I was wondering if anyone on here knew a basic shape or measurements for an old 1970’s skateboard, or mayb the location of the original polyurethane wheels, and tight trucks.
Really Appreciated
~z
~Mahalo & Peace~
hi ,
I have about 200++ old skool 80’s skateboard deck in brand new conditon …
cheers , A .
'70’s, we rode all sorts of different decks, trucks and wheel combos depending what we were riding.
I was a dowhill streetskater, so mostly flex decks, aluminum, composite, fiberglass, were mostly used.
But trick boards differed from pool boards which were completely different from downhillers.
One of the guys from our surfshop even rode a 6’ long double thick board, as he like to bomb flatter big hills, like Skyline Blvd. without turning.
Try ebay… You have to get lucky to find some old retro PU wheels but if you’re happy to settle with new ones, there are a few companys around that still make old school PU wheels and old school trucks… Independant are one that still make old school trucks… the original and the best 
In terms of deck measurements, try www.artofskateboarding.com - there is a vast museum of decks in there ranging from 50s and 60s vintage up to now.
Also, if you’re just after an old school feel, try picking up one of the re-issue decks… they are better value for money if you plan on riding them as you don’t pay a premium on the age and the re-issues are actually stronger as they use modern materials and techniques. Try DogTown or Powell & Peralta for good old school re-issues. Tony Alva also has a few re-issue decks out.
-Cam
In the early 1970s I had narrow , homemade decks … 25 -28" x 6-8" [max] wide , no kicktails. I used X-caliber trucks , and loose ball bearing cadillac wheels , if my memory seves me correctly ? [“metaflex”, also].
By 1976 onwards , this had changed to 7-9-91/2" wide 28-32" long decks , with tail kick and grip deck , as wider trucks [Trackers] and wheels [sealed ball bearings] became more widely available in Sydney.
Also , ramps [quarter and halfpipes] , and a skatepark or two, starting springing up around the place, in the mid-to late 1970s.
This , of course , was just my personal experience as a teenager in Sydney…
ben
I still have and ride a 30"x10" Santa Cruz concaved deck , single kick [tail] board , from around 1986. Call me “old school” [yawn…media invention labels] if you like …the thing is FUN to ride , on the street [practicing surfing], or on halfpipes or bowls [practicing surfing] !
This is what hey looked like when urethane wheels arrived. Solid oak deck, rollerskate trucks and way too wide urethane wheels.
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One of the guys from our surfshop even rode a 6’ long double thick board, as he like to bomb flatter big hills, like Skyline Blvd. without turning.
LeeDD…What was that big hill in San Leandro, that dropped from Lake Chabot…Fairmount Drive…???..There was a Juvey Detenetion center there in the '70’s…That hill was unreal…Me and my Bahne…Super long, smooth asphalt, divided lane directions, you could see cars from a long way away…Did you ever get there…???
The decks were really narrow, sometimes only 4" across, I had a Golden Breed fibreglass deck 4" wide x 15" long.
Trucks were narrow and hard to turn, we used to get ones called Detriot that had black rubber wheels and loose bearings. Then Chicago trucks came out with urethane wheels, we couldn’t believe the sudden advancement in technology, after that only dorks and poor kids rode on Detriots, very uncool.
We went through a lot of old rubber thongs making up our own truck rubbers just so we could turn them…
I love that picture, look closely how often have we ridden boards with the trucks held on by only 2 nuts and screws for each truck.
Had to scab and scrape to get our supplies, even going as far to average the amount of BB that were left after a wheel blowout amongst the 8 cups. Count what you have left and divide by 8.
rode a flex bahne in 74. good for pumping around the basketball courts in rainy seattle.
Tried those downhill baby cone races they had well before the urethane wheel.
Sealed bearing were the key along with the urethane and wide trucks.
rode alot of homemade wood longboards back then and with no hills here in Ewa we used to tie one end of a rope to a bike or scooter and the other around our waist and pretend to be surfing the asfalt till you fell and discovered what it like to be in strawberry heaven. Learning to skate in a completely flat place you leaarn how to generate speed from “tacking” and pumping and bouncing off of every angle you could find… Then of course we had “stoker hill” in waipahu…
And Hicksy in my opinion your logo entry should’ve placed…
I know it’s going on all the stuff I make.
