Inside Walden’s Speed Shop...
Inside Walden’s Speed Shop folks gather around Fred Warren’s latest: a coupe Walden’s is building from scratch based on a Jimmy Smith design. A 4-inch chop, exposed hinges, and a LS3/4L80E engine and trans combo make up some of the parts list. Walden expects roughly 5,000 hours of fabrication labor in the car when done.
Bobby and Melinda Walden moved to SoCal a few years ago after Bobby made a name for himself in his home state of Texas for his fabricating skills. He continued that trend working for some notable shops in the SoCal region before the pair opened the 7,000-square-foot Walden’s Speed Shop in Pomona, California, in 2005 (with a team of fabricators led by Jim “Jake” Jacobs, Wesley Kent, and Blake Tomlinson).
Organizing an open house before the roadster show a few years back, the pre-event party has recently become a “must attend”, especially for the traditional-minded hot rodder. This year the gig ran till 10 p.m., and Walden’s handed out 650 free ice cream bars, 12 cases of water, and seven cases of Dr. Pepper. Looking around, you could see everyone had a good time.
In a nutshell, expect to see...
In a nutshell, expect to see dozens and dozens of cars built like this flattie-powered roadster at Walden’s party. The shop has become something of a Mecca for traditional hot rodders during the L.A. Roadsters weekend, and the party is a great way to spend an evening.
Clubs and individuals all...
Clubs and individuals all roll into Walden’s sometime between 5 and 10 p.m., and it’s a good chance to check out a bunch of cars that won’t be in the main parking area of the L.A. Roadsters show.
Bobby Walden (left) and Fred...
Bobby Walden (left) and Fred Warren share some time at the party on Friday night during a very busy weekend for the shop.
One of Walden’s in-the-works...
One of Walden’s in-the-works rides is this rare ’32 Ford roadster pickup, which sits on a Jitney chassis (sold exclusively through Walden’s) and is equipped with a 4:71 Cragar-blown SBC and a five-speed. Walden is looking for a new owner for this one.