Don't worry about stealing my thunder. LOL I think it's awesome when these are still around and in good hands.
37hotrod -- When you eventually repaint it, I'd recommend that you have the painter/pinstriper add a little space between the "L" and the "I" in "LIFE". Right now, it looks like the trunk says "LOW UFE"!
Hey Peanut, It's not really that bad to read in real life. In the interest of total disclosure, I'm not overly fond of the lettering font. I might tweak it just a bit when the time comes.
I agree 100% about the font. Maybe he was going for a neon sign look, or something? Doesn't do it for me.
I was just wondering if anyone would know anything about this old custom? Who built it etc. The pictures were taken in the early 80s. In Virginia. It doesn't hurt to ask. Thanks Ron... The last picture is an 80s Photoshop with sisiours. lol Sent from my SM-G920P using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
....and here I was looking forward to getting to say Low Life is still around. Guess I should show up more often than at work once or twice a day. LOL I always loved that Merc when ever I saw it back then, still do now and am super glad it still exists just as it did. I agree with you 37hotrod, when the time comes to repaint, I'd do the flames in just the same pattern. I might even be tempted to go back to the faded ghost flame look (says the guy who's removing the ghost flames from his own Merc. LOL).
I hope you are kidding about the ghost flames. There is absolutely no way that those are going back on that car! This is the way I first saw the Merc, and this is the way I always want it to look. BTW, how is your Merc coming along? Haven't seen any updates lately.
LOL...you noticed I said "might". No progress on the Merc other than driving it, sad to say. Been working on some house projects and trying to get my shop sorted out and actually organized for the first time ever in my life. LOL Hoping to be back on it in the not too distant future and get the bottom half painted and maybe get my interior in shape.
that 58 was built by Ron Dunham from wichita, Kansas. It was finished in the late eighties. had a chopped top, white tuck and roll interior. a 327 with 6 twos and the 14x6 reversed supremes were widened to 8 inches on the rear. (the widening was done on the backside of the wheel). Why do you ask??
It took some effort with climbing and moving a couple thing in the garage. But the car is worth it. Here is a pic with the hood down. It also looks like the rear has also been lowered a bit from the first pic.
I posted on the kustom blues thread it was for sale in Ft Smith in ‘91 or ‘94 (I’d have to go thru my pics to figure out which) for $8500. It may as well had been a million since I was either still in school (91) or just finished (94) and was poor as a church mouse. Sent from my iPhone using H.A.M.B.
Another car that Rocco had and sold to Steve Anglin was a 36 cabriolet,la salle grille, skirts,lowered,Westergsrd style,carson top. Sent from my SM-G900P using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
What Ever Happened To..........? number 84. 1960 Chevy Impala "Exotica" Owner: James Kudla Milwaukee, Wisconsin In researching this week's W.E.H.T. it became apparent that this car was very scarce and it seems like it wasn't around the scene very long. As far as Chevy Impalas go, this one was pretty radical. The front end was changed significantly with the addition of canted quads and a custom grill complete with mesh, drawer pulls and bullets. The stock bumper got tossed and a custom tube style bumper was made complete with '59 Caddy taillight assemblies with clear lenses for turn signals. Out back, the stock round taillights were changed in favor of large taillight panels that really give the rear a different look. The car had typical custom add-ons like dummies and lake pipes, but for me, the cherry on top was the addition of the wild bubble skirts. This '60 is screaming east coast and looked like it could have been cruising all the "hot spots" in some large eastern city in about 1961. James Kudla was very busy in 1983. He made the journey from his hometown of Milwaukee, Wisconsin to the 3rd Annual KKOA Leadsled Spectacular in Springfield, Ohio. The car can be seen cruising around the fairgrounds a number of times in the video. I watched tons of video this week looking for more appearances of this custom at other shows, but it was nowhere to be found. I found some nice pictures of this car on the internet, but there are just a few. I found a two great shots on the Custom Rodder webpage that were taken by an unknown photographer. On Rikster's page I found pictures that our own @drdave took at the Mid Century Mercury Show in Kenosha, Wisconsin in 1983. So, it's obvious that in '83 Mr. Kudla was cruising around in his '60 going to shows and enjoying life. The only magazine coverage I was able to find was in Custom Cars by Hot Rod volume 2 number 2 from 1984 on page 27. It was in their coverage of the '83 Spectacular. After 1983, the trail on this sled dried up. It makes you wonder if the car was sold, changed up to be unrecognizable, or worst of all wrecked and was a total loss. At any rate, James Kudla built a really cool custom that just slid in under the year cutoffs of the early KKOA and made quite an impression on me, and I'm sure many of you other custom nuts out there too! Until next Tuesday, take it easy..........E
? See the forsale sign. I wonder. It`s similar but different. This was taken after the 83 Springfeild show. It was said to be an old custom. The rear end was altered too. Did you notice the 57 Pontiac sitting beside it. More than likely from Wisconsin. A W E H T car. Purple Passion.
