For those of you who are interested, the next issue of Kustoms Illustrated will have a full feature on The Aztec! It will hit the street in about a couple weeks. Here's a shot of the cover......
Thanks Joe! Also happy to report that two HAMB'rs contributed to this issue.... Rik "Rikster" Hoving with an awesome article on Valley Custom Shop and Doug Reed with KKOA Leadsled coverage and a feature car.
Kool Kover and thanks for the heads up on the latest issue. The Aztec is one of my all time favorite Kustoms....... Happy Trails, Mick
I believe the side trim did not come from any car. If I am not mistaken it was very difficult to find when the resto was going on. They found a sheet of the stock it was made from in a place in Brooklyn NY. I think it was some kind of boat thing. I forget. I was told the story from the other guy Nitti that also owns the car (if he still does)
The side trim was fabricated form something called "half oval" stock. Bent to shape, stids welded in back, then chrome plated. We had to get a bunch of it for our project, Barry tried a few sources, and came up with nothing, but we finally located some through a blacksmithing shop!!!!! The stainless steel inserts that went between the side trim is the story that Bob found the last sheet in a shop on C**** St. in NYC. Barely enough to do the job. Bob and Barry are partners on the Aztec.
More Aztec In Custom Rodder feb. 1959 there is a story about the Aztec becoming a movie star! The car was sent to Spain for tree months for shooting a motion picture. Was this film ever on the screen, if so what is the name of it?
The Aztec, at the Wally Parks Museum here in SoCal for the next 6 months - this was at the opening of the exhibit 07-11-07...
My friend Ron (recently deceased) was fortunate enough to have been the overnight security at a exhibition featuring the Aztec in the late 50s here in upstate NY. He not only got to see it up close and without the restrictive barriers, but was allowed to actually sit in it and talk with the owner/exhibitor ( I ***ume that would have been Bill Carr) at length about