Event Coverage Kustom Kings of New Hampshire

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Ya know Rick, I'd love to know where that '32 Phaeton went that you mentioned. It was a Wescott body, TCI frame and a terrific Dave Roberts interior and lift off Carson top with Mercedes top material. I sold it to finance daughter's sophomore year at Bryant to a dealer in Kingston, and I heard later it went to Maine but I have never seen it since. Thats the car I dressed up like Santa Clause in and the Kustom Kings delivered Xmas presents to the Chase Orphanage in Portsmouth that year. Man I remember how cold it was!
Yeah, I have a lot of photos from Dick and I with the flathead cars, will have to get daughter to scan them, I don't have a scanner anymore.

 

That would be great if your daughter could scan those!She would make us happy!When did you move to Dover?

 

Hi guys, Just noticed your thread. Alan Berry was living with us and working for me in Calif. when he was killed. Great friend! We shared a love of customs and Do Wop. Brings back memories. I miss him and also Boots Ripley. Although I lived in N.H. in the 50s' I had never met Alan until KKOA Nats in later years. Looks like Kustoms are still alive and well back there. Here, too!
tinguy, Paul Bragg

 

John, is/was the Pheaton the car the missus used to drive to work at the school? For some reason I am thinking she may have been in the library? If not I have your wife confused with someone elses! I recall hearing how the kids loved the fact the wife drove a hot rod to school.
If I am not mistaken the story was told the day me and my dad bought most of a 37-42 Willys coupe from you missing the last foot or so of the trunk area. Probably 25yrs ago now.

 

These guys are great, I joined about a year ago and have had a great time, this is my ride. Thanks

 

Hi Dave,I didn't know you were on here!

 

Traci still has her Dad's (Butch)1956 Ford Crown Vic.

 

John Seavey's old custom glasstop Merc ( once was a convert) and current Chevy

 

crown vics are perfect!!. That is a beautiful car

 

From the scrapbook ...Dick's Vic & John's Chev.. Dick started out with a Vic.. made it into a Crown Vic... then made the forward roof section removable..also his current custom Merc

 

Hey who is this!!!! im old man i forget....lol

 

Winter progress report.. Got the Mercury back from Christy's with the beltline stainless, 1948 shortened up Buick side trim, and bumper gaurds installed. Looking for suggestions on pre '51 tailights to replace the later 59 cad ones. Also thinking of losing the lake pipes & replacing the dummy spots with real ones.





5 24 13 ...after removing the molded lake pipes and changing the 59 Caddy taillights to 1950 Lincoln. Also picked up a pair of 551 Appleton spotlights but think I'm gonna wait for some 112's if I can find them within reason.

 

Rick, the Merc looks great! Did Christy finish Larry's '57 Ford yet? I just got the tailgate of my A done by the old master, Dick Mills. He is retired so to speak but he has done a ton of lettering over the years on the race cars Dickie and I have had. I think his art of our old rail is still there, the guy on Cape Cod has left it as bought. I see it on here once in a while.

Joe, as to your story, no it wasn't my wife and the phaeton. It was Dickie's mother and his chopped deuce pickup with a Buick in it when he was in high school. His Mom was the lunch lady at school and loved to drive the truck to work!

And Rick, I am still planning on giving you a call and dropping over with my pics.

 

I love the color on that Merc!!!

 

