Ed Pink Racing Shop

[Butch]

I finaly got around to watching the ED PINK shop tour. WOW is all I can say about the history that went through that building.
I never knew he did so much other type of engines other than drag race engines. If you haven't watched it I suggest you do.
I wonder if my middle name will have any effect on how old I make it. LOL

 

[Randy]

Think about it, if Ed is 92 his son could very well be retired and have no interest in working anywhere!

Ed is the same age as my mom, and both are sharp as a tack, which is very encouraging. However, I'm 67, and it seems both of them have forgotten more than I can remember.

 

[LAZYC]

Ed is the same age as my mom, and both are sharp as a tack, which is very encouraging. However, I'm 67, and it seems both of them have forgotten more than I can remember.

https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1986-08-28-vw-13989-story.html
Here's a story from Aug 1986, Billy Pink was 28 at the time

 

[Cliff]

Toluca Lake Bob's Big Boy..... a legend itself for hot cars. I think there were a few, ah, "my gas pedal got stuck exactly the same time as yours did" in that area. If you loved cars in SoCal that was the place to be.

 

[LAZYC]

Toluca Lake Bob's Big Boy..... a legend itself for hot cars. I think there were a few, ah, "my gas pedal got stuck exactly the same time as yours did" in that area. If you loved cars in SoCal that was the place to be.

Bob's Big Boy is still going strong, Friday night is cruse night it's packed. My 37 Ford is one of the cars on the cover of the breakfast menu. Back in the sixties & seventies they use to race on "River Road" (Forst Lawn Drive), a lot of really fast cars, Ramchargers, Cameros, Ford Fairlane's, local hot 55 chevy's etc.

 

[Cliff]

Thanks Jeff. I didn't know TL Bobs was still there. I remember the Bobs in Glendale (Colorado Blvd?) which actually was the original Bob's Big Boy. Was started in 1930's, I think, as a hamburger stand. Story goes that some musicians came in late night and wanted a double burger & that is how the Big Boy was invented. When I was in the Air Force, in Great Falls, Montana, Bob's was called Vips. We also had a few Bob's here in Phoenix, but all have folded.

I do remember River Road. We also had Colorado Blvd going to Pasadena (Pass a donuts) and a few contests were held there. Going over the Suicide Bridge (cuz people jumped from it) to Pasadena. Van Nuys Blvd, but that go so crowded you couldn't do anything & we quit going. Glen Oaks Blvd, going from Glendale to Burbank. In the 60's, there was a wall that went down the middle of Glen Oaks, had been part of the old trolly station, and if you were on one side and the cops on the other...... heh heh

BTW, I remember your Woody (Pontiac?) that had the blown Chrysler on nitro, running at San Fernando. Cool car!

 

[LAZYC]

Thanks Jeff. I didn't know TL Bobs was still there. I remember the Bobs in Glendale (Colorado Blvd?) which actually was the original Bob's Big Boy. Was started in 1930's, I think, as a hamburger stand. Story goes that some musicians came in late night and wanted a double burger & that is how the Big Boy was invented. When I was in the Air Force, in Great Falls, Montana, Bob's was called Vips. We also had a few Bob's here in Phoenix, but all have folded.

I do remember River Road. We also had Colorado Blvd going to Pasadena (Pass a donuts) and a few contests were held there. Going over the Suicide Bridge (cuz people jumped from it) to Pasadena. Van Nuys Blvd, but that go so crowded you couldn't do anything & we quit going. Glen Oaks Blvd, going from Glendale to Burbank. In the 60's, there was a wall that went down the middle of Glen Oaks, had been part of the old trolly station, and if you were on one side and the cops on the other...... heh heh

BTW, I remember your Woody (Pontiac?) that had the blown Chrysler on nitro, running at San Fernando. Cool car!

Thanks Cliff, If I had a nickel for all the passes/laps, I made down Van Nuys Blvd. back and forth to Boys Big Boy I'd be rich. When we first came to California, we lived in Van Nuys, and my dad's first job here was at Van Nuys Bob's Big Boy, so it's always had a warm spot in my heart.
Guys also street raced on Glendale Blvd. and Riverside Drive by Van De Camps Bakery.

My Woody was a 1948 Oldsmobile (GM only made 600 of them?) originally, I had a 324 then a 394 Oldsmobile with a Blown 671 on it for the street that I put in to replace the straight eight engine. After that it had a 1958 Chrysler 392 A1 Block, 671 blower, B&M Hydro Stick Transmission, and a two-hole Hilborn injector, I ran up to 80% in the tank, it was real Evel with that much nitro, after running 150.50 MPH at San Fernando I parked it for that reason and built a F/C. It was featured in this magazine in 2013 fifty years after I bought it for $200.00 in 1963, it was restored in 2012/ 2013 by Jose Lagano who still has it.

