Twin Peaks Location – The Mechanic in Part 8

In Twin Peaks Part 8 on Showtime, there is a brief scene of a mechanic who passes out after hearing the Woodsman speak on KPJK radio. The scene may be short but it’s part of my never-ending quest to identify all of the film locations from this series. Thanks to fellow Bookhouse Boys, I learned this spot is actually found in North Bend, Washington inside a familiar place.

WHERE IS THE SCENE WITH THE MECHANIC FROM PART 8 LOCATED?

Google Maps
Google Maps

I recently discussed the film location of Big Ed’s Gas Farm from Season 3. It’s found at 1130 East North Bend Way in North Bend, Washington.  The approximate coordinates are 47°29′ 15.6′ N 121°46′ 15.9′ W, and it’s near several additional sites from Season 3 and Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me.

Today, the location houses The Line Bike Experience, a mountain bike shop and training center.

In “Twin Peaks: The Final Dossier,” the Mechanic’s garage is supposedly located near Los Alamos, New Mexico. The KPJK Radio station is located about 15-minutes from the city, so one assumes the Mechanic’s garage is also nearby.

FINDING THE LOCATION OF THE MECHANIC’S GARAGE

Tweet from Beano Rojo
Tweet from @BeanoRojo

After seeing the tweet about that location, long-time Twin Peaks fan @BeanoRojo replied with the tweet above. Wow! I never made the connection. And yes, I’m still kicking myself for not visiting Snoqualmie Valley in September 2015 when they were shooting the newest season.

Inside of Transmissions Plus, Inc.
Photo from @BeanoRojo

Here’s a better look at the interior photo that Beano shared.

Bing Maps
Bing Maps

Bing Maps had images from the shop circa 2014 when both garage doors were opened.

Big Ed's Gas Farm in Part 13
Part 13

You can faintly see a vehicle parked inside the garage on the left in the first establishing shot of Big Ed’s Gas Farm in Part 13. I’m assuming this shot was made during the night of September 10, 2015 after a day-long shoot at the garage.

Big Ed's Gas Farm in Part 15
Part 15

In Part 15, we see Big Ed’s during the day as Nadine marches toward the place. One garage door is open but it’s difficult to see the vehicle parked behind the closed door. This was shot during the afternoon of September 10, 2015.

 

THE MECHANIC’S RADIO IN PART 8

The Radio in Part 8
Part 8

The brief scene opens with a shot of a table radio inside the mechanic’s garage. “My Prayer” by the Platters plays as the camera slows moves in. This is one of many vintage radios seen throughout Twin Peaks, so I knew I had to identify it.

Radio Crop
Part 8

I began by cropping the image and trying Google’s Image search. The results returned “monochromatic” images. No help.

I then tried searching the following terms for most of my Saturday: vintage radio with white grill front, vintage 1940s radio black with white grill front, vintage bakelite black radio, vintage 1940s Philco radio black, ebony and ivory bakelite radio, and vintage 1950s bakelite radio.

Radio crop
Part 8

After taking a close up screen image from the 4K release, I searched a variety of brands including Philco, Philco Transitone, RCA, RCA Victor, Silvertone, Fransworth and Admiral. Still nothing.

Motorola 77-X
RadioFarm.org

At the point of giving up, my wife Katie suggested I try searching “AM / FM dial bakelite radio.” I should listen to her more often. Boom! Found it. A 1948 Motorola 77-X M21 table radio. It’s similar to the 67-X released in late 1947 but the 77-X seems wider.

Raise your hand if you thought Motorola only made mobile phones? Who knew they had been around for so long.

Motorola 77-X radio
RetroRadioFarm.com

RetroRadioFarm.com sold a similar one a few years ago for $499. They listed the colors of this Art Deco beauty as “Cappaccino [sic] and Cream Bakelite.”

Katie noticed the front grill didn’t exactly match despite the description stating: “Front painted grill vanes is factory original not repainted, touched or over sprayed. Couple pin pricks of paint loss on the front grill.” The catalog image from RadioFarm.org shows radio that matches the on-screen version. Now I must find one of these!

