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Thread: Anyone have any stories of street racing back in the 50's & 60's?
          
   
   

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  1. #16
    Ron Lee is offline CHR Member Visit my Photo Gallery
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    Street Racing

     



    I always heard they raced at Forest Lawn in Glendale. I never got up there and hope its awhile before I do, actually.

    Another place they raced was at Dodger stadium. It was Stadium Way parallel to their big parking lot.

    Were you from this area at one time?

  2. #17
    Bob Parmenter's Avatar
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    Yep, a West Valley kid in the sixties during my teen years.
    Your Uncle Bob, Senior Geezer Curmudgeon

    It's much easier to promise someone a "free" ride on the wagon than to urge them to pull it.

    Luck occurs when preparation and opportunity converge.

  3. #18
    Ron Lee is offline CHR Member Visit my Photo Gallery
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    Street Racing

     



    Boy, that area has changed. I work out there, right on the borderline of Woodland Hills and Calabasas. Corner of Mulholland Drive and Valley Circle. High price homes, alot of retail businesses. You probably wouldn't recognize it.

  4. #19
    Bob Parmenter's Avatar
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    Well Ron, I remember when the only thing out where you work was the old actors home and sheep herders.

    Actually I get back there at least once a year. My mother still lives in what's now West Hills, and my brother lives in Newbury Park. I left there 30 some years ago because it looked like it was going to become what it has But that's progress!
    Your Uncle Bob, Senior Geezer Curmudgeon

    It's much easier to promise someone a "free" ride on the wagon than to urge them to pull it.

    Luck occurs when preparation and opportunity converge.

  5. #20
    Ron Lee is offline CHR Member Visit my Photo Gallery
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    Street Racing

     



    Bob-

    I can vouch for the old actors home still being there because thats where I work. Although known as that, it really is an acute hospital and a health center. We also own 4 other health centers around Los Angeles. It's actual name is the Motion Picture and Television Fund and serves only entertainment related people. But, you are right, most people still think of it as the Old Actors Home.

    FYI, I believe on the borderline of Ventura and Westlake Village, they are trying to develop the Ahmanson Ranch which I believe is a complex of 300 homes or something. Alot of dissension, challenges and upset people because the utilities, traffic, etc. can't handle it. You're family out here can fill you in.

    Thanks.

  6. #21
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    fmj
    fmj is offline CHR Member Visit my Photo Gallery
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    I need to browse this site so I can find these threads sooner. I remember the early 60s to early 70s street racing. There were always races on Vista del Mar by the hyperion plant in El Segundo. The stop lite at Grand was the start. Only bad thing was there was only one way in and out. Most got caught, since I only had an old ford I wasn't racing then only watching. In '64 I got a new 283 Chevelle SS. Put 4:11 in it and thought it was fast. We used to race over by St Bernards High School in Playa del Rey. I think I even won some races, low level stuff. When 409s and some of the Mopars came out they used to race down on the San Diego freeway at the Manchester on ramp where the 1/4 mile was marked off. There was a bridge overpass that we all lined up to watch on. The on ramp was really long. I also remember going over to a street by TRW in Hawthorne, CA that was a big time race street for awhile. I even remember seeing a full drag bike race there one nite. I got out of the Army in '67 and my dad knew someone at Nickey Chev in Chicago, where he lived. I bought a new 67' Camero SS 396, and it wasn't the 300 hp version. Break in was drive from Chicago to LA. Once in LA I changed the gears to 4:11s, traction bars, had some head work done, and put in a Hearst Shifter (that had to make it faster right ). I was working at NorthAmerican on Imperial Highway by LAX on second shift. There was a stop lite on Imperial heading to the beach that could guarantee a race every nite after work. There were lots of high horse power cars there as we were making good money. People would also come out and wait for us to get off work so they could race guys getting off work. I remember chunking at least one rear end and a couple of 4 speeds. Thats one car I wish I still had. I also stacked that car up, and think back on the racing we did. No one ever got hurt. We raced the 1/4 mile, or lite to lite, not the Fast and Furious version of the 1/4 that takes two minutes. Anyways thats some of it.

