Projects A late introduction-Junior Conway coupe build

lets see if this works.

 

Dan tells me that it takes him 45 minutes to install each stick.

 

Man next time I come to Texas I hope I get to see that shoebox. It springs my sprocket in the same note that recently unearthed Barris 53 olds convertible does

 

Thanks CP.

 

View attachment 6366322 [ATTA

 

Hey guys, my wife and I celebrated our 50th anniversary a couple of weeks ago and we're going to celebrate by taking a paddle boat up the Mississippi this week and part of the next. I'll check in when we get back. I appreciate you.

 

Well, I made it home. Had a good time on the Mississippi river, seeing the cities and sites mostly connected to the civil war. The thing that I wasn't prepared for was immersing myself in the culture and people of the area. I'll never think about them like I did before. Another look at the diversity and power of the "melting pot" that is this amazing country that we call home, and another reason why people will do anything to live here.
Dan has unloaded the four panels that make up the Barris Kustom store front that has been hibernating in the trailer for almost fifteen years. They look great as well as the top piece. This won't be the final landing spot for them.

 

You'll have to remember that we did start with the replacement of the broken alt/generator bracket awhile back, and then everything else started shouting me, me, me. Dan has reinstalled that item, and we have a look at what the under hood looks like semi-finished.
Imagine what it will look like all cleaned up and shining.

 

It’s been a long time since I’ve posted but I felt I’d start off with a video from Tuesday night.

This was more for me to go back and see if any fuel leaks were present but lasted a little longer and I thought everyone here would enjoy seeing it.

 

What's that curious hum?

 

A look at the show componen ts together. This is Houston 2012.

 

So am I correct that this uses electric buttons as interior door handles too? Had thought I'd read that. If so could you post pics of the placement?

 

I've gone way back and found a pic of the dash just before being installed. You can see the door buttons to the left and right of the radio hole. the trunk button is on the extreme left Jr removed the inner door handles and covered the holes in the door panel with stainless steel decorative button. Jr explained that all this stuff was about getting girls and keeping them. They could get in, but they couldn't get out.

 

I'm thinking on doing something similar to my 54 Chevy. Of course anything female will made aware of where the buttons are lol

 

Well , almost all of the stuff in my shop is now in Dan's new shop. Quite the project.

 

The upper "office" area is also going to be the storage area.

 

Shapin up.

 

I was just talking about this fine machine today lol

 

Another look.

 

We've come to the part of this thread where what was on the table from the very beginning is now insisting that it be dealt with. Can anybody remember? Guess what it is?

 

Well guys, when this project was started, I had two of my sons that had just moved to Texas and was looking for something to do, and old dad was just starting on this recreation that had haunted him for years. So, it was decided that they would help me do this project, and it was after this was finished that I told them that we would sell the car and split the money three ways
That was many years ago and the only thing that has changed was that they would split the $ 50/50. Most everybody on here knows what this is. My question is what do you think would be the best way to sell/market it?

 

I hate that the time has come Jerry! Not sure the best way to go about it. I think the auctions are hit or miss on exposure for a car like this and risky on what the return might be. If the two right guys aren’t there bidding that day then it could be be a low sale. Might pick your number and post it here on the classifieds for a bit where the guys who know what it is would see it and have a better chance at a happier number?

 

Thanks for responding Doc, I appreciate it. If it isn't one thing you have to deal with it's another This was coming from the beginning now, it's here.

I could have done my own version of what impacted me as a kid and be happy, I'm glad that didn't happen. Having to consult with Jr. was not only critical, but necessary to do this right, plus the absolute fascination of interacting with him. and seeing/hearing his interest and the value of realizing that this was actually going to get done. I remember a week before the show I asked Junior if the seventeen-year-old that built this car was still in there, he chuckled and said, yes. I told him to tell him that this weekend coming up was his weekend.

Establishing the value of something like this is tricky, but not impossible. The time frame in the custom culture of this kind of thing in Souther California that this car represents is one factor. There were many people/shops caught up in this thing that had captured them. This car represents one of those shops. The vaunted Barris Kustom in Lynnwood. The two giants that had their hands (and minds) on this car, George Barris, and Herschel (Junior) Conway.

Seeing the comments about the car when it went to the GNRS in Pomona reveals the power that this stuff still has. The idea of taking parts off of one car and putting them on another car captured me as a kid and I never recovered. Cars and kids can sometimes be trouble, but that was not my experience, thank God.

When we were invited to the GNRS in 2011, we realized that we had to insure this thing. Hagerty said that that would require knowing what it is going to cost to replace the vehicle. We eventually found an appraiser that did these kinds of cars in Arizona, Rick flew out and took many pics and a list of the things that had been done to the car he took all this to three shops (one was Rick Dore's). The rounded off price was 360K.'

This was in 2011, almost 15 years ago. I think it's reasonable to think this price has probably doubled since then, maybe more. If we put the car in an auction and put a reserve on it that represents the "twice" number, its 720K.

This might not be the time (economy) for this, but this would expose the fact the car is for sale, and next year may be a better environment for this kind of thing.

 

This pic represents the beginning of Jr's dream of building his one and only custom.