Features Kustoms blues? I need to see some kustoms....

Yes, that Chevy was the La Jolla freshly restored by Jack Walker. However, it was originally Harry Bradley's car heavily influenced by Larry Ernst's. When Harry built it, he painted it dark brown. Under Harry's direction, Jack redid it the dark purple. Way, way, way cool car. Harry did some really, really neat things with it that I don't think were done on any other car in the 50's. One being the floating rockers to cover the pinch weld seam along the bottom of the Chevy rockers that is usually so visible. Harry's had frosted plexi lenses along the top of the boxes with lights inside so at night light glowed up the sides of the car. Too neat.


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Holy cow that is amazing! I have seen photos of that car before but never really stopped to appreciate how different it is from stock. That is now officially one of my top-five all time favorite kustoms.
Is there any build info out there? I'd love to see some in-progress photos and a breakdown of what parts (especially the roof) he used to build a swan out of an awkward duckling.

 

Atomickustom, here's the info from an article in "Custom Cars" put out by Hot Rod magazine back when.

"The car has been sectioned three inches and the windshield was chopped 2.5 inches before a '56 Merc roof was modified to fit. The rear fenders are from a '50 Chrysler with '56 Packard tailights. The rear window is from a '49 Chrysler."

 

More info on Sonny's Dodge:
Sectioned hood, '58 Edsel headlights, '58 T-bird grill mesh with '57 Chevy pick-up oval, '52 Studebaker front bumper.
'57 Pontiac engine, '55 Pontiac automatic, '55 Merc rearend.
Interior: '57 Pontiac dash, '64 Ford buckets in front and '65 T-bird rear seat. Steering wheel from a Riveria.

 

Donny's car has always been one of my favorites since I first saw it in Classic and Custom way back when. The creativity and vision to take so many different parts and make a great looking car was and is so inspirational to me. To make a car look so different as to be unrecognizable from its original form yet still look cohesive and not a way out there mess like so many radical customs end up is quite the feat.


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Agreed Doc...it's the overall "vision" (the EYE for it) that makes a kustom stand out...and Dan, the gold Lincoln is owned by Tom Culbertson of Indianapolis, I believe...

Found a few more kustoms from my Santa Maria, 2009 shots...enjoy...

R-

Here's a "factory" kustom...doesn't get much more wilder than a factory Cadillac:



My pal Rich Cordova's ColoRODo Springs former '60 Cadillac...I understand it now resides in Cali...

And one for ME to aspire to-Chris Ryan's '48 Cad convert...I met Chris a few years ago and he and I have kept in touch...he's built two more Cads for friends since then but he's helped me with a few "tricks" I wasn't aware of for my '48 Cad build...pleased to call him a friend:


And another for the Merc Lovers...Dave Dolman's Auburn, Nebraska based wagon. Short story: I stopped into Dave's place one day as I was heading back to Iowa for a class reunion. His garage door was open and I could see a few kustoms inside. I was greeted by "What the hell do you want?" I'd never met Dave before then and was taken aback by his gruffness...but after I verbally recognized a few of the cars he was working on , he warmed up a bit, offered me a beer and we chatted for an hour or so. Found out we both knew Jack Walker. This Merc was laying...and I mean laying in a corner of his shop, none of the quarters were connected...it was so far gone I thot "it'll never see the street again." I was shocked when I saw it in S.M. and got to talk to him about the car...it's the same one I saw in his shop!!!

 

Just a mild Merc from the Midwest.

 

Thanks for the correction Dr. Dave. It was early this morning when I posted that. As the day has gone on I realized I had some of my information crossed up. I do that sometimes. Must mean I'm getting older, huh? E

 

.....nah, we'll just call it momentary brain freeze. You had it 80%.....that's a B in anyone's book. I'm lucky I remembered any of the names. I generally have trouble remembering someone's name as soon as they tell it to me when introduced. LOL


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Slipped to page 5...can't let that happen...went back thru some of my old pix and found the 2008 Santa Maria pix...so, enjoy...!!!

