The Motor Underground: Chinatown Confidential | Episode 1
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 15 май 2024
- Dan Stoner, Hemmings Creative Director, and underground car culture digger, has been hearing a rumor about a mysterious ’56 Chevy gasser called “The Underdog” that ran the streets of Chinatown in San Francisco for as long as he’s lived in the city. But nobody knew where it was or had ever seen the car in person.
So, it was time to put the legend to the test. Was it a real car? Were Chinese kids the first to run gassers on the street 50 years ago? And what was the fate of the Underdog? To answer all these questions, he first must go Underground to understand the most mysterious neighborhood on the West Coast: CHINATOWN…
Hemmings is the ultimate destination for finding your perfect ride. Head to Hemmings.com and register to start your search today.
This Motor Underground series - Chinatown Confidential - is the first 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...
#hotrod #vintage #classic #classiccar #hemmings #classiccars #chinatown #sanfrancisco #norcal #vintagedrags #dragracing #musclecars 
Авто/Мото
Got a friend in san francisco with a 58 corvette, he's 69, he has a picture of this car in China town with 4 corvettes with straight axle lined up on a street in Chinatown, looks around 1967, this car has had the axle replaced was stock suspension, he just about never takes it out, but does have a total restoration, thanks! Still in san francisco,
Oh wow! Love to see that old photo-and too bad the car lost it’s historic axle setup😊
He's 69
Age 69
Ok
Ok
growing up in the hood, you best option was to be friendly with everyone and stayed away from the gang life. you would walk around and just nod to each other when passing each other. lots of hot cars those days ..... but, gas was very cheap ($.32 cents a gallon for Chevron White Custom gas - 103 octane). if I got around 6-8 miles to a gallon, I was very happy. banging some gears was a way of life .......
Jimmy Carter killed muscle car culture when gas went up and you couldn't even buy it. Who remembers lining up for gas on odd and even days? All downhill after that. Kids had to ride Honda CVCC and Datsun B210.
FANTASTIC! Between the Shifters Documentary, and this.....don't need anything else. Can't wait to see the rest!
Hope we never disappoint, V8D!
Well done video, it brought back great memory's living in North Beach. We used to cruise Mission onto El Camino all the way to San Jose. Hanging out at the A&W in Westlake, racing on Brotherhood Way.
I'm 69 and my brother is 75, in 1967 we raced on brotherhood way in a white 64 Plymouth super sport fury, I'm still in san francisco and volunteer in a restoration shop working on cars from 1924-75, we have a car show at ocean Beach every 3 Sunday 100 cars show up, thanks!
@@dogsense3773see you at the next SFOB! I’ll be in the T-bucket…
Grew up in SSF. Cruised El Camino for years, Still have homies in Hill Side, Brotherhood way races. Good times.
We raced wherever there was a 1/4 mile. Great Highway. Geary Boulevard. The Embarcadero. Sloat. Alemany. Sunset. 19th. Bayshore.
There was a period when people cruised Broadway.
And going to dinner at Original Joe's and Trader Vic's was a fancy date.
Stoner, you keep killing it with this series! Fantastic story telling...of an incredible story that needed to be shared! Looking forward to the next episode. Go Motor Underground, keep moving forward!
You keep this up and we'll have to do ANOTHER one! But appreciate the props--EXCELSIOR!
As a NorCal kid, this series is something that sure brings some stories that were always rumored for a kid that didnt exactly fit into that culture. Very cool to now hear those tales told!
Hey Dan, it’s Jerry. I worked for Tim C. Between 2016-19. I did some fab work on your 27T. I also pieced it together from piles of parts before you picked it up. My late Father was born and raised in SF. He was a street racer before and after he served in Vietnam 67-69. His name was Dan L. He had a blue 55 post with a built 327 4 spd. A black 56 post with a 348 4 spd. And a black 58 Vette with a then new crate LT1 also a 4 spd. He used to share all kinds of street racing stories with me. At the time he said the great highway and ocean beach was a spot.
JERRY! Great to hear from you--and thanks for sharing some great history. Do you know if he had suspension done on those cars at Al's Automotive in Brisbane?
GH is a legendary drag strip !
Glad to see these stories being told! One part of Chinatown history many don't know and a lot of influence in car culture. My Dad worked in Chinatown at Powell Street Garage and was into hot rodding and influenced me and my brother. This brings back memories.
Got any old photos of that Powell Street garage and all the cars you and your family were into back then?
