Wichita Kansas, 1958. Just married and I moved off of McConnell AFB (Air Force Base) All of 20 years old I was. Wed in Seattle we found and rented a duplex, set up our love nest and begin our life together just off base. She was all of 18 y.o., from Washington state, never been on her own, so after a full day at the base I beat feet home in a hurry that first day back at my duties. As I crossed a double set of train tracks at twice the speed of sound in my lowered moor door '51 Chevy 6 banger fast back, I noticed a long four doored custom car shop and a large pot holed water-soaked parking lot on my right. AND a close to stock Ford sedan (looked like a '32 parked at the curb. Of course, this turned out to be Starbird's shop, and the '32 was, yes you, guessed it, the in-progress LIL COFFIN. We lived in that place for quite a while, in doing so I witnessed many changes to the L. C., often times just parked on the street at the curb. You can see those changes yourself on the KUSTOMRAMA WEBSITE and I sure hope you do, no body did it better than D. S. And if asked , No I never met him or had the gonads to venture into the shop, and oh how i regret that . My Bias and strong admiration for this amazing study in automotive artsmenship is unsurpassed in my humble opinion, even by its most closes competition: IMO The ALA KART. When asked about Starbird. I have not ever been that excited about any of his creations. And when he was as quoted he said HE built the LIL COFFIN!!! well, if ya can't say anything nice about someone, best to say nothing at all, My apologies to the many bubble top fans and SB MAMB fans.
I am not proud to admit that I never really paid much attention to Starbird and his creations until I heard that quote from American Graffiti when Toad is raving about Steve's Chevy " it's better than Daryl Starbird's superfleck moonbird." I can't say I am a fan of all his creations, same goes for Roth but I do appreciate a few. Too bad you didn't take the chance and happen into his shop one day. Cool story anyway sans the personal encounter. Keep 'em coming.
In reality the Lil Coffin was built by Dave Stuckey (first version 100%). Granted some of it was done at Starbirds shop because at the Time Stuckey worked for Darryl... With that said, In my humble opinion the Lil Coffin is the greatest 32 Ford of all time.....
Dude! Gauntlet slapped and dropped! Bold statement considering the 32 ford has won the AMBR 20 times thus far. I don't have anything to challenge you, but I compliment you on your authoritative stance and assertion!
@34Larry I hope you don't mind a little "related" distraction. Point taken @Moriarity , just don't go back and amend your post to say, "best custom 32 Ford of all time". It would ruin all the fun we about to have. Like your advisory once said "the game is afoot" My entry:
I've always felt the Li'l Coffin was among the top 5 32s ever. Mostly the absolute balls it took to see it thru and come out right.
I'll be damned Damn are you some kind a wizard, Your spook'n me out!!!! This Looks I've gone back 67 years and my new bride is a few blocks away waiting for me , except that the future L.C. in the lot not at the curb. Great shot. Was this not SB's First shop?
It's Starbird's original shop called Star Kustom Shop. Located at 734 E. Mt. Vernon......opened in 1954 and this pic is 1959. These pics are on Kustomrama and a few other sites. I've had them saved for quite a few years....think I've posted them on here before. I'm originally from Hutchinson, so I was all about everything Starbird as a kid. This is inside the shop in 59':
I Built the Monogram model (I think it Was) 1/25 model years ago, also have an unopened box and just bought a hot wheels 1/26 die cast one.
AHH................ YES WE Called it, "Hutch"on McConnell AFB, and always wondered Why the US Nany had a station there?? I Hunted Pheasant out that way a lot greatest hunting outside the Dakotas there was in those days. Thank you for the shots. Brings back memories long forgotten.
I never built the model. I was born in 58 so that gives you and idea of what I grew up around. Being a Army brat I never settled to one place tell I was 10 years old.
Yep, everyone calls it Hutch. Yeah, the base was a Naval Air Station.....they had drags and road courses there after it was closed down. Still an upland game mecca. Always nice to relive some of the good ol' times.
Yeah Clem, I think it could be this one. Daryl wrote a "how to" article on installing Lincoln headlights on a 57' per this thread. @Old Tin and New Tin https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum...d-quad-headlights-by-darryl-starbird.1056200/
I first saw the Lil Coffin when I was a kid at the Western Exhibit Center 1962 Winternationals Car Show in So.Cal. The show was covered in the Apr. 63 issue of Hot Rod Magazine. If you take a close look at the bottom middle photo on that page, you would see a "coke-bottle-bottom" bespeckled Hotrodjack at the Revell Model Car display (red circle). April 1963 HRM
Somewhere in an album of photos I took at the 73 Street Rod Nationals in Tulsa there is a photo of what I think was Little Coffin parked in a field where I parked on Sunday of the even out at the race track and I was parked across the aisle as it were from it. If it wasn't that car it was a hell of a good imitation.
posted by @hotrodjack33 Hello, That photo always gives me a weird feeling. My friend who was 6 feet 2 inches tall owned the 57 white Chevy Bel Air Hardtop with the most modified of all of the cars in our group. We were under and inside his car in the driveway/garage more times that in my own 58 Impala. He had a dual quad carb set up from a 60 Corvette, a 4 speed, headers and Traction Masters. That 57 was fast. Not as fast as my own 58 Impala, but never defeated on any encounter during our high school teenage days. We would go to the local So Cal shows, including the ones in L.A. that were freeway close. When I first saw that photo, I was shocked. My friend stood taller than most teens and always wore a sweater that only had several buttons on the bottom. His dad, also 6’2 or 3” tall always wore those sweaters. Like father like son… ha. No one joked about it except me as he did look like his dad. But, here is the tallest teenager. Jnaki Now, who is that guy with dark hair in the background? Wearing what looks like a blue nylon jacket. Yikes, is that me? In the same building of the car show as @hotrodjack33 in 1962? YRMV
Hey @jnaki What are the odds???? That 2 potential HAMB members would be at the very same place, at the very same time...exactly when that picture was taken. What are the odds: That the picture actually got published in HRM, that the picture got posted on the HAMB, and the people in the photo recognized themselves 62 years later? What are the odds????
@34Larry your threads have legs and are taking us on a journey with some really cool history! Thanks Dan
Maybe someone can answer a question . Did the Little Coffin ever spend some time at a body shop in Camdenton, Mo. in the late 70's early 80's. I remember seeing a car that looked like it sitting outside a shop Sure looked like it ,maybe a clone.
The Jalopy Journal
