123 replies to this topic

[MWA]

Happened on this site looking for Frank's Hobby Shop which was formerly Knappers in Tustin.

 

Bud passed a few years ago - great fiends of the family - his wife used to baby sit for us in my junior years and I did the same when their kids came along. Bud started me coin collecting and we followed suit opening King of the Road Raceway on the intersection of Whittier Blvd and Telegraph Rd - La Mirada (though the directory above says it was Whittier)

 

Jerry Schwecke passed this last November - complications in a hospital stay. Ironic as he never spent a day in the hospital prior to this. Jerry was my stepfather - spent a lot of time helping behind the counter scratch building. Great days lots of life skills transferred to adulthood.

 

We opened the shop and sold out my junior high years- great childhood experience.

 

Lived in Anaheim so made a few visits to Daytona raceway (Lincoln Ave??)

 

Great to reminisce and know how much this has impacted others as well.

 

I'll be checking out this site from time to time - keep the thread alive!

[Roy Lievanos]

Happened on this site looking for Frank's Hobby Shop which was formerly Knappers in Tustin.

Bud passed a few years ago - great fiends of the family - his wife used to baby sit for us in my junior years and I did the same when their kids came along. Bud started me coin collecting and we followed suit opening King of the Road Raceway on the intersection of Whittier Blvd and Telegraph Rd - La Mirada (though the directory above says it was Whittier)

Jerry Schwecke passed this last November - complications in a hospital stay. Ironic as he never spent a day in the hospital prior to this. Jerry was my stepfather - spent a lot of time helping behind the counter scratch building. Great days lots of life skills transferred to adulthood.

We opened the shop and sold out my junior high years- great childhood experience.

Lived in Anaheim so made a few visits to Daytona raceway(Lincoln Ave??)

Great to reminisce and know how much this has impacted others as well.

I'll be checking out this site from time to time - keep the thread alive!

Wasn’t the track in Tustin in the old town district and had a figure 8?

i was small and my older Brother raced there. If I remember  it was tall and steep but again I was small

[Dnytto]

Read thru all the posts, Havent seen it mentioned yet-Anybody go to the hobby shop that was in Compton for a few years? This was after Rosecrans raceway, in the late 90s-early 2000s. Was on Long Beach Blvd next to churches chicken. They ran nascars, nastrucks, and a 15 wing car class on a king and they had a drag strip that was pretty popular. My first time seeing anything bigger than my little tyco ho track was either there or Buena Park, cant remember at this point 😂

[Jason Holmes]

David

 

After Thunder Thumb closed in Redondo Beach, I called Rosecrans Raceway my Home. Pop Pearson and his son Wesley were Awesome

 

Jason

[HarV Wallbanger III]

I just want to add this one from Downtown San Diego YMCA.



Happy New Year to all of you guys and to Joe Chevy, do you remember this place?

Nesta

 

Wow don't know how I missed this! Grew up here in SD. When we would go back to visit my Dad took me there 1 time a I loved this track because of the esses!

Later years I think it was in Clovis for the Nats. I have loved esses all my life and had them in my HO track and raced at Dale Bucks HO track with monster esses!

[Gary MacDonald]

I discovered this forum when I Googled Bryan Warmack, one of the most talented people I have ever known. I don’t race slot cars anymore, but I did as an adolescent back in the sixties. I was stunned at how many names in this forum in the Slot Car History section are familiar to me. I raced mostly in Orange County (CA), and hung out with Doug Henline, Bryan Warmack, and John Anderson (now Tore, I guess) among others. Tom Hansen, you and I are practically neighbors! I’m also familiar with many of the tracks mentioned… one in particular.

 

My home track was Frank’s Hobby Shop… formerly owned by Bud Knapper… and owned originally by Butch Owens.  It was on Tustin Ave in the City of Orange. Butch and his brother built that track in, I think, about 1963. After Butch sold the shop to Knapper, he and his brother started a business building commercial slot car tracks, pretty much pioneering the industry.

 

John Cukras came there once, at Doug Henline’s invitation, and promptly put his car over the wall at the bottom of the downhill sweeper. Doug’s comment to John on that day: “This is the only track I’ve ever driven that I’ve never gotten tired of.”

 

It was a challenging track to drive. It had a fast right-hand downhill sweeper, ending in a tight right-hand turn, immediately followed by a tight left, then a right dog-leg, followed by irregular esses that you had to DRIVE, not just feather through.  Then… three long straights.  It was roughly a replica of Riverside International Raceway; the sweeper representing turn 9 at Riverside, and the dog-leg sort of like turn 2. The right-left after the sweeper was unique, however, and evil. It always bit Newbies, even Newbies the caliber of John Cukras.

