I don't know if it's a treasure trove @Sancho (lol), just basically a steno pad that is nearly full of chicken scratching's. It isn't very neat as a lot of time when I'm watching video, I'll stop the VCR or DVD and take quick notes. I'll rewind then press play many times, writing as small and as fast as I can. Same with when I'm looking at magazines or books. Always hurrying as my time seems scarce these days. I really should have taken neater notes, but at least I can make them out (lol)! Someday I'm going to have to get to Jim's (@stanlow69) and look at that wall of custom photos I've heard so much about. Should be a national "custom" landmark! If you're talking about @PasoJohn's pictures, he has to have the largest collection of snapshots in photo albums and on camera cards in the world. Then you add in all the video he has shot for over 30 years and it is amazing! He is one guy that has been there to see it all! E
The top pic is from my dad`s garage wall before he moved. A 24 foot wall coved with pic`s. I have all the pic`s organized in a 36 drawer cabinet. The bottom picture is a section of my 24 by 30 garage. The pic`s are on 3 of the garage walls. Then there`s the one`s I need to get processed. About 6 years worth. 90% of the pic`s I have on my walls are customs. Customs are a sickness. Then there is the magazine collection. I`m just glad I can share it with like minded people who also have the sickness.
Wow, just..........WOW! So coooool! As for the sickness part, I'm in the same ward as you guys. Come on over and see me in the east wing sometime (lol)! E
I see your point and thought. I’ve realized the increased cost and just trying to find someone capable of producing the quality of workmanship these cars deserve. The last thing you want to see is for someone to butcher your project, which are difficult to find in the first place. I consider the cost,naturally, but the end result is more important. Is it right when it’s “finished” the point that I’m hoping to attain soon. But, I degress, not only are the cars harder to find but also the craftsmen to bring them to “finished” are equally hard to find. Some of the younger generation can be very talented, but they can’t relate to a fifties project like mine. I’ve been told by many of the older generation that “I’m too busy, Don’t have time, want to slow down, or I’m not really interested in what your doin. I know that a lot of guys that contribute to this thread probably would think “well build it yourself, problemo solved” sounds like an answer, but I’m old enough (68 soon)to realize that to do that may take longer than I got. If I ever want to drive it. So I’ve come this far (almost 5 yrs) trying to this 51 Merc Justice, spent more money than I planned, took more time than I planned, and still not finished...thanks for lettin me vent. But the enthusiasm is still here, the interest is strong, but the quest for the fountain of youth isn’t found yet. Unfortunately. So OG lil E and limeMerc, thanks for posting. You guys make this a great thread. I feel better ALREADY. Ye. Olde Mercman@bulldog[emoji41][emoji631]. oh btw I’ve been told by more than than one Craftsmen, “if it’s not right-it’s wrong! Money and time are secondary to results. “Finished” mean “Right.” Sent from my iPad using H.A.M.B.
This post was in response to OG lil E that was quoted @limeMerc. Sorry guys “I’ve been “out to lunch” mentally. [emoji41][emoji631] Sent from my iPad using H.A.M.B.
