Harley and Rider SF 1980
1954 Cadillac Sunset District 1979
COE Ford Buffalo, OK
Edison, WA 1981
Cruising SF Beach 1980
SF School Bus 1980
All Photos posted at the Cohort by Ralf K
Vintage Snapshots: Head West Until You See the 1980s
– Posted on March 16, 2017
Boy is that old Ford coupe tacky.
I’m glad the old “street rod” craze is dead.
I think it looks odd because its a fairly unmodified full fender steel body, no chop no channel. I don’t see it as tacky, many rodders today would give their left nut to find something so original and pristine.
I like that coupe. The roofline DEFINITELY needs to be chopped down tho. The biggest eyesore is the mismatched wheels. Needs those Torq Thrusts all around to look its best. If its a drag car then a full set of chrome reverses are acceptable…I just never really saw the appeal of those. Half moon smoothie caps would help.
The mismatched wheels were common on a lot of rods back then. Usually as long as the back wheels were both a matched pair, the fronts could be a different matched pair. In today’s megabuck perfect hot rod world it’s easy to forget that hotrods like this were often built by teens out of junkyard parts to the best of their ability and budget.
Truth. I know it’s kind of a thing with gassers too. Functionally it sort of makes sense since it seems they would run spindle mount Rockets or Halibrands up front and chrome reverse or Ansens out back…sometimes with white walls on one pair of tires…BIG wtf there! I do know some would run a one piece steel or alloy out back but Cragars up front. That begins to make sense since SS’ are a composite wheel: aluminum center riveted to a steel rim. Subjecting those to repeated full throttle launches has probably grenaded more than a few. I suspect this car is a budget built ride as you stated. Just looks cobbled up whether it’s a intended thing or not.
Yeah, this looks like an “authentic” garage built rod, In that it’s more interesting than the pro built $100,000 rods that are way,way to common at shows. I’d rather it be stock,but hey, at least it looks “real”.
I’d take the Fury and the Caddy any day, but my fave here is that COE Ford!
That’s what I like about it, and best of all it’s being DRIVEN. If this thing were hot rodded into a billet Boydster it would never leave the garage and if it were a mint Model A it would also never leave the garage.
Frankly this is my favorite form of hot rod, not as nasty as rat rod as defined today but in the purposeful care free spirit.
I saw this ’34 (?) Ford parked outside a local card room twice last week (on different sides of the street, definitely moved). It’s a little nicer than the one shown above, but still seems like it gets driven regularly; in fact there’s quite a few ’29 – ’36 Ford rods I see on the roads here, and not just on sunny weekends. BTW, I went to high school in SF and graduated in ’73, those cars were not common sights then, even at Ocean Beach on a weekend, so that may have been some event.
I like to see old cars as DDs. If it’s not a rare museum piece, Drive it! That’s what cars are for! I’m not a rod guy, But real rods were built to be driven not just as show cars. If it is safe and reliable enough to use, Do it. ??
Tacky? How so? It looks stock but with mag wheels…. Also, not sure what you mean by the “old street rod craze”. Is there a new street rod craze? If so, are new street rods newer cars… like late 90s to current? That imo would be lame.
Nothing screams “1970s” like that Shovelhead chopper. I like it! But I still prefer the Panhead, styling wise.
Welcome to my inspiration for life in the late 1960’s/early 1970’s. Although it took me half the decade to finally get my motorcycle license, until 1980 to get my first REAL motorcycle (1979 Triumph Bonneville), and 1993 to get my first Harley (’82 XLS) and first patch on my back.
Yeah, I’m one of those guys who walked into the theatre to see Easy Rider, and walked out of there a changed person.
“Yeah, I’m one of those guys who walked into the theatre to see Easy Rider, and walked out of there a changed person.”
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Me too and it’s nothing to be ashamed of .
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-Nate
Forget the Harley and rider in that first shot, sign me up for that Fuselage Fury!
1979-80 was a golden age for those of us who loved Mopars – good, clean one-owner cars for dirt cheap were everywhere.
And sign me up for that Alfa Romeo.
That’s a rare sight out in the wild even when it was new. My guess is it is a’74 Berlina because of the huge rubber bumpers; I’m not sure if Alfa imported any Berlinas in ’75 since that’s when they began selling Alfettas in the U.S.
I’ll take the Fury and the bad boy. Every cruiser needs a bad ass riding scrub
GREAT photos & memories ! .
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I owned a 1969 Plymouth Fury III Coupe in….?1976? , it was a freebie, I got it running, the 383 went like stink .
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The Chopper rider looks like many dirt bags I knew when I was riding my PanHead Harley in the 1970’s .
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The school bus is a Crown, built right here in Los Angeles, a buddy of mine had a job as a riveter there in the early 1970’s .
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-Nate
Really, we oughtta have a CC (or two, or five) on the Crown Coach buses.
! YES PLEASE ! .
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They’re still in service in So. Cal. as private coaches, Church buses and so on….
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The Fire Dept. used them too, usually with cut away cabs .
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-Nate
Before you (or anyone) says that, the thing to do is head to our archives, or use the “Search CC by Google” box.
We had a terrific CC on the Crown here just last spring: https://www.curbsideclassic.com/bus-stop-classic/crown-motor-coaches-california-royalty/
But if you’d like to take another stab at it, help yourself.
Cool photos. Many of them could pass for 10-20 years older then they are.
That 54 Cadillac looks better than most 1992s do now. I hope it survived! The building it’s in front of looks to be from 1954 too!
Google Street View still shows the building at 3741 Noriega, including the Veterinarian and the laundry to the right.
Whoa, 37 years later same business, but now with Prius’s (Priui?) out front
I’d rather have a 54 or hell, a 92 Caddy, But your Prius comment reminds me that I never know what to call multiple Fords: Focuses or Focii? Tauruses or Taurii??.
Just looked…Cool!
Looks like the lead photo is from Ocean Beach. Here is one of the neater vehicles I found while there in November.
Anyone else think the bike looks slightly too small for the rider?
Not to me, but I’m neither a rider and think the big Harleys I see that look like the motorcycle equivalents of conversion vans look terrible.
At first glance I thought it was a Sportster. Actually it’s an aftermarket hardtail frame (probably a Paughco), and the rider is probably 6′ tall or a bit taller. And he’s sitting with his foot on the alternator case. If he was riding, the front peg is about 6″ further forward.
I reckon he’s waiting for his buddy and pickup to come and rescue him.
I’m no expert, but I think the Cadillac might be a 1955, NOT a 1954.
Looks like that is sourced from the photographer’s caption in the Cohort.
Two things about the bikes… first, bikes, like cars and especially trucks have gotten a LOT bigger in the last couple of decades. I recently rode a Sportster for several years and received a fair amount of ridicule. “Oh… riding your wife’s bike?” “you need at least a liter bike if you’re gonna travel any distance…” etc.
The picture in Edison shows two bikes. Just to the left and out of shot is a tavern called the Longhorn, a place favored by bikers. Great hot wings. Been there many times.