Who cruised Van Nuys Bl in the 70's?

Better yet, who's got pictures? This was some big fun. LOTS of stories

 

I had a Buick GS California Special in those days. Not the fastest hing on hte scene but was fun to cruise in with LOTS of fun and some REALLY weird folks doing the same.

 

I didnt, but my dad & uncle did, does anyone remember a blue 57 chevy with 'moctezuma's revenge' lettered on the sides???? metallic blue, orange lettering, with cragars, would love to find out what happened to this car.

 

I did...sorta. I did my high school photography class project (slide show that combined a song with photos) on Van Nuys Blvd. cruising in the spring of 1971. I showed about three dozen color slides of cruisers and their vehicles to "Deserted Cities of the Heart" by Cream. I didn't have a car (just my Mom's stock Capri Cream '67 Impala). Unfortunately, I don't have a slide scanner so I can't post the photos. I also shot some black-and-white.

 

My uncle cruised all over the SFV from about '65 to '75. He and his friends had a few momorable rides. His '65 Impala, "Plum Crazy", took best of show at dozens of events. And he drove the shit outa that car. Here are some old photos.

 

Didn't do it in the '70s, but did in the '50s. Occasionally on a Friday night, would hit some combination of Bob's Van Nuys, Bob's Toluca Lake, Hollywood Boulevard, Scrivner's, the Wichstand in Inglewood, Harvey's Broiler in Downey, the Clock in Culver City, Roberts in WLA, and Jack's in Santa Monica.

I remember one night doing almost all of those, and putting 100 miles on the car without leaving greater L.A.

 

YES< YES< YES

 

i didn't cruise van nuys but i had family that lived one block from there. my cousin was a gear head and owned a white vega with a built small block chevy stuffed in it.
if memory serves me right i believe van nuys was "ON" every wednesday as well as friday nights.
my cousin was part of this group who were serious street racers and they ran thier cars outside of town (i know , sounds a bit like milner) near two hills. on the top of the hill was guy stationed with a walkie talkie. someone at the bottom (near the action) also had a walkie talkie and was in constant communication with the guy on the hill just in case the cops came. once when i was 13 years old i cruised with my older cousin in his vega and i remember being real excited as the boulevard was jam packed with all types of cars. it was the most unreal thing this BMXer ever seen in my life. we use to cruise downtown riverside and street race back in the 80's but it was nothing like i experienced that night on van nuys.

 

Yep.....I was there, late 70's. born and raised in Bellflower, Whittier blvd
was closer. Van Nuys from what I rember was on Wed. nights right in the
middle of the work week. I ran a 56 chevy one piece glass tilt front end,
streight axle, tunel rammed smal block, with 5:38's in the rear end all streets
no highways, took a while to get there, park, fuel up again to make it home,
then get up to go to work. Bellflower blvd was dieing at that time so Whittier
was the place untill they shut it down. On the blvd. stick city was the place
and a burger joint across the street. shoemaker was the street for a race
after gathering at the K-mart on Beach blvd. Downey had a hamburger
place off firestone I think, pick a race there and run in the empty
naborhood where they moved all the houses out for the centry freeway
that came years later. that's a step back in time.

Roach

 

Eryk I'm totally diggin' on your pics man. I really should save up for a set of Cragars for my 'bird. I can see it already.
Thanks for sharin' the pics.
Mike

 

I did Wed. night and was on the Buld sat. night 12pm B. O. A. parking lot setting up race's all Sat night. On St. like Woodman and Sacacoy or Woodley and Roscoe or Renalde and Tampa. I had a 67 fastback with a 390 a 2X4 on it and NOS way fun. Back then the Valley only had 1 copter in the Air. I had my car lights set so i could have head lights but no tail lights. Ran Slicks and all ways open headers. It was only a fix it ticket then. Now that's all a mover and points on you DMV.
Man was that FUN!!!! It was 1969- 1973 AHHH to be 17 again!!

 

We just missed eachother. I started street racing around 1975 (same BOA parking lot). Started off slow (got my ass handed to me too many times), before i caught on and made a pretty good win ratio for myself (Big Willie invited me to join the Street Racers). And my big mouth got me known to this day by some. A customer found some part at NAPA the other day for me to install and when he mumbled that Groucho's gonna be happy, the parts guy said, hey i used to street race with him 25-30 years ago. Kinda cool i thought to be remembered for THAT long. I guess better to be a "has been" than a "never once was".

 

Ah man. Those would look kickass on your Bird. Old school lowlow for sure.

 

I spent many Wednesday nights on Van Nuys Blvd.. I had a 1966 Fairlane with a big block (428CJ), black lacquer, chrome Cragars. We used to cruise over from Simi Valley......usually got our asses handed to us. Who owned that straight axle 56-57 T-bird with the 427 in it?? anyone remember that thing, I think they called it "The Street Sweeper" or something like that

 

Well my 67 had a club name called HEADSUNLIMTED on it. and i ran with a guy that was a pin striper called Gotcha he had a 68 fastback called FASTSTANG all painted up with all the pin striping and lettering stuff he did. By the time i got marryed at 19 i HAD 18 TICKETS AND HAD TO SELL THE 67 AND GOT A 40 Ford WITH A 6 IN IT AND A PINTO SW. All the Juge would say is you will not havea Driver lic. for 3 yrs. if you don't. He made my wife happy. Just after that was the when gas went WAY UP to .95 a Gal. lol
That 67 only got 4.5 mph and 6 on the freeway 11 gal tank not to good but WAY FUN!!!