  7. #22
    Dave Severson is offline CHR Member/Contributor Visit my Photo Gallery
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    So. no one here ever street raced!! It was just as illegal then as it is now, and we all have the utmost respect for law and order on the highways as it pertains to others. My first "racer" was a '56 Ford 2dr sedan. My Uncle Roy and Dad helped me put a 312 in it out of a T-Bird that I found in the junk yard. Had a 3 speed od in it. I got numerous tickets in the car, and when it got really "hot" with the local posse, sold it to a friend of mine and let him take the heat!!!
    I grew up in a small town, so it was a matter of community pride to put a whoppin' on the boys from out of town, and a double whoopin' if you could beat their cars and steal their girls!!
    I don't think we were really all that bad, by today's standards we certainly weren't very fast, but we did have a lot of fun!! How about "rat races", or playing "bumper tag" with beaters? Seems kinda crazy now, but not as crazy as taking a gun to school and shooting your classmates. The "good old days" were really good, weren't they?
    Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, Live for Today!
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  8. #23
    Rix2Six is offline CHR Member Visit my Photo Gallery
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    Originally posted by bb427stang
    Street racing in the '50s or '60s? A little before my time... However, street racing in the early and mid '70s, now THAT was a party! Hooking up with the L.A. Street Racers every week at Brookhurst and La Palma (?) and test and tune and grudge racing at The County. Getting busted by LA county sherrif's at Nabisco at 1am, running every car in sight on La Palma...damn that was GREAT! In case there are some non-SoCal readers, I lived (and still live) in Orange County, California. Would I let my boys do it today? No F'in way. That was a different time. We raced for pinks occaisionally and it was rare for someone to welch on a bet. Today? Hell, they'd pull a gun because they lost!
    The '68 will go to the track again, and the boys are welcome to follow in Dad's steps as long as it's on the strip (non-NHRA tracks).
    More later.
    BB
    I spent a few nights behind nabisco and on la palma @ Brookhurst too!

  9. #24
    Mike P's Avatar
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    I turned 16 in 68 and really didn't get involved in street racing until the early 70's. I guess I was what would be considered a "hard core" street racer (race my friends for bragging rights and strangers for money) wrench on the cars during the week and out almost every weekend looking for a race. I was involved in 2 accidents (riding shotgun both times in imprompto streetraces) thank god no injuries.

    Hall Street in St Louis and the "Ones" (one way streets) in Davenport were pretty impressive, but I always managed to find find racing where ever I was stationed.

    I went through a 63 Falcon Furtura 2dr HT (289 4 spd), a 62 Chevy II rag top (327 tri-power), a V8 Vega, and 2 V8 Pintos, which I pretty much paid for by racing them. There was even a short time I was street racing and running at a local strip at the same time.

    I never got caught racing, but the cops knew who the racers were and I would usually get nailed for equiptment violations on a real regular basis. I got told get 1 car (my 351 powered 71 Pinto) out of Iowa, and another (my 74 302 powered Pinto) out of Wisconsin (running out of state tags both times).

    I've been watching the crack downs on street racing on the news and saw a 1 hour special about street racing on TV about a year ago. Except for the cars, nothing has really changed over the years (hell, it hasn't changed since the 30's). It's something that I survived and pretty much out grew.
    I've NEVER seen a car come from the factory that couldn't be improved.....

  10. #25
    Bob Parmenter's Avatar
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    Ya know Streets, your story explains a lot!!
    Your Uncle Bob, Senior Geezer Curmudgeon

    It's much easier to promise someone a "free" ride on the wagon than to urge them to pull it.

    Luck occurs when preparation and opportunity converge.

