old "custom" shops

[headsoff]

Happy days indeed.

I didn't know Kev Elliot in the early days, but he ended up with a unit down on the same farm I was at, not long before he left for the USA. I met Ed Wimble through Nick Shanley and got to know him better later, through NAMCO and the early Hayrides.
I was more into the Muscle Car side of things when I lived in London, although once I started selling pictures and T shirts at the car shows I moved more and more towards the rodding side of things. Early Hayling Island shows and other South Coast events cemented that.
Two door American cars were still available for next to nothing then. I paid £400 for an up and running Olds 442 for instance. Next to nothing, even then.
I wound up the T Shirt selling at the last Hayling Island show and bought a V6 powered Mk2 Consul. Moving to Hampshire, or Hazzard County if you will, and living above NAMCO from day one saw Hot Rods at last replace Muscle Cars. Out went my GTO, in came my '34 pickup and life got even better.

[MisteR Tee]

Happy days indeed.

I didn't know Kev Elliot in the early days, but he ended up with a unit down on the same farm I was at, not long before he left for the USA. I met Ed Wimble through Nick Shanley and got to know him better later, through NAMCO and the early Hayrides.
I was more into the Muscle Car side of things when I lived in London, although once I started selling pictures and T shirts at the car shows I moved more and more towards the rodding side of things. Early Hayling Island shows and other South Coast events cemented that.
Two door American cars were still available for next to nothing then. I paid £400 for an up and running Olds 442 for instance. Next to nothing, even then.
I wound up the T Shirt selling at the last Hayling Island show and bought a V6 powered Mk2 Consul. Moving to Hampshire, or Hazzard County if you will, and living above NAMCO from day one saw Hot Rods at last replace Muscle Cars. Out went my GTO, in came my '34 pickup and life got even better.

Yep, knew Kev from those days & later when he was editor of Custom Car, he later rented a lockup further down the yard from SCR until he moved to the countryside, also Steve Bradshaw from SCR, now lives further along the coast from me & still see him from time to time at shows, still with his minicab!

[cymro]

Not much information to go on here, I remember being in Hastings / St Leonards on Sea, mid 1970s , on holiday with my parents , about 12 years old totally hooked on the cars that drove past and parked by a Speed shop, a corner shop displaying car parts, side pipes, slot mags etc, The only car I can recall was a Mustang with wheely bars. with a mural "Super Snake / Super Stang " lettered on the sides, together with a similarly painted Ford Capri. Sound vaguely familiar to anybody?

[MisteR Tee]

Not much information to go on here, I remember being in Hastings / St Leonards on Sea, mid 1970s , on holiday with my parents , about 12 years old totally hooked on the cars that drove past and parked by a Speed shop, a corner shop displaying car parts, side pipes, slot mags etc, The only car I can recall was a Mustang with wheely bars. with a mural "Super Snake / Super Stang " lettered on the sides, together with a similarly painted Ford Capri. Sound vaguely familiar to anybody?

I'm relatively new to the South Coast but a few of my new friends in the Bexhill 100 car club may know of this so I'll ask them.

[MisteR Tee]

Not much information to go on here, I remember being in Hastings / St Leonards on Sea, mid 1970s , on holiday with my parents , about 12 years old totally hooked on the cars that drove past and parked by a Speed shop, a corner shop displaying car parts, side pipes, slot mags etc, The only car I can recall was a Mustang with wheely bars. with a mural "Super Snake / Super Stang " lettered on the sides, together with a similarly painted Ford Capri. Sound vaguely familiar to anybody?

Got this reply from one of Bexhill 100 committee who has lived here for 40 odd years.

Vaguely remember a shop in Queens Road,Hastings, roughly opposite Morrisons. Possibly called Sir Speedy or something like that. Can’t think of any others.

[MisteR Tee]

Not much information to go on here, I remember being in Hastings / St Leonards on Sea, mid 1970s , on holiday with my parents , about 12 years old totally hooked on the cars that drove past and parked by a Speed shop, a corner shop displaying car parts, side pipes, slot mags etc, The only car I can recall was a Mustang with wheely bars. with a mural "Super Snake / Super Stang " lettered on the sides, together with a similarly painted Ford Capri. Sound vaguely familiar to anybody?

