June 2019
Who knew? We have a multiple company entrepreneur as a friend. Who knew? We have a multiple book publisher in our midst. Who knew we have a recognized ford Flathead engine specialties in our club? Who knew? We have a master degreed Mechanical Engineer here. Who knew? We have a 30-year employee of Sandia labs who was also a senior manager at Sandia Labs running around our meeting every month. Who knew? We have a retired City of Albuquerque police specialist organizing our Memorial Day club picnic.
Joe Abbin was born and raised and trained in Albuquerque. Who knew it was possible? Joe started life living in the UNM area and about age 10 migrated to the Lomas/Washington area and went to elementary school at Our Lady of Fatima. Joe states his first customization effort began when he removed the fenders from his Schwinn bicycle. From there he graduated to borrowing Mom’s 1936 Ford which he customized against the side of several other cars.
Joe was the first graduate of St. Pius X High School. He said it was easy as he graduated with the first class and alphabetically ABBIN was first in line. Before he graduated college with a BS he was married. The marriage moved him from 1A to 3A draft status and kept him out of the early stages of the Viet Nam war. During college, he coopted with Sandia Labs and they obviously saw potential because they paid for him to continue at UNM to get his master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering.
Well before completing his degree and shortly after customizing his Schwinn he began hot rodding cars. He failed to give me a total count but fondly recalls his 1956 pickup, that he still owns, as a long-term survivor of the Joe Abbin fix ‘em up school of trial and error.
After 30 years at Sandia, Joe started the Motorhead Mart where he says he met and sustained relations with over 2000 dear friends. He also credits the Motorhead Mart with forcing him to broaden his knowledge of cars. He notes ‘the British Car Club was really active, so I had to study up about British cars’. The Motorhead Mart added publishing experience to his already full resume.
After that, Joe delved deeply into learning about flatheads and superchargers. He sold more than $1.4mm worth of Flathead superchargers starting with Weiand blowers and then that company became part of Holley Performance Products. Joe then sold more Flathead superchargers than Holley sold superchargers for all other engines combined.
Joe serves as the engine specialist for the National Ford V8 Club. He authored three Flathead engine books. He serves as the unofficial spokesman for our local club. He knows just about every car guy in Albuquerque and has dragged many of them to our club meetings over the years.
In his spare time Joe was a reserve policeman for the Albuquerque Police Department. That stint left him with many stories and a deep desire to see the police department get back into the business of policing our Albuquerque streets. It also led to his latest book ‘Albuquerque Blues’ which is an insider’s look at the police department. I urge you to read this book and then pass it on to your neighbors and make them read it.
