Great read Michelle as always . Keep up the great investigating work. Look forward to seeing you and David next month.
Jesse Lopez – Lo! & Behold Part 4 by Michelle M. Yiatras Timechanic™ Jesse’s brother-in-law, Bill Weiser, married forever to his sister Marge, was on the H.A.M.B. reading this thread, and exclaimed to Jesse, “Man, you could really see the puffer on it!” Referring to the Photoshopped macro of the tiny snapshot that is the only evidence of the mythic McCulloch blower set up on the legendary ’41 Ford. Sez Bill, “Memo & I were in heaven driving that car while you were in the Army!” Marge has printed copies of the thread for the relatives. Jesse will at last get to read it live for himself when he gets over to Marge’s computer next weekend. “Marge wants to buy a ’41 Ford and wants me to rebuild it for her. Heh heh, she’s all into it. I’m very close with Marge and Bill. She’s a retired corporate accountant. She used to date Tarzan, Mike Henry, another Bell HS alumini, before she met Bill. Mike worked with John Wayne in the film, ‘The Green Berets’. They both played football at USC, different decades.” “I got my hand from Trace, holding my paint mixing paddle dipped in Kandy Lak. We used R & M more than DuPont. Kandy Lak was pure DuPont though. It was so nice of him to do that for me.” Referring to Trace Edwards’ multidimensional “Wall of Legends”, he designed for his Long Beach Motorama 2011 show, which he cast the working hands of 25 first-generation car kustomizers each holding one of their actual vintage trade tools honed from their prime. Based on a concrete mold forming the envelope for the glass cast hand in repose, and mounted on a walnut shelf with an archetypal photo plus bio background, the original castings are kept in separate time capsule vaults, and then are all together stored in a master vault for future generations. Trace produced a first-class five-star act, demonstrating his brrrilliant artiste, and his reverent devotion to his elders. The artifice stirs up genuine tears. The Kreation of Kar. The Hula Hut, a restaurant drive-in located in Whittier was one of their favorite hangouts, “Across from Ak Miller’s automotive repair and speed shop, on Whittier Blvd, he had one of the first Dyno Tune’s. Where Presidents Nixon and Reagan grew up around there. The HH was a little beach hut style burger stand covered with palm leaves that we loved to go to. We drove about twenty miles from any direction driving and racing those very same cars. We didn’t have second cars until later. L.A. was central. George’s first shop on Compton and Nick were west side Fox Florence. The Ayala’s were east L.A. Carl and I were from the southeast, Maywood, Bell, Cudahy, Huntington Park. So Fritz was my engine guy. I didn’t know Ak that well because he was a different area from the east side Whittier. We’d go to the drive-ins to choose each other off. Ak had a real nice shop though with nice equipment. We had a lot of respect for Ak. A lot of guys went to Edelbrock, Weiand, Cook, to build their engines. By the time I got back from the service I was building engines of my own. At that point I was in contention with Fritz. It didn’t affect our friendship. We went on to work together.” “Fritz always liked for me to beat Ak’s boys, like the Ayala’s were in competition with the Barris’. We all competed and street raced. You have no idea how much fun we had. Turkey Flats was a turkey ranch right on the outskirts of Whittier by the avocado orchards. There was a level asphalt half mile ideal for racing. We’d meet at the HH and choose each other off and head out to TF. A well known hangout because the cops were more lenient. Cars would be lined up on the weekend trying to get in. We drove twenty miles to get there from Bell. And East L.A. drove to get there also, ten miles from Gil Ayala’s. No freeways. All surface streets with lots of stop signs. Also Fritz’ shop, ‘Voigt’s Place’, in Maywood on Slauson Av, it’s still there. We used to race on Slauson going out. If it got hot at HH we went to Slauson. The Russian cemetery is still there. It was a halfway point, so all the spectators would meet up at this halfway point and you could pretty well see by then who was winning.” “It was fun when the cops was chasin’ us. We’d laugh like hell when it was over. Sometimes they’d get us though. I got turned loose ten times to the three, four times they booked me. They would chew us out because they didn’t want us to crash. We didn’t have disk brakes so the cars didn’t stop that quick. It was lucky that no one hurt themselves. They’d fine us $50-100, and hopefully the judge was lenient so they didn’t take your license away. Working for $1.50 an hour that was a lot of money. Couldn’t complain about the cops, they’d chase us, and except for one badass, they understood. All the people were a lot different then, nicer and cleaner. Everybody knew and respected each other. Not like all about the money now.” “Bell, Maywood, and Cudahy was a hub. So many of us car guys went to school together, we grew up in the Bell area and went to Bell High School. We went to Bell Auto Parts, used to be called ‘Cragar’, because they licensed the parts. Guys from San Diego, San Fernando, Bakersfield, they came to Cragar-Bell. My heroes would come pulling in, so many fellows that made names for themselves. Young people today have no idea what good times we had with cars, then in 1945-47, while I was still in high school, and after in ’48-50. There was a lot of street racing. We drove our race cars on the street during those days. Full speed was 95-100 mph. At the opening of Lions Drag Strip the rails started to go over 113 mph.” “Later in the 1950’s, in Maywood near Fritz’ shop, a guy named Wally Gerdes’ renown ’32 roadster was stolen. Forty something years later I found out who stole it. Man, oh man, it was an Italian friend of mine from the east side. The Gerdes family sold weekend newspapers on the corner of Slauson and Atlantic across from the Clock drive-in. We hung out there on that corner. Wally had a fast ’32. He never got it back. The guy who stole it was joking with me about cars and he bragged about it. I shocked him when I told him Wally and