That last photo was from an online listing, no idea how old it is. Here's the text from the ad: "1960 Chevrolet Impala - Custom This is a show winning Kustom Kemp named After Shock, built by Custom Jim out of Springfield, MO. It has a L82 Corvette engine with a 350 turbo automatic transmission, Air Ride system, Power steering, Power brakes, Tilt steering column, Lake pipe (show only), Custom bucket seats, Custom center console, Dual spot lights, Wire wheels with knock off centers, Flame thrower kit, Custom paint, This car has been featured on Horsepower TV and in many magazines."
And here are some more pic`s before the airride was installed that Sancho posted. The first was taken in Davenport Iowa at a KKOA show in 88. A tweed interior was added. The second I don`t know where it was taken. Possibly a Goodguys event. A later version before Sancho`s.
Back in the 80`s,sometimes you got free doubles when I had my film developed. The First I posted above was my dads pic. This one is mine. My dads are already removed from his garage wall since he moved. My pic has less sun damage.
That's a crazy '60 as well. For a long time I thought it was the same car with a lot of changes down the line. But, these are two different cars. They were both in attendance at the '83 Leadsled and on the video. The red '60 was just red with no scallops, had wide whites and flipper caps. It looked like the plain red version that Jim (@stanlow69) posted pictures of. It really is a shame that one of the magazine guys or a photographer didn't do the legwork at that show and get the pair together for a photo shoot. Probably two of the craziest custom '60 Impalas ever built--and they were both at the show that weekend. E
My dad borrowed my video of that show 4 years ago when I bought it, I need to watch it for the first time. I was actually at that show in Ohio. My dads 51 Vicky looked like the one behind Dr Daves pic. But we never made it to a Mid Century show. Funny, I how I forgot both of them at the show, as well as being in the Custom Cars Hot Rod magazine. That was the longest trip our family ever made at the time, Flathead powered to boot. Sorry for ramble` in on so much. Now @Sancho has some work to do.
The two pics of mine Ed posted were taken at two different shows. The top one on the pavement (without the bubble skirts) was the ‘83 MCMC Show. The second one on the grass was taken later at a show in Oshkosh, WI. I am away from my computer, but will check my pics tomorrow and get the date of the second one. I’m thinking it was later than ‘83, but may have only been as late as ‘84 or ‘85. Thinking I may also have seen the other ‘60 at Ft Smith and took pics of it. Sent from my iPhone using H.A.M.B.
The second picture was taken in Oshkosh, WI June of '86. Here is a second picture I took at the same time that shows the grille. You can see the back panel was painted red at this point rather than the gold in the earlier pic, and of course the change to the chrome reverse style hubcaps. Couldn't find pics of the second '60, guess I haven't seen it in person as I thought.
Also when the grill was gold, the parking light lenses (on the ends of the "bumper") were clear bullets.
Misty Blue update, this one slipped by, well maybe someone else posted this, I didn't see it tho. Sold at northeast Barrett Jackson in ct., for 37k, sure couldn't build it for that
When did Misty Blue sell at Barret Jackson? I was under the impression that this Merc was in a private collection in central Wisconsin. Sent from my SM-J320R4 using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
The Jalopy Journal