@@danielstoner2843 Unfortunately no. The last remaining thing I have is the K5 Blazer I took over from my dad. If I can find anything I'll reach out.
There's still garage on Powell and Pacific. Oil changes and brake jobs.
@@user-qc6dx6iu3f Yeah the only shop in the area. Remember when I was younger my Dad knew the owner or guys there.
@@longrodlseries Most of those guys were just hanging out there. The Ping Yuen Housing Projects was right across the street. Those guys had to have somewhere to go. Your Dad probably knew knew my Dad, Uncles, Cousins........
@ 13:33 Auntie summed up the issue in our community which still exists to this day. A chasm which divides us. American Born Chinese, versus newly arrived immigrants. In her generation, in my generation, in today's generation. It saddens me that we killed each other over such a difference. One of my few regrets in life, was how I treated my own people. Self loathing discrimination.
Don't let the past eat you up, chinatownboy--the fact that you recognize it now, after all these years, means that you're actually dealing with it. More of us could take a lesson from you...
Very interesting story and well done.
OUTSTANDING!
Great Job to Dan and the rest of the crew. Good review of the good old days !.
Couldn't do it without you, B!
Excellent!!!! Can not wait for episode 2.
Good job Brian, bringing the Asian car culture history to light, Dan Stoner.,Appreciate all the effort especially during AAPPI Month, Very well told story, not the typical Asians cant drive mentality 😂, All kidding aside, I was very impressed with the premiere, maybe you can follow up with the bikers, and the 70s, 80s and 90s generations of Asian car culture. The theater the premiere was shown has its own story, havnt been back in there since I was a kid and teenager, glad to see it was save, and kudos to the couple who put in the hard work to save it, the wife literally, cried in tears while bringing it back to life(A BIG THANKS FOR DOING SO). GOOD JOB TO EVERYONE (HEMMINGS, DAN, BRIAN, FRANKIE, CAT, VENETA, ALL THE CAST MEMBERS, WHO TOLD THE STORY,(STEVEN LEE FOR HOSTING THE AFTER PARTY AND BOUGHT TO LIGHT, WHO ASIAN HOT RODDING/CAR CULTURE WAS ABOUT.
Thanks for being a part of all this--of course, I'm hearing more stories that should've made it into the documentary AFTER we finished and showed the premiere, but that's the way The Motor Underground always goes!
Anyone remember Al's of Brisbane? His shop installed a straight axle on my 36 chevy.
yup. all (or most) of these cars in this video are Al's tube and spindle cars. He did my 57'.
Ah, stay tuned for Episode 2 and I think you'll be pleasantly surprised...
He installed a chrome tube and chrome lift bars in the back of my 55 Chevy Nomad. Late 60's
@@BrianFong-ng2ur Baca's
@@danielstoner2843 Can't wait!!
Awesome so far. Al is/was my pops!
Well done kiddo. Cannot wait until the next one
I grew up in Chinatown on Jackson St. but about 10 years later than the timeline of this automobile story arc. By the time I got my drivers license, the Great Highway was already shut down from drag races. I recall the rumble of muscle cars all around the neighborhood though. And coveted a 60’s Camaro until I actually drove one. Bad example, brakes that barely stopped me from unintentionally running downhill thru the intersection of Clay and Mason Sts. By the cable car barn!
What a great story, John! Got any pics of that Camaro?
My Dad and I still go to Pork Chop House and Red's on Jackson.
Old enough to run on brotherhood way and down SSF train yard. 😅
Just stumbled upon this surfing RUclips. Very cool stories😊
Amazing story! Looking forward to more!
Great video! Hope to see more. 😊
The day and age of the yellow peril., San Francisco Chinatown., One aim One love One destiny., respects!
And we’re still looking for a car called “Yellow Peril,” too!
Awesome video 👍California car culture
Stories like this could ONLY happen in California! But then again, there are some amazing things to uncover east of the border, too…
Love these stories, and Stoner has a got the voice to bring it to life. Can’t wait for the next episode!
Excellent Dan !!!
Thanks , This The Great Car Channel & Video ! Good Work !
Hello From Finland !
Hellooooooooo Finland! Should we come to your town and tell an underground car story?
@@danielstoner2843 Hello ! Yes Your are Welcome to tell Story , to all , My RUclips Channel From Finland ! Have Car & Motor Bike Video ! My Town it is Helsinki & the Best Place in this World ! I Think So ! You Can to Came and to Look & See ! This Place Helsinki 👍👍👍👍
Born raised San Francisco. I love this
You're a tough customer, so we appreciate the words!