[Jesse Gonzales]

Barney's photo of the YMCA track reminded me that it was the home track of Art Tarver and Niel Kuhns and a few other guys that I'd run into around the western US. A lot of guys loved that track, I never got to see it while in SD.

 

Jess Gonzales

[993]

My home track was Frank’s Hobby Shop… formerly owned by Bud Knapper… and owned originally by Butch Owens.  It was on Tustin Ave in the City of Orange. Butch and his brother built that track in, I think, about 1963. After Butch sold the shop to Knapper, he and his brother started a business building commercial slot car tracks, pretty much pioneering the industry.

 

Back in 74/75 I worked at Franks on the plane and car side of the shop.

Gil was the longtime manager of the planes and cars side.

My good friend Duane took over for me when I left.

We were more in Jerobee RC cars and HO cars back then.

[Gary MacDonald]

Mike,

We must know each other.... I worked at Frank's from late 1970-ish until about the time you started there!  Worked there to earn tuition and books at CSUF.  I graduated and got married in June '75.  Gil was my Best Man!

[Vay Jonynas]

I just want to add this one from Downtown San Diego YMCA.



Happy New Year to all of you guys and to Joe Chevy, do you remember this place?

Nesta

 

 

Oh man! A YMCA with two huge slot car tracks, pinball machines and other arcade games! I would have lived at the Y.

 

[gc4895]

What is the name of that track from the San Diego Y? I raced on one of those in the St Louis, Mo area in the late '60s-early 70's. We called it the "back" track at Checkered Flag Raceway.

 

Cars would occasionally fly off the big bank and land in the hobby store racks of colored pipe cleaners and styrofoam balls. 90% of the regular racing was done on the track at the front of the store. I think that track was a one-of-a-kind as I've never seen a photo of a similar track layout.

[Mad Mark]

Anyone remember the track in The OC that was owned by a African American fellow in the late 90’s early 00’s? It had a small hillclimb and drag strip. I went there once as a kid think it was called green flag raceway?

 

Also what ever happened to PCH that had the tri-oval, drag strip, and two other giant road courses? It had the wall of parts behind the counter that was like 15’ high. again early 00’s.

[A. J. Hoyt]

I have had a small roll of stickers - yellow background w black printing:

 

CRASH & BURN

 MODEL RACEWAY

10648 Balboa Blvd

   Granada Hills

      360-9133

 

I'm sure there was a lot of history there and I (and, I imagine, others) would like to hear about it.

 

I've got one (very beat up) sticker on the front of my often used Hoffman's box (but I don't remember ever going there).

 

It's now a Vietnamese restaurant - Good Pho You - not kidding.

 

These would mean more to someone else than to me. PM me and start a bidding war . Philippe?

[Vay Jonynas]

What is the name of that track from the San Diego Y? I raced on one of those in the St Louis, Mo area in the late '60s-early 70's. We called it the "back" track at Checkered Flag Raceway. Cars would occasionally fly off the big bank and land in the hobby store racks of colored pipe cleaners and styrofoam balls. 90% of the regular racing was done on the track at the front of the store. I think that track was a one-of-a-kind as I've never seen a photo of a similar track layout.

 

It actually looks a lot like this one:

 

 

 

A  Mr. Raceways track perhaps?

 

[jimht]

What is the name of that track from the San Diego Y? I raced on one of those in the St Louis, Mo area in the late '60s-early 70's. We called it the "back" track at Checkered Flag Raceway. Cars would occasionally fly off the big bank and land in the hobby store racks of colored pipe cleaners and styrofoam balls. 90% of the regular racing was done on the track at the front of the store. I think that track was a one-of-a-kind as I've never seen a photo of a similar track layout.

 

It's a Stan Engleman "C" from Hi-Speed Raceways, El Paso, Texas, a variation of my 180', could be a 200', looks a little short to be a 220'.

 

[ThunderThumb]

This place was open for a short time 3 Gs of Three Gs in So Central Los Angeles , I think on Figueroa St maybe around 88th St , part of the track went behind a wall anduou lost sight of your car , does anybody remember that track

[CharlesE]

As I've posted earlier, the Chequered Flag (Inglewood) was where I did most of my racing.  "Bob" owned the store, and after a few months there hired me to replace "Jim" who held the lap record on the road track using a "Alcoa Aluminum" plastic body car.  That track had a beautiful model of an early red Jaguar XKE on the infield of the course.  It was huge for a model....far larger than 1/24th scale, likely 1/12th or larger.  

 

I remember John Skeels, John Thorp, Charles Pierce and his brother, Norm and watching the Russkit team race there on the back track - the faster high speed track with some very interesting "S" curves.  Mario Andretti showed up with Team Russkit, although he didn't take any laps that I remember.  

