Don't know if you guys noticed but @Tom davison is posting some of his older pictures here: https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum...rints-from-film-traditionally-styled.1100231/ What caught my attention are these two photos of Bob Vestring's Hudson he took in Springfield, Ohio 1985. These may be the best photos of that car yet. Tom, I hope you don't mind that I copied these here. I though some of the W.E.H.T. contributors would like to see them.
Great pic finds @Sancho! Wow, a flashback to W.E.H.T. #9. Here's a link to the page of Mr. Vestring's great Hudson. E https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/what-ever-happened-to.1016572/page-5
What Ever Happened To.........? number 106. 1951 Ford "Sh-Boom" Owner: Jim Noble Columbus, Ohio This week's custom is one that really changed over the years. It took a lot of time studying pictures and video to determine if it was the same car as it transformed from mild to wild. Jim bought the car in the late 80s, and with the help of some good friends, he put together a nice mild custom. The first time I saw the car was on the 1991 Leadsled Spectacular video shot in Hamilton, Ohio. The car had dummy spots, was fully shaved with bubble skirts and moon discs. It had dual frenched antennas just below the driver's side quarter windows with music notes painted by them and "Sh-Boom" close by in tiny letters. It had rolled pans front and rear with homemade style nerf bars and a Merc grille. It featured four frenched '59 Cadillac bullet taillights. The car was white with light blue flames that were just outlines across the hood of the car and down the sides of the fenders. They weren't solidly painted from the nose back. They were also painted along the fender skirts. It also had "Sh-Boom" lettered on the trunk lid. The car was featured in the first KKOA book from 1993 on page 102. I believe the picture printed in that book was actually before the version of the car I just described on the '91 video. You'll notice that there are no nerf bars yet, and the car was white with no flames. The next sighting of the car was on the 1993 Leadsled Spectacular video from Springfield, Ohio. The car looked pretty much the same as it did back in 1991. The next time I found the car was at the Kustoms of America 1996 Double Date Show in Richmond, Indiana. I have an old video tape of an episode of "My Classic Car" that I recorded off of my TV on TNN (The Nashville Network) from 1997. They covered the KOA show on that episode and I had to record it. Incidentally, on the show coverage, the host Dennis Gage interviewed Roger Jetter (@40StudeDude) and his brother Dan along side of their "Hint of Mint" '57 Chevy. Jim's shoebox had transformed quite a bit by then. It was chopped and no longer looked like a sedan, but more like a coupe. The grille had been changed to a straight bar with bullet ends. The flames on the front and the skirts were the same style as before. It had extended rear quarters with a connie kit and late 80s or early 90s Cadillac taillights. I know they aren't traditional, and many guys wouldn't use them on an old time sled, but they do work well on this sled in the extended rear quarters. I gave them a pass as they are sunk in a good ways and disguised pretty well. The connie kit had "Sh-Boom" lettered on it as well as a subtle slotted third brake light. It still had the super bubble skirts on it and an outside sunvisor. On the video, there was a great close up shot of the back of the car as Dennis bent down to explain how flame throwers work, as well as some great shots of Jim shooting flames during the flamethrowing "exhibition". You may ask how I know this is the same car as it really changed ALOT by then. Well, that part took some time. As I watched the car on video, I took notice of the license plate on the rear. It's the same number on the videos I saw it on as in the photos I found. So, I think it's safe to venture a guess that this is the same Ford. The last time I found the car was on a great video that our own @John B was kind enough to send me a copy of. It was of the 1998 KOA Double Date Show. Mr. Noble was there showing off his custom with pride. It looked unchanged from 1996. After that I have no more information. Sometimes finding pictures of shows like the Double Date, as well as the James Dean shows in Indiana every year can be tough. Jim seemed to stay pretty close to his own Ohio area as well as Indiana. I'm sure some of you custom faithful out in that area know Jim and "Sh-Boom" and may have seen him from time to time over the years. I hope he is still with us cruising around in his wild Ford, having fun throwing flames and putting lots of miles on it! Until next time, get in that custom and go for a ride! E
We lost Jim Noble a couple years ago. He had already sold his car to a guy in Michigan who also took the name Sh-Boom. In your last picture, that's Jim standing beside the car in the yellow shirt. I miss seeing him out and about.