  11. #26
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    Street racing

     



    Did some street racing in the early 80's. I had my '73 Roadrunner at the time. All the "rich" kids from the suburbs had the new 3rd gen camaro's and Z/28's running them.
    We set up the races on the Des Moines downtown "loop" and then go down to Fluer drive at the top of the hill and race back to the "loop" downtown.
    I won my fair share and lost mine as well. We raced for a little money and it mostly for bragging rights and car brand bragging as well.
    We had a few that would race for "pinks". I was never in that group. Couldn't afford to loose my ride at the time.
    I have done some street racing as of 3 years ago in my '71 Roadrunner with a 440 for usually around $1000.00 a run. Now I am married and have kids to think about and I sold my '71 to a kid in Minnesota.
    I guess ya got to set your priorities!!!!
    DCON
    "DRIVE IT LIKE YA STOLE IT!"

  12. #27
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    Ah, reading about street racing on Fluer drive and the "loop" in DesMoines brings back a few memories. Was running a new 69 Torino Cobra and mostly just racing friends early on. The old ford held it's own pretty well, cept I got really tired of getting whooped by a buddies 69 Z28.

    Picked up a 69 427 Vett to solve this problem. Now the Vett did well, even running it pretty much in stock form, but seemed the guys running the blowers really liked picking on me. I was getting more into racing top end on the back roads then. Found I really appreciated 4 wheel disc brakes when I got run down the exit ramp on Euclid off of the freeway at about 130mph.

    By 1971 I had 3 Vetts setting in the garage all setup a little different to meet the situation. I'd go home and get the one that would give em the worst whoopen. The 67 327/350hp 4 gear coupe I had at the time was the best all around Vett I owned. I should have kept that one. Still one of my favorite cars.

    Now I am building a 53 Studebaker Starliner Cpe from the ground up. How much of a switch is that?

  13. #28
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    Anyone out there old enough to remember the burnout fest at Porkies Drive-Inn in Mineapolis NSRA Street Rod Nationals? I believe it was around 1978 give or take a couple years. Seemed like thousands of specators lining the streets watching Street Rods lite-em up. Mine was the big block , chopped top 40 Chevy panel truck. If you happen to have a copy of Nov. 1978 Rod Action Magazine, Page 57 I think it was, My panel truck is in the second row w/red flames. Good 'ol American horsepower (NOT A HONDA)
    "PLAN" your life like you will live to 120.
    "LIVE" your life like you could die tomorrow.

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  14. #29
    badasspen is offline CHR Member Visit my Photo Gallery
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    Hey, when i read you want 50's and 60's stories i thought it was cool, but when you busted on todays youth about only driving hondas i knew i had to say something. I got a flamed asspen and get into most car scenes around here prety easy. And i'm afraid you guys are out of touch. Everyone my knows muscle cars are faster. Some just can't get them and in turn have to get rice. There parents are the ones paying. And as far as i've seen it's about 50/50 on the streets right now. There are vw that take beater maro's and tuned up foxes eating supras. I have lots of friends with 80's v-8 cars who are strugling to get some power for there money. I also know about 2 guys with 4-cylender cars who do work themselfs and there not realy that different. I think all you guys with real cars just need to go drive your cars and don't be afraid to burn some rubber for a 10 year old kid. That definentely sticks in a mind.

  15. #30
    gasser is offline CHR Member Visit my Photo Gallery
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    well being that im 19, i never got to see street races in the "old days" but i will say i have done my share of street racing. my first car was a 65 comet caliente witha 351w, c6, 4:62's. I would run around whoppin up on the hondas non-stop, and most domestics too. I got my ass aced by a dude driving a tubbed chevelle on nitrous. we would meet up and usually have around 200 people but by the time we got to the track it was only like a hundred. I dont really do much racing anymore because i got rid of the car(horrible gas mileage-8mpg) and the police are really cracking down. my dad has some old pictures of him with his 53 stude racing. i wish i could have seen racing in the 60s.
    Wanna race?..... Its ok, I'll give you a head start!!!

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