The Motor Underground: Chinatown Confidential | Episode 4 | The Underdog
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- čas přidán 5. 06. 2024
- Finally, all Stoner’s hard work pays off: as he remembers Dave Tanimura, the friend he lost who kept the legend of the Underdog alive with the build of his own woolly tribute gasser.
Dan also finds Daniel Louie, the guy who unknowingly created the legend more than 50 years ago. For the very first time, Stoner hears the true story of the Underdog and checks a box off the bucket list by putting the owner of the original Underdog in the driver’s seat of its tribute car.
Does the mysterious ’56 Chevy ever reveal itself? Is the search over? Through it all, one truth is discovered: Chinatown is the story of the American Dream…
Hemmings is the ultimate destination for finding your perfect ride. Head to Hemmings.com and register to start your search today.
For the exclusive behind-the-scenes story of Dave Tanimura's Underdog, find the Hemmings Muscle Machines magazine story here: www.hemmings.com/stories/arti...
This Motor Underground series - Chinatown Confidential - is the fourth of four episodes in this series.
Hemmings Content on Gassers
GASSER COLLECTION
www.hemmings.com/stories/tag/...
RETURN OF THE GASSER
www.hemmings.com/stories/arti...
It Has the Nose-High Stance of a Gasser, but This 1951 Chevrolet Also Has Plenty of Rat Rod DNA
www.hemmings.com/stories/hfod...
The Underdog - Dave Tanimura's Tribute to a Bygone Era
www.hemmings.com/stories/arti...
#hotrod #vintage #classic #classiccar #hemmings #classiccars #chinatown #sanfrancisco #norcal #vintagedrags #dragracing #musclecars - Auta a dopravní prostředky
Hi - I am Gary Griffiths. I built the original 'UNDERDOG' '56 Chevy. I sold it to Dan Louie back in ''69 after I had it in the Oakland Roadster Show. It was my 1st car and purchased just before graduating H.S. '63. It was totally stock back then, 265/3speed. I put in the 327 / 4-speed / Olds rear end / fiberglass front end as a street car. Plexiglass windows and interior and frame lightening happened in mid-60's. Back then I decided to just use it for Drags. I use to race mainly at night drags at Vacaville Dragstrip. The car was painted 'Sea Sand' beige - a VW color I picked because the pit areas at the drags were dusty back then. I always got a kick out of the Underdog cartoon and thought that was a great name for the car. Fun to hear that so many people remember the car.
I did see the car again in the Santa Rosa in the mid 90's. My Mom spotted it up there in a rural area house driveway. I was visiting my folks and we went over and i talked with the guy in the house. He told the engine needed repair - like a rod or piston problem. He said he was going to fix it and sell of the car. I believe he's purchased car just to flip it and make some money. He mentioned maybe trying Modesto area for a sale.
Gary, Wow! Glad to see you found this and contributed to the history and your still around to add to the story, Dan Stoner the ghost shiats as you put is coming back from the dead..possibly...maybe the trail can be followed from where Gary left off, shouldnt be to difficult to track down from there,and the original underdog can be located after all.
I’m in SR how u got me on the hunt . Killer story Dan thank you . R.I.P Dave 💙
Hopefully it's still around 30 years after the last sighting.
Bravo! 👏👏
We need a Gary interview!
My life sucks right now, found this series and it sure makes me forget about it for a while.
Hey, look--if a story like this can make the world a little more interesting for awhile, we've done our job...
When life sucks, we have to have patience - then return to our roots. Don't feel alone brother. Life is difficult - old cars are always there for us. Keep the faith. USA-1
Hope things get better for ya.
Stay strong BrothA! 👊💪🤙
This story is epic and an absolutely compelling watch! Stoner, you and your crew have done an amazing story justice! Please keep more of these coming! I am truly humbled and awed but such luminaries of hot rodding culture, and the way you preserve and share their story's. These often overlooked quiet legends should be revered! If Rickman had a movie camera and a mic, I'd like to imagine he would have put something like this together (he got it because he lived it). Go Stoner and Motor Underground, keep moving forward, documenting and sharing!
Just wanted to say, on top of this being about awesome cars, Dan seems like such a wonderfully nice guy, so respectful and reflective, especially after going for a ride in the new underdog. That was beautiful to watch, thank you.
He really was/is very compassionate about the project and what we were trying to do--agreed on all points!
This is an amazing series to watch, thanks for the all the effort and preserving the history.
Glad you dig it--like Fiona Apple said, "Cows make milk, I make music." Kinda feel that way about these underground car culture stories...
