Low Riders  In Peñasco, New Mexico

Hi my name is Leo Martinez . I like to work on cars and helping people fix them up.  I have helped my friend Fabian Vigil with his 77 T-Bird.

I am interested in Low Riders and Oldies because one of these days I hope to drive around in  a 64 Chevy Impala Low Rider, and hope to take it to car shows and win somthing.   I want to become a mechanic so that I can work on old cars and make them into Low Riders.  I also want to be a mechanic in case somthing breaks on my car or if anybody elses' car needs work.  I will try to fix the car if I have the right tools.  That is why i want to become a mechanic and start my own shop.

The cars in the pictures below belong to Orlando Sanchez who lives in Lano San Juan.  I hope to add more pictures of other low riders in Penasco.

Click on the Images for a better view.

	Orlando's 55 Chevy
Orlando's Camaro		Orlando's 57 Chevy

Here is some information  about Low riders from a website I found.

history of lowriders
http://www.geocities.com/motorcity/garage/6196/history.htm

"Lowriders, custom cars, Euros, mini trucks and HotRods have become the latest craze in the Automobile trend in the '90's. Originating within the Spanish and Aztec culture, the LowRider. Phenomenon has become a great hit with "Chicanos and Chicanas" alike! The act of having a LowRider itself, involves the owning of motor vehicle with altered and lowered suspension. This creates a very unique and dynamic effect, making the car more stylish and aerodynamic. The number 1 LowRider car used throughout the United States is The 1964 Chevy Impala. This is known as a typical "Gangster" mobile. Hydraulics have become a very popular, yet expensive fad. The use of hydraulic pumps and switches are utilized throughout the vehicle to create a "hopping" effect. The cylinders used to create the hydraulic effect are usually 8 or 10" in length. Wire wheels and custom paint graphics are also a must when it comes to creating a "Phat" lowrider. Quite often, images are airbrushed on the car to create custom murals. Chrome and gold plating are usually added in the later stages of lowrider creation to add a dramatic effect. However, no "Real LowRider" would be complete without a hittin' Boom system. This would be a stereo system which involves large subwoofers (10, 12, 15, or even 18"!!), cd player, tweeters and midrange speakers. These create a full effect, surround sound theatre style sound system. LowRider builders usually prefer the deep bass tone and low frequency response of rap and Hip Hop music.:

Here are some other websites to visit and learn about Lowrider Culture.

History of lowriders
http://www.hpl.lib.tx.us/youth/cinco_low.html

brown pride web site
http://www.brownpride.com/lowriders/

lowriders
http://www.geocities.com/MotorCity/9654/lowrider.html