Tire store gone

[Rodney Bullock]

Sunday night a tire store here(Jimmy tire co. burned to the ground. This was the only place in DC that you could get 16 inch wheels, tires, tubes mounted on old cars and trucks. Rick, the owners son ran this shop after his dad got hurt, A woman hit his father moving her car out. Rick was a car guy, he would sand and paint the rim if it was in need and knew how to pinstripe it on the balance machine, had any tube you wanted and never got the white wall dirty. he knew all the tricks of blowing air in an old tire, sealing it. He was a friend to the old car people, I remember him taking all my tires and rims and putting tubes in them when I first restored the stude, he made me promise to bring it by, the day I did they stopped work and mean stopped all work for 1/2 hour so they(all) employees culd see the car. He had a collection of wheels that if you had 3 and needed a 4th you could go there and he would have it. I remember a friend had 3 rockets( before mag wheels) and need a 4th he had one right on the wall right size and everything. they had white walls on the walls hanging so you knew what size you wanted. I think they had port-a-wall, repops and snow tires. During the lean times 70's I would go there to get tires for my 72 demon and run the tires until they flapped like an old shoe. I will miss this guy and hope he does well, condo did something wrong next door so he should be set for life.

[55 Fargo]

Rodney, sure sounds like a great shop and of course the shop owner makes the shop. Unfortunately too many of these establishments are ghosts of the past.

BTW the 72 Demon was a cool car,in 1980 I had a 72 Duster Twister, with a 340 4 speed, headers, holley 650 dble pumper, mallory dual point ignition, went like stink..........Fred

[Rodney Bullock]

Fred, that car sounds like a winner. We grew up on Mopars of that style. The Demon was Dodges version, I found it at small dealer on Bladensburg road in DC. Iused to walk there to make the down payments. I remember the first day I could dive it home. The smell of a mopar nothing like it, 340 v8 warm spring day, I rolled the windows down and drove off. It was like a dream. I waent to the junk yard and got some steel mopar rims and trim rings, they threw in the tires, went accross the street to Earl Shines and got a burgundy paint job. When I got home everyone was stunned. I got in an accident and got this money, took it back to Earl's they fixed it and I got dual exhaust thursh mufflers and a new rear end from a flipped car with the rest of the money:D then it really ran, I was wipping up on everyones old beaters by then. The wife(then girl friend) for some reason did not like that car. Tag frame said females wanted inquire. The car met a horrible end. Wife bought me a 1972 firebird orange with white interior AC am/fm and vette rims. We parked the demon, uncle and cousin begged to drive it to work. I said no for 3 months finally my mom told me to let them use the car. They took 1 hour and 40 min. to destroy my car. They hit to cars, I was sues and lost my car. The girl friend got me out of trouble, delayed our marrage by a year:eek: The good thing that came out of it, no body asked to drive anything of mine now:rolleyes: sometimes you pay up front to enjoy in the long run. Janary 26 will be our anniversary, 3 days and counting, I wonder what she's getting me?

[55 Fargo]

Rodney, those were great cars, I used to blow the doors off SBC on a regular basis. I ven beat a n El Camino one time with a 396, but that one wsn't the fastest 396 I have seen. I used to race my brother with his Motor cycles, I usually got beat there.

I had a lot of fun with that car, nothing like the sound of a Mopar 340 screamin down the road at 2:00 AM, burining so much rubber off the line, it was like a haze around the street lights.

My borother borrowed one of my vehicles in the middle of the night one time, it was my 1964 Chev Pickup, it was a short box CustomCab with a 292 4 spd, he wrecked 2 tires, and damaged one whole side, he hid for 2 days, my Mom gave me a Savings Bond of his to cover the damage. I would not lend cars either,never know what they might do with it.............Fred ps that wife who used to be the girlfriend sounds like an Angel to me, my friend

[Chester Brzostowski]

Hay Rodney,

I saw the report about Jimmy’s on the News. Never been to the place but it sounds like a true hometown landmark. Being a transplant to the DC suburbs I never had the pleasure of stopping by, and actually I don’t get into DC very often although I enjoyed your remembrance of the establishment. Definitely have to get out more but then you need a running car. Any day now.!!!

Chet…

[Frank Blackstone]

I miss aot of old junk yards , dealers and friends made by car dealings. I fronted , with a handshake,one of my first gearhead friends $ 1,500 to buy his first house . I lkie doin busines like that. Current crop of car businessmen are more money minded but know less. One was really impressed with a Port-A-Wall I showed him and spent an hour of his valuable time showing it to everyone. At least he appreciated old school creativity. Rock on, Frank

[Rodney Bullock]

Chet, He is a great guy, his father owns a Packard so they are connected to the hobby. Don't worry chet You have time to see some of the other great shops around herehowever they are disappearing. Old A&R junk yard is still omn Bladensburg road. In the old days I remember going there because my front seat was torn and they had a car like mine, black interior and everything, I swaped it out right there in the yard.

Fred you know what you are talking about, 2 am i the morning leaving some party I would make that thing roar though the gears, everone would wait until I went though all the gears before they went back in, my curfew was at 3:00 or no gas money. Yes, she is an angel and a keeper:mad: 23 years how did she do it!

Frank, the tire shop sold port-a-walls as well and recaps. in the 70's I did not know what a new tire was, bias ply all the way and I could smke the tires:cool: I did not know what a radial was until the 80's