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1964 Map Of Speed And Race Shops In The LA Area And Vicinity

Chili Palmer

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If you could go back to 1964...

Race Map.jpg
 

monkeyswrench

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Anyone know if Diest still owns the building on Hazel? Was still done with their signage 20ish years ago.
 

Aces & Eights

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#1 on the list, 10122 S Main St is straight up gangster hood, has been since at least the 80’s.
 

Racer56

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That's my grandparents business, Ansen Automotive Engineering. My grandfather is standing in the center. This was their second location and they moved not long after the picture was taken to 137th and Western. The Ansen clock was on the Normandie building up until the late 90's and I kick myself for not going and buying it.
 

FreeBird236

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That's my grandparents business, Ansen Automotive Engineering. My grandfather is standing in the center. This was their second location and they moved not long after the picture was taken to 137th and Western. The Ansen clock was on the Normandie building up until the late 90's and I kick myself for not going and buying it.
I'm not that familiar with everything they made, but I remember my friend being real happy to pick up an Ansen scatter shield for his 67 Camaro.
 

Wheeler

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That's my grandparents business, Ansen Automotive Engineering. My grandfather is standing in the center. This was their second location and they moved not long after the picture was taken to 137th and Western. The Ansen clock was on the Normandie building up until the late 90's and I kick myself for not going and buying it.
I found that photo on the Petersen site or the HAMB along with others.

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sirbob

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Hmmm

Hillborn Fuel injectors address lists them in Laguna Beach. But the address shown is at Crown Valley and the 5. The address looks like it was in the old Clark Foam shop that surfboard makers used to get blanks from.

I wonder if they shared that site?
Also, was that literally Laguna beach at that time. We moved to the area in 78 and that was Laguna Niguel at the time I think?
 

boatpi

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How’s the freeways missing???
Let me educate you youngsters of a lack of freeways on this map.

The only two freeways were the Pasadena freeway, which went up to the Arroyo seco area, and the 101, there was no interstate

The 101 freeway known as the Santa Ana freeway, stopped in Santa Ana and became a large divided highway. on the right side where it stopped up above was a large radio tower for a rock radio station KEZY. Am of course, as I don’t believe there were any FM stations at the time.


If you wanted to drive to San Diego, you would drive on this highway through Irvine Ranch, which was all cattle down, to San Juan Capistrano to the intersection where the mission is it at a stoplight.

Then continue in to Oceanside where the Dennys is is now along side the freeway for another stoplight, and then into San Diego.

Ascot race Way was open every weekend which is really not in Gardena. It was in an unincorporated county area and JC Agajanian was the man. Rv ads and all.

He was close friends with Ed Eskandarian, and both of them or acquaintances, with my late father‘s brother, who is a LA land inspector.

JC Agajanian made his big money in the trash hauling business, and that was my uncles territory. They got along well, and JC made his huge money by pretty much being the innovator of the landfill where you would layer dirt and compress, trash, and alternate the layers. JC gave my uncle a few tips on buying land so in the 1960s my uncle went down to Wilmington where all the junkyards are now are used to be a start of buying land for about $1000-$1500 a lot rented them out to automotive junkyards for about $75 a month. Couple of times I went down to collect rent from him by the time 1969 or 70 rolled around. He had $1 million in the land all paid for which was in a incredible sum at the time. That was some pretty good advice.

He made $$$. Fast forward about two decades, and I met Jaycee Agajanian son Chris, who is a deputy district attorney in Los Angeles quit early of course, and went in to private practice. Very nice guy.

And then, another note, you may see Lyons dragstrip, which wasn’t always the best surface, but developed some incredible times because of the dense air coming off the Pacific Ocean it was right next to the Winchester shotgun range. Are used to shoot skeet there now and then.

Most of the speed shops within a half an hour of liens and that’s what it was all about plus back after World War II before all the drag strips. All the guys are take their hot rods into the LA River just north of downtown around the train tracks and run them on the riverbed. my father, and great uncle included!

Small world.
 

timstoy

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Hmmm

Hillborn Fuel injectors address lists them in Laguna Beach. But the address shown is at Crown Valley and the 5. The address looks like it was in the old Clark Foam shop that surfboard makers used to get blanks from.

I wonder if they shared that site?
Also, was that literally Laguna beach at that time. We moved to the area in 78 and that was Laguna Niguel at the time I think?
Hillborn and Clark foam were next to each other.
 

Wheeler

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Right? When the whole world was still in black and white! 😁
Growing up at the beach with all the overcast days then going to the shop in Iglewood with all the smog is why most all the memories of my youth are in black an white. ...except for that red cowboy shirt my mom made me wear for that damn photo on the pony! :mad:
 

rivermobster

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Growing up at the beach with all the overcast days then going to the shop in Iglewood with all the smog is why most all the memories of my youth are in black an white. ...except for that red cowboy shirt my mom made me wear for that damn photo on the pony! :mad:

Yep. I understand that vividly.

Now...

Post the pic. I double dog dare ya!

😁😁
 

Wheeler

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If I run across it I'll post it with chaps and all! I'm sure my little sister has it as I know I have a photo of her that same day on that damn shitland pony.
I grew up in the ghetto where people parked in the front yard. We didn't have sidewalks or street lights and had to walk to school in the mud. :oops:

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timstoy

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How’s the freeways missing???
Let me educate you youngsters of a lack of freeways on this map.