This is awesome! Please do more of these! The underground history of hot rodding is one of the most important car culture stories never told.
We might be biased, but we agree!
Nice work, looking forward to seeing the next episode.
Three more episodes to go, Marty and stay tuned--you're gonna REALLY want to see this...
Dan, good to see another vid from you. Keep these types of vids coming, please.
More episodes coming next week-stay tuned!
This was Awesome.. cheers from Orange County California 🇺🇸
Wow right on dude. I totally l peeped your video
COOL 😎 Thanks from old New Orleans 😎
Loved this!
Looking forward to them
Very well done guys!
Waiting to see John Choi's and Giles gas stations with nice cars sitting around.
Ask and ye shall receive-wait till next week’s episode!
ALL 4 PARTS ARE JUST AS GOOD AS THE 1ST, You won't be disappointed.
Giles is no longer around.
These. Do more of these.
Great video, thanks!
More to come!
The Under Dog was a 56 Chev in Tan color, can't remember if it was a 327 V8 or 427 , 4 speed with headers. All customized and bought by my old friend Dan Louie. I went with him to make the purchase it was either in 1968 or 1969. I had my 55 Chevy with a Short block 327 then ( pic not taken before new paint job and car got stolen) so I replaced my ride with a new Red Mopar Plymouth1969 Roadrunner equipped with a 383 V8 and TorqueFlite Automatic Trans. Cannot find pics of the Underdog, will keep on looking. M Mah
Wow! Got any pics of those two cars?
Sorry Daniel, no such pics. Only ones from those days are some of my 1969 Red Roadrunner with a 383 V8 ( replacement of the Black 55 Chev 2dr). M. Mah
Great job representing, Cat. Wait til Dan checks out your car.
I do love that '55! So far, it's the only original Chinatown tube-axle car I've been able to find...but I'm still hoping to change that!
Sounds like the story of the number 1 headband in afro samurai.
Great. Now I gotta look all that up and obsess over afro samurai for the next 6 months. Thanks a lot, zochheem!
Wish the graphic editor didn’t use the stereotype font for the people’s English names; and yet appreciate the accompaniment of their Chinese names - highlighting and distilling the duality of being an ABC: American Born Chinese
Actually, those characters aren't individual Chinese names--it's Cantonese for "San Francisco" and "Gold Mountain" (the Chinese nickname for SF). Love that kind of stuff! But a note on the font choice: my job, as Writer and Director, is to let folks who might never experience Chinatown for themselves, understand what this place is like. And since we only have a flat screen to do that, I have to make sure that every single bit of what they see on-screen supports that experience they'll only have through the screen. And the fonts matter. Does that make sense?
Bravo Dan bravo!!!
Thank you, brother!!
where is episode 2? Feels like you didn't get to that part about racing that 56?
Get some rest, for TOMORROW we party! Episode 2 goes live at 12:30pm EST...
I wonder if a street racer of the era that I know knows of this story. Back in the days the Great Hwy was the notorious drag strip.
More about the Great Highway (as well as Brotherhood Way and Carroll Ave.) in upcoming episodes--I think you'll dig it!
Remember Doggy Diner on Sloat?
@@user-qc6dx6iu3f - yeah! I swear within a year or two ago I saw a trio of the doggy diner dog being towed on a flat trailer somewhere in the city
@@AliasHSW Those are all collectibles. I forget who owns them. But they are being preserved for historical purposes.
I'm certain that if someone wanted to, they could find out who owns the trademark and logos.
Another spot we raced at was Canada Rd in front of the Water Tower in SM
I always see that exit on 280...
What is the release dates on the remaining 3 series
(1 )series a week
I watched owl build my 51 Henry J in 1981 I still have the car
I keep waiting for JACK BURTON and THE PORK CHOP EXPRESS to come around the corner. BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA!!!!
China is here.
@@sheckydiamond7533 i dont even know what the hell that means. All i know is this lo pan character comes outta nowhere in the middle of a damn alley and he just stands there? Waitin for me to drive my truck straight threw him?! With light comin outta his mouth!!! 😜😂😂😂
Chinese ride Harley Davidson and drive American cars. I still ride a Harley and drive a Ford.
Believe me--I gave them a raft of shit for not having a Ford anywhere in their historic pics!