his brother Joe were my good friends. I loved that ’32 and it influenced me because I was still a kid before I drove. Wally was a few years older. Joe was in my grade. It broke Wally’s heart. After Wally Gerdes’ car was stole, he quit. They stole a hell of a car; clean, factory black, fenderless, ’32 grill and hood intact, with a 59AB block that Fritz built. Never heard from Wally again, that was it for him. A guy had to work his ass off for a car. Wally’d usually win if he got chose off. The guy that stole it was a good guy, just a stupid kid, and didn’t realize the harm he done. If you had a fast car you had to watch it, because you couldn’t lock it and if you left it unattended it could get hot wired.” “Our cars were our whole life, and if it was a special car, you were really something. Times were hard back then and going to the drive-in was a big deal. I went to work just so I could afford a car. Now look at all the entertainment they got. Back then everyone was poor. It was simpler then. People don’t realize that we didn’t have TV’s, let alone computers. Me, Zaro, Matranga, Ortega, we all regretted that we didn’t take pictures. We didn’t even own a camera, except for George. I wish I had pictures of Nick and me, or Johnny and me, or Sam and me, or George and me, or Carl and me. Imagine that. All those pictures we could have taken of all we would do, Balboa, the Hula Hut and the Clock, Big Bear, with our cars. An era gone by…drive-ins, cruises, races. No TV. Now everyone has a camera on their phone.” A friend of mine who is a grade/high school photographer told me that when the kids sit for their yearbook photos they are clinging to their cell phones and can hardly get them to look away from the gadget for the shutter release. Media is hypnotizing our youth and adults. Opposable thumbs were designed for wielding instruments besides texting. Parts were designed for finished assembly besides collecting rust in hog troughs. Spend time with your sons or fathers or grandfathers in the garage, and drive the frontiers for a panoramic view of the terra firma. Living imparts its meaning and purpose.
Awesome! Thank You for your efforts. It's nice to get a better perspective of Jesse Lopez and the guys he hung out with. I can appreciate and respect what these men did, hoping to continue the Custom Car Culture. Hope there's more down the road too... Ken
Wow, once again some fantastic reading. This is what I love to read! Your work with the interview is very important. Many thanks to you Michelle!
Once again, ............... Good Stuff, and It is appreciated. Thanks ! firstnomad www.angelfire.com/jazz/flatlandstudio
Another great history lesson, so well recorded!! Thanks, Michelley, once again, you have so well captured the past from a real legacy. Jesse mentioned the Hula Hut, one of the many hangouts in the LA area. The place was so famous that it spawned a car club, the Hutters, who got an SCTA charter...Dean Moon, whose Moon Automotive was nearby, was probably its most famous member. The early notes about street racing were also priceless, and another reminder than a lot of custom guys were also into performance, not only Jesse but also the Ayala Brothers, and others.
Michelle.... WOW.. I didnt think this thread was going to get better but it did.You have done a incredible job on this story of Jesse.I dont know how you are recording or taking notes but your writing is so detailed it makes it a real pleasure to read and it is being done about a great person.I really love this part 4 since he it talks about speed & racing and the blower that Jesse had on his Ford.He has also told me some stories about racing and going head to head with Gil but not in great detail like you have. I really think Jesse fit in with way the Ayala brothers were and that is... Speed first and style second.Like I said before..... I think there is more pictures of Ayala brothers cars at races then there were at car shows and I think Jesse was also like that.Sorry to blab to long on your thread so I will stop myself.Thank you very much for your efforts and time in making this great story.
As soon as I saw I had a PM from you I knew I had a great read ahead of me. Jesse has lived the life and I think I speak for everybody when I say thank you for getting all of this documented. I'm very grateful and now every time I pass the pic of his 41 in my kitchen I know the man behind the automobile.
Yes, indeed, 296ardun, and the gang~ The Hula Hut matriculated Dean MOONEYE’s “Hutters Car Club”. The “Hutters” of Whittier were not known to have a club plaque, and generally painted “Hutters” in large white letters on the deck lid of their dry lakes cars, and also used this seldom seen original circa 1949-50 water slide decal (from my personal collection) on their windshield or back glass. ~Michelley
cool story thx, side note i went to grade school and junior high with ryan voight ( fritz's son ) small world, i see fritz at the long beach swap meet once in a while.....thanks again, dave stuart
You have captured in words of being proud of who you were and what you had from work and association. Thanks
Truly incredible! I have a new-found respect for the man. Glad I got the chance to meet him at the GNRS in January. Thank you for your time and effort putting this together.
Sage advice. This amazing thread far exceeds its five-star rating. Thank you Michelley for your considerable efforts and for choosing the HAMB to tell Jesse's story. Your detailed writing style paints so many incredible pictures. I feel as though I've been given the opportunity to "sit next to you and Jesse" as you look through an old photo album filled with the very photographs Jesse regrets not taking. I sincerely hope you will continue to post additional vignettes as time and memory permit.
Michelley, just let me add my thanks to the long list already on here. Your service to the hot rod and custom community is very much appreciated.
I tend not to be very eloquent - so the best I can muster is THANK YOU Michelle for sharing this history with us and thank you as well Jesse for choosing someone like Michelle to tell your story. Wow! -Dave
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