Nice find Sancho. I've watched that video before. I keep forgetting to check it out more often. If I'm not mistaken, that video was shot by our own @John B. There's a great shot of Jack Hughes cruising through the gate in "Peggy Sue" from 2:33 to 2:44. You can't really appreciate the crazy hubcaps Jack built until you see them in motion cruising along! E
Hey guys, I was looking for pictures for another thread and I FINALLY came across a picture of John "Shaggy Dog" Jordan's '40 Ford (W.E.H.T. #57) taken from the front. I've included the picture Sancho posted so you can compare the pictures. Lots of changes, but I'm sure it's the same car. E
I think those mid 50's GM 4dr ht's are probably the prettiest 4drs out there. I've always liked 57 Chevy 4dr ht's and a '56 Olds 98 4dr ht like Bill's is what I ended up with to make one of the couches in the office. Well, actually, I didn't buy the car originally for a couch, but for the front fenders for my Fleetline, which never happened (but are currently being welded onto the Lavender Lady) and the engine (which will go in my Merc someday). Anyhoo, I thought it was a real pretty car and had it not been so far gone, I would have been hard pressed not to build it. None of that has anything to do with this week's feature and once again, I can't add anything about it's where about or story, just ramble about nothing. LOL
Bill Dawson sold his Olds about 10-15 years ago. He had retired, and while he still loved custom cars (he still builds models of them) the upkeep and maintenance of the Olds was getting to be too much. I believe it remained in Ohio. Bill was present at most of the Leadsleds, and a few Gettysburgs from the mid 80's up to the late 90's. The Olds had mostly original driveline, and it did give him a bit of trouble. I had to re-wire the charging system harness in G-Burg one year, when the generator and regulator fried. Luckily, custom guys being what they are, a rebuilt generator was donated to the cause (I believe Ted Prada had a spare in his trunk), and someone also had a good regulator, and also donated it. Joe Urspuch (Misty Blue Merc) graciously allowed me to use his truck and trailer to retrieve Bill's Olds when this happened, and we got it and fixed it at the host hotel, so he could still attend Sledscene East. Later one, the engine also gave out on him. Not being a mechanic, Bill was getting frustrated with the car. Probably cost him a lot to replace the engine, and he sold it soon after.
Thanks for the information @chopolds. Sounds like Bill was a hardcore custom guy. Too bad he had such a rough time with the Olds and got discouraged. Sometimes it gets very hard to stay dedicated. I appreciate your input on this thread and all the great stories you add. There's nothing like stories about being on the road with a bunch of crazy custom owners! E
Better than nothing! Glad to have some coverage at all. I kind of like the quality myself, sort of like listening to a vinyl album.
I saw that '61 too, Sancho. I thought it was a different one. Then I slowed it down and watched it frame by frame. I think it is Mark's. I guess what threw me is that it had hubcaps and not Mark's trademark chrome reverse wheels. E
Interesting that that sweet Olds had different coloured scallops in the close-up.. Wonder which version came first? This thread is the tits! Thank you all! Dave
Here`s a pic of the 4-dr Olds. I always liked the colors, they worked well together. And a pic of Jack`s Olds with his guitar since it was just mentioned.
Glad you're enjoying the thread. I'm not certain, but I think the green with green scallops version was first. In the bigger close up picture of the frenched antennas, the paint looked to be a suede finish. It seems hard to believe that Bill would have went from a pearl green with white scallops back to suede. E Bill's Olds was a great color combination. The whole scheme worked well. Jack's "Peggy Sue" is quickly becoming one of my favorites. I would have loved to have seen it in person at a show when he still had it..........E Wow, I can't believe you missed that, Sancho. You rarely miss my friend! You have some of the sharpest eyes around. This is the first pic I've seen of it with the Caddy caps. Amazing how much a little thing like different hubcaps can change the whole attitude of a sled. E
Wow, John's wagon really looks different. What a difference 20 plus years makes (lol)! This picture is about two years old. John has made even more paint changes since then. E
Where did you find this pic. The headlights look good on his car. Who would of thought. Now I can stop looking for the pic I have.
This Ranchero is a new one on me. Never seen it before. The rainbow fade fish scales are crazy! I'd guess that it was a custom in the late 50s or early 60s and later on it got a psychedelic make over. Hard to say when this picture was taken, but it looks like there's a square body Chevy truck in the upper right of the picture. Since that body style started in '73, I'd guess the pic was taken in the mid 70s. E I found the picture on Rikster's site, Jim. It was in the album of Merle Balke. I never looked at his album before and there it was. My long search is over too (lol)! E
You think that`s crazy. Wasn`t there a Ford Ranchero turned bubble top that was on the Kustom Blues thread. I think it showed up on Texas craigslist add. It also had a chromed under carriage.
Since seeing Passo Johns car in the video, I`d thought I`d post this pic. I`ve been wanting to post it for a long time. I love this build style and who can`t love those hubcaps(also has louvers). I took the pic in Des Moines KKOA show in 84. I`ve never seen it since.