@@danielstoner2843 Interesting. My Dad had a Gran Torino, and then a 5.0. I was the kid with Harley, at Galileo High School. We used to park our bikes in front of Red's Bar on Jackson. Funny how back in those days, high school kids had bikes and hung out in front of The Bar.
@@chinatownboy7482 and those kids had STYLE, my man...
@@danielstoner2843 What we had was jobs. We were willing to work. Every 5h!t job we could do. Washing dishes. Waiting tables. Stocking shelves. Changing oil. Spraying cockroaches. Cleaning out hot tubs at g@y bath houses. Mopping up the glory holes in the back of the nudie book stores. A few of us used to hang out on Broadway, and when the strip clubs needed someone "escorted" out, they would slip us a few dollars to show the gentleman to the back alley.
@@chinatownboy7482my sister had a Grand Torino. She nicknamed it in Chinese: Water Buffalo. My brother had a 5.0 in the 80s.
There is hotrod GOLD sitting in the garages of San Francisco.
I FEEL SEEN ❤
@6:13. What President said that is important. Who was he?
I think it was FDR...
The quote made by Vanita Louie, reads "...you would file for your citizenship until one president at one time said if you had served in the [U.S.] military at any level at any time, you were given automatic citizenship." With Austin Louie adding, "if you fought for this country, your a citizen." Since there is more to it than a president saying it, to identify a single president would be difficult as there would also be congressional action related to legislation and immigration.
The website, immigrationhistory.org digs deeper into this topic, providing historical evidence of Chinese immigration with a timeline (immigrationhistory.org/timeline/) that illustrates a general view starting as early as "the Burlingame Treaty of 1868 which was negotiated during construction of the Transcontinental Railroad as that relied heavily on Chinese labor. This international agreement secured US access to Chinese workers by guaranteeing rights of free migration to both Chinese and Americans."
However, only 14 years later, "the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 marked major shift in U.S. immigration policy toward growing restrictiveness. The law targeted Chinese immigrants for restriction -- the first such group identified by race and class for severely limited legal entry and ineligibility for citizenship." Further enforcement and segregation policy continued well into the 20th century until the dramatic "repeal of Chinese Exclusion (1943) after as the importance of China as the U.S. government's chief ally in the Pacific war against Japan led Congress to repeal the Chinese Exclusion laws, placing China under the same immigration restrictions as European countries."
But, "the McCarran-Walter Act also known as the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 during an era of anti-Communist government restrictions reformed some of the obvious discriminatory provisions in immigration law...but retained offensive immigration enforcement and retained offensive national origins quotas." Additionally, the Chinese Confession Program (1956-1965) was used by immigration and FBI officials to attempt to regularize statuses of many Chinese Americans who had entered the U.S. using some forms of "loophole" that discriminatory Chinese exclusion laws couldn't enforce. My takeaway is that "paper sons" possibly fell into that category.
Another takeaway while researching, it was only recent history that Chinese veterans who served in the military were awarded congressional recognition and in many cases long after other naturalized citizens and their respective countries were recognized. According to a Jun 17, 2019 article in The Seattle Times ('I was just doing my job': Seattle's Chinese American veterans to receive long overdue honors from the U.S.) "..of the 20,000 Chinese Americans who served in the military during World War II, about 40% were not even granted citizenship, according to the Chinese-American World War II Veteran Congressional Gold Medal Act."
@@hemmingsmotornews
I'm not Asian, but I have eyes and ears. They've always been around and they always contributed. They were right there living the same struggles, times, love for music and cars. We have to get past the idea that they look different and so they're foreign. Many were here before I was. Many were born Americans. And, many fought for us.
They're 100% fully Americans.
An automotive example I remember is a kustom legend...yet we fail to acknowledge they were Asian, soldiers, and business owners.
One being the story of the Hirohata Mercury. Brand new car. Full radical kustom. Guy was born and raised in L.A.
Non automotive local example... the history of the Gilroy Hot Springs.
Your mini documentary was well done.
E2 !!!!!?
Coming this week!
If that's not cool enough AL'S grandson is fabricating as well
The first
Hardest 22 minutes I've ever had to watch. Dunno why we so cruel & stupid to each other....
I'm glad you said it--we thought the same thing. It was a tragedy unique to San Francisco and California, but the sentiment was felt across the young and growing nation. WWII saw Japanese Californians rounded up and, personally, I have friends who are the direct descendants of those internment camp survivors. Those families lost EVERYTHING, yet they stayed, rebuilt and are thriving now.