What a great series. Well done, Dan and team, you did the story the justice it deserved.
Thank you!
Very sorry to hear of Dave's passing. I first saw that 55 in HMM back in 2017. I LOVE that car. Huge inspiration for mine. Dan, thanks very much for creating this series. The footage of Dave's car in this one is classic!!!! Thanks again
what an amazing way to honor your friends memory
This is a fantastic look at the history of Chinatown and the car and motorcycle culture that emerged from it, at that time. I lived through it too - hanging out at gas stations, auto parts houses, and garages with our cars. You did a terrific job of capturing the scene, with all the personalities and values of the youth back then. Thanks for a great documentary!
Thanks Dan Stoner and all our Brothers and Sister that contributed to your excellent historical doc. We Loved seein our elders and everyone we still try to ride with on your show!!!
JT
We had a great time doing it and I feel like we just barely scratched the surface of Chinatown...good thing I got the rest of my life to dig in with some new friends!
Thank you so much for making this series. The awesome stories and bringing together of cultures under the umbrella of hot rodding were simply amazing. you have created and documented a story that will withstand time itself...Great job my friend
That's heavy, sgtrock, but can't tell you how much we appreciate the kind words...
Dan- thank you for honoring our friend Dave "The Mayor" 🙏❤️
I'd like to think this series might be approved by the Office Of The Mayor Of Hotrodding ❤💙❤💙
Omg i loved this series, 10/10 for everything especially the passion and the story telling.. I hope there's one more story to tell us
That makes two of us!
Dan, thanks for the great story. Brings back a lot of memories of yesteryear! Cars brought us together and gave us a "brotherhood" or should I say Brother Hood Way. I used to go down there and also the Great Highway looking for races. I remember an A&W rootbeer/hamburger joint by the Great Highway and we had parked there looking for races, one guy came up and looked at my 69 GTX with the 440 badging and then went to my friend's 69 Roadrunner with the 383 and asked him to race for pink slips. Guess the 440 scared him off. I remember going to Gotellies speed shop every weekend and Savoy auto parts on Geneva to see what's new in racing gear. A friend of mine purchased a 70 Charger from Gotellies with a blueprinted 426 Hemi with a 727 torque flight. It had gold lacing on both sides with the name Gotellies painted in Gold lettering on both sides. I used my GTX to tow the charger to Fremont drag strip but it jacked knifed on the freeway and tore up my 1/4 panel on my car. Dan, anyway thanks for producing these videos, they bring back so many memories of us and the people we were with. Some are still here and some are gone.
Thanks again!
What a great story! Got any pics of that '70 Charger?
@@danielstoner2843 Dan, I lost track of the guy who owned the Gotellies Charger. Sure was a pretty car, it had a white vinyl top, white interior and blue paint with the gold lace sides. It had a dual quad 426 with an automatic tranny. I'm sure it's worth a fortune now. Bumped into him at Japan Town in SF 20 years ago and he said he sold it and got into flying so he became pilot. When the muscle car passion gets in your blood you will never stop loving these cars. I'm 71 now but still have not lost interest in them. Just harder for me to wrench now.
My brother built a 57 210 with a 13/1 cr, 409 4 speed at 17 in the 1960's. He had a Spalding Flamethrower distributor
in it. Ran the east coast streets around Hartford Ct. and Springfield Mass. Was Yellow and pulled the front wheels up....
Yes, great series.
Keep it going
Please don't stop making videos like this. This is wonderful history.
NEVER STOP! We're working on another story as we speak--think you're gonna dig it...
I'm really happy stumbled across this!! What a GREAT series! I've always been in to cars. I don't know why, but I have. Back in the day the Boy Scouts of America awarded a merit badge to Cub Scouts who could identify something like 25 different cars (it had to be witnessed). I accomplished that in maybe two weeks. I bugged my parents to just drive me around so I could look for different cars:). The first car I ever saw at the dragstrip was a green '54 Chevy gasser at what I think was a test and tune night at the dragstrip outside of Seattle. I was in love! I'm 68 now and into muscle cars (I'm lucky enough to own the twin to my 68 GTO from high school) but the gassers have always been special to me. Thanks so much for this series!!!
See, that's what would've kept me in the Boy Scouts, if they had that badge when I went through! Two tours of duty in the Cubs and I was out...