It is owned by Bob Friz. Saw it in Detroit a few weeks ago Yes, it is the same car Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Jim Sh-Boom Noble was an original and always a good guy to be around. Jim's F-100 taken at the Igniter's show in Chillicothe, OH Taken by me at the Ducktail Run in 2001. I have this on video to.
I think Jim passed away. The car was still around can't really remember the last time we saw it. It wasn't really a car that was suited to my taste so I don't believe I have photos of it, maybe John B knows. but I am pretty sure I read where he passed. I see mark said it was in detroit, I thought so but wasn't sure if it was the same car. it's been in the Detroit show for a few yrs now
Not sure who owns the car now - Love of tiki might be able to help with that - but the car is still in the Detroit area. The car and the truck put on a flame throwing show before the opening of Autorama a few days ago.
I think this is the last picture I took of Jim, this was in 2011. At this point I think he'd already sold the Ford but had the F-100 and a bird in a box (t-bird conversion) that was painted pretty much like the showbox.
Great information guys! That shoebox has really changed a lot over the last 25-30 years. If @Moriarity hadn't said that the Ford he posted was the same car I don't think I would've recognized it. Even though it's a little over the top, I'm glad to see it's still around. So sorry to hear that Mr. Noble has passed away. Judging by the pictures that @John B posted, he looked like a fun person to spend time with, a life of the party kind of guy. Rest in peace Jim..........E
Yea Jim was a great guy. My daughter jumped in that shoebox more than a few times with him and they would cruise the show grounds. Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Wow, I totally missed that. It adds a neat subtle detail. I'm sure that sneaky mod added a ton of time to the chop! E
That's great @Ron! I'm sure your daughter will always have great memories cruising around a custom show with Jim in his great sled. Little things like taking a kid for a ride can start a lifelong love affair with cars. By the way Ron, is that your Ford parked in front of Jim's shoebox in this picture? E
Does anyone remember the Original Version of this car? It was known as "Twice Born", etched into the rear Quarter Windows, Candy Apple red with Darker Ghost Flames. The Original was sooooo much prettier than this car. Upon the passing of the Builder, it was sold and turned into this. I met the Original owner back in Decatur, Illinois in the very late 1980's and it was a Beautiful Car with a Beautiful Story. I gave all my photos of it to a Friend here on the HAMB. Anyone? Thanks....Centurion9
I saw this car countless time, it was the bridge between Customs and Musclecars. Had The Lowrider Crew not stepped up, we would be without the Custom Revival of the '80's. I first saw this car at the NightOwl Drive In when the Rock Falls/Sterling Illinois Guys gave us a breath of Fresh Air by coming to Milwaukee......There was another Local car that caught my eye and I wounder if any of you remember it. A 49 or '50 Mercury Four Door that was Orange and Flamed. Whitewalls and Spun Aluminum Wheel Covers. I'm sick for giving all my photos away. Had a name on the Rear Quarters and a Regular at all the Nite Owl Shows in Milwaukee car.....Justin, I know you have many of these cars on file. I thought for sure they would have been in Volume Three of your books Series. Anyone remember? Centurion9
E that sure looks like my Ford in that pic. The is that daughters car Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
The Merc isn't ringing a bell @Centurion9. I'll keep my eyes open as I research books and magazines and see what I come up with. I'm sure that the folks that were at those shows early on will come up with something--they always do! E From your description, it sounds like you're describing Dick Crouther's '50 Merc (W.E.H.T. #1). It was orange but it had scallops not flames. He was from Illinois. E Or, Jeff Johnson's '50 Merc affectionately known as "HAMMERD" (W.E.H.T. #23). He was from Green Bay, Wisconsin before moving to California in the mid-80s. His car was orange with flames, but I don't recall the car ever having whitewalls. E I remember seeing pictures of your daughter's car as well as your wild purple flamethrowing Pontiac. The pictures were posted on the long gone internet website that if I recall correctly was called "The Big Blue Car". That is going back quite a long time. Are these Pontiacs still in your family's stable? E
The white one is still it’s hers but now orange metalflake. The purple one is long gone last I seen it was black primer. Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