The only two freeways were the Pasadena freeway, which went up to the Arroyo seco area, and the 101, there was no interstate

The 101 freeway known as the Santa Ana freeway, stopped in Santa Ana and became a large divided highway. on the right side where it stopped up above was a large radio tower for a rock radio station KEZY. Am of course, as I don’t believe there were any FM stations at the time.


If you wanted to drive to San Diego, you would drive on this highway through Irvine Ranch, which was all cattle down, to San Juan Capistrano to the intersection where the mission is it at a stoplight.

Then continue in to Oceanside where the Dennys is is now along side the freeway for another stoplight, and then into San Diego.

Ascot race Way was open every weekend which is really not in Gardena. It was in an unincorporated county area and JC Agajanian was the man. Rv ads and all.

He was close friends with Ed Eskandarian, and both of them or acquaintances, with my late father‘s brother, who is a LA land inspector.

JC Agajanian made his big money in the trash hauling business, and that was my uncles territory. They got along well, and JC made his huge money by pretty much being the innovator of the landfill where you would layer dirt and compress, trash, and alternate the layers. JC gave my uncle a few tips on buying land so in the 1960s my uncle went down to Wilmington where all the junkyards are now are used to be a start of buying land for about $1000-$1500 a lot rented them out to automotive junkyards for about $75 a month. Couple of times I went down to collect rent from him by the time 1969 or 70 rolled around. He had $1 million in the land all paid for which was in a incredible sum at the time. That was some pretty good advice.

He made $$$. Fast forward about two decades, and I met Jaycee Agajanian son Chris, who is a deputy district attorney in Los Angeles quit early of course, and went in to private practice. Very nice guy.

And then, another note, you may see Lyons dragstrip, which wasn’t always the best surface, but developed some incredible times because of the dense air coming off the Pacific Ocean it was right next to the Winchester shotgun range. Are used to shoot skeet there now and then.

Most of the speed shops within a half an hour of liens and that’s what it was all about plus back after World War II before all the drag strips. All the guys are take their hot rods into the LA River just north of downtown around the train tracks and run them on the riverbed. my father, and great uncle included!

Small world.
One of JC son’s owned Los Alamitos Ale House, might have been Chris, I don’t remember his name. In the mens restroom had some Ascot posters and when we were leaving we talked about Ascot and racing. He told me he was friends with Roland Sands who had a shop down the street and I told him that my BIL Larry Dahlhoff was best friends with Roland’s dad Perry who founded Performance Machine motorcycle wheels. Small world!
 

playdeep

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That's my grandparents business, Ansen Automotive Engineering. My grandfather is standing in the center. This was their second location and they moved not long after the picture was taken to 137th and Western. The Ansen clock was on the Normandie building up until the late 90's and I kick myself for not going and buying it.
That's awesome...!
I try&buy all the vintage Ansen stuff I come across.
Found an old Ansen Sbc bellhousing that I really want.
The original Ansen stuff is bringing big bucks these days...
 
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Gramps

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In the late 50's - 60's there was a "speed shop" on the corner of Beverly Blvd and Gerhart in Montebello. Anyone remember it or what the name was?
 

Wheeler

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Damm Wheeler I’m old enough to remember those gas prices!
During the gas wars I would go with my dad towing a trailer with 55 gal. drums and filling them up for later use. the good old days.
 

timstoy

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During the gas wars I would go with my dad towing a trailer with 55 gal. drums and filling them up for later use. the good old days.
Gas wars! My Dad had a 1970 Chevy truck with two fifteen gallon saddle tanks plus the main tank. Some gas stations would give a “trucker’s discount “ if you bought over a certain amount they would give you a additional discount per gallon! Probably never see that happen again! Still have the truck!
 

Wheeler

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I would drive to

1042 Princeton Drive, Venice, Ca

and ask a guy name Carol what he does with his old race cars and then buy every one of them.

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I was told that they almost dumped the Daytonas in the ocean to avoid paying the tarriffs to bring them back to the states.
 

timstoy

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Super Shops and Service Centers. Some Chief auto parts and other auto parts stores carried some speed parts.
 

rivergames

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I wish times were still like that in LA.

I see Isky used to be in Inglewood and now they are down the street from my shop in Gardena.

I just saw old man Isky sweeping outside his shop a few months back. I believe he is 101 years old!
 

Wheeler

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I wish times were still like that in LA.

I see Isky used to be in Inglewood and now they are down the street from my shop in Gardena.

I just saw old man Isky sweeping outside his shop a few months back. I believe he is 101 years old!
Here you go Andrew. found this pic last night while searching the net. Now I gotta get to to ranch!



(From left-right) Ed Iskenderian, Ermie Immerso, Joe Reath. 2002

Reath 109AA.jpg
 

Racer56

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This was sent to me the other day.

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Lou Senter built this Itow chassis-based dragster, running a rare Packard V-8. It later got a blower, and was to be a ride for Lou's nephew, Leonard Harris. Sadly Harris died at Lions before he could drive the car. In this version, several drivers drove it, including drag racing and tennis legend Pancho Gonzales.

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Ansen and Pink, Joe Itow chassis, Ed Pink and Louie Senter horsepower. Tom Dyer drove the car, seen here in the Fontana pits, Manuel Maldonado photo. A pre-owned Fuller car would replace this car, but not before it got pink pain
 
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