OT slightly...1958 J C Whitney catalog

[BobT-47P15]

A fellow on the HAMB posted the 84 page J C Whitney auto parts and accessories catalog from 1958.

Fun to look at the items as well as the prices.

Here's a link to his post. It covers 5 pages of screens with comments in

between. So, when the pages run out, keep scrolling til you find the next,

etc. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=679472

I actually copied all those pages to my PhotoBucket album for future fun

references.

[Young Ed]

Boy I'd love to have one of those little stinker air fresheners now. I'm not as old as this catalog but for most of my childhood Dad had them hanging in some of his old cars. I didn't see it in this one but at some point I've heard they offered aluminum replacement windshield frames for 39-47 dodge trucks. I'd love to get one of those too.

[claybill]

some years ago i lived only 4-5 blocks from that place. no longer there. they moved way out of the city several years ago. note: jc whitney and Warshawsky were in fact the same company in the same building but with different catalogs and different prices. they had a different price schedule for country orders, walk-ins, metro etc. buying parts there was an experience for sure.! you took a number, stood in line 5 deep (3-4-5 lines) and waited for the clerk to go into the back and fetch your part.

also unrelated info.! the restaurants in chicago Chinatown had 2 different menus with differing prices for authentic food, mild food,usa tastes, having different prices for the same meal,! you didnt pick your ,menu. the waiter brought you what he thought was your taste. after 3 years of this we asked for the 'chinese menu ,please' and found our favorite items listed for a few dollars less, and made to order etc..! chicago is a most interesting city.! I miss it,

bill

bill

[BobT-47P15]

Back in the day, you could also find some of the same type stuff in your

local Western Auto or Oklahoma Tire & Supply store in our town.

Strangely, although they were competitors, they were next door to

one another.

Probably were other name stores similar to those in other parts of the

country.

I remember a place in Springfield, MO.....I think it was called

National Auto Supply....where everything in their show window

was chrome items. Pretty impressive.

I bought things like portawalls (whitewall rings), pinstripe decals,

bolt-on flipper bars for hubcaps, and steering wheel knobs

at those stores. They also had seat covers, mudflaps, curb feelers

and a host of other goodies.

They had general household goods as well...............here's a link to

someone's flickr page with pics of a 1974 catalog from Western Auto.

(Rock Em Sock Em robots set was $11.88)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/toyranch/sets/72157612103512171/

[james curl]

Every little town in Texas had a Western Auto store or a White Auto store as well as a Sears Roebuck mail order store. None of them survived after Walmart came to your town. We still have a local Sears store with appliances and some tools along with yard equipment, if you want anything else they order it for you.

Edited April 5, 2012 by james curl
correction