What Ever Happened To..........? number 107. 1958 International "Sooner Spy" Owner: Dave Williams Wichita, Kansas This week's feature is one that isn't perfectly traditional, but it has so many custom modifications done to it that I thought it should be remembered here. It is also one of only a few trucks I've featured so far. It seems like in the early days of the KKOA, there just weren't many custom pickups being built. Dave put together this wild Cornbinder thinking outside the box, and then by adding all the wild modifications he hit it out of the park. According to my video research, he attended the 1983 Leadsled Spectacular in Springfield, Ohio, as well as the Spectacular in Springfield, Missouri in 1986. On the 1983 video he gave one of Rowdie's gals a great interview. In just listening to him talk for a few minutes on the video, a few things became very clear. He loved the Oklahoma Sooners football team and customs. Dave seemed like one of those over the top kind of guys like we've talked about recently here on the thread. He referred to himself as "The Crazy Okie". On his interview he said that he was born and raised in Oklahoma, and currently resided (1983) "in a fantastic cow town middle U.S.A. America Wichita, Kansas". As far as the truck goes, he said that there were over 60 body modifications and changes to the truck, with parts of 23 different vehicles incorporated in the build. His "brief" rundown was quite an impressive list, including an 8 inch chopped top, louvered hood, '56 Pontiac bumpers, custom hand molded front end made out of the hood of a '65 Oldsmobile Cutlass with a hand made grille and square stacked quad headlights. It had a '56 Chevy truck bed on it as well as a tailgate made out of the hood of a '59 Ford truck. Mechanically the truck was all redone, with a '72 Ford LTD sub frame with a tri-powered 407 Ford big block. One interesting thing on the truck were the stained glass style vent windows with the Oklahoma University "OU" logos in them in red glass. Definitely shades of the van craze days. Searching for information on this truck in print proved to be difficult. I've wanted to feature this truck since almost the beginning, but other than video, I couldn't find any information on it. I vaguely remember it being featured in Truckin' Magazine, but it wasn't in any of the issues I have left that weren't destroyed in my basement flood. After months of searching, I did find one picture of the International on page 33 in the January '83 issue of Classic and Custom in their coverage of the indoor Wichita Car Show. It isn't a great angle shot, but it is in color and you can see the beautiful kandy red paint. I asked Jim (@stanlow69) if he remembered the truck or had any photos, but he didn't have any pictures and he had a hard time remembering it. Well, a few weeks ago he sent me a message with a picture of it that he found in an old KKOA magazine from the early 80s. Thanks Jim! These were the only pictures that I could come up with. They are weird angles and really don't do the truck justice. A few minor changes would have made it more traditional, like some white walls and hubcaps and maybe some mid 60s Pontiac or Galaxie stacked round quad headlights, but the square lights were a very popular choice in the late 70s and early 80s. Still, the massive amount of work in this truck deserves respect in any era! I'm guessing here, but about 10 or 12 years ago I saw this truck for sale on Ebay. It looked pretty much un-changed from the 80s. I can't exactly recall what it sold for and I could be wrong, but the 6 to 8 thousand dollar price range seems to be what comes to mind. Even back then, the price seemed like a lot of truck for the money. After that, I've never seen it again. I guess "The Crazy Okie" parted with it and rode off into the sunset. It would be nice to know what became of the truck, as well as Mr. Williams. They were definitely an interesting pair! Until next time, take care! E
You know guys, I have been working on this thread for quite a while now and we have all leaned a lot from everyone's input. I get messages from people all over the world all the time asking questions as well as giving kudos for the work I put in. Believe me, it's all appreciated! Every now and then I'll get a message that just makes my day. Well, today was one of those days! I got a message from HAMB member @Damon Shearer about his recent acquisition. He is the current care taker of the Ray Grimm '39 Ford (W.E.H.T. #77)! With his permission, I'm happy to post the news here, as well as the message he sent me: I have a car you were looking for! Recently purchased this from a gentleman in North Carolina. He said the car spent the last 17 years in Dennis Carpender’s Ford museum. It’s now here in Pennsylvania with me and hope to have it out to some local shows this year. I don’t think much of anything has been changed on the car over the years and I’ll do my best to keep it that way. I love finding out a car is still around and in great condition. Congratulations Damon, and have fun! Thanks for sharing your great purchase with me, as well as allowing me to tell the custom faithful the great news! Just in case there are some new folks to the thread that may not have seen it, here's a link to the Ray Grimm Ford--W.E.H.T. #77. E https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/what-ever-happened-to.1016572/page-50#post-12201716
Great pic, @Sancho! In the video the wheels look like they were chrome modulars. The wires look fantastic! E
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