Customs History of the Custom display ~ GNRS ~ OFFICIAL thread info & photo's

So far this has been one absolutely fantastic trip to be part of. And we are only about half way the cars we want to get, and then the cars will be only part (yes huge part) of the whole Custom Car experience.

I want to thanks Axle, John Buck for getting me on board the team and Luke Karosi for sponsoring my flight.

Not long after Axle announced this show here on the hamb I recieved an email from Steve Mallory, with the question how they could be part of this event with their Barris Custom. I have been in contact with Steve for a few years about the early Snooky Janich, Barris Build 1941 Ford that Steve and his brother George have owned since the 1980's. The brothers have been working on the car off and on for years.
But this History of the Custom Display at the 2011 GNRS was the right thing happening at the right moment for them. They had been waiting for - call it a specal sign - something to happen so that they would get triggered to finally get everthing in order to finish their long term project.

So I hooked them up with Axle, and the papers where send, and the brothers started planning what they needed to get it all done in time.
Right now they are working hard and looking for the few last missing parts.
The car will be finished as how it left the Barris Shop in the late 1940's. Complete with bumper guard tailights, and full moon hubcaps.

I'm very excited to get to see this car in person. It has been a favortie of mine ever since I saw photos of it in the early magazines and books.

Here is an older photo of how the car looked in the 1980's.




And here is the work done to the 1946 Ford bumper guards to recreate the early version Bumper guard tailights.

 

HEMI32 , i respect your knowledge and opinions/suggestions . Any help from you would be greatly appreciated.

 

Holy fuckin shit!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I can not wait for this. What an amazing line up. Plus Rik will be there and the best magazine in the world is sponsoring it! Does this get any better?

Kudos to Luke for getting Rik out here!

 

I can't believe this is all actually coming together. A "Not To Be Missed event" is a major understatement!!

I also want to personally thank everyone involved in pulling this together, I can't wait to get out to the left coast for this one!

I can only imagine the copy of Kustoms Illustrated Luke's going to pull together from this one!!

 

What a great lineup so far! Can't wait to follow this thread and see what other cars will be added

 

i am there, load up the wagon and head to socal.

 

ALL I want for christmas is my GNRS ticket.......

 

What a great collection of Customs this will be...I cant wait. Alan

 

Just added this afternoon: Richard Zocchi - Gene Winfield 62 Pontiac Grand Prix.

 

Axle, Makes me anxious for January to come !

 

Well I want to say that im thankful to be a part of this event and yes I said event. You can tell when you look at the lineup that we have so far that it isnt just another show.It is finally time to see many of the cars we have been reading about for years.We have been spending late nights and long hours doing our homework to make this the best PURE custom gathering we have ever seen and I just want to say im thankful to be a part of this.

 

this thread makes my shorts fit tight.

 

HOLY SHIT!!! IT makes me sick to think I used to live an hour from Pomona, about two years ago!!!!! I'm deffinatley gonna have to come back from Texas!

 

Axle that really is the Dogs Bollocks we can't wait .

 

damn! I wanna see this car!

 

DITTO! Maybe I can ride with Randy..hmm

 

You forgot "GAYLORD" hes still kickin. If you need to make contact I can do it for ya. Hell most of the Barris cars ran his tops.

 

I too, am honored to be apart of this historic event! If you are into customs, THIS is the place to be in January. The line-up of old customs is staggering. You may likely never see some of these cars ever again, never mind all together under one roof! A BIG thanks to John, Axle, Jeff, and of course, Rik, who I'm very happy to be bringing back to the states!
Do what ever it takes to be there and don't miss it!
Luke

 

Wow what a line up! I'd love to be there to see them.

 

Kustoms shows like this,on this scale make me give thanks for living in california and thanks for the amazing people that care enough to tie this alltogether.One for the ages.