 

We ran mabuchi's early on, then switched to Tyco motors.  I remember digging through and testing the magnets on a large barrel of Tyco motors to find the strongest magnets.  I believe that was at a local hobby store run by a man named "Chuck".  

 

The cars I ran were scratch builts made from solders brazing rods, with clear plastic bodies painted on the interior.  My controller was a wildly rebuilt Cox controller with a rewound resistor with very low ohmage.  Simply put most of the time the cars were at full throttle, and only slowed slightly for corners.  I cut away much of the plastic handle to keep it cooler.

[Bill from NH]

Charles, do you still have any of your scratchbuilt or photos of them or the raceway you could post on here? It sounds like a fun place to be back in the day.

[CharlesE]

Most of my equipment was lost to time.  I do have a much modified

Mabuchi motor plus the equipment (silver coated armature wire on spools, blank armatures and commutators)

The Mabuchi motor doesn't contain many Mabuchi parts any more.... the case, including a sheet steel liner is not Mabuchi

the plastic head has been replaced with a more heat tolerant one, with oversized oillite bearings, as has the bearing at the 

rear of the case.  The magnets are not Mabuchi anymore.  The brush holders have been replaced with copper sheet parts

that are considerably thicker than the original, as well as being bulkier to hopefully conduct heat away from the brushes.

Those were built by hand (mine) using a pair of needle nose pliers and a razor saw.

Oh.... the armature wire holders ( don't remember the PROPA name) are Mabuchi.  The armature shaft may be Mabuchi....I don't remember.

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[Bill from NH]

Thanks for the photos of a fine old motor. I have a one hole Mura A-can like your yellow one. I got it in 1970 as part of a NCC 20 race car kit.

[Chris Burlew]

No love for the O.C.? Well here goes. . .

Santa Ana Raceways in Santa Ana was the bad boy in the O.C.
John Hale was the owner, had several tracks over the years.

Knapper's Coins in Orange had a homebuilt hillclimb. Ran Enduro's all the time.

The Bicycle Shop at the Orange Traffic Circle.
Another homebuilt track in the basement, tracktime a penny a minute.

Miniture Freeways in Huntington Beach, near the Orange County Fairgrounds. Owned by a retired music teacher, had homebuilt tracks in two different locations. Freeway construction killed the first one, his weird rules killed the second.

Miniature Grand Prix in Tustin, Westminster, etc. You all know what they had for tracks.

The Big A in Anaheim had the biggest I have ever seen. Giant banks and long straights. The big track had driver hookups on both ends of the track. On the same lane. So your "friends" could cream your car for you...

Bud's Hobby in Tustin had a banked figure-8 with noooo brakes. You just needed a microswitch for a controller. My father and I would run these rewound ball-bearing Kemtron jobs. When the power went off, you could coast a half lap. The others were not amused.

 

Hey Foamy, what no love for Monaco in Buena Park?   I thought you spent most of your adult life there??  I do recall going to the Big A once, but never brave enough to run a car on the track.

[Chris Burlew]

David

 

After Thunder Thumb closed in Redondo Beach I called Rosecrans Raceway my Home. Pop Pearson and his son Wesley were Awesome

 

Jason

 

It was a very nice track and I still have a plaque or two in my old slot car box from racing there, the only ones I ever kept. Pop Pearson was one of a kind and always great to be around.

[Chashoward]

Please, lets not forget little International Mini-Motors Raceways, on Paramount Blvd, at Rosevelt St. in South Gate( Hollydale), about half way between Check Point and Dons ? It was started by two engineers, Jerry something, and Bill someone, in early 64. They built a 1/32 track, about 80', with six lanes, and a small figure eight. The little building wasn'nt big enough for much more. Little did they know, 1/32 was'nt going to be very popular. In spite of the little tracks drawbacks, it being within the stomping grounds of some of the top racers of the day, many of them raced there in its early days. I'll always remember the night Team Russkit showed up for the weekly open race. They completly dominated. And then they showed us thier cars and and answered all our questions. They really opened our eyes as to how to build light, quick "race cars".
The little track changed owners twice , myself being the last one, before the doors closed for the last time in early 68.
I would like to hear from some of the , then kids, that made Mini-Motors one of thier hang-outs during my ownership, between 66 and 68. At 70 years old my memory has failed me as to most of thier names, except George who worked for me after school, and his friend Bob Moore. Two of the older guys was Phil, the chemist, from Texas, and Les my friend at the time, whom I regretfully have lost contact with after I relocated to Wisconsin. If anyone out there knows any of these guys, or any others that might remember me I would appreciate your assistance to help us to conect.
JOHNNY VANEK

[Chashoward]

Hey Johnny , I just saw this post , it's a little late I know , I'm Dave Howard's little brother ... you still out there ???