Earl 'Boots' Blunt

New Orleans East, LA

Ride: 1955 Chevy Bel Air (burgundy, blown SBC)

Earl 'Boots' Blunt opened the original counter out of a converted gas station in 1978 with one cash register, two pegboards of belts, and a phone line he answered himself. Four decades later the burgundy '55 Bel Air still rolls into every First Saturday cruise with the hood up.

Tri-Five ChevysCarbureted small-blocksCounter wisdom

Milestones

The story, year by year.

1978
Opens Blunt's Auto Parts
Buys out a shuttered service station and stocks it with brake pads, plugs, and patience.
1984
Builds the burgundy '55
Frame-off restoration finishes the weekend before Mae and Boots's first cruise as co-owners.
1995
Wins Best Tri-Five, Ponchartrain Cruise
First trophy on the wall behind the parts counter.
2008
Survives the storms, reopens in 30 days
Pulls the inventory out of the back lot and reopens before the lights are back on the block.
2019
Hands the dyno keys to the next generation
Brings on Lou Rivera to run tuning days at the new Eastside bay.

Archive Photos

From the wall behind the counter.

Burgundy '55 Bel Air at First Saturday, hood up.

Boots at the counter, 1982.

Trophy shelf above the register.

Related Events

Where to catch them next.

Jun
6
First Saturday Cruise-In
Cruise
Blunt's Auto Parts · Front Lot
Open lot, free coffee, classics and trucks welcome.
Jun
13
Tri-Five Spotlight
Cruise
Bel Air Owners Club · Front Lot
'55–'57 Chevys featured. Hoods up, judges' choice trophy.
Jun
20
Summer Swap Meet
Swap Meet
Blunt's + Local Vendors · Back Lot
Used parts, NOS finds, sheet metal, project cars.