Great nod to Dave, I didn't know Brian got the car. Seeing Brian brings back memories of the shop. Dan, a great piece of San Francisco history and immortalizing Dave. I don't how many times Dave was in my office shooting the shit or us eating lunch in the shop, talking about this car and many others to be built. Well Done
Marty-you were there for all the scheming over those lunch breaks!
Great video, Me and Dave share the same birthday! It's amazing the connections and the brotherhood that is made through these legendary pieces of machinery. It gives me goosebumps to be in a community as great as the one created by car culture. RIP Dave, he lives on in the legacy of that badass '55 Chevy, and the continuation of the story of the underdog.
I second that emotion, HalfStick--and happy way-early birthday!
Awesome 👍keep them coming Stoner
Gorgeous looking 55 chevy. Mike Bingham knocks it out of the park - "Again"
Bingham NEVER disappoints! Not only is he a talented paint slinger, he knows the history of this stuff...
@@danielstoner2843 We need to know now more about the Underdog 55
What a Awesome series wish there was more stuff like this
We aim to please: more coming!
Dan, Thank You Again! You Rock Dude, Totally!
This needs to be a movie ❤ the best thing I’ve seen this year.
It should be a new Chinese American Graffiti
@@chapel976 OMG that is the best suggestion ALL. YEAR.
Really great job on this series.
Great story. Awesome Artwork. I like the 55, good inspiration to rework my 55
There are a lot of goofy-looking "gassers" out there that get the proportions and stance all wrong, but Dave's Underdog tribute is one of the best examples of how to do it right!
Nicely done. Enjoyed it tremendously. Thank you.
This was a well done series. Almost like Faith Granger's the Deuce of Spades movie.
That's a blast from the past---I remember when that came out!
Terrific series Dan! Back in the 70's there was a tri-five Chevy that used to race on Carol. It had a hig Mickey Mouse decal on the trunk. I believe he was from the Excelsior district. Very fast car, I wonder if anyone else remembered it.
Excellent series and story! Drives like this make the years melt away. Thank you for taking us along.
Hey, we couldn't ask for a better endorsement than that...
Amazing story bro 💯.... enjoyed it Alot...keep up the great work ....🤙🙂🙏
A huge thanks to you for bringing this story out! I loved every part of it!!
What a great story about a cool car, and the people and the scene around it at the time.
I wonder if its still around after its last sighting in the 90s.
One outstanding tooling!! Love the gassers!! Love to make a replica of that in 1/64 scale!!!! Thanks for the ride
im in loving it dan thanks yum cha gassers china girls oh yeeear
Great series of videos.
I think if it was still around in the mid-90s, it’s still around today. I highly doubt someone would scrap a complete 56 gasser, when the gasser scene was becoming popular again. It’s probably right under our noses, just a different color.
Here's hoping you're right--and that, if we find it, that topcoat can come off easily!
This series was well presented. Job well done.
I remember bussing by Gottelli Speed Shop to my after school job
Pour one out for Gotelli Speed Shop--I feel pretty lucky that I got to experience both the front and the back of that place before we lost it...
The gotelli speed shop sign is hanging on the wall in my friends auto repair shop in South San Francisco, Mr gotelli gave us the sign a few years back, I huge it up myself
@@dogsense3773 which shop? I'll take my business there!
Great series Dan! I caught your Dave impersonation towards the end!! Nailed it! I can still hear his voice in my head saying “So Bitchin!” I hope you got the decals I sent.
Aw, man--I'm glad you picked up on that, Pat! You'd know that voice so well and he sure did leave a special group of friends behind ❤
Fantastic series kudos to
Awesome episode buddy
Nice series, throughly enjoyed them. Like all legends, or the extreme vast majority of them, they always grow in stature as time goes by.
Ain't that the truth?!? Sometimes, chasing those legends become the actual legend...
Fantastic series!!!
Great series!
I raced everybody in San Francisco and never lost a race. The SF guys always came over to race me in Oakland. I had a yellow 57 Chevy 2 door fiber glass front end. I'm Randell Kim raced from 1962 to 1966. I'm also the inventor of the BMX bicycle 1972 to 1998. You can see me on youtube Randell Kim Panda BMX bicycles. I'm still around at 80 years old.
Amazing! Did you work with or know Gary Turner from down in Southern California (who was building bikes around the same time)?
