Rick Walker – Al’s Furniture
Downey High School – 1969
Rick Walker got the automotive bug from his grandfather Bill Walker. He was an LA Mechanic with this own shop grinding cams for famous racers. He got a ¼ midget when he was six and raced it at Playland on Kansas. “When I was growing up, local car guys would come by to check out my sisters, I would check out their cars” Rick said. His family moved to Francis Ave when he as 13, near Al’s Drive In and every Friday night was a car show. His best friend Jim Rowe owned a ’51 Chevy, he was four years older.
His first car was a ’64 Impala with a blown up motor, and at Downey, they built him a 283 V-8 and it was fantastic. He got married at 17 and graduated in 1969. As his daughter reached driving age, he rebuilt his first car, a 1961 VW bug. His next car was a 56 Chevy. He worked at Campbell’s Soup after graduating as a mechanic. Rick has always been a big community supporter and created Al’s Nifty 50s Weekend at Al’s Furniture benefiting Stanislaus Special Olympics and invited the local Chevy Club. This club became the MidValley Chevy Club. Many of the furniture vendors donated for the auctions and over 13 years, and have raised over $ ¼ Million. Over the years, he has built many cars, but he is known for his 55 Chevy. Rick says “the best thing about living in Modesto is not only the cool cars, but all the wonderful people I have met and become friends with. I have lived in the best of times. I have never dreamed of living anywhere but right here in Modesto” He is now building what he claims to be his last car, a 56 Ford Fairlane Wagon.