For Paul (tinguy) from CA, Al was a super guy. I moved out from MN in 81 to Exeter. I had a '48 Chev coupe, Tempest front suspension, '55 rear, 235" six with dual carbs and exhaust with a four speed. Someone in town said you ought to go to Raymond to meet this Al Berry guy, he loves anything with a Chevy six in it. I found the bodyshop one evening and met Alan, Dick Edwards, and the whole gang. At that time we were the Rockingham County Rods and Kustoms. Al had a '58 Impala hardtop, six cylinder that was a great car. Lots of good times in that garage, tons of Oldsmobile motors on engine stands, with speed equipment. He was doing a really great custom F-100, '55 I think, with a cutdown impala dash, suicide doors, etc. I don't think it ever got finished after he went to CA. Last I knew Billy Lang had it stored outdoors, too bad. Maureen, Al's wife, remarried and lives in FL I think. His two boys live around here, I saw them at Bonnie's funeral.
One last comment on Al. After he was killed, his casket was sent back to NH for burial. The club in CA, West Coast Kustoms I believe, had the top of the casket pinstriped, it was like nothing I had seen. Wish I had a photo of it but who thinks to bring a camera to a funeral. Whole funeral procession was hot rods, Joe Martin's F-100 was the flower car. Everyone in club colors. But not many of us left, Joe Martin is gone, Butch Smagula, Ron Girard, Alan. Only two guys left that signed the original charter with the State of NH for the club, Dick and I. But Cushman has done a good job, with big help from Don Squier who provides the meeting place in his body shop, in revitalizing the club, more members than we ever had. I have been to a couple of meetings but like a lot of old fossils, the whole club thing is "been there, done that". Funny, when we were young the club meetings were all about what mods everyone was making to their rides but the last one I went to the discussions were about ailments, diagnosis and funerals. Like my oldman used to say, "such is life".
But my little A makes me smile. I can get Linda's stuff in the bed under the tonneau, oxygen and her walker. She can get in and out fine and she still likes to cruise. And this spring I'll check off another item on my bucket list, being able to cruise a ride in my 70s, something Dick reminded me I had added to the list many years ago when there was a SOHC motored Mustang convertible on the cover of Hot Rod built by a 76 year old lettuce grower in CA to cruise the boulevards out there.

 

For Paul (tin guy) my memory is fading but I seem to recollect that after Alan passed his friends on the West Coast finished up his custom shoebox Ford and sent it East to his wife Maureen who drove for a while and passed it on to her son. That class act was highly regarded and worth being mentioned here !

 

Larry Kimball.

 

I love your Merc Rick! I'm looking forward to the good weather so everyone can drive their cars to the meetings!

 

Nice car's But somewhat surprised . I remember a 55 Chevy nick named Diablo , chrysler headlites, chrysler tail light's. Car was originally built in Salen,N.H. good looking car, full of mudd, Squire did some repairs too it, in lead. Always wondered where that car went, last time I seen it was for sale in someones driveway off rte 125, Kingstown, N.H. Squires also did some work for me once, on the hood of my 60 Impala, biched and cursed all the while, I never went back, that was 1967, It certainly appears thing's have changed......sandy

 

Still looking good. Hay Dick, you still got the 34? sandy

 

From the scapbook .. Ed Marston's old custom Chevy convert.



The 54 glasstop next to Franks conv once belonged to Joe Martin in stock condition early on. Also Ed's convert in Leo's garage.

 

Scapbook photo .. Ed Thibeau's custom buick



Dave Boots Ripley

 

Scrapbook photo...Bob Moscoffian's old custom Ford

 

Shave the tail lights and work them into the rear bumper over rider.

 

scrapbook page



John's profilr

 

from the scrapbook

 

Wow, Rick, now here are some memories! That magazine article I remember. I had sent it in and I was in Detroit, at a conference for work. I bought the magazine at the airport, did handstands when I saw the coverage and called Dick from the hotel to tell him! That was a good weekend, the NSRA event was that weekend in Detroit so I was able to go to it before driving home. I remember that I scored a McGurk GMC multi carb manifold for a 270-302 and brought it back in my suitcase. Can't remember what I had for supper last night but i can remember the fun stuff.
The post about Alan I don't remember. Where was that from? Terrific though to read about the "old man" again. He was good guy and good friend to all of us. Do you remember his foot problems? When in Navy on the oiler, they pulled along side some foreign oiler that was sinking. Alan was part of a boarding party that went over to try and save the ship. He told us that he had to stand knee deep in bunker oil in the bilges of that ship working on getting pumps to work to save the vessel. As a result his feet were really screwed up from the experience.
Another of Alan's talents was his vast knowledge of Dowop music, having met and worked with most of the famous groups of the time as a show promoter. Wish I could recall some of the great stories he told us.

 

The article on Alan was from an '84 Friday Night Cruisin' newsletter. Although it does not state it.. but i believe you were the editor and is why it rang a bell to you. !!
remember this ???

 

Jeez, Rick! Almost 30 years ago. We are lucky to have guys like you who kept all the memories. Nice to take a walk back in time once in a while. John