 

Yeah, i knew the dude. John "Gotcha" Gomms. Another incarnation of that Mustang was Fantasia. He also had a fast roadster called "Quicky T". We all went to L. A. street races one nite to watch Gomms race "Quicky T" against some POS blue flake firebird called "Wildman". They cheated Gomms out of his money (another story) without actually racing. Gomms made a pass afterwards to show them fuckers they wouldn't have stood a chance had the race been legit. I heard he moved to Washington years ago.

 

Spent many Wednesdays looking for a race,in my '67 bug. Lots of fast VW's back then. Beat alot of Chevys,Fords,Mopars,it was great. Looking back now,I was pretty crazy driving that thing. No seat belts,wipers,bumpers,front brakes,glass front end,racecar on the streets. What a dummy!

 

Yes John was a bud and fantasia was Faststang. Remember Bottel bob?
Or a guy in a old Hellman Station wagon with a BBF i think it was a 460 all gasser styled out. And i guy that had a MGTD with a SBC that could never keep a drive shift in it. But when he did look out. We would race out on woodly and the fire men would seat out and look on if we saw them go in we new it was the COPS or they had a run to go on. And we had all the safty stuff we needed with them there LOL to funny. The race club had jacts and all it had RACE? on the back

 

groucho ,
do you remember a blue flaked out 71 grand prix on wires ? it was a buddy of mine . i have a pic of it in my office at the shop but no scanner .... the guys name is ed rowlett ...... great topic by the way .....

 

OH YEAH! Memories. I became Bottle Bobs personal mechanic to keep his street race cars alive (unlimited budget-FUN), and it was Marvin (THICK New York accent) who owned the Hillman (also owned Hildys's Garage i think in Inglewood), and Richard Johnson (of Fiasco Dyno Tuning fame) owned the MGTD. Good stuff, as Bottle Bob would say

 

Can't say's i do. What Era. I remeber cars like Low and Loaded, Love Land, Fred Frost (Frosty) was famous for "juiced" cars back then, Wada Manual, etc. THAT was my era on the lowrider side (early 70's), then got hooked on Fast shit (my 1st Vette in '74), and street racing around 1975. Then it was all fast shit 'til my 1st Paso in 2001 when i realized it was cool all over again to Low Ride(what most today call mild customs)

 

it was probably 74 75 76 ish ...... next time you are at the shop i will show you the pic ..... he worked for walt prey '' painter of the gypsy rose '' then ... walt painted his car .... it fuckin ruled ... you MAY know him as evil ed .... he grew up in van nuys . and is am oldie but a goodie like you .. haha ... i am gonna try for that door on friday . my buddy will be at my shop that day and he has a truck .....

 

Walt Prey! One of the GREAT painters, PERIOD. Used to go to his shop almost every Saturday to get a new name on my car window, as most Lowriders did back then. It was a social event for hours waiting for Walt to show up. His "girl" would ask everyone what name, what color(s), and collect money. $5 for 1 color, and $10 for 2. Then we'd hang and wait for Walt. I remember the hood from the first Gypsy Rose leaned against the shop wall while he was painting the second one. The first one ruled in my opinion. The years you designate indicate i'd moved on to fast cars/street racing which was a HUGE part of my life for years. I took that very seriously, and my best friends to date are from there, NOT High School as most people. I have a great idea for a new post.

 

Yup, fresh in from Sweeeden, I bought a 1957 Chevy 2D HT from a little old man in Pasadena (Yes, it's true) It had a 427 Vette Motor and a 4 speed.

I spend many Wednesdays on Van Nuys Blvd in 1979 looking for trouble.

Lay Down Sally was being played all the time as I remember.

Good Times !

 

a side note, an old friend told me that the original gypsy rose was demolished in la habra california when it entered the wrong hood. guys in that area smashed it up real bad.

 

I almost never missed a night cruising Van Nuys---starting in 1970 on. I lived in Ventura and would drive down as soon as school was out. At the time, I had a 58 Chevy Yeoman 2 door wagon with a 62 409 in it---dual quads too. I worked across the street from a tire recapper---every Sat I'd go buy a couple recap tires for like $10 each--and burn em up by the next weekend---those were the days!!

 

this thread kicks ass!!

i guess my dad used to live in van nuys. he had a 64 ranchero witha cammed up 302 and 4 speed that he used to run around in.

 

Great pics Eryk.......I love those 70's Lowriders

 

whats up groucho hey speaking of walt he just lost his best freind and painter mario they had a shop together called THE CANDY FACTORY ! he painted alot of the lifestyle cars! hey groucho we should all get together and take a cruise out to van nuys or any blvd in the valley hey maybe something could start out of it

 

Great post! I grew up in the valley,and hung out on VNblvd. The b.O.A. lot was THE place to be.Back in '74-75 nitrous was still a 'secret" to the quickest guys.Dale Armstrong used to hand make all the parts for them then. I remember the 'Fastang" doing smokin' donuts on Woodly. The Firestation was right on the 'starting line' . The MGTD with the sbc was owned by one of the guys that worked at sC auto parts. He would always tell my dad to put a sbc in his '49 Ford. I remember the Hillman with the crooked steering shaft,and it was FAST!!. We got busted one night in a race with'Plin'??We had a blue '69 chevelle with a 396,we smoked the Mustang ,then saw the reds!! My brother went to jail,and I had to walk,cause they towed the car. Whatever happened to 'Pete'with the black 413 mopar??ks for the memories.. Sparkxx