 

How about Eddie Martinez, I think he's still around. Did he use to work for Carson Upholstery shop? Would have loved to see the Johnny Zaro Mercury. Need more Ayala Brother Customs too. How about the Valley Customs 1940 Ford vert Custom, Ralph Jilek?

Ken

 

I am quit honored, undeservedly, to be included among the greats that will be included in this historic event. I'm obviously looking forward to it, and can't wait to see what other cars will be added to the list. See you all there!

Pat Ganahl

 

Cool Pat is a HAMBer....awesome line-up and will not be missed. PS..Pat I am the goof at the Motorama that aproached you and asked when your new book will be out. I can't wait.

 

Rik might be a little distracted!

 

I hope you can put together a booklet or something that talks about what makes each car great and the stylistic influences through the years. I'd pay money for a book with photos and a brief study of the cars.

I'm not one of those guys who grew up reading about & loving Kustoms, so I'm super excited to see all these cars and learn a thing or three.

 

I'm honored to be included with all these great cars.Thank you.

 

We would love to have more of the Ayala brothers custom cars. But unfortunately there are not to many around anymore. The Wally Welch Mercury is of coarse a Ayala Custom, but it was restored back to the Barris configurations. The Jack Stewart 1941 Coupe would have been perfect. But that car will not be finished in time for the show. There are a few other cars that we are still looking into though.

As for the Ralph Jilek sectioned 1940 Ford. Yes we would love to have it. But we lost track of the car after it was sold at the Style and Speed auction in 2009.
If anybody has any contact leads for the new owner. Please PM me, Axle or Jeff. We really would love to have this one.

 

I think that's a perfect engine choice for Jeff's Merc.

 

Axle!! your spoiling us! what a lineup!! i cant wait to seee the cunningham 40 again... a friend of ours owned it since the 70s and restored it in the 90s and sold it.. i used to ride around as a youngin in that pearl white naugahyde.. what a neat car..

 

Axle, the meet and greet sounds like a really kool thing. But in addition to having the guys all there, it would have been kool if all of the big guys and shops of the era were presented with at least one of their creations there too!

So far you have done a great job finding cars that were built or restyled by known guys and shops such as westergard, barris, winfield, wilhelm, and watson. What about also finding some cars by the alexander brothers, valley custom, summers, kurtis, the ayalas, bailon, hines, clarkaiser, betrolucci, paola, metz, starbird, cushenberry and more.. I guess you wouldn't be able to find one from them all, but as many as possible would have been really neat.

I'll start by suggesting some that I know is still around, if anyone knows about any other cars feel free to chime in.

And also, Spencer Murray should be one of the meet and greeters...he only live some minutes away too!

The Alexander Brothers:
The Golden Chariot


The Adonis...I know there is a recreation at least


Golden Indian


Valley Customs (you have the overman lincoln, but here are som other)
Ralph Jilek's 40 Ford


Ron Dunn's 50 Ford


The Polynesian


Jimmy Summers
His 1940 Merc..if it gets done in time ofcourse


Frank Kurtis
The Tommy Lee Special


The Bill Hughes Roadster....last seen in Africa


The Ayalas...not so many still around as rik mentioned, and you have the welch merc in barris configuration. The GMC is still around, but that one is also modified a lot since the ayalas hauled parts with it. But you have Gil's Thunderbird, according to Pat's latest book, this one is still around


Joe Bailon
Mystery


Jim Doyle's Merc


Freddy Martin's Muntz


Bill Hines

The Bat


The Buddah Buggy



Clarkaiser

The Utopia


Cassaubon's 50 Ford


Larry Ernst's Pharaohs Pacer


Link Paola? Any cars still around?

Bob Metz

Metz' first custom, his 1950 Buick







Not all of these are the most beautiful cars built, but they clearly shows how the trends were changing over the years, and they represent the men that created and formed our hobby! OK, that's all I had time for now, gotta run, going to Kala Speed Track Race! But I know there also is some Starbird cars still around that looks cool