Thanks for the update, @Tony Alvarez! Glad to know that the "Shaggy Dog" Mr. Jordan is still at it. Looks like he still has a fine stable of customs. I would love to sit down and talk customs with him someday. That would be time well spent! E
What Ever Happened To..........? number 116. 1953 Chevy Bel Air "Kentucky Sunshine" Owners: Tom & Stella Brewer Bellevue, Kentucky This week's custom is one that really stands out from so many of the '53 and '54 Chevy Bel Airs that were being built and driven around back in the 80s and 90s. There are a few things that really stand out about this one. The first thing has to be the bright yellow paint with the black painted insert between the chrome strips on the quarter panels. It was very close to a color combination that Chevrolet put on these cars back when they were built, but it was never very popular and was rarely seen back in the 80s or even now for that matter. The other has to be the unusual choice of the '55 Chrysler grill. I'm sure that it was a lot of work to mold it in and get it to look right. I think Mr. Brewer or whoever did the work did a great job! The car is pretty mild as a whole, but sometimes less is more. The car had some early 70s Chrysler taillights that were installed in place of the stockers. Now before you traditional custom folks out there groan and roll your eyes, I have to admit they look pretty cool and the choice worked quite well. I wish I had better luck in searching for more pictures of this custom, as it looked great on video and many of the details of the body mods and interior were shown there. More about that in a bit. I had a hard time figuring out the time frame on this one. I was only able to find the car on two videos. It was at the 1991 Leadsled Spectacular in Hamilton, Ohio, and the 1992 Spectacular in Holland Michigan. It may have been there before, but I have no video from 1988-1990, and I only have bits and pieces of videos from shows from 1995-2002. I had no luck in my search for pictures of the Brewer's Chevy on the internet. Also, in my search for the car in print, I came up with very little. It was in the 1st KKOA book on page 177. There was just the one picture, but the write up on the car was very informative on the details of the car. That was all I could find. The Brewers may have been around these shows for just a short while and then went on to other things, or the car was changed extensively and isn't recognizable like it was here. At any rate, let's see what we can find out about the Brewers and their "Kentucky Sunshine" Bel Air Chevy. I hope everyone out there has a wonderful Memorial Day. Over the holiday weekend, we all need to be sure to take a moment to reflect on the brave men and women that paid the ultimate price for our freedom. Also, remember those who serve and have served so that we can enjoy the wonderful life we have here in the United States! Thank you Vets! See you next week! E
This one was really hard to research. There has to be more on it out there somewhere. But, if @Sancho is coming up empty, this one might remain unsolved (lol)! I hope somebody has a picture or two of it to share. It's a nice car worthy of a few shots to show to the custom faithful. E
Tom Brewer is a friend of my adopted parents, Weldon & Phyllis Haynes. I'll call them later and get some information. I might just try to contact him myself.
Hey all, I came across a former W.E.H.T. car and thought I'd post an update. Lately I've been looking at customs for sale on Ebay. A few days ago I came across the '49 Pontiac that used to be known as the "Scalloping Ghost II" once owned by Joe Urspruch (W.E.H.T. #49). I guess the current owner has decided to move on to something else. Nice to see an old custom that was built back in the 80s again! E https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/what-ever-happened-to.1016572/page-33 https://www.ebay.com/itm/Streamliner/273216198700?hash=item3f9cf4582c:g:SWcAAOSwLfNa--3E&vxp=mtr
Wish I could say I came up with one but sadly I haven't. I did learn that later Tom was cruising a unchopped green Mercury. I found Tom on Facebook and sent him a friend request.