Found some history on FB Any history on this Bad 57 ranchero Sondre Kvipt Rik Hoving More info from Marty Blevens William Young . . B| . . 1st message~ ( Yes i in 1980 or 81 spooks rods and customs in san antonio was selling it for 1800 dollars chrome on brake drums were tarnished still had the 427 fe tunnel ram running.in the late 80s or early 90s i ran across it again.my friends neighbor owned it.dont think it was running at that time he divorced his wife shortly after and moved away.but i think his now ex wife still lives there i am working offshore in Louisiana right now havent seen my friend in a while but if you like when i get back to san antonio i will swing by there and see what i can find out.) 2nd message ~ ( My dad would not let me buy it at 16 yrs old because of big block and 2x4 barrels thats why my first car was a 283 impala the last time i seen it .It still had the same paint job but faded the guy that owned it the second time i seen it was saying he wanted to repaint it one color i told him he should not and gave him my dads old rod and custom magazine with a black and white photo of his ranchero win it was in a car show ) . I'll let you know when there's more. . B| More William Young . . He said it had a chrome dash, that's one of the reason old dad didn't ant him o have it. . LOL! . . He'll be back home in three weeks so now we wait. Maybe someone else knows something too. . We'll see. . B| Artie Lund / "Spook" was one of South Texas' finest custom painters. He passed recently, but I'll always remember the black '40 Willys coupe that he did, that was literally six miles deep. I can still see my buck toothed, zitted, 14 year old face smiling back at my 45 year old self. Man, he could paint. Alamo City legend. Sent from Austinrod
Artie Lund / "Spook" was one of South Texas' finest custom painters. He passed recently, but I'll always remember the black '40 Willys coupe that he did, that was literally six miles deep. I can still see my buck toothed, zitted, 14 year old face smiling back at my 45 year old self. Man, he could paint. Alamo City legend.
What Ever Happened To..........? number 61. 1948 Studebaker 4 Door Owner: John Sevelius St. Paul, Minnesota This week's W.E.H.T. is a car that has intrigued me for years. When I first received and watched the 1985 Leadsled Spectacular way back when this lowly 4 door Studebaker caught my eye. It looked like a low dollar build that even a young guy like me (at the time) could pull off. I figured if a guy started with a cheap car that nobody wanted and put in a lot of elbow grease, threw in a few dollars and wished for some luck, a cool cruiser could be born. Why John Sevelius started out with a car that was considered to be one of the homeliest models ever made is beyond me. Then add the fact that it was a 4 door, it's amazing that his poor old Studey didn't end up being crushed and made into refrigerators or filing cabinets or something. It seems to me that he might have had the mentality that if George Barris could make a questionably styled Studebaker look cool like the "Modern Grecian", why couldn't I? Like I mentioned above, the first time I saw the car was on the '85 Leadsled Spectacular video from Springfield, Ohio. There was just a brief shot of it rolling through the gates and driving by the camera. It was lowered a good amount, the hood was shaved as well as the door handles. The headlights were frenched and it looked to have a '49 or '50 Mercury grille in it, as well as triple cap lake pipes. It had wire wheel hubcaps and blackwalls. It was covered in ruddy brown primer and had some wild yellow flames on the hood and front fenders of the car. It definitely had the low budget vibe going on. There was never a shot of the rear on the video, so I can't say what mods (if any) were done in the rear. Fast forward to 1988. John's Studebaker was pictured in the December '88 Rod & Custom on page 45 in their coverage of the 1988 Leadsled Spectacular in Holland, Michigan. The car had changed a lot by then. John chopped quite a bit out of the top, and made a nice looking grille shell to house a '55 Desoto grille. It was then painted yellow with red flames with orange fades. He also added whitewalls and Olds Fiesta style hubcaps. All the work done to it definitely took it from a sow's ear to a silk purse! Unfortunately, information on John's Studebaker was very hard to come by. The only video I saw it on was the one from '85. I couldn't find any pictures of the ruddy brown version. The December '88 Rod & Custom was the only magazine I could find it in. I scanned that page to show everybody the chopped version. I couldn't find any other pictures of that version either. As a matter of fact, I couldn't even find out where John was from! So, I'm hoping that featuring this really obscure custom will help bring out more information, and we can all give more credit to a true custom guy that went against the grain and turned an unpopular car into a really cool sled. Until next week, take care! E
Here are a couple pic`s me and my dad took in KKOA`s Michigan show in 88 as well. It looks like he hit something with the front valance of his car. You can see the license plate real well in Dad`s pic. Maybe somebody can make it out. Another good looking car.
John belonged to the Kustom kemps of Minnesota at the same time I did , Probably 84-early 90's or so. We used to cruise as a club to the KKOA and local events. John ran a transmission shop and had a really bitchin 54 Buick with hydros but I can't remember if it was before or after this Studie. The stude had a nova subframe (too wide) and I think a 400 sbc. Personally I never cared for the car. John didn't keep it very long. I think he told me once that he sold it to someone in New York
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