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

timstoy

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old rigger

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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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shit, we didn't even have paved streets in Paramount and we wished we had mud to play in.

Dad's '54, nice rake, hot 235 six, dual carbs, Fenton headers.

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timstoy

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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

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Legends right there! Proud to know Joe and Ed on a first name basis. Ed was still sharp as a tack last time I seen him at Isky cams, hadn’t seen him in a couple of years and still remembered me by name! What a amazing man and a wealth of knowledge! Looks like that picture was at Reath’s shop on 28th St. in Signal Hill,
 

old rigger

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Grab a coke from the machine, wait your turn while the parts guy writes you a hand written receipt while smoking a cigar! Looks like a regular day at Reath automotive! Get real world advice from people that used the products and sold them every day. Sounds like a good business model.
Lotta memories with Joe and Del.

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Don't have a memory of this first shop on 10th, but the later shop on 28th was always the place to hang out.
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old rigger

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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

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Ermie, 2 time AMBR winner!
When I was a kid dad was building a then brand new 425 Olds for his '56 pick up. Isky set him up with a cam and somewhere along the line he gave me this brass plaque. Still have it as I've never kept a car long enough to mount it on. haha

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twocents

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Hedman Hedders is not listed on there either. We were in Culver City back then I think. Now we are in Whittier, still a family owned business and still making headers in the USA!
Went to Audubon Junior High east of Crenshaw Blvd. - Richard Hedman and I were in the same class.
 

boatpi

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Absolutely Hedman was in Culver City. They used to give police officers a big-time wholesale discount. Good guys.
 

CommanderLee

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Went to Audubon Junior High east of Crenshaw Blvd. - Richard Hedman and I were in the same class.
That's pretty cool. I have only met Ken Hedman. Bob Vandergriff Sr bought the company in the late 70s from the Hedman's and still owns it to this day.
 

timstoy

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Lotta memories with Joe and Del.

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Don't have a memory of this first shop on 10th, but the later shop on 28th was always the place to hang out.
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Del knew her stuff! Great part woman. Joe had a employee named Gary, don’t remember his last name, he was great on Holley carbs. He taught me how they worked and how to turn them. I think he went on to work for Holley. Great guy!
 

Hypnautic

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Very cool map--world still had problems but seem so much simpler than todays.
FWIW--the city of Dairy Land (between Buena Park and Cypress) is La Palma.
That changed in the early 70's as that area was being developed.
 

boatpi

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How about just regular auto parts, A Auto parts in Whittier, or Chief Auto Parts. Not PC now.
 

jetboatperformance

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Up here we Had Vern Garcias "The Parts house" Old school, stools at the parts counters to shoot the shit, bench race with the parts guys who were all knowledgeable drag racers street racers , General auto parts (not a franchise) but specialized in Hot rods, Good times. Happy to say we've kept a similar business model at JBP
 

rivermobster

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No Gale Banks engineering?

Not sure he had his own business in the 60's. 70's for sure on San Gabriel Blvd. He tuned the first engine I built around 74 or so.

I think it was John's Speed Shop that was right next door??
 

timstoy

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Very cool map--world still had problems but seem so much simpler than todays.
FWIW--the city of Dairy Land (between Buena Park and Cypress) is La Palma.
That changed in the early 70's as that area was being developed.
Dairy valley is now Cerritos. South St. had dairys on both sides of the streets for miles before the 605 freeway was built. All gone now.
 

old rigger

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This used to be a Speedway in Culver City in 1924

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This is from the old Ascot raceway long before it was where we all remember JC’s was. I went to military school with his nephew. His dad was a pro football player, Bootin’ Ben was his nickname. He was missing the front half of his foot so his shoe/cleat was flat across the front. Seemed like an unfair advantage, you know except for the whole missing half his foot thing.
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jetboatperformance

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Dairy valley is now Cerritos. South St. had dairys on both sides of the streets for miles before the 605 freeway was built. All gone now.
My besty and surfing buddy Chuck's parents/family moved to San Luis from that area (Paramount) and started Dutch maid Dairy (a drive thru dairy store) in the late 60's
 
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Wheeler

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old rigger

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where'd you keep the cows? :)


At one time dog racing was big in Culver city. ...well maybe not that big butt you get the point.

