Jack was in his 20's in the 1950's when hot rodding exploded. There are few still with us that perfectly embody “the way it was” quite the way he does it. If we're talking about hot rodding in Portland, Oregon, we aren't going to get far into a conversation without mentioning Jack Corley. Take the time to ask Jack himself how he tracks his inventory and you'll get a sideways smirk as he points to his flat-top, “It's all up here, every bit of it.” Now, if you find it hard to believe that an inventory consisting of thousands of antiquated parts can be organized and tracked entirely in the head of a nearly 90-year-old man, well it's just like the title says: you don't know Jack. A closer look reveals a system that is simple and functional – IF you know how to navigate it. The center of the facility houses row after row of tall industrial shelving units, each neatly organized into specific sections. Everything from gas and oil signs, to old parts store displays, car club plaques, to fliers advertising races that were held a half century ago. Just about every inch of wall space is covered in something interesting to look at. It's a unique mixture of business and museum in a lot of ways. Walking into Jack's place is hard to describe. Of all the treasures inside though, the one that shines the brightest is the proprietor himself, Jack Corley. This is the home to “Jack's Specialty Parts” and despite outward appearances, what is on the inside of those four walls is nothing short of magical.
But this windowless, nondescript brown building on the soggy outskirts of Portland, Oregon is a portal to another time.
(what happens there, nobody knows) There is nothing to distinguish this particular building, other than the address, “909” hastily stenciled above the faded red door. It's surroundings are equally unremarkable: a small rental house on one side, and another uninspired looking warehouse facility on the other. The building itself is unremarkable, something you could drive past a hundred times and never think twice about.
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