 

[Nick Name]

Bob's Big Boy is still going strong, Friday night is cruse night it's packed. My 37 Ford is one of the cars on the cover of the breakfast menu. Back in the sixties & seventies they use to race on "River Road" (Forst Lawn Drive), a lot of really fast cars, Ramchargers, Cameros, Ford Fairlane's, local hot 55 chevy's etc.

Phil Poynter made a test pass on the River Road one evening in his top Fueler. Caused a mass exit from Bobs to go see what it was.

 

[Ramjet]

There was a whole lot of wild stuff going on in the Valley + other places but Jeff’s Woodie has to be way up there representing the image of Southern California and Friday night Wild Hot Rods.

 

[Cliff]

There was a cemetary in Glendale, with a long road alongside of it. Story I heard was that Wild Bill Alexander drove the Earnies Camera AA/FD down that road once.

 

[Ramjet]

There was a cemetary in Glendale, with a long road alongside of it. Story I heard was that Wild Bill Alexander drove the Earnies Camera AA/FD down that road once.

That was Riverside Drive at the time now Forest Lawn Drive or (River Road) as it was known. It ran along side of Forest Lawn Cemetery. I moved to California 3 days after graduating from high school (JUNE 6 1961). Met some guys that were street racers at the shop I moved here to work for in Mint Canyon outside of Newhall. They took me down there to see races on “River Road”. I thought I had died and gone to Heaven. One side of the road was PD and the other side was LA County Sheriff. Most of the cars were from Glendale - Burbank or the rest of the Valley at that time. About three pairs ran and the Sirens and lights started coming from everywhere. Everybody jumped in cars and took off except a few of us. My buddy that came to California with me and I didn’t know what to do so we followed people into the Cemetery and hid behind the Tombstones. That was about 10:30 / 11:00. We figured that we were going to rot in jail when they caught us and had no idea where we were. Luckily the guy that brought us came back about 2:30 and picked us up. Went to San Fernando 2 weeks later and saw Marshal and Vermilya run 204 MPH. It was the first 200 MPH run at ‘Fernando. I changed my mind right then and decided “No more aspirations for a C/Gas car - I wanted to go Top Fuel racing. It took about 5 years to start going through C/Gas - Junior Fuel - Top Gas and then Top Fuel. Toluca Lake Bobs was only about 1/2 mile away and you could see guys like Ivo - and a bunch from the “Road Kings” there on any Friday night.

 

[M Jones]

One summer a long time when I was at Bill Carter’s shop along Van Nuys blvd across from the community collage, there was a huge parking lot ( about a half mile long) along the boulevard a few lights down from the shop, Bill was making some test hits in a top fuel front motor car ( don’t Remember the car name or owner ) when we heard the cops coming, he took off out on to the street on nitro and drove the car back to the shop in traffic thru the signals like he was in his street car, meanwhile we shut the Tralior door and were wiping the Traylor down when the cops came squealing in, we told them we were cleaning there because the light was better, they didn’t think that was funny and told us if the headers were even slightly warm when we opened the trailer that we were in big trouble, the look on there faces when they saw an empty trailer was priceless, this was not the first time they tried to catch someone there, Wild Bill Carter was one of a kind, miss him a ton, working at bills shop has given me a lifetime of memories, learned so much more than just custom painting, Rest In Peace wild Bill

 

[Cliff]

The first Big Name driver I saw in person was Tommy Ivo, at San Fernando, in 1962. He was in the Ernies Camera Pontiac car. Don't remember if the car was on gas or fuel (they ran both), but it was seeing Ivo that was so special.

OK, war story that I've told many times. After I got out of the Air Force in 1968. I went to Fernando every Sunday. One time, T/F Elim had Don Prudhomme in the brand new T/F car (around Dec 1968) VS Barry Kaplan in the Super K JR/F car. Snake gets sideways, shuts off & Kaplan wins. Man, people talked about that for weeks. heh

 

[J. S.]

These are all really great stories, guys. Keep them coming!

