Sports Illustraited wrote an article on him. He once, for publicity went down a hill in San Fransico. I believe he ate it going really fast. Jan and Dean (the singers) also worked with him on the song, "Sidewalk Surfing."

I'm sure he would love to hear any stories you want to post about the boards. If you do, I will show it to him. He doesnt own a computer, but ill make sure he gets anything you post. Thanks for bringing this up!

 

Raiderdude .... welcome man. Thanks for bringing this thread forward.

I am not sure if I remember the bun buster, although I grew up in that time frame in SoCal. I was borne in 1950 so the math is simple, I was 12 in '62.
By that time I had graduated from the roller skate nailed to the 2x4 and just retired my RollerDerby #10 steel wheeled board to a clay wheeled super surfer on a Hobie laminated board. Did alot of faceplants before I was thirteen, cracks in the sidewalk and pebbles were the main culprilt with the occasional bottlecap putting me in the air.

My last board was a G&S wood deck with OJs and Tracker Trucks.... I rode up until about 30 years old.... old age sat in! LOL

Sure would like to see the bunbuster if you gots some pics.

 

never ridden a skateboard in my life. lifelong cyclist though. I think I'll start a post on bicycling. I think it is a good idea to start posts that have nothing to do with cars of any kind here. keeps the place new and wonderful. all this talk of old cars gets boring after a while.

maybe next week we could discuss riding a pogo stick.

 

Pogo sticks are probably too far OT ... never heard of a pogo sticker (is that what they are called?) getting pulled behind a hot rod.

 

Funny to see this thread again. Peep this...same kid I was talking about, Taylor Bingaman, couple years back...

 

The current issue of Transworld has a really sick cover, and a really neat feature about Jason Jessee

 

Skateboarder for life. There's no coming & going.

 

RixRex has it right.... anything that resembles what all you Johnny come lately's think as skate boarding simply didn't exist in the pre-64 world preferred here. I got my first skateboard in the early-60's because it was a big fad in Illinois. The next big deal after Hula Hoops and Daniel Boone Racoon (really rabbit) skin caps. I think it was 5 bucks. Had steel wheels and, for the most part, was impossible to ride on your average sidewalk with anything larger than cat litter sized pebbles and deep joints / tar expansion strips in the concrete. Hot rodders are into all kinds of fun things, but let's not call it relevant to our cars, eh? So aren't hang gliders and jet skiis.

Now HERE's what is! Before the "Orange Crate" there were orange crates, Scooters that is. They were still hard to ride because they had the same problems as early skate boards with rocks and debris and narrow metal wheels. But they are probably for all practical purposes, the fore-runners of modern sidewalk surfers.



So, why not have some orange crate races (traditional and modern wheeled) at the next vintage car show or drags? Gary

http://blog.modernmechanix.com/2006/10/19/orange-crate-scooter-has-ball-bearing-wheels/

http://www.healthchecksystems.com/product/?product_id=3205

 

I skateboarded in the 70's. I remember Tony Alva and Dogtown Skateboards, Tracker trucks, Gullwing trucks, Kryptonics wheels, UFOs wheels, etc. I bought them all and trashed them all in half pipes and bowls. I would stack skateboards on top of each other and do handstands going down some crazy hill. (I wish I would find those pictures). We were like midwest Spacoli surfer dudes back then. Those were good times

 

I skated mostly on the street, parking lots and structures. The faster I could go the better. Stopped for about 14 years but kept wanting to go back. 3 years ago I picked up a board and realized that I am not as young as I used to be. I still go to a local park every once in a while in the morning before the kids show up and freak out because of the "old man". Back in the day, I would not have been out of the house before noon. Now I'm sounding like an old man! It's taught me quite a bit, discipline, working hard, that you are your worst enemy and that when you fall you get up and do it again.

 

OT??? ... a wheel by any name is still a wheel!

 

once a skater, always a skater.

 

Diehard skater since the early 80's. Probably can't do a three foot ollie anymore, though, lol.

 

I still long board on days off just to try and stay in some sort of shape.

To answer your question, yes. They go hand in hand...

 

Ive Always loved skateboarding, even now that Im a fat old bastard... I Hate to see the fashion show the scene has turned into but thats always been a part of it in some ways I guess. Im glad to see all these skateparks popping up all over the world now. I have 5 within a 1/2 hr drive of me... never thought I'd see the day! But I also hate to see it lose the punk rock "outsider" mentality that came along with skateboarding back then. You were always getting run off, harrased by cops, security guards your mom etc.. It was all part of the "lifestyle" if you will, just like with hotrods and customs its more than a hobby for alot of us, its our life. Thats why so many of us will never grow out of it ! Ive still got a couple boards and hope I always will !

 

skated in the 80s,longboard today, but mostly BMX. we have a cement park here in kokomo indiana built by grindline,with a elbowed full pipe. CAB came out to demo at the grand opening,that is when he introduced me to the hamb. thanks again steve.
if any hamber is ever in the area pm me i will meet you at the park.
when i was a kid we used our bikes and skateboards to go watch the hot roders in the neighborhood work on there cars,always dreaming of the day we would have our own,so yes it does relate for me. Its another form of transportation that i am passionate about,my avitar pic was taken by dave freiburger, he chose this old building he liked as a backdrop.
It just happens to be a 2 story skatepark i ride at.

 

There's even a social group for both. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/group.php?groupid=88

so wah.

 

Yeah but there are also groups for Deloreans and 'vee dubs'. Groups don't necessarily make it a traditional subject matter.

 

WAH!

I'm just jealous. I missed skating and BMX by a few years so I never got to play. had a Schwinn Stingray with knobbys front and rear. that was off roading in 1974.

 

I will always consider myself a skater...grew up in OKC riding a little plastic "sizzler" skateboard...then getting into bikes after learning about Evel Knievel....in 85 got back on a skateboard and still ride my longboard with my son...it does seem like skaters, punks, and hotrodders can usually get along...speed, attitude, and personality... three strong traits in each i guess...when i drive i usually notice cool rides and cool ditches in the weeds to ride...im 41 now but im guessing i will always think that way.

 

Skating, punk rock, and hot rods all go together for me. They're all things that normal, polite society doesn't understand.

 

Sometimes I skate...

 

I remember Ryan saying that if you have to put OT in the title then don't bother, it doesn't belong on here. So I wonder how this thread stuck around so long ??

 

I longboard. I am really bad at it, but I am trying to get better. It offers me peace like nothing else does.

 

Skating was my life from 8th grade (86) til I was about 22. All of the time. Haven't skated hard in about ten years due to serious back injuries. Had surgery last April and hope to gently (is that possible) get back into street. Gotta learn how to slam all over again so I don't kill myself.

Funny thing is, I met my first fellow HAMBer a couple of years ago and we shot the shit over a couple of beers- he was into BMX and sk8ted a little back in the day. Turns out we are friends with all of the same people and most of them are from our local skate scene back in the day, and quite a few are rodders now.

 

I remember biking the 70's, it was awesome when Huffy came out with "motocross" styled bikes. Hell I have a scar for every time Evil jumped something on TV.

Ryan like skateboarding. Though he doesn't want it to turn into a digital Thrasher. That's one of the reasons I brought up the social group.

 

I'm 53 and still go out longboarding with my oldest son on the hills in our neiborhood when he's in from college. I've always told people you're only as old as you wanna be. I plan on doing the car and skateboarding thing as long as I'm able.