No, sorry I don't. But, while I've got your attention, could you maybe search your memory banks for another old midwest car? In the early 80's there was a custom shoebox Ford painted pink, with a pair of those clear dome headlight covers. I remember seeing it at an Autorama in Vets, but don't remember any more details about the car. It's always just sat in the back of my mind. Can you recall it?
@alchemy Funny that you asked. It is sitting by Poison Ivy that Ed posted in the 82 KKOA Des Moines coverage . I`ll PM you a picture of the front that Dad took at the same show. Along with another one from a magazine. I don`t want to post it on here cause Ed does a ton of research and he has files and notebooks with info on cars he`s planning on featuring here. This might be one of them. Unless he wants me too.
Go ahead and post away Jim. @alchemy asked me about that shoebox as well and I don't have anything on it. I would love to see it too! E
This was also in the same Custom Cars issue. And then a pic of the front also at t he 82 KKOA show in Des Moines. Never saw the car again that I remember. If this is the car he was referring to. Kinda hard to tell, but I think it does have the clear bubbles on the headlights. Going off my memory.
Great pics Jim (@stanlow69), thanks for posting! Now that I see the car, the tail light treatment looks familiar. Did the car end up being painted a bright yellow? E
Borrowed this photo from @40LUV Here is W.E.H.T. #98 (formerly John Schumont's "Wild Cherry") at the Detroit Autorama.
Here's a link to the post for WEHT #98: https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/index.php?posts/12386848 What Ever Happened To..........? number 98.<br /><br />1953 Ford Convertible "Wild Cherry"<br />Owner: John Schumont<br />Plymouth, Michigan<br /><br />This week's W.E.H.T. is a car that seems like it......
Thanks for posting Bill, and thanks @40LUV for the nice picture! The "Wild Cherry" is looking fine these days. Hard to tell with so little showing, but it looks like the Jim Stockton '50 Chevy convertible (W.E.H.T. #18) is sitting right beside John Schumont's former Ford. That is quite a pair of sleds with lots of custom history sharing the show floor together! Here's a link to Jim's Chevy if anybody wants to read up on it. E https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/what-ever-happened-to.1016572/page-11#post-11646991
What Ever Happened To.........? number 158. 1946 Buick "First Blood" Owner: Bob Larson Nashville, Tennessee This week's custom is one that seemed to have a short history, at least as far as attending car shows. 1989 must have been about the time this car was completed as it was at both the 1989 Leadsled Spectacular in Davenport, Iowa, and the 1989 Hanging Dice Nationals. Bob Larson submitted a picture and a brief description to the KKOA for their first book printed in 1993. His car was accepted and was on page 160. I found two great color pictures of the Buick on Rikster's site that were taken by our own @drdave at the Hanging Dice Nationals in 1989. The paint on the car was outstanding and I believe the name "First Blood" was chosen because of the deep candy red color. According to the article in the first KKOA book, the car was built by Gary Mundy of Independence, Kansas. I'm assuming that Mr. Mundy may have sold the Buick to Mr. Larson in the late 80s or early 90s. You'll notice in the pictures the car has Kansas plates on it, and according to the article Bob was from Tennessee. So, if the car changed hands, it was sometime after the Hanging Dice Nationals in the summer of '89. Again, all guesses, but it kinda makes sense. There were numerous shots of the Buick at the '89 Leadsleds on the video, including some great cruising footage. It had Moon discs that were made to "float"--that is they were stationary as the wheel turned. This was done to show the artwork on the Moon discs on the front wheels. The discs were painted, and then a picture of Sylvester Stallone as "Rambo" was painted on top of that. (Another tie in to the name "First Blood" as this was the name of the first Rambo movie.) Sly's picture stayed straight up and down so you could see it as the car rolled by. Much easier than trying to figure out what the artwork was as the wheel spun around. Painted Moon discs would not be very well accepted today, but in the wild and carefree days of 80s customs, it was cool! You'll notice in the picture in the KKOA article that the car had flames on it. I believe this was a later version. I think Mr. Larson did this to change the Buick up a little. I was unable to find any pictures of this version in color. I wasn't able to find any more on the car in video or in print, so it looks like the car was around from '88 or '89 until 1993 when the KKOA book was printed. That is a very short time frame. Where did it go? Is it still knockin' around the south in the Nashville area? Did it make it overseas and is in Europe or Japan? Is it still in the states with a new look that is unrecognizable from the "First Blood" version? Let's see what turns up. I hope everyone is managing through all this crazy weather. Things are wild right now almost over the whole country. Hang in there, spring is coming..........I hope! Until next Tuesday, take care! E
Looks like it lost its rear bumper. I wonder what they did for tail lights then.... It does look far better with normal wheel covers IMHO
I wondered about the tail lights. I would guess they are frenched low in the rear pan.... I tried to find a photo of the rear but haven't found one yet.