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Dairies were everywhere and Paramount was know as the 'Hay Capitol of California" back then. They had a sign across Paramount blvd proclaiming that title. There was still a dairy across the street from the high school when I graduated, Long's Dairy.
As was the tradition since my dad went to Paramount High, a cow was stolen from one of the dairies and put in senior square. We went one better, on the roof of John's drive through dairy was a life size fiberglass cow, we un bolted it, lowered with ropes into the bed of our friends '46 Dodge pickup and placed it in the square.
 
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Wheeler

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Dairies were everywhere and Paramount was know as the 'Hay Capitol of California" back then. They had a sign across Paramount blvd proclaiming that title. There was still a dairy across the street from the high school when I graduated, Long's Dairy.
As was the tradition since my dad went to Paramount High, a cow was stolen from one of the dairies and put in senior square. We went one better, on the roof of John's drive through dairy was a life size fiberglass cow, we un bolted it, lowered with ropes into the bed of our friends '46 Dodge pickup and placed it in the square.

Do you know how fucking hard it is to get a cow into the back of a pick up truck? In all fairness we were drunk and laughing our asses off, but still, it took some effort.

Back in the mid sixties I would go stay in Buena Park with friends from the ski club. It smelled but not near as bad as my Uncles hog farm outside of Delano.
 

77charger

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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?
Yes laguna niguel. Parents moved here in 85. After they closed mission yamaha bought it and moved there from their small shop on Camino Capistrano. Then to Irvine big superstore.
 

Flyinbowtie

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Very cool thread, boy the pics of Joe and his wife...my Dad was very tight with Joe from about 1970 through 1980ish when they moved up here. Joe loved that Dad was building a Flatty, and scrounged a couple pieces for him...and turned us on to a 90 yr old master porting guy...I've told that story before here.
Dad and Mom would always visit the shop when down in LB for something. Joe would always send Reath Tee shirts home for me. My mom got a sympathy card from Joe and Del when my Dad passed, we had no idea how he found out...the grapevine I guess. After that Joe would call her every now and then to see how she was doing, and she got a Christmas Card from Del every year til she wasn't able to send them anymore.
Salt of the earth people.
I remember stopping in one day when in LB one time to find they were prepping to close the store. Joe always remembered me, and there was no visit that lasted less than an hour. I told Joe he needed to write a book, he just laughed.
He shoulda.
 

sirbob

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Yes laguna niguel. Parents moved here in 85. After they closed mission yamaha bought it and moved there from their small shop on Camino Capistrano. Then to Irvine big superstore.
I used to have John service my RD 400 at the family Yamaha shop on the corner of Marguerite and Avery. That was before they moved over to the shop on Crown Valley I guess I never realized that was the building Hillborn was in before Mission motor sports.
 

77charger

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I used to have John service my RD 400 at the family Yamaha shop on the corner of Marguerite and Avery. That was before they moved over to the shop on Crown Valley I guess I never realized that was the building Hillborn was in before Mission motor sports.
Yeh that was a small shop back in the day.
 

Wheeler

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I used to have John service my RD 400 at the family Yamaha shop on the corner of Marguerite and Avery. That was before they moved over to the shop on Crown Valley I guess I never realized that was the building Hillborn was in before Mission motor sports.
Don Vesco had a shop in that same area.
 

rivermobster

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Very cool thread, boy the pics of Joe and his wife...my Dad was very tight with Joe from about 1970 through 1980ish when they moved up here. Joe loved that Dad was building a Flatty, and scrounged a couple pieces for him...and turned us on to a 90 yr old master porting guy...I've told that story before here.
Dad and Mom would always visit the shop when down in LB for something. Joe would always send Reath Tee shirts home for me. My mom got a sympathy card from Joe and Del when my Dad passed, we had no idea how he found out...the grapevine I guess. After that Joe would call her every now and then to see how she was doing, and she got a Christmas Card from Del every year til she wasn't able to send them anymore.
Salt of the earth people.
I remember stopping in one day when in LB one time to find they were prepping to close the store. Joe always remembered me, and there was no visit that lasted less than an hour. I told Joe he needed to write a book, he just laughed.
He shoulda.

Somebody else I know Needs to be writing a book!

I don't wanna say no names though...

🧐😉
 
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