THE MECHANIC’S CAR

The Mechanic
Part 8

The scene cuts to the Mechanic working on a car in the shop, which naturally, I also had to identify.

Behind the scenes image from The Mauve Zone
The Mauve Zone

I soon realized this behind-the-scenes image shared on The Mauve Zone was from this scene being shot. Notice the car with hood raised in the shot.

The Mechanic
Part 8

When the music stops, the mechanic turns his attention to the radio. We can see details along the hood that says “Super Deluxe.”

1941 Chevorlet
E&R Classics

The car appears to be a 1941 Chevrolet DeLuxe Special 2-door Beige Coupe.

1941 Beige Chevrolet
E&R Classics

The car in the behind-the-scenes image looks to have whitewall tires similar to the image above.

1941 Chevrolet
Motorious.com
I also found a version in gray on Motorious.com yet, I’m assuming the car is beige in the series. The monochromatic color palette makes it appear darker than what it actually is.
Engine of 1941 Chevrolet Coupe
E&R Classics
Engine of 1941 Chevrolet Coupe
Motorious.com

Here’s a comparison of the engines for the beige and gray vehicles shown above. We can barely see under the hood in the episode.

1941 Chevy Coupe in Mulholland Drive
Mulholland Drive

A similar car also appeared in David Lynch’s Mulholland Drive as @PineyRealm points out:

Part 8’s ’41 Chevy DeLuxe Coupe has a kissing cousin in Mulholland Dr. Only this time it’s a ’41 DeLuxe Convertible Coupe. Back in the DavidLynch.com chatroom days, I remember Lynch chatting about this particular make and model.”

I wish I could find that transcript of Lynch’s chat as I’d love to know what he said about this car. It’s probably no mistake that a similar model was included in Part 8.

THE MECHANIC DROPS THE WRENCH

The Mechanic in Part 8
Part 8

The Woodsman’s hypnotic poem places the mechanic in a trance.

The Mechanic in Part 8
Part 8

He eventually drops the wrench he is holding.

Tweet from @PineyRealm
@PineyRealm

According to another long-time fan and Bookhouse Boy, @PineyRealm, the crew shot multiple takes of this scene.

Behind the Scenes at Big Ed's Gas Farm
The Mauve Zone

This could be the shot @PineyRealm mentioned where several fans were watching the crew across the street.

Motorola Radio
Part 8

One more shot of the Motorola radio.

Mechanic on the ground
Part 8

The scene ends with the Mechanic on the ground. His dropped wrench lays nearby.

I still wish I knew who the uncredited Mechanic was in this scene. If you have a tip or if that person is you, please comment below.

Thank you again to Beano and Piney for their assistance with this article.

Author

  • Steven Miller at Twede's Cafe enjoying cherry pie and coffee

    A "Twin Peaks" fan since October 1993, Steven Miller launched Twin Peaks Blog in February 2018 to document his decades-long fascination with David Lynch and Mark Frost's wonderful and strange show. With his Canon camera in hand, he's visited numerous film locations, attended Twin Peaks events and conducted extensive historical research about this groundbreaking series. Along with fellow Bookhouse Boys, he dreams of creating a complete Twin Peaks Archive of the series and feature film. Steven currently resides in Central Florida.

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3 thoughts on “Twin Peaks Location – The Mechanic in Part 8

  1. I just discovered this blog when I stumbled onto your Rancho Rosa Estates post and I’m already hooked! I love the attention to detail; this has got to be the definitive Twin Peaks blog on the internet. I hope to one day go on a Twin Peaks location pilgrimage and your guide will my adventure! Keep up the hard work Special Agent Miller.

    1. @Christian – Thank you! Wow, what a nice note. Glad to virtually meet another fan of my favorite show. I’m currently working on an interactive Google Map that includes many of the filming locations I’ve discussed with links. I hope you can visit these places as they are really something.

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