What Ever Happened To..........? number 117. 1954 Chevy Owner: Alan "Al" Berry Raymond, New Hampshire Back in the early 90s I decided I wanted to build a custom of my own. After years of reading about them in books and magazines, I decided to dig in and learn about the mysteries of customizing. Magazine articles can be a very good source for customizing ideas, but sometimes the how-to articles left out some of the details about pulling off certain modifications. I started buying every book I could find about modifications from shaving, to molding, to frenching and so on. I came across the book "How to Build Custom Cars" by LeRoi Tex Smith (1994). The book was a wealth of information and it helped me figure out how to do a lot of different modifications on leadsleds. Along with all the build information, there were a lot of great pictures of cars that were in the book for examples. There was one particular Chevy in the book that really caught my eye. It was a '53 or '54 two door that was converted into a hardtop. It was chopped and a '57 Olds three piece rear window was grafted in. It had some great scoops installed in the fronts of the rear quarter panels, as well as a nice set of flush fitting skirts and molded lake pipes. It had a unique treatment to the rear in place of a bumper. It had some tiny bumperettes installed on both sides and an opening that looked to be formed out of small tubing or round rod. There was '58 Ford grille mesh installed and that is where the owner's license plate and club plaques were mounted. The car also featured '55 Chrysler taillights. It truly was a cool custom! I never could get that car out of my mind. For years I have been looking for more information on this car and it seems like it is nowhere to be found. I went ahead and scanned the pictures out of the LeRoi Tex Smith book as these are two of the three places I found the car. If you look closely at the pictures, you can make out a KKOA plaque as well as a Kustom Kings plaque. It also looks like a New Hampshire license plate, but I can't be certain. I've pulled out my magnifying glass a number times straining my eyes trying to make sure it's a New Hampshire plate, but the picture is just too grainy. Earlier this year I came across another photo of this car. I found it on Rikster's site and according to the photo credit it was taken by our own @chopolds. This is the only other picture I've found of the car ANYWHERE. Funny how the only pictures I've found are shots of the rear. I have no idea what the front of this great car looks like. In the last color photo, it almost looks like the fenders were pulled inward for some custom work, similar to what a lot of Ford F-100 owners do when they install a '60-'62 Chrysler grille. As of now I've exhausted all my resources on this one. The pictures out of the book and the @chopolds picture are all I could find. I haven't found it in any other publication and I couldn't find it on any of my videos. So that's where we stand gang. It's time to pass this one off to you and see what you can find. I would love to know who the owner/builder was and where he (or she) was from. I'd also like to see some front shots of the car. It would also be interesting to know if the car was ever completed. Did it make it to paint? Where is it today? It's time for everybody to dig in and see what we can find. I hope everyone had a wonderful Memorial Day and an unofficial start to summer weekend. Until next time, take care! E
It’s neat, but I don’t remember ever seeing this one. No help here, but a great post @ OG lil E. I’ll follow, somebody please let us see some details of this Chevrolet. Sent from my iPad using H.A.M.B.
Alan "Al" Berry. He was the president of the Kustom Kings, indeed out of New Hampshire. You can read up on the Kustom Kings here: https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/kustom-kings-of-new-hampshire.696825/ When Alan sold it, it was believed back to the previous owner. @rbantique can probably add more info....
Thanks mercman--appreciate that! I've gotta agree with Bill (@54delray) and @mercman@bulldog @Sancho, your research skills are incredible! Thanks for your hard work as always. I'll update this week's post by putting Mr. Berry's name up. The link you posted is great! I've been going through it learning about the Kustom Kings of New Hampshire. What a club! They definitely know customs! Those are some great shots of the '54. Finally, after all these years I get to see the front of the car! There is a ton of work done to it from front to back and top to bottom. It is a very impressive sled! While going through the thread, I see that it mentioned Mr. Berry has passed on. Again I must say how it's depressing for me finding out that another custom guy from the early days of the KKOA has passed on. I really respect those folks who paved the way for us to continue on with the custom lifestyle. Rest in peace Mr. Berry, and thank you! E
I'm still working my way through the thread that @Sancho posted on the Kustom Kings of New Hampshire. There is a lot of great information and photos over there. Checking it out is time well spent. There are a few posts by a HAMBer known as @olcurmdgeon that are interesting, but sad to read. This gentleman was one of the founding members of the Kustom Kings and is still at it. Here is a post he wrote about the untimely passing of Alan Berry: A few posts after the above one was posted, @59BuickWagon (Dennis O'Brien of O'Brien Truckers) wrote more about Mr. Berry: In just reading a portion of the KKoNH thread, it seems like Mr. Berry was a great guy and his loss was huge to the kustom car community. He definitely left an impression on many people. He would have been a great guy to sit down with and just listen to the stories. I'm sure he had many to share. Last of all is another post by @olcurmdgeon: These are just a few of the great posts over in that thread. If you have time and are really a fan of customs, you need to check it out. Here's @Sancho's link again. E https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/kustom-kings-of-new-hampshire.696825/
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