Humans of Downey - Larry

"My first car was a stock 1952 Ford Victoria. It was my cousin's car and she sold it to me for $200. I was 15 at the time, so I worked on it and had it the way I wanted by the time I got my license at 16. I changed the hub caps and added some interior decorations. I used it mostly to cruise Hawthorne Boulevard. I probably put over 1,000 miles on Hawthorne. When we came east to cruise, like Whittier Boulevard, we were either looking for a race or a fight.

"This is a 1932 Ford with a 1980 Chevy 350 engine. I built it from the ground up. I did everything but the paint and upholstery. This is the car I wanted since I was a young teenager. Although I never could afford it. I've played with cars my whole life. I've been saving for years for when I was retired to build a hot rod like this. When I retired, I had $25,000 for my project. I started by thinking I would build a Ford Model A hot rod since it would be cheaper and fit within my budget. But, I fell into some deals and decided I wanted this model more. The engine block came from a friend, the frame came out of Huntington Beach, the body came out of Billings, Missouri, and the wheels came out of Seattle, Washington. Eventually, I got pieces from all over the United States. It took me 4 years to complete. So my final cost came to $28,000, but it's insured for $55,000. It puts out over 500 HP and my wife and I love to take it out for a spin as often as possible."

~ Larry