Here's one of those "wonder whatever happened to this kustom" shots...Thurderbird front clip, suicided doors, Olds Vista Cruiser wagon top mated to 'Bird quarters...did it ever get finished...or...??? View attachment 2751387
'55 Chrysler out of Aridzona wasn't chopped and didn't have a lot of kustom done to it, but thot the flames (and the trunk mural-below) were kool...


It reads the same as the license plate but the air brushing was second to none...!!!


Nope, not mine...!!! Almost looks like it could be tho, eh...??? I didn't drive my Caddy to Cali before it was painted...just another shot of a '55 Cad for my files...

Last one for now...Packard convert had just about every panel modified and the windshield was removable...why I don't know ...

Anyway, I've got more from '08 but, again, I'll have to reduce them...

R-

 

Great pictures guys! Keep them coming.

 

I'm a*****er for wagons, especially custom wagons. I totally dig that T-bird with the Olds top!!

When I get back to my computer, I'll dig up some more.


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To go with the T-bird/vista cruiser, here is another one for the "whatever happened to it files"

I've always wanted to know what ever was made of this squarebird....anybody know?

 

I am in love with that Packard. Serious crush.

 

That top treatment on the square bird is too kool... hopefully we will see some updated pics.

 

Here are some of my favorite Merc pics....


An old Doug Thompson Mercury found and restored. Not 100% the way that I would have done it but still
kool that it has some old Kustom history. Love to own this Merc, like to see it done in a 60's style show car.

 

Ive searched for more pics, but thats the only I could ever find. I dont know if I would have the balls to pull off that roof swap, but it looks sweet

 

Looking through the pictures again I am SO glad that the horrible '80's trend of "naming" you car died. It looked so tacky.

 

What, you didn't like seeing a dozen cars all at the same show with "Peggy Sue" or "My Blue Heaven" or "Runaround Sue" painted on the fender and/or trunk lid??

 

HAHA! Thankfully I am not old enough to have had to live through it but the pictures just make me cringe. I think the sadist part is they couldn't even come up with original names 90% of the time and had to revert to using '50's song****les.

 

Back in 1960 when I was 10 years old, there was a teenager who had a 54 Chevy convertible with a torn up old top. Had BREEZY painted on the front fenders, thought that was so appropriate at the time. Couldn't wait til I'd have a car of my own to name but never did have anything painted on, SLO POK is just a vanity plate.

 

LOL...!!! I must be stuck in the '80's then (but I clearly remember painting names on cars in the mid-60's as well cuz I used to do it...!!!) and I STILL name my cars -the Cad in my avatar is named "Roadliner."

R-

 

I like that T Bird with the modified roof a lot. Thanks for that array of Mercs, Mick. That last one is a bit ungainly - maybe I would like it better without the El Dorado or Toronado wheels

Here are a few from the 2011 GNRS - including some famous ones that you will no doubt recognize or at least you've seen before.








more later.

 

Here's a couple of shots of the parking lot at Santa Maria from the third floor of the hotel...




And how 'bout a run of Cads from the 2008 Santa Maria dealie...




(Don't know if this last one will stay here since it's got strange wheels...!!!)

R-

 

Up from page 6 this more...thot I'd put in a couple of interesting shots...the first one from Santa Maria '08...

and the second shot is of my pal's Chevy - Walt Leeman out of Delta, ColoRODo owns this one, he drove it to the Custom Car Revival in Indy this past June...strikingly similar eh...??? Walt's fastback is running a F-O-R-D engine/tranny...


Similar colors and similar cars...wonder if that's where the similarity ends...???

R-

 

That's funny! My fleetline was actually two shades of seafoam when I got it. It's black primer now, but I will eventually paint the Merc seafoam. I keep collecting pics, color samples and chips hunting for just the right shade.


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Here are a few from the last year at Paso.
Sam Barris Merc.



Weesner's Shoebox

Hetfiled's Buick

Dan Collins' Limelight

 

And a few more:
Rob Fortiers Chevy

I think this is Dennis McPhail's car