I remember as a kid there were speed shops all over where you can pick up an Edlebrock manifold right off the shelf.

Today, there's Autozone, Strauss, and Napa. None of which are not performance shops.

Do you think there's still a home for performance shops? Or is it strictly a mail order business such as Summit or Jegs?

Just wonderin'

 

The local places around here are still around. Not much difference here anyways.

 

i have only seen real shops near tracks

 

Remember Super Shops?

They sponsored Big Daddy Don Garlits.





Matt383

 

Summit is like 1/2 hour away from me so i guess that is my local speed shop.

 

Summit, Jegs, and ebay has killed off the little guy speed shop, with a few exceptions.

 

Jegs is only an hour away from me and I can order something and have it delivered the next morning

 

We've got a locally owned speed shop here. Also Doug Herbert's retail outlet is only about a half hour from here. There's a hot rod shop only 15 minutes to the west in an even smaller town than the one I live near. They're around, sometimes they're kind of low profile though.

 

there was a speed shop in Dover when I was growing up... but I really think that a couple of things killed them during the 80s:

1. Emissions requirements killed modding new cars

2. An overall refocusing of the custom car hobby

the speed shop we had in Dover was a chain, and the guy that worked it had a nasty habit of being an ******* and had nothing for my car (AMC). I bought a set of crager SS mags (spring, 1982) from him and less than 6 months later, I went in to see if he had any performance parts for my AMC I-6 (which he didn't, or at least that's what he said) and after a few minutes of looking at the shelves at other nick-nacks, he said, "you ain't gonna buy nothing, why don't you just get out." I was SHOCKED to say the least. What a dick. I lit into him and reminded him I bought the wheels, and wanted to get other stuff, but he didn't have it. I told him to **** off, eat **** and die... I never spoke to him or went into his shop ever again. I did go past the shop a lot (on my way to Radio Shack), and never saw anyone in there. I suspect he scared them off, too. The shop closed in about 1987 or so, I rejoiced.

Just about every local speed shop I have ever visited has been manned/run by some eccentric moron with no people skills. I can see why they are closed.

We have one a few miles away, and the old man that runs that place is a total NUT case. He lights into employees in front of customers... loves to go on rants... Just a total dick. I only go there when it's the last resort.

 

Most Speed shops turned into 'parts-swappers'.
They closed themselves out. I have always done business with the local spped-shops. They shut themselves out when they didn't want to stock or be knowledgeable of the new computer related parts.
I tried to deal with them thru this but when I had to call the maker and then could have the part (for less money) in a few days(instead of 'special-order') and have full Tech-support.....What the Hell? I did the same as everyone else did! I had to do business with those people that I COULD DO BUSINESS with.
I hate it but most of the 'Speed-Shops' around here...Ran themselves out of business!

You All Take Care and Be Safe, -John

 

I got these guys right across the street from where I work. It is hard to go out to lunch without stopping by and spending a wad. They also sell on ebay. Prices are better on eBay than in the store. I can't figure that one out, and have tried to get online prices in store but they won't budge. These guys are pretty knowledgeable but prices are little harsh

http://www.speedunlimited.com/

 

The auto parts stores around here close @ 5PM weekdays and Noon Sat. To them a Vette is a foreign car. ("You don't have a truck?)

 

BBC in Linden, behind the old GM plant off styles ave 1 & 9
Mike and Joe are throw backs to the muscle car era, full service speed shop and machine shop - they did my D44 last winter also

 

I grew up with at least 6 of my mom's 9 brothers in the automotive industry as body & fender guys with paint shops, or radiator repair and electromechanical guys. Two were car salesman and all were into custom cars or at least had nice rides. I worked at my uncles body shop when I was a teenager and frequented a lot of car shops and speed shops in the Baltimore/Glenburnie area back in the 70s. I tried to hop-up my Camaros as I could afford and frequented places like Coleman Brothers, Sheridan Customs, Jim & Donnie's, and others. I moved away to South Carolina for 13 years and just moved back to Maryland a few years ago with my Vette. I started looking for these old Icons of racing that I knew and have had a hard time locating them again. I did find a few folks at the race track, but things just ain't the same way they were in the late 60s and 70s

Cheers - thanks for bringing back good memories

 

Hey JSUP can you say kwata dolla pock my caaa I saw in your signature your from Bergen county I grew up on 69th and Tonnelle I think that's how it was spelled. A little Jersey joke for ya. Do you know why the people in New York are always so pissed off??????? Because the light at the end of their tunnel is New Jersey LOL

 

My uncle used to live over there, around 69th. My dad taught at the Vo-Tech school down by the trucking company.

For those who don't know the hills are at about 80 degree incline and three cars wide. They are two way streets, and cars are parked on both sides. Challenging to say the least.

I grew up in Fairview. I was up and down to Tonnelle all the time. I don't know how old you are, but I spent a lot of dad's money in that arcade down there. Also through Nungueese (If that's how it's spelled) and Hudson County park.

Yeah, those were the days when parents would kick you out of the house and say don't come back till dark...

Ahhh the good old days.

 

I am 41 I won the Ateroids championship at I think it was the silver ball arcade your talking about between 80 and 84. We used to sit at the Liberty Motel and watch the car accidents on Friday Night. In the winter when it snowed we would get the cars unstuck from the sewer drain on the first street on the left as you went up 69th behind the bar I think it was called andy's then we would throw the snow back in the hole and wait for the next $5 victim. I stole my first car from the pathmark parking lot I think it was a 280 Z wild memories huh. I'm in Boise Idaho now and life got boring in some ways.

 

Yep, Silverball. That was it.. You got me by a year, I was 40 in Sept. Alot of my friends at the time lived "lower Fairview" down by that Shop Rite in Ridgefield, it's a short hop over to North Bergen. (which coincidentally, is Hudson county)

Do you remember the Corvette shop that was up on Rt 17? I think it was Mahwah?

That guy had everything. That's what got me thinking.....

 

Honestly no I don't remember the Vette shop I was never into vettes I am a Mopar guy I am trying to convince myself that I still am anyway. I only got into Vettes about 4 years ago. 5 years ago a friend brought his over and told me to drive it I did when I brought it back I said it was a nice car ( only to be nice but in the back of my mind I was thinkin I would never own one of those Pieces of sh*t) Now I own 3 but only until I can afford a Viper just kidding these things are an addiction

 

I remember there used to be speed shops all over the place in the 70s. You could go in one and every single gauge made for a car would be on display; 8 or 10 different kinds of shocks sitting on the shelves, mufflers and headers hanging everywhere, and usually a roots style supercharger on display too. I think emissions, advancing technology, increasing costs, lack of support from manufacturers, lack of American sports car production during the 80s, and other factors worked to take the hobby appeal and ability out of the hands of home mechanics. I have to agree with the abundance of personality-less shop owners also. Now they all work at muffler and tire shops.