You didn't have to watch the entire video. Could have stopped playing it.
Skip to 20:00 to avoid the BS!
What was BS before 20:00?
I'm 60 & lived in SF '85 - 90 & the "ghosts" of this racial horror were still there. I hope they're mostly gone now as my kid goes off to SF....
You tapped into one of the reasons we made this series--the pandemic created a post-pandemic that made us all more aware of it, but there are still a few scant remnants floating around. I think the good news is that awareness is the first step--and we've taken it here in SF...
The more things change, the more they stay the same. The 80's and 90's Chinatown had a gang war, where a lot of people were shot.
Racial horror is still present. It's now called anti Asian hate crime. It may be even worse than before.
Nice...however, hate the typeface, so stereotypical and yesterday. Would've loved a better explanation of
"Paper son" which was more than sponsorship, it was bought identities as a workaround of the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882-1943. Also a better explanation of the gang formation of the mid-60's, a result of the change in immigration policies that opened the doors to increased immigration from China causing rifts between the ABC (American born Chinese) and those "FOB's" (Fresh off the boat.)
Their parents owned shops and restaurants, that they were destined to inherit. My parents suffered from wage theft in their parents' sweat shops. They laughed at my Salvation Army donated wardrobe. I wore Florsheim from Grant Avenue. I walked from Chinatown to Galileo, because I didn't have bus fare. I didn't even have lunch money. The fellas slapped me around at school. The girlies foisted intoxicants upon me, and touched me in a bad way. I was marginalized, humiliated, and cried myself to sleep every night. I was that FOB.
@@chinatownboy7482 I'm sorry that your childhood was difficult. My reference was specifically about those who chose the gang life and not meant to generalize all FOB's.
@@felicialowe9961 My childhood is just one of many in Chinatown. Don't be sorry. You didn't beat me up. You didn't give me alcohol and cocaine, then stole my innocence. Good. Bad. Ugly. It crafted me into the person that I am today.
@@chinatownboy7482 Very true. American born kids bullied and picked on newcomers. Same thing still happens.
I thought This was an automotive channell, turns out the purpose of this video is to make sure nobody forgets how racist the greatest country on earth is/was. Careful Hemmings here lately companies that go woke end up broke.
Not sure what "woke" means. But we’re Hemmings: we preserve history…good, bad and ugly. We’re not here to pick and choose what a particular political party wants to see, rather we simply connect cars with culture. These things happened, and the greater story needs to be documented and preserved so that we don’t repeat the mistakes of the past, but we also celebrate the accomplishments made by the generations before us.
BRIAN-FF7tw, "THIS IS AN AUTOMOTIVE TALE/STORY", When you see all 4 parts, it will be clear. In order to tell the story completely, unfortunately the content must be included to explain why in that time some did certain things, this gives you the full sense of what what going on and how and why the car culture came about. Yes, the content has controversy but it's the God honest truth. What you don't know is that how just acquiring a car and the funds was no easy feat at that time being asian, hence the story and back ground with the info to uphold tje car story, Dan, and hemmings did a "GREAT" Job of research and telling like it is. Back in those days it wasn't like today to aquire a car and seeking out the modifications to hot rod them., especially if your Asian. Hence the story of borderline crossing at north beach, no selling homes outside CT to Asians, dispite the struggles, the gangs, some choose cars to keep them out of the gang troubles., MISINTERPRETING, it to something else, is not tje focus here, but to tell it like it is with some facts to support the story. Every story told must have some content, especially when it is on public display(ever see news, why is it mostly negative, as it hooks people to watch, if it wasn't it would be boring and no one would watch, unfortunately that part of democratic society. Hemmings Dan, and the cast, told a Great story, leave it at that. Asians, typical don't go out of their way to tell such stories, so be greatful, that it shines a light on a generation that did it despite other distractions going on. They did it with cars and bikes...and that what this tale/and story is about. No more no less. It's a very well told story, with a twist but isn't content with out some controversy makes it a boring story. At least the controversy was true, but needed to be included to define the Era, time and people, why and what happened, hence why we have history, so that hopefully we can learn from our mistakes and move forward with the wisdom. Ultimately, it's about the 60/70's asian car culture, "Period"..
Well put "D"!!
@danielstoner2843 did I miss the cars then? I don't recall seeing any cars to connect
@@Brian-ff7tw watch this episode four more times and you'll see them...