California's capitol city, Sacramento, houses some of the state's finest auto and train museums, maybe some of the finest in the country. Just walking around the Old Town section of the city can make you aware of just what a classic auto related place it is. There are always a variety of hot rods, street rods, musclecars, and lowriders cruising Old Town on Friday and Saturday nights.
Not too long ago we had the opportunity to visit Sacramento on our way to Redding's Kool April Nights car show (which is located about three hours north of Sacramento). Our goal: to check out the car scene. It didn't take long to realize everyone was telling us the same thing: "You gotta go see Sacramento Vintage Ford."
With such a large congregation of car nuts, you might guess one of the largest vintage auto parts houses in the country would call Sacramento home. Located just east of downtown, this immense vintage Ford parts house took us by surprise. We had no idea of its size or of the amount of cool hot rod related parts that could be found there. Owner Darold Kohout and family have made sure to stock all available vintage Ford parts from hundreds of vendors and manufacturers. And they now offer more hot rod and street rod specific parts than ever before. In fact, they will soon be offering a street rod parts catalog in addition to their original parts catalogs for '09-'48 automobiles and '28-66 Ford trucks. Also housed on the premises is Vintage Ford's busy shipping and receiving departments, a giant warehouse full of stocked shelves, and even a section devoted to constructing the beautiful original cloth-braded wire looms offered in their catalogs.
Sacramento Vintage Ford has even constructed an entire diner within the walls of the parts house. You can sit down and order anything from hot dogs to malts. While you're waiting for your hot dog, you can step into the gift shop that offers every car culture goodie made today. Everything from model kits to shrunken heads to poodle skirts, they have it all, making this stop a must for gearheads and families alike. We can only imagine living close enough to stop by on the weekends to drool over the unending parts. The beautiful thing about the folks at Sacramento Vintage Ford is that they encourage just that.
Have you ever wondered what...
Have you ever wondered what 70,000-plus square feet of adult candyland looks like? Well, here it is, at least for Ford lovers, that is. Welcome to Sacramento Vintage Ford Parts and all its glory.
Once you're through the front...
Once you're through the front doors, plan on taking some time to walk through the 12,000 square feet of showroom. There are many rare and interesting parts, pictures, posters, and complete museum quality cars and displays to keep your brain going in circles.
As we were saying, check out...
As we were saying, check out this early speedster-style Model T complete with Sherman Spitfire head and ultra cool oval fuel tank.
Only a shop of this size and...
Only a shop of this size and reputation could be awarded with the ultimate in hot rod trophies.
Mixed within the different...
Mixed within the different displays speckled throughout the store are complete and partially-built early hot rod engines. This Cragar Head-topped four-banger was screaming for a new home, and someone must have heard it because by the time we made it to the other end of the store and back again, it was being rolled out to the parking lot. SOLD!
You should have no problem...
You should have no problem remembering the Rod & Custom cover shot of this exact scene. Even though most of us remember the cover shot, it is just too cool not to check it out one more time. This has to be one of the coolest museum-quality displays we've ever seen. Don't you agree?
If you thought it was getting...
If you thought it was getting hard to find unique quality early hot rod parts for four-bangers, you obviously haven't heard of Sacramento Vintage Ford.
Another large part of Sacramento...
Another large part of Sacramento Vintage Ford deals with early to late Ford truck parts. Just about anything you could ever need for a '28-66 Ford truck, including steel and fiberglass body parts, can be found on display.
At least the folks at Sacramento...
At least the folks at Sacramento Vintage Ford have the good sense to stock plenty of Street Rodder issues. In fact, just about every cool car magazine out there, as well as aisles of early Ford manuals and literature, can be found in stock.
Big Daddy Ed Roth has his...
Big Daddy Ed Roth has his very own corner of the store where you can find all kinds of memorabilia like T-shirts, models, and, of course, Rat Fink himself.
Without a doubt one of the...
Without a doubt one of the most unique parts of the store is the gift shop/'50s diner. Dubbed "The Chrome Grill," this full-service diner extinguishes any thoughts of going hungry while spending days at a time walking through all the parts.
But despite all the good eats,...
But despite all the good eats, this guy had to wait just a little too long for his wife to finsih shopping!
Like we said earlier in the...
Like we said earlier in the story, Sacramento Vintage Ford is getting heavier and heavier into the street rodding parts business to complement the hot rod and original parts they already stock.
Aside from smooth firewalls...
Aside from smooth firewalls and an array of different types of fuel tanks, we found the complete line of Lecarra steering wheels, full TCI chassis (amongst other quality chassis brands), and many other parts to outfit your '35-and-later street rod.
Here is the hub of operations...
Here is the hub of operations at Sacramento Vintage Ford. Say hello to (from left to right) Gail Stuker, order operations manager; Mike Kohout, general manager; Darold Kohout, CEO; and Darold's wife Lynnette, CFO. These are the great people that not only run this immense business, but also seem to keep all who do business with them smiling. Proof of this is the fact that over the last 30-plus years, Sacramento Vintage Ford has grown from a 1,500-square-foot shop to the 70,000-square-foot giant it has become today.