I was a kid in L.A. when big John's car came to light, he is a hero of mine. I wish him the best and speedy recovery, and many more years of hot rodding. Take care, Rags
John, our thoughts and prayers are with you , thanks for the info Cole, Please keep the HAMB botherhood updated,,,,Walrus
to all who pray,PRAY HARD.this is one rough old dude we need to keep around.lil' john has been a guy that i have watched all my life.the things he can do on his machines boggles the mind. thanks cole for keeping us in the loop. much love and prayers. -danny
Amen, Add my prayers and a get well so we can go back and forth on our opinions like usual. You have many friends here.
I first saw John in 1975 at a car run in Lodi, Ca. He was showing his just finished Center Door T Sedan. An amazing car in those earlier days. He still continues to amaze and innovate. I wish him a speedy recovery.
Hey Cole, My buddy Ted went through the same thing, when people would see the scar on his head, he would tell them his son "hit me in the head with a shovel". He is back to work and is building Hot Rods. Hope to hear the same for Lil John. Gordon
HEY COLE..SURGERY WENT "OK"......HE IS IN I.C.U. ....BREATHING ON HIS OWN.....ITS GONNA BE KIND OF SLOW GOING FOR AWHILE FOR HIM.... I'M GONNA GO SEE HIM AT LUNCH....I'LL CALL YOU AND LET YOU KNOW HOW HE IS.....IF ANYONE IS GONNA PULL THROUGH THIS? THAT ANGRY FUCKER WILL..... BEEN ALONG COUPLE WEEKS ..... I POSTED THIS SUNDAY ON: www.chopperdogs.com Sunday Discussion 4/29/07 Hero?? I have had many Hero’s in life. When I was a kid it was BMX racers like Tinker Juarez, Harry Leary, Greg Hill, Mike Miranda. These were all guys that I wanted to be like. Most of which was Stu Thompson. He was god to me when I was 9 years old. Pretty lucky that he is an O.C. Sheriff and stops by my house from time to time just to say hello. Blows me away because I’m still like “Holy SHIT! Stu Thompson in my garage man!” but I try to act cool. Later on in my teens my heroes were mostly football players. Ray Nitshki, Lyle Alzado, Matt Millen, Jack Ham, Lester Hayes, Ed ”to tall” Jones. The one player I wanted to be like the most was Jack Lambert. He was a badass. No front teeth(like me), long blond hair, and him and I were the same size. I guess he is a Fish & Game Warden in Pa. now. In my 20’s football was long gone and I buried myself in fabricating & building stuff, this was my calling beyond BMX or football. My heroes became men that were not in the limelight or superstars. They were little known genius’ that quietly created amazing things with there hands. Guys like Red Tweet, Steve Davis, Fay Butler, Craig Naff, Tom Hanna. All masters of their craft. The one I met, and have gravitated to the most for the last 17 years is Lil’ John Buttera. Walking into his shop was always inspiring and still is. He has done so many amazing things that have gone unnoticed in his lifetime. He moved to California in his early 20’s and built dragsters & funny cars for all of the best legendary drivers. Many large companies have built themselves around his designs and prototype work, but never giving him credit. Mickey Thompson, Eldelbrock, Centerline, Mr. Gasket, Keith Black, Boyd Wheels, and countless others. He was the first person to ever machine a wheel out of billet aluminum (Boyd jumped on that one). In the 80”s he built an Indy car in his garage in Huntington Beach. The Whole damn car! Chassis, suspension, engine, Everything! He took it back to Indy and qualified that motherfucker for the Indianapolis 500! In the early 90’s he built a dozen or so “all billet” custom bikes when we worked together at Boyd’s He now just works out of his garage down the street from my house doing prototype work for The Harley Davidson Motor Company. I help him with little bullshit labor stuff like raking frames, welding, laser cutting. Just labor stuff that he doesn’t want to do, but I am glad to help him. We have stayed close throughout the years, and he has always been my voice of reason. If he tells me something I did sucks? Then it really needs to be redone. If he tells me something I built is good (which is rare) I know I have hit one out of the park. The stuff he makes is pure function at its finest. Simple with style! A couple months ago when I was racing Figure 8 at Irwindale I cot word from the track owner that John passed out in the elevator. He was working night and day on a project for H-D so we figured he was just exhausted and not eating right (his diet is coffee & cigarettes). The week before last he blanked out again while driving, and hit the curb. He went to the doctor Monday to see what was up. They ran a bunch of tests that came back the next day that he has brain cancer. This Tuesday he will go in for surgery to try and to remove the cancer. If everything goes well they will start radiation immediately. He will most likely be on Chemo for the rest of his life. I can’t really explain how I feel, I have been spending every night over at his house making sure he is cool, and grocery shopping, making dinner and stuff like that. He has a couple projects he really wants to finish and I am helping get these done. One of which is a 29” Sedan for his son Chris. I’m going to make the frame, and help with the fab work. Chip did some cool renderings, and Steve Davis will do the bodywork. This whole experience makes me realize that nobody should ever leave a stone unturned or projects unfinished. Don’t ever wait till tomorrow to make that tank or weld that frame. Never wait to go see a friend or learn a new skill. Never procrastinate because every day might be your last. Jesse...
I'm 47 years old now and I still remember coming home from Jr. high school and then high school and seeing my Car Craft Magazine laying on my bed and if there was a Lil John car in there that's the first place I would go, to see the new creation and dream about being behind the wheel of that car, Best of Luck to Lil John even thought I never met the Man ! Rob
Cole, When ya speak to him tell him to get back on his feet. There's still a car or two out there waiting for him to build. Benno
Prayer has nothing to do with religion...you guys are in my prayers. It sucks when you or a friend is faced with mortality - like someone said earlier dont take life/friends/family for granted. Best wishes....
Hey Jesse. Thanks for the info on John. I lost my mother to brain cancer at 17 back in '85 and I tell ya, it was tough. She was my inspiration and best fan cheering me on at my hockey games and I would always look for her up in the stands to see her smile. Good to see that you are watching over him. You have a great heart and it just bulls over the negativity that you get on here. Keep us all updated. Now I know why they call him 'Lil John. Man he is short. KNUX! Just wanted to add. Cole and Jesse, thanks for keeping us all in the loop of things. You 2 have been a big inspiration to many people and will be to those in the coming years be it bikes or cars. Someone has to keep the madness going, right?
What, he didn't perform the surgery himself!? LOL Tuff bastard, and a true da Vinici. Thoughts and prayers from here.
Lil' John took hot rodding to a whole new level...and that is a fact. A "no shit" hot rod hero for sure. Hope he gets well soon. From what I know of him, he's a tough old bastard, so I'm sure he'll pull through fine.
The Jalopy Journal