Nice pics Sancho! Any idea when these were taken? It looks good without the flames, but I think it needs a little subtle pinstriping to break it up. I also like the '53 Buick headlights that were added. Nice touch. E Not too crazy about the rolled pan. To me, this makes the back of the car look unfinished and almost like an old bath tub flipped upside down. My late friend Teddy used to always say a custom had to have balance. Meaning, if you rolled the front pan you have to roll the back and vice versa. Also, the rear license plate bracket looks like an after thought. It seems like they were going along rolling the rear pan and got it all finished and then thought, "Oh crap, where are we going to mount the license plate?" I agree, Mark. The chrome 'caps add a lot! E You know Bill, when I first found Doc's pictures (@drdave), I thought the same thing. I studied the picture and blew it up as best as I could. I came to the conclusion that the right side headlight cover (passenger side) just had a reflection of the headlight and fender from the car in front of the Buick. E
I was just studying the pictures @Sancho posted, and it looks like the Buick lost its rearward facing scoop in that version. Makes me wonder if the car was involved in an accident where the back of the car was hit and had to be rebuilt. E
I don't have any more pics of it, but it seems to me they were just smoked covers and what you are seeing is just a reflection of the headlight like @OG lil E said. Gary is quite the prolific builder and has often built a new car every year. I don't think he kept them long and sold them off after a bit to fund the next one. Funny think about this one is the chrome bumpers.....Gary generally paints them cuz it's cheaper than chrome. I agree with you all guys have said about the latest version that Sancho posted. I think may be my fave....if it only had the rear bumper. Those hubcaps alone do so much to change the look. The headlights look great, too.
No idea when or where those were taken, there wasn't any real info with them. You guys are probably right about the reflection, it just doesn't look right. The '55 Chevy parked directly in front of it sits way higher. The headlights aren't level between the two cars. Also of note, in that front view you can see Gary's son-in-law Mike's Chrysler Limo sitting next to the Buick. Also a @drdave photo.
After I posted the picture of the Buick with the scoop highlighted, I studied the picture again and I noticed something I hadn't seen before. The car sitting in front of the Buick with it's headlight reflecting in the headlight cover is none other than the formerly owned '55 Chevy of Gary Gerberding. Thanks to @drdave for the picture! E
Just stumbled on this picture a few minutes ago. I wish I had found it before I wrote last nights post. It's a picture of the Buick in color with the flames. Sorry about the off topic wheels, but at least they aren't 20 inch big rollers. You'll notice the Chrysler limo sitting next to it that @Sancho just mentioned. What a wild pair! E
I think I'll take a break from reading this thread for a while. That limo thing made me loose my appetite.
Did a little more "detective" work. I have to admit I don't know Gary Mundy or much about him, but, like @drdave mentioned, he has built quite a few cars. I'm sure I was at a few shows that he was at with various cars. @PasoJohn posted this picture in the Kustom Blues thread a few days ago. A very cool and rare '61 Plymouth. I know I saw it at a show somewhere. When I was at the 20th Leadsled in Wichita in 2000, I remember seeing this '60 Buick there. You'll notice it has the same license plate on it as the '46. (Sorry about the modern wheels everyone.) Aside from the license plate, you'll notice similarities in all three of these cars. Beautiful kandy red paint, similar pinstriping and headlight covers. That concludes our small history lesson on Mr. Mundy for today (lol)! E
I`ll wait and post pic`s of the Chrysler when you return. But first, here`s the headlight. Then I`ll post daily for a while.
Ohhh, we can't quit just yet.... Since Alchemy loved the limo so much, here's a couple more pics of it, taken at the '88 Hangin' Dice (the pic Sancho already posted was taken the same year) That same year, there was this Buick convertible parked next to it also with Kansas plates, so maybe this was Gary's car before First Blood? Moving forward to the '61 Plymouth, I took these at the '90 Hangin' Dice wearing Kansas plates and red plexiglass headlight covers: I missed a few Hangin' Dice shows for the next couple years while I was in school in Memphis, but took photos of these two "Mundy style" cars in '94. The painted Olds (?) has Oklahoma plates, so maybe if was built by Gary he had sold it by that point and was working on the primer Buick with Kansas plates? I took a couple pics (with my first digital camera, so the pics are suuuuuper small LOL) of the '60 Buick Ed posted above at the 2000 KKOA also and Gary is standing next to it. There are loads more of Mundy cars. There is a white and purple primer '57 Buick that is owned by one of the Voodoo Kings that comes to CCR every year that was built by Gary.
Thanks for the fill in information Doc (@drdave)! Gary built tons of cars and they all seemed to have a lot of the same characteristics. One thing I do know is that Gary must really like paint in the red family! If I see a sled at a show with some of those style mods I'll have to find Mr. Mundy and talk customs with him for a while. That would be fun! E
DrDave, the Buick convertible you posted above, is behind the First Blood Buick in the first photo Ed posted, with Gerb's front fender of the 55 Chevy in front of it.
The Jalopy Journal