 

[LAZYC]

One summer a long time when I was at Bill Carter’s shop along Van Nuys blvd across from the community collage, there was a huge parking lot ( about a half mile long) along the boulevard a few lights down from the shop, Bill was making some test hits in a top fuel front motor car ( don’t Remember the car name or owner ) when we heard the cops coming, he took off out on to the street on nitro and drove the car back to the shop in traffic thru the signals like he was in his street car, meanwhile we shut the Tralior door and were wiping the Traylor down when the cops came squealing in, we told them we were cleaning there because the light was better, they didn’t think that was funny and told us if the headers were even slightly warm when we opened the trailer that we were in big trouble, the look on there faces when they saw an empty trailer was priceless, this was not the first time they tried to catch someone there, Wild Bill Carter was one of a kind, miss him a ton, working at bills shop has given me a lifetime of memories, learned so much more than just custom painting, Rest In Peace wild Bill

Bill Carters shop was on Burbank Blvd, between Coldwater Canyon and Fulton Ave. across from Valley College next to the fire station in Van Nuys, I spent many hours after work there sanding primer and watching Bill paint my F/C bodies, Bill painted all my funny car bodies except my first 1969 mustang body, John Lombardo and I painted it in his companies shop in North Hollywood.
One memorable story about Bill, I stopped bye there after work checking on the progress on my paint job and Bill asked me if I could give him a ride home, I said yes before I knew he lived in Cerritos, that's a long ass drive from Van Nuys/ North Hollywood where I lived it took me till eight o'clock before I got home.

Bill was a real talent and character, lots of cars came out of his shop. a longtime friend, RIP

 

[M Jones]

Bill Carters shop was on Burbank Blvd, between Coldwater Canyon and Fulton Ave. across from Valley College next to the fire station in Van Nuys, I spent many hours after work there sanding primer and watching Bill paint my F/C bodies, Bill painted all my funny car bodies except my first 1969 mustang body, John Lombardo and I painted it in his companies shop in North Hollywood.
One memorable story about Bill, I stopped bye there after work checking on the progress on my paint job and Bill asked me if I could give him a ride home, I said yes before I knew he lived in Cerritos, that's a long ass drive from Van Nuys/ North Hollywood where I lived it took me till eight o'clock before I got home.

Bill was a real talent and character, lots of cars came out of his shop. a longtime friend, RIP

Thanks for getting the street names corrected, I was pretty young when I stayed at his place, I get the streets mixed up because over the years I worked off and on at different shops with him, he was married to Kathy my cousin at that time, I’m sure over the years we probably seen each other at one of the shops, i stayed with him and Linda for awhile and made that trip with him to Cerritos and back, if I remember it was about one and a half hours too two hours average each way, he was definitely a character

 

[glofria]

Wishing every one a Merry Christmas. And as a treat, while searching for something else on Youtube this morning I came across this video from 1976. Some of which is from Ed Pink's shop.

 

[Cliff]

Boy this musta been a big meet. Lots of name drivers there. Jeff Courtie. some guy named Garlits and of course, Larry Sutton on the starting line. I wonder if I was at this race? Wonder if it was AHRA? What is cool is you can see the header flames when the car does the burnout and also when they're being backed up. I really loved seeing that.

 

[LAZYC]

Boy this musta been a big meet. Lots of name drivers there. Jeff Courtie. some guy named Garlits and of course, Larry Sutton on the starting line. I wonder if I was at this race? Wonder if it was AHRA? What is cool is you can see the header flames when the car does the burnout and also when they're being backed up. I really loved seeing that.

It looks like the Nitro Championship's from July 1976, if it was, I won that race, it was one of Doners extravaganzas, as all the big-name F/C guys "Billy Myers, Lil John Lombardo, Gean Snow, Phoenix, were some of the cars out here for their annual loop thru the northwest, Seattle, (64 Funny Cars), Bremerton, Spokane, etc. and a lot of Canadian / dragstrips.

A lot of big names were there I raced Brad Anderson in the final, after at the Dennys restaurant by Champman Ave. and the five freeway were we always stopped after the races for something to eat as that was the only place open, Lombardo and Billy Myers said to me as I walked in "You Won didn't you", I said yes. I was very proud that I had some luck and beat some of the big names for the win.

 

[Cliff]

Wow, this is cool Jeff. I didn't remember Brad Anderson running nitro, always as an alky F/C driver. I remember seeing your cars. I liked the Mustang II the most, just cuz of the design. This race was why going to Lions, OCIR, etc was like going to a National event. We were really spoiled back then. I wish I had the $$ I spent on admissions, pit passes and "drag dawgs" (in todays' money). I'd be rich. heh But I am rich from the experiences. There is no form of motorsports like drag racing.