Shot this pic at the original Bob's Big Boy...

[David Maxwell]

...and really liked the feel of it.

[eric wissing]

The colors in the background are perfect for your car. What caused the haze? It has a nice effect. Lonelysville, Daddy!! Eric

[bob_amos]

Has the feel of the real deal. Kind of takes one back to that time in our past. Funny thing is, some of us actually lived there and were not fortunate enough to take it all in. Great shot, as always.

[Normspeed]

David, with your photoshop skills, you could remove the cones and drop at least 40 years off the setting.

Is that Bob's in Burbank/toluca lake?

[randroid]

Gents,

I never did any formal research on this, but...

Seems to me the original Bob's was on 17th Street in Santa Ana, just South of the Prentice Park Zoo. It's where you cruised to (a "destination", if you will,) and where I learned that unmarked cops drove $#1t boxes with minimal trim, dinky-ass hubcaps, and B\W tires.

I'm the same age as the Beach Boys, as a time reference.

A full-house Olds 324 with so much torque through the B&M 4-speed Hydro that Rolls Royce eventually bought the Hydro-Matic patent from Olds and I think they still use it today. A roadster with a reputation trailered down from Pomona, a 426 Dart with cheater slicks because you needed tire tread to be street legal, not a single front bumper in the lot, and everybody was racing for Pinks.

On a two-lane strip East of Tustin a quarter mile course was laid-out on a lonely stretch between the orange groves where the cops could be seen coming for miles. A flagger would ensure the noses of the cars were on the line, then point his flag at each car, giving the rev signal to make sure they were ready to race, then slam the flag to the ground. Off the cars would scream with this dumb schmuck standing between them and I wondered why he never got squished, but then I noticed he walked toward the cars at an angle between them, thereby avoiding both rear ends as they slid to the same side while burning the tires.

I never rode there in many hot cars, but I got there. Mostly in the driver's mother's '53 Chevy that had the oil-bath air cleaner removed to sound like more intake than the actual one-barrel had, and holes drilled in the radiator fan so it would hiss like a blower.

My daily drive, before I joined the Navy, was a '37 Olds four-door sedan that I never tried to do anything with other than have fun because it weighed over three tons at a weigh station, and have fun I did but I kept it stock. Before I got that car I had started putting together an Olds 303 B&S to 324, with Janns pop-up pistons, Jocko heads, a 3\4 Weber cam, and a Series D AFB to slap on it. Couple that to the B&M Hydro in the garage and all I needed was a body to put it in.

My first choice was a '53 Henry J I was going to get for a Plymouth tranny I had lying around, but that deal got flaked. Next choice was a '39 Ford Coupe that was already set up for the engine, but my friend's mother had it towed away before I could pick it up. Going by where similar engines were dyno'd, I expected it to be close to 375 HP, and that I didn't build it is probably why I am alive today.

I joined the Navy and the Olds and the engine and the Hydro all found new homes, but that first car, the '37 Olds, is why I'm in the hobby today.

Thanks for enduring this post. Anybody else got a story?

-Randy

[Normspeed]

I lived in Yorba Linda in the 60's. We used to cruise to Brea, Fullerton, Buena Park, Anaheim, Tustin, Santa Ana and that area. My buddy's car was a 55 Chev BelAir with a built 265, Hurst, and of course an 8 track for sound. Went to some concerts down there at a place with a carousel stage. Saw the Beach Boys, Sweetwater, some other neat groups. Great times.

[PatS....]

That's a nice shot...brings back memories. None of those left around here anymore

[Dennis Hemingway]

For the members who do not know about Bob's Big Boy here is the information.

Dennis:rolleyes:

http://www.bobs.net/index.html

[NatesSedan]

Nice shot David! I like the feel as well. Tough shot to expose correctly too.

The haze is caused by over exposure of the lights if I am not mistaken. With shots like this a camera cannot expose both the dark colored car and the lights correctly without over or under exposing one or the other. One could do an HDR where you take three shots. Expose one for the neon and one for the car and one for the middle tones. (tripod needed) Then merge them in to one in photoshop. To me they look a little odd for the most part. This one is perfect. Thanks for sharing. - Nate

[David Maxwell]

...on the matter of it being the first Bob's. Turns out it's the oldest surviving Bob's. Thanks Dennis for posting the link. That was cool watching the videos. I was there on a Saturday, but plan on returning for a Friday night visit.

[Normspeed]

Friday night at Bob's is a great time. Grandadeo and I usually visit around Father's Day. There are always lots of folks in town for the Roadster Show, and Bob's is jammin' from afternoon to late at night. Never know what will show up.

[Niel Hoback]

Never mind the Bob's Big Boy, that is one beautiful car.

[Ed Griffin]

Locally they are called Shoney's Big boy here. Still some around in Memphis. The one the wife and I used to stop at while dating is long gone but the urge for a hot fudge cake still lives on!

Someone in nearby town has the "big boy" in his front yard. I guess it's better than a frig.or couch.

[randroid]

Normspeed,

I'm sure that theater was the Melodyland theater, a few blocks from Disneyland, where some friends took me back in 1968 during the week I had between cruises to 'Nam.

I was in the third row and watched the Grateful Dead open for the Jefferson Airplane. I claim bragging rights to that concert to this day.

-Randy

[Normspeed]

Yup, that's the place Randy. The stage was circular and it slowly turned so everyone in the place had a good seat.