Thought some of you Valley Custom fans would appreciate these photos of Tad Hirari's 1950 Ford Del Mar custom. I was going through some old slides we located recently and found some real gems.
These are the best pictures I have seen of Tad's 50. It looks like he is using Mequiars #7 in the gl*** bottle to shine up that lacquer job. When were these taken? 1955-56?? Thank you for posting this. RodP
Excellent thread a very cool look back and some very cool customs by Valley Customs. There a Valley Custom car up in San Luis Obispo, CA at a hot rod shop the Guy who owns is it called Matt, can't remember the shop name. The Carson Top Company tag really blew me away, never seen one before. CRUISER
FANTATIC Mary... thank you so much for sharing these. Its really great to see this car in color. The photo below is spectacular... three Valley Customs cars in a row. Ofcoars the Tad Hirari's Ford , en next to it is Gled ******'s 1939 Mercury with '40 Front. And next to that the gold and white version of the Ina Mae Lincoln.... super!!!!
Cruiser... now you have to get down to that shop and take photos of it.. and post them here... you know you have to do that!!!!! Here is another pic of the same Carson tag.
I noticed quite a few images are missing from this old post. Since I created it I must have moved several photos in different folders on my website (to improve the website). So now they are missing in this post. There is no way I can edit this old post since the site does not alowe me to do so.... But all the photos that are missing and many more can be seen on my website using this link
Rikster -great post, now I finally know what to do to the front end of my wifes 51 hdtp! I wonder if that was the original bumper/grille left over from the polenesian?
Please see if you can find this car. I know my mother would love to see it. Since she only lives down the road from SLO and it would be an excuse to get her 07 GT500 out of the garage and exercise it. You can contact me through my website, gt350lady.com Thanks, Mary Ellen
I have added a few new photos to the Lincoln page on my website. Check it out: http://gt350lady.com/1952-Lincoln.html Mary Ellen
Last week my mother and I were in San Luis Obispo (Calif) checking on the design for the sides of her new Escape (she just can't leave any of her cars stock) and I mentioned to the sign man that there was a shop in town with a Valley Customs car. I mentioned the name Matt as being the name of either the car owner or the shop owner. He turned us onto a shop owned by Matt Volk near the airport. We went straight over with high hopes of seeing the car but that was not to be. He didn't know anything about the car we were looking for but he did show us a photo of a Valley Custom that he owned a few years back. It's now owned by a collector in Northern California. I started to explain the saga of the '52 Lincoln when he stopped me and asked if it was green with a continental kit. I told him yes and he said his family owned the car in the 70s. That would probably make them the third owners. The amazing thing to me is what a small world it is and how the Lincoln has touched so many lives. It's a shame that the trophies didn't p*** from owner to owner each time the car was sold. I'm currently working on adding pages to my website about the 50s car shows we were in, the L.A Motorama, the 1957 Mobilgas Economy Run, and the 1954 Mexican Road Race (Carrera Panamerica). Here are samples of things to come: Mary Ellen www.gt350lady.com
WOW Mary Ellen, you keep suprizing us custom car enthusiast.... Please continue doing so. Thank you for sharing.
It was nice looking through the old pictures, being an old guy myself, I can remember the style that was big in Ohio back in the 50's. Thanks for sharing.
Check out the March 2009 issue of Hot Rod. My mother couldn't believe it when she saw the Lincoln a****st all the rat rods at a show. It's the first time she's seen it in its current condition. She has been avoiding that as she wishes to remember it as it was. She is looking forward to seeing it after it is restored and hopes she's still around as she is currently 86.
Just got done reading the great article on Valley Customs in the Rodder's Journal #43 When I read about the Glen ****** 39 Merc being sold to Bobby Darin and its whereabouts being unknown I remembered seeing the car in the 1956 Movie A Strange Adventure. It was about a young man with a love of custom cars and fast women got into real trouble when he found himself involved with a beautiful bank robber who forces him to help her hijack an armored car. At her insistence they end up hiding out in a remote cabin in the High Sierras. The Merc was not just a pretty face in the movie. Lots of footage still and driving .They slammed it hard on some country road footage a couple of times. I played it again this AM & altough my copy is old and grainy i still see the distinct paint job.
Thanks for the info on the movie. I did now know that. And if the Rodders Journal people would have logged on to the HAMB a bit more often Then they would have know the Glen ****** Merc is now owned by Gordy Brown (thanks to Lurker mick for the info provided on the Merc Gathering thread)
Rik, Do you know the first name of Houser? There was a guy in our neighborhood in Redondo Beach, CA named Glen Houser and he was into cars. I'm wondering now if he was ***ociated with Carson Tops. Bill
Well His name was Glen Houser... so perhaps its the same guy. Glen got the shop in 1942, when Amos Carson p***ed away. Later (1948) Glen's son Bob Houser joined the campany as well
i used to think that it was two whoppers without cheese that made everything feel just right.mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.
At this mornings SW Chicago HAMB & Eggs breakfast. We were all asked to bring some items for the Avatar to the HAMB & Eggs social group. Bobert brought some little books and as they were being p***ed around and looked at. I found Neil Emory 's " Custom Queries " help column in the September 1957 Car Craft. Thought I 'd post to the thread for your viewing pleasure . The last question is pretty funny considering the time and the author. I need to check to see if other articles are published in the rest of the "Car Craft " magazines for 1957 and 1958.
Rik, thanks again for your research, presentation and attention to detail. Having been of age back then, I thought I knew all I needed to know about Valley; But until I read this, I just didn't get that these guys were far and away the best and most tasteful customizers working in the Golden Age of customs, in the only place that mattered then, the Golden State.
Great pictures and stories! I was fortunate enought to meet Neil Emory in 1985 at his grand daughters wedding (I was the date of a family friend) What a talented and geuinely nice guy.... A little known factoid for ya all...Neil's son Gary designed made and marketed the first Baja Bug kits back in the 70's.....He was also a major player in vintage and high performance Porsches (although his garage contained a black, blown small block 40 Ford coupe and a roadster)
Here are some pics of a 40 Ford Valley Customs did back in 1955......... Hot Rod mag did a feature on it.
Thought I'd post these to the thread. The Jilek 40 Ford is going up on the block at RM Auctions " Icons of Speed and Style ". No Reserve. So break out those piggy banks . It may also be time to cash in that GM stock and that IRA. The " Polynesian " is now listed for sale at the paltry sum of $1,000,000.00. http://www.sandysnaps.com/infopage.html Wonder what the Jilek Ford will go for ????????
Checked with my wife about the Polynesian. She said no and she doesn't like the yellow interior. (insert big grin here)
FYI, I've updated several pages on my website; including Peterson Motorama and the '54 Mexican Road Race. Still more to come. Mary Ellen http://gt350lady.com/autos.html
The Jalopy Journal