Great job kiddo
Oh at a Berkeley dance the San Francisco guys came over to race me. They brought over a 1961 Chevy record holder from the Fremont Drag strip (in their class )to beat me in front of the whole bay area. Everybody came out of the dance and we lined up in front of the dance, His girlfriend was in the car ( Peggy Shu ) It was a 3 block race. I won by a half a fender. Everybody was jumping up and down yelling Randy won Randy won. One hour later the SF guys came back again and wanted to race again, this time it was 3 blocks away on Sacramento Street Berkeley. Line up and off we went about 4 blocks at a higher speed. I won again by half a fender. Never raced at the drag strip. I still race on the streets in Hawaii. People from 1962 to 1965 All know me in the Bay Area.
What a great story! You racing at Mana'a now?
Randell,great stories and I got a question. Being in Hawaii, have you ever heard or seen the black ‘71 Heavy Chevy Chevelle gasser? Used to be in the Kaimuki area and later in Waianae in Oahu. Sonny Gomez was the owner. Early to late ‘70s.
@@colingan9412 I'm in Kaimuki have not seen any gasser. I moved back 18 years ago from Piedmont California. If i see any Heavy Chevys i will email you.
Badass Dan👨🏽🔧🤙🏽
Dan’s demeanor is really a “Clark Kent”; the Underdog is his altered ego… Talk softly and carry a big motor.😅
Now THAT is a huge compliment! Hard to live up to, but I'll do my best 🙂
BIG MOTOR?...LQQK at the old-school one off drag motor he, sold his soul for., not just a historical piece, but a priceless Hot Rod artifact, brought back to life by Dan, big has nothing on that. If you only knew just how That motor really is...IN term of the sentiment where it came from. Literally, COST an arm, leg, and them sum, but the historical, story and what It represents= value is "PRICELESS"
Cool but I was still hoping you’d find the original Underdog!
That makes two of us, AJ--now, the series had to end, but we'll keep looking for the original Underdog...maybe we'll have to do an extra episode if we do!
Check the updated description: we added a link to the behind-the-scenes story of Dave Tanimura's "Underdog" that ran in Hemmings Muscle Machines magazine back in 2018! Find out Dave's history with the original Underdog, Mike Bingham's legendary custom paint and what the car originally looked like just after Dave finished it...
I would have raced Underdog for pink slips in a 3 block race. My car was set up to race in 3 blocks only anybody would bet me in a quarter mile race. I put hydraulic lifters, not solid lifters like everybody had that is for top end., 283cu in --60 over with 327 heads with large valves and 327cu in intake ,300 hp and Carter AFB. 4:56 rear end and a 3 speed on the floor and never burn out on take off. When I raced that SF guy ( record holder at Fremont Drags ) if we went any longer he would have surely beat me. Twice he burned out on his take off. When he did that i was 20 feet ahead of him.
That sounds like a great run down Grant Ave!
Ha Dan - I fixed the problem. I made my own video - Chinatown Confidential Episode 5 Dave's Underdog 55. I don't make videos but I think I can learn - Enjoy
It's easy if you have an iPhone--you can shoot, edit and post a whole movie to CZcams directly from it!
❤ Toyota GR Corolla ❤️
Que?
So what happened to the original car?
Watch Episode 3 and it’ll be revealed!
Read the comments the original owner commented. Looks like it's in Santa Rosa or Modesto
@@michaelmontanez948 here’s hoping…
😈🔱👿... Where the heck are you finding one gallon jars of pickles 😳..because a 4 pack of 1 gal jars is 40$ on ebay
Wow, sometimes reality is such a letdown....
Whatchoo mean?
Great series but what did Dan do with the 56
Watch Episode 3 and you’ll see…
What a crock of shite ! I watched all four episodes and ended up with a 55 replica.. ?
Watch all four episodes in a row, six more times and you'll understand...
If it's a crock of shiat, then you really don't know, realize, see, what true value the content is...guess in today's age..., The "TRUMP DENIAL SYNDROME "(NOT REALIZING WHAT OR SEE THE TRUE REALITY AND IN DENIAL WITH BAD MOUTHING WITH THEIR DULSIONAL EXPRESSIONS THINKING ITS WHAT SHOULD BE IN REALITY) WHAT HAVE THIS COUNTRY COME TO, EVEN EFFECTING, US CAR GUYS WHERE WE TAKE REFUGE DOING CAR THINGS TO PASS THE TIME, AND US CAR GUYS WHO , EAT, SLEEP, BREATH CARS. SHEE'CH! ISNT IT OBVIOUS THAT THIS IS WELL TOLD STORY??, IF YOU CANT SEE OR REALIZE IT, YOU SHOULDNT BE BAD MOUTHIING IT, GUESS T'CHUMP SYNDROME HAS REALLY GOTTEN TO YOU😂