& the full story now.

It was Phil Ritchie's shop he owned a custom spray shop at Robertsbridge called the barn he opened the shop up London Road St,Leonards selling wheels exhausts etc .

He painted the Mustang and Capri. What's hot or I think it was, they belonged to a husband and wife I believe.the cars were there for the shop's opening night

[cymro]

That's that one solved I remember reading about the matching Mustang and Capri in Custom Car or Hot Car of the period. 1976/1977? These were the first "Magazine cars" I saw in the steel so to speak, hooked I guess is the term.

[MisteR Tee]

Here's a reply from archivist Nick Pettitt.

It was Janet and John Greenslade, here's Janet's 'What's Hot' Capri next to John's 'Super Snake' Mustang at the '78 Hastings pier show...

[tylf33]

Just re-discovered this thread, & apologies if this has already been answered above: It's taken ages to find on my overflowing computer.
Was the shop in Hastings called "In Gear" ? - I remember I took my T down (for the opening?) 1979.
Also was at the Hastings Pier show, recall the rickety floor driving through the amusement arcade!

Brighton Speed & Custom (see last year's December calendar)

[MisteR Tee]

Just re-discovered this thread, & apologies if this has already been answered above: It's taken ages to find on my overflowing computer.
Was the shop in Hastings called "In Gear" ? - I remember I took my T down (for the opening?) 1979.
Also was at the Hastings Pier show, recall the rickety floor driving through the amusement arcade!

Brighton Speed & Custom (see last year's December calendar)

I've posed the question to the Bexhill 100 club Tim.

[Willys coop v8]

Pics of Dees custom shop in Birkenhead, Wirral back in the very early eighties!

[taxirod]

I remember in my early teens, in Romford, where A and L Autos had their place on North St.
I would walk or cycle past just to get a glimpse of whatever was there!

And once I was 17 I had my first car, a Viva HB, which I drove to "Deals On Wheels" in London Road where I would look at the slot mags I couldn't afford.

[BadAC]

Blimey that's a blast from the past. I bought some slotties from 'deals on wheels' back in the day, Also in Forest Gate there was a little tuning firm cant remember the name but I bought an Aquaplane head for my 100e way back in the 70's.

Cruisin down East Ham high st. Yeah Proper.

[sebspeed]

I remember in my early teens, in Romford, where A and L Autos had their place on North St.
I would walk or cycle past just to get a glimpse of whatever was there!

And once I was 17 I had my first car, a Viva HB, which I drove to "Deals On Wheels" in London Road where I would look at the slot mags I couldn't afford.

my brother got his 'cut n shut' banded wheels from there for his anglia in the 70's

[taxirod]

my brother got his 'cut n shut' banded wheels from there for his anglia in the 70's

Ah yes now I remember. I couldn't afford the slot mags so bought some banded steels from the Viva, went from 4 x 12 to 5 1/2 x 13. And I thought I was so adventurous! Eventually I managed to buy the slot mags.



Terrible pics, they hadn't invented smart phones back then.

[mygasser]

i alway thought the hb was the best looking of the vivas ian.
neil.

[chevy2]

I remember in my early teens, in Romford, where A and L Autos had their place on North St.
I would walk or cycle past just to get a glimpse of whatever was there!

And once I was 17 I had my first car, a Viva HB, which I drove to "Deals On Wheels" in London Road where I would look at the slot mags I couldn't afford.

I was doing some casual 7.5t driving when we took a few trucks to deals on wheels to load up on the last of the stock after they’d gone bust, 753 steel wheels!

[Digger61]

I was doing some casual 7.5t driving when we took a few trucks to deals on wheels to load up on the last of the stock after they’d gone bust, 753 steel wheels!

I lost money when they folded.... ordered and paid for some steels for my HA van at the custom car show.... and never got them or refund

[kapri]

I sat in Deals on Wheels southend showroom because they drilled the holes in my new mags ****ed. Thye tried to pull a fats one by taking them away fr half an hour then sayying they'd redilled them straight!! The spare hub I took with my proved thye'd done nothing at all! I then sat there refusing to leave until they gave me a different set of steel chrome rims they had in the shop plus the outstanding balance and some petrol money . After1.5 hours t, after their closing time ,they relised I WAS serious.