Leo Nava was destined to become a fixture in the Lowrider community. At a young age he seemed to have gotten wrapped around the game in a literal sense and that all happened shortly after he was just 15 years old. After receiving a 1964 from his father, he would eventually find himself wrapping his car around a tree. With the car totaled, he momentarily put his lowriding days on pause, but that was only up until he would cross paths with Chris and Mike of Kool Aid Hydraulics-the gentlemen who would put him back in the right lane.
While at Kool Aid, he soon found himself driving the company’s promotional limo. The infamous limo served as transportation for musical acts, such as Debbie Deb, Lisa Lisa and many others during the height of the Freestyle music mania. All the while attending school, Leo took up electronics and little by little he started helping out in the shop during the weekends. As he began honing his craft and learning all about the hopping game, it was another fateful day that would lead him to meet the guys of Hellafyde Records. That chance meeting would eventually become the building blocks for relationships with artists Groucho and Seven, which resulted in them opening their own custom shop, aptly named Hellafydraulics.
A one-stop hydro shop where honesty, hard work, and bit of humility would set them apart from the competition, they pride themselves for being best know for their attention to detail. “From hopping, lay and play, to full show … we do it all,” Leo says. “We are fortunate enough to have worked on some of the industry’s top lowriders, as well as some of the top car clubs, including Old Memories, Klique, LA Times, and of course, Techniques.
We are an old-school type of shop,” Leo continues. “We concentrate on creating something different and still treat it as a hobby, which just so happens to pay the bills.” With continued help of longtime friend Harold “Pops,” you can bet they will continue to build some of the Lowrider community’s top vehicles.
What is the biggest change you have seen to the sport?
The fun of competing has changed. Before we would have to drive as far as Portland just to qualify. The streets will always be the streets.
What made you join Techniques Car Club?
I never really wanted to be a part of a car club, but the fact that they are always driving their cars and a bond I witnessed between members is something I wanted to be a part of.
What is the biggest change in hopping?
Nowadays, streetcars are easily hitting over a 100 inches. I wish it would go back to the days when cars were built to hop and cruise.
What would you say is the future for our sport?
There will always be lowriders, either it’s in your blood or it’s not. But it is up to us to teach the next generation and encourage them to outdo everything we have done.
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