I’ll get you a picture soon…
There’s more joy and humility in those graphics and colors and less seriousness about some great craftmanship accomplishment I see in the others…
You and Chip rule these waves… Street, sand, water or air(cyber)
just thought I let you guys know…
It’s supposed to be fun…
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"... less seriousness...." you got that right , mate .... ...think "Cheech and Chong" [while we're on the 1970s theme] , WITHOUT the drugs....You and Chip rule these waves… Street, sand, water or air(cyber)
well , not sure about that one …you been drinking ?? [we may rule the airhead contests , perhaps !] It’s supposed to be fun… yep…check the hickster’s avatar photo at the moment . I mean , how serious IS this guy ??!!
Quote:
I still have and ride a 30"x10" Santa Cruz concaved deck , single kick [tail] board , from around 1986. Call me “old school” [yawn…media invention labels] if you like …the thing is FUN to ride , on the street [practicing surfing], or on halfpipes or bowls [practicing surfing] !
Your not the only one! I also enjoy my wide ass single kick! (even now it has 6 wheels)
But the Best board I’ve ever had/have is one I made myself. 36" Long, 8" wide and has really narrow trucks with good wheals and fffaaaaaaaasssssssttttt as bearings.
Josh.
PS… Hire or get the film “dogtown and z-boys” Very good film espescially if u like 70s skating and boards.
Thanks for that Oneula, not too sure about the maths involved in the final calculations but…doesn’t matter, it is supposed to be fun.
Chip and I are just a couple of plain Ozzy blokes that like to try different things without getting too serious or taking things seriously.
Can’t wait to put those trucks on the Star surfboard to freak the neighbourhood kids out…
…and flip the photo, so you’re not goofy any more !
I’ll always be goofy, style and mindset!!!
I’ve still got the scars from the ‘death wobble’ stacks after putting thong rubber in the trucks of my old Bahne superflex - and that was more than 25 years ago!
when u think about it the old skateboard designs were ridiculously small!
what memories!
Hey Hicksy, it looks like you’re riding in a big, black, barrell, shooting past the cameraman suspended in the face. Drag the trailing arm, maybe a soul arch, any way it looks good.
I had an old Golden Breed fibreglass skateboard, Chicago trucks and urethane wheels. They were the first ones to arrive in Aus and I got it from the famous Melbourne Surf Shop. We rode around the city streets a bit before going home.
I glued a wood block under the tail with a small strip of flat steel bar to stop the wear from tail scraping. It was great fun at night going down hill on the tail with sparks flying!
The board itself was a little heavy, but balanced really well doing hang ten nose wheelies.
The last board I had was a standard new deck, and Black Max wheels. The younger kids were using those small, hard half-pipe wheels, and had never ridden bigger softer wheels. They couldn’t believe the smoothness.
Still not as much fun as surfing.
…any skateparks where you live now Greg?
…or don’t they build them that far INLAND ?? [sorry mate …couldn’t resist …it’s late here …raspberry cordial mood beginning to come on , I can tell . I better post some photos [for a change !!] to settle me down…
catchya mate !
ben
[ p.s. - I don’t know WHO took the “hicksy” footage … It looks like nightime, eh ?]
Paul - yep, Fairmont Drive. Down to 150th. Not Juvie anymore, but still AlCo Sheriff and the animal shelter.
And still a good place to skate. But Joaquin Miller is better on a carveboard - 2 lanes in each direction - and steep & long enough that you need the space.
Up your way, the road down from the Tahuya dump to the Belfair-Tahuya road is killer on a carveboard 
and no traffic at all. Good stuff on the Shelton side of the Canal as well…
None in my town, too small I guess. There’s a small one in Cortez, half an hour away, but I don’t get there often, and I don’t have a board at the moment.
Maybe a mountain board this year! And some kite power. I need to think about armour first.