ORMHOF inductee Brian Chuchua, Class of 1978 drops some cherry bombs on us as he tells the Jeep history from the beginning. From paying $5,000 for a Jeep franchise to participating in year 2 of Jeep Jamboree to racing the first Mexican 1000. So grateful to interview long-time history-makers in the industry. Congratulations to Brian Chuchua, a 1978 inductee into ORMHOF, Brian is why we say; legends live at ORMHOF.org. Be sure to tune in on your favorite podcast app.
5:09 – the education today is not career advancing, for sure
10:59 – I was drag racing my Jeep with the V8 at all the local drag strips
14:28 – I made the cover of Popular Mechanics
17:24 – the Pan American highway existed, but the bridges did not, so you had to ford all these rivers
25:15 – I drove my Jeep up the steps of the Sydney Opera House
30:09 – we built the first Blazer and sold the name to Chevrolet
36:54 – the original SEMA was to fight the legislation on wheels
Special thanks to ORMHOF.org for support and sponsorship of this podcast.
TRANSCRIPT
[00:01:14.010] – Big Rich Klein
On today’s episode of Conversations with Big Rich, it is my honor to talk with Brian Chuchua. Brian is a 1978 inductee into the Offroad Motorsports Hall of Fame. His first race was in 1954, just a year or two after getting his Jeep, and the same year that he graduated high school. He was on the Jeep Jamboree in 1954 on the Rubicon. In 1960, he drove his Jeep to the Panama Canal. He opened a dealership in 1963 in Fullerton, California. He’s one of the founding fathers of SEMA in 1964… Or ’63, excuse me. That’s just the beginning. Brian, thank you so much for spending the time and talking today about your history.
[00:02:02.520] – Brian Chuchua
You’re very welcome.
[00:02:04.880] – Big Rich Klein
Let’s start off right at the very beginning. Where are you born and raised?
[00:02:11.670] – Brian Chuchua
Born in Belle, California.
[00:02:14.400] – Big Rich Klein
Belle, California, Southern.
[00:02:16.340] – Brian Chuchua
Yes. I went to State Street Elementary School in Hymanston Park. Then from there, we moved Southgate, and I went to Stanford Avenue School. Then from there, I went to South Gate Junior High School, which I graduated from. Then my folks moved to Lehabra Heights. I had to transfer to Fulton High School. I graduated from Fulton High School in ’54. I went on to Fulton in junior college, graduated ’56. That’s my…
[00:03:10.320] – Big Rich Klein
Your schooling background?
[00:03:12.150] – Brian Chuchua
Yeah.
[00:03:13.080] – Big Rich Klein
How were you as a student? Were you a good student or were you preoccupied with things outside of the school?
[00:03:22.070] – Brian Chuchua
I’d say it right in the middle on the corner in a school. And then the off-roading was part of it for me because every weekend I’d head for the desert. When I was in high school, I would spend the weekends camping. And with my Jeep. And then I made accessories for my Jeep. And people said, Well, gee, I want one of those. So that’s where I got started at making the roll bars and tow bars. I sold roll bars to Chevrolet for their Corvettes. I did obviously roll bars for Jeeps. That was where I manufactured. My father owned a steel warehouse in Compton, and I did a lot of my working there.
[00:04:29.280] – Big Rich Klein
Is that where you learned to weld as well?
[00:04:34.020] – Brian Chuchua
I learned to weld in really high school. Fullerton high school, I had a welding class, sheet metal class, tape class, and all the automotive stuff, which doesn’t exist today. I took every class they had.
[00:04:54.390] – Big Rich Klein
Great. I wish that was one of the things that we still offered instead of some of the other social education that the kids are getting nowadays.
[00:05:09.070] – Brian Chuchua
Now, the education today is not career advancing, for sure. READ MORE
