I "remember?" a guy in Gaithersburg,Md. had a new street '66 442 lettered up like a S/S race car. Had "Northern Sample" down the sides and "Adios Mova" on the trunk lid. Corny, yes, but at 14 years old I think I got wood.
I remember as a kid, probably about 68 or so, seeing a WICKED 56 Chevy running around Linden, NJ. Roll bar, cut out wheelwells, big hood scoop, loud, light blue metallic paint, with huge lettering on the front fenders "Pure Pandemonium". Wow, what a site, for a young impressionable kid. Later on, about 79 or so, my friend actually bought the car! No engine, or anything, but I helped him strip and paint it, and partially assemble it. Never finished it, though, he sold it to finish a 69 Camaro. He was more into speed than looks. Son't know hwere the car went to, either. One of the cars that made a big impact on my life!
I have an old friend here in Portland, and he built a Kustom '57 Pontiac in the early '90's. He did a '60s Kustom, and the name 'Once a Dream' resides on the rear quarter panel between door and rear wheel. He named it this because he really did come up with the disign in a dream.
Interesting post. The May '60 issue of Custom Rodder has a neat article on "The name craze". Hope this helps! Gary
The one that stands out in my mind in our town was a 1961or 62 Studebaker Lark coupe with no hood, with a "BIG" inch cady mill with the name "Dud Stud" painted on the front fenders. Forgot all about that one, That was 40+ years ago. Dave
Here in Northwest Ohio, we put the names on the lower part of the rear quarter panel. After I'd used up all that was left of my '55 hardtop, I put "For Sale" on my quarters to signify to anybody else it was time to buy in. I had to give it up when I heard someone at the drive-in say "Did you see 'For Sale' wipe out that 409 last Saturday?". Sometimes you just can't get the message across.
I worked at a gas station in the early '80s and the owners son showed me picks of the car he had in the early '70s. Was a Factory 2x4 409 4spd Posi '62 Impala & at the very back of the 1/4s above the trim it said " FRITO BANDITO". My '61 Dodge had the front fenders lettered "MY SPECIAL ANGEL" It still goes on for the people that actually have been around the guys that actually did it
Circa 1958. My best friend. He went into the Army, I took over the coupe. My only 49, the rest were 50's. We moved to Kingman one month apart and both of us still do the hot rod bit. He's on his 2nd Arizona hot rod. A big ol warm 46 Ford sedan in place of the little ol 29 roadster that was a bit much for him in the winter. Somethin' about a serious air leak.... Names came into our area mid 1957.
My fathers, mothers, cousins, uncle , knew someone who once told them about a car that there mothers, fathers, sisters neighbor had in the garage , that had nothing written on the side !
It was the craze here in Southern Minnesota in the late 50s/very early '60s. My brother-in-law had a '37 Ford humpback with Big Iron painted on behind the door but in front of rear fender. On my '46 Full skerted Cushman motor scooter I had Little Devil painted on the side/rear. Most names were song titles but not all of them.
Definitely a strong thing in the Midwest in the late '50s to Mid '60s. I'm from Milwaukee and ran a '64 Grand Prix with "Asphalt Angel" in Old English script on the rear quarters...my younger brother ran a '50 Ford Tudor with "Shifty 50"....Great Stuff...I still love to see it done....a little out of place on current ride..."03 Saab 9-5 Aero...........Sandpiper
Have never noticed this on the West Coast, at least in SoCal, on sheet metal. Always been a glass thing- side or rear windows, and the fad seems to come and go over the years.
I remember it well in the Philly area back in the fifty's and early sixtys. The last time I seen it used was on my buddy's 69 Camaro around 1971. He had an alcoholic sign painter put "Causin' Commotion" on the doors for 15 bucks. One I'll always remember is a chick who used to run a prety quick 62' Vette out of N.E. Philly, they would hang out at the Hot Shoppes on Roosevelt Boulevard (Rt. 1), it had "If Ya Can Beat Me...You Can Eat Me" on the deck lid!
URBAN LEGEND!,never saw tha vette ever,same story circulted when i use to street race on front steet and on the BLVD out of tower records
It was popular in the 60's in my area to put the Clay Smith woodpecker or Moon Eye on the lower front fender (in front of the door). These were large decals and in some cases, painted on.
I bought my black '69 Camaro in NYC in 1973. It had "Black Magic" stenciled, in white, on the drivers fender in front of the front wheel. It was in very stylized gothic lettering. The first thing I did when I got the car home was to compound off the lettering! I could still see the ghost of the letters for years afterward!
You may be right about that being legend. I never seen the car in person but heard alot thru my father and friends of mine. BTW my 62 Electra 225 is getting it's name on the lower front fender, behind the wheel-well, after i'm done the body/paint work. Yep! I'm over 50.
Back in '60-'61 the highschool parking lot was a meca of names. Unfortuntely I only remember a few, 1 of which was on my brother and my first car...."chicken shift". There was also "lil queenie" and "the ruptured duck".
i think the "if you beat be you can eat me" one is an urban legend also, just cause theres stories i've heard passed down to me from dad and his buddies about a "chick in a vette" here in nyc who used to street race up on boston post rd in the bronx who had it written on the back but who knows maybe she had highway gears in that thing and did alot of traveling??? but on another note, my dad did write "cornflake crusher"in wax on the front fender of his 427 powered 63 vette one night before racing a member of a band called the cement cornflakes with a 427 powered goat... haha
I grew up in NYC and remember the same "if you beat be you can eat me" legend. Maybe it has some truth in that area. I also remember a legend about the daughter of the owner of the local Pontiac dealer lending her car to her boyfriend. Supposedly the car was a dealer prepared Tempest with a SD 421 with all the available factory speed parts. The boyfriend was street racing the car and flipped it. The story ran that the motor was removed before it cooled off!
We had the same story here in Michigan in Metro Detroit. I heard it was also a Pontiac; a 421 GTO. Urban legends like that are still fun. Like the one about the '62 'Vette for $250 (in '63) 'cause the owner had a heart attack and died while driving out in the country somewhere and they didn't find the car for several months. The car was so cheap because they couldn't get the stench of the corpse out of the interior. Too funny!
now back in high school i had a 1966 El Camino painted a flip flop pearl white and on the back in blue lettering somebody painted "Mr. Car Truck" i didnt pick that name out i can assure you and i caught a lot of crap till i opened the hood on her.
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