growing up a car guy in San Gabriel Valley 1960's-70's-80's?

[Jim Ratto]

I like Pasadena and the surrouding areas. Those that grew up in the area, what was it like growing up with gasoline in your veins and a leadfoot? Seems like a really cool place to have grown up especially summer time....   there must have been a hot rod VW following among some guys? How about other cars, car clubs, car people? A guy that I used to work with here in San Fernando Valley grew up in 1960's and 70's in Pasadena, and he's got all kinds of stories, running around in all kinds of stuff, from wind-up toy Fiats, to big hulking vans with hot rodded V8's in them.... plus GTO Judge, Ferrari 365 Daytona, Lotus Elite...
Pasadena seems to have something for about every type of guy. Even maybe Sheep.

[Dave Galassi .]

It was a great place and time, Uncle Jim.  I've mentioned before, that Orange County wasn't the only place where it was happening..........

1.  Blair's Speed Shop, who arguably did more straight axle conversions than any other shop out there.  Lots of gassers out of that place. Blowers and BIG power in the window displays.   Pasadena

2.  Competition Engineering - home of the Iguana powerplant and numerous other hot VW and Porsche engines.  Pasadena

3.  Bursch - the inventor of the equal length headers for Porsches and VW's - Pasadena.

4.  Irwindale Raceway and Speedway 605 - the local dragstrip and 1/2 mile dirt oval tracks. 

5.  Valley Volkswagen Club - started in the very early 70's, met at Valley Volkswagen in Temple City, just across the street from Jesse's Pit Stop, a repair shop that sold EMPI parts......active club that had a number of big (1700 - 2180) engine street cars.

6.  "New York Drive"  - the drag strip (read as street racing street) of choice in the Pasadena/Altadena area.  Lots of fun there.

7.  Pasadena, home of MG Mitten, the EMPI of the sports car crowd, who also happened to sell EMPI parts.  Right on Colorado Blvd., at Catalina.  I used to go there and ask for stickers..........

8.  San Gabriel Valley, Home of the Winternationals at Pomona, Gray Baskerville, Pete Eastwood, Rusnak Porsche, Mickey Thompson and numerous other automotive dignitaries.

It was the best.  Friday nights (1970 on) , if we had good behavior, my dad would take my brother and I to the races, either 605 or Irwindale.  If it was a Saturday, we would, on rare occasions get to go to the go kart track, near the drag strip.  There was an entire class at Speedway 605 for the VW's, all of them sporting long stingers out the back and making a racket as they went around the track. 

Even though I graduated high school in 1983, the cars to be feared at my high school (Temple City) were not front wheel drive (there weren't that many);  Sammy Maloof's blown 68 Camaro Z/28, Ron Harkness' big block bad black '55 Chevy, Mark Blenderman's big block 69 Chevelle (he worked at the Union 76 station down the street and I hung out there more than my fair share as a kid) and V8 Vega Station Wagon.  Brock McKenzie's '69 SS 396 M22 Posi Camaro and his brother's '67 Nova Small block.  There was only one VW that scared anyone, and it was Jim McDonald's 2180/48's '69 Bug.  I could go on.........there were AMC's, Ford's (though we didn't take to them all that much) and a few Chryslers (Scott Fischer's tunnel ram GTX).  I'd cruise the scene in my Squareback or '30 coupe.  We raced right past the school at lunch time!  I can remember it was the only time I ever did a second gear chirp in my crew cab!  No one was going to lose their car or their license if they got caught.   


and we had fun, fun fun til they took the octane and free time away!

[javabug]

Great reading, Dave!  All cool stuff.

[Sarge]

Nice post, Dave!  I remember seeing more then a few Blair's cars at the local tracks back then.  It was the best of times.

[Dave Galassi .]

It was Sarge.  The second to last Hot Rod Deluxe Magazine had a great article on one of the Blair's Gassers (a nice '55 Chevy with nose up) and it gave a little history on the subject.  As a kid, I got to go to Orange County a few times with a teacher from my dad's school, who campaigned a '65 Belvedere called "The Mayflower".  That feeling you had as a kid, hearing that thumping sound, running to the stands to watch him run...........
I also accompanied Paul Winson (the guy my dad bought my '30 coupe basket case from) to Orange County to run his flathead slingshot at an antique (read flatheads) event.  It was the epitome of unsafe, but I remember getting to steer it to the lanes.......

At lunch time, before I had my license (freshman and sophomore years), we could sit facing Temple City Blvd. and be entertained by the guys who would make passes up and down the street.  Some cool cars.  Dale Raine's AMC "The Machine" 390 4 speed, another guy with a four door big block Matador with slicks (!), Ron Swannenberg's small block '70 Vette, Geno's California Special Mustang..........people weren't afraid to drive obscure stuff either.......or modify it.  We built a 13 to 1 comp Hemi head '77 Corolla in auto shop (yeah, the school had one at the time) and it idled like it randomly lost a couple of cylinders, but it honked with the go pedal pressed.........for a few thousand miles.  People drove and built some weird stuff - really home brewed.

A guy could pick what car he wanted to own and find a sweetheart original car near home, buy it and have fun.  I bought four Nova's (yeah, a weak point in my history!) within four miles of my house.  They were all low mile and clean and never paid more than $1700 for one.  Stuff was ripe for the picking. 

When I worked at Russ' VW Recycling, I met a guy named Wes Wilson, who also lived in Pasadena.  We got to be friends and one day (early 80's), we're talking about the treasures we'd found (heck, we were both only in our early 20's) there.  As I list off my  finds, he says to me, "you don't really know Pasadena".  I took offense to a certain degree, but agreed to have him show me "his" Pasadena one weekend.  Long story short, I got a tour of some killer alleys, backyards and remote streets, with barndoor busses, Notchbacks, ragtops, splits......I was blown away.  Wes was the kind of guy who could, and did, buy a one owner, original paint early ragtop for $600.00...............and make payments to the seller!  He could do anything.  Moved to Hawaii to sell baskets and other stuff on the beach.......

By the way, I noticed a few weeks ago that there is a "cars and coffee" kind of thing happening in Verdugo Hills, in the parking lot of the theatre by the VH hospital.  Anyone been to it?  Time to fire the rag and head on over.  As I passed by on the freeway, I could see the hardware..........nice selection.  Even an early bus.

[Jim Ratto]

Dave we should make plans to drive to the C & C, I think it is @ United Artists' parking lot, I keep meaning to get out there early one Saturday morning.... but....

Dave you have no idea how much I enjoyed your posts here. Chills, dude.... chills.

[Dave Galassi .]

Thanks Jim.  It was a good time and place to grow up.  Still lots of hoppin' up goin' on.

I would love to do that one Saturday.  Maybe take the boys too, if I can set up some restraints in the car.........

It was fun just thinking back to those days.

[Jim Ratto]

Thanks Jim.  It was a good time and place to grow up.  Still lots of hoppin' up goin' on.

I would love to do that one Saturday.  Maybe take the boys too, if I can set up some restraints in the car.........

It was fun just thinking back to those days.

sounds good, let's keep an eye on going one day soon.... coffee and donuts on me.

[Dave Galassi .]

P.S.  For you street rodders, Pete and Jakes got their start in Temple City, and the So Cal Speed Shop, in Pomona, is also a SGV car spot.

For anyone interested, you can search Google;   Blair's Speed Shop (of note, neat Anglia Gasser still campaigned), Gray Baskerville, Pete and Jakes or, try Pasadena Hot Rods.


There was a reason Jan and Dean called her the Little Old Lady From Pasadena.  She's the terror of Colorado Boulevard!

[Jim Ratto]

Dave's posts here...  you can almost smell the french fries, burning rubber and summer night. Can you hear the chicks screaming? hahahahahaaa

[Harry/FDK]

Never been there, but the names and places... I just inhale the fumes and vibes to catch up. This is so cool.