History Things that J.C. Whitney use to offer

They’re pleated seat covers were great..get that white tuck and roll look at a reasonable price...wish you could still get em

 

Actually in the early days, when you went to Chicago to buy a part from their store...which was located on a corner of two different streets......
One street entrance was called Warshawsky's and the other street entrance was called J.C. Whitney...
I have had an old exhaust cut out for years....don't remember where I got it, but suspect it came from there..

 

It depended on which door you entered it was on a corner. and one entrance was JC Whitney. around the corner It was Warshawsky. I actually made a road trip there and bought a load of stuff.

 

I bought a adapter bellhousing to adapt a FE to a flathead trans from JC Whitney. And used it to install a 61 352 two bbl engine in a 46 ford bob truck. I could smoke the dual 750x20 rear tires. At that time they sold used engines.

 

I recently hauled a box full of JC Whitney catalogs and old little pages to the dump that I had kept for years but the mice made a home in the box and it was full of chewed up paper and mouse turds.

 

J.C. has a Hurst shifter ball for my new car....

 

I, too, used to buy stuff from them. Complete exhaust system for an off-topic horse car, and those funny little cars from Germany. My first trip to the Chicago store, someone acidentally put a complete air horn set in the box. I used that for years. My wife and I made a trip to the store in LaSalle a couple months ago. Not much going on there, but they were re-organizing it all. My younger daughter worked the phones there for a short time years ago. They have the old Warshawsky sign out front, now.

 

I completely forgot about that! In the late 1980’s, Dad bought a complete wiring harness for our 1950 3100. I thought he was nuts, I couldn’t figure out how in the world we would ever get all that wire into the truck. It went right in and still works perfectly!


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Back in the late 60's I ordered a new set of bumpers for a 39' Ford coupe from them. They arrived in a burlap sack with the chrome already pealing off them sticking out of the burlap. Made in Brazil. The quality was always always the same, as below standard as possible. Years later, I worked in a gallery in NYC selling real Tiffany Studios' Lamps in the $50,000. and up price range to Roy Warshawsky. He bought J.C. Whitney. He bought many many lamps from us over the years. He even had the less valuable ones bolted to the desks of the women who took our money over the phones selling all the shit they sold us. His office overlooked the area where these telephone operators worked and he could control the light level for these lamps from his perch. A very SMART businessman.

 

I knew it! You CAN advertise dirt and somebody somewhere will buy it LOL.

I never bought anything from them, but in addition to the bra section in the Sears catalog, theirs were some of my favorite reading as a kid.

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Roy W. may have been second generation, I don’t know. The Warshawsky Brothers started the business in 1919 IIRC, and at that time they specialized in used parts. The way the story was told in the Chicago Tribune years ago you might stop in looking for a fender for your car and they would ask what color is it? Overnight they would get your fender in the color you needed. Who knows if it’s true or not, but it did make a good story for the reporter.
They had a small yard to the West of the State St. store and there were Model A front axles, complete with wishbones, stacked like cord wood, the spindles getting full of rust. Who knows why they collected them?
The main store was large, I don’t recall for sure but it must have been 2-3 stories. If you came to the store and placed an order you waited for it to be picked and then it came down a conveyor belt for the clerk to pull and accept your payment. Smaller items like those cool fog lights, sun visors, cheesy hubcaps, cheap tools, etc. were up front and there were different cashiers there.
Lastly, they had an even bigger warehouse about a mile away, must have been six stories tall and primarily JC Whitney the mail order side was operated out of there, but I did have to go there once to pick up part of my order.
Smart business people? For sure!!!
The best time to go there was early, during the week. Weekends it was like a zoo, people waiting in lines to see a clerk. Oh, and the parking lot across the street was a trip too with sleazey guys hawking cheap crap- Hey, Mr. High Schooler, wanna buy a watch? How about two cashmere sweaters for a fin?
The good old days, well, maybe depending on your perspective.

 

Never bought anything from them, but I like this '62 catalog.

 

I ordered seat upholstery for my 1956 Plymouth from JC W. in the early 1960's. I had a local shop install them and they actually looked very good and held up well.

 

How cool is that!

 

Dean, did you get credit for your car on the cover?

 

Very similar to the sanders still used on school buses in the local SoCal mountains.

 

I noticed the illustration looked like a 1953 Ford...there actually was a factory sander option offered back then, I wonder if the kit J.C. Whitney was selling was an aftermarket version or if they got their hands on some surplus kits from Ford.

 

A few years ago when I was looking for a new Holley 4bbl J.C.Whitney had the best price, lower than Jegs or Summit. Free shipping also.

 

Every trip back from Bonneville Speed Week heading East on I-80 we pass the JC Whitney building its right off the exit. Never think about stopping but I really enjoyed checking out the catalogs that came in the mail especially the parts they listed for the Ford Flathead Bought some stuff a long time ago what I cant remember. Good memory's for sure.
Ronnieroadster

 

Used those "J" hooks to lower the front of my '56 Merc and my buddies '56 Ford.

 

25 plus years ago bought the side pipes for my ply. from JC WITNEY.Replaced the mufflers last year.Inlet and outlet pipes still org.Not bad for 125.00 bucks.

 

Bought the "diamond pleated" upholstery kit for my OT high school car in the mid '70's from Whitney. Fit perfectly and lasted for several years. WAs still on the seats when it was wrecked while parked and went to the crusher. My dad bought a lot of little doo dads (cab wind protectors, grille guard, center console with cup holders) for the pickup he pulled his camper with. Loved spending time looking thru those catalogs as I grew up.
SPark

 

JC had the best inner fender liners made of plastic. You could install them lower to keep the salt off the trans and suspension parts before going to Bonneville. Bought stainless exhaust systems from them way way cheaper than Borla and the other gougers.. Never had one wear out either.

 

I got my first copy when I was 13 {1968} use to page through them all the time. My great uncle stop by for a visit , he taught me a lot about the basics of mechanics. Well I was looking through the catalog and he asked what I found so interesting . I say I was looking at this 3/4 race cam and he chuckle and ask what are you going to do the other 1/4 of the race! lol I have remembered and chuckled about that for over 50 years. I did order a few things from them when I started driving in 1971 and I received at least 2 or 3 catalogs a year till the mid 80's. lol Larry

 

Hell no! You sign a release when Hot Rod features your car. The photos belong to them, and they can sell them to whoever. Assholes even cut me out of the photo!

 

Ha! I knew, sooner or later some one'd mention the good ole Sears catalog!

Brother hopped up his Banger in the early 60's. Junk yards, JCW, Honest Charlie's, and I believe Ford Parts Obsolete...that's it. (And no H.A.M.B!)

 

Went with JC Whitney when building my first Harley Sportster. They had everything I needed to rebuild the engine and clutch IN STOCK at good prices. If I remember correctly some of the parts were in original major brand stuff not cheapos. Bike ran great and lasted for years.

 

In 1969 when my dad's father died, we had to make a quick trip from Chicago to Kentucky for the funeral. Mom told us kids to bring some books to keep us occupied, and I brought a J.C. Whitney catalog - it kept nine-year-old me busy reading it for four days (but no, I didn't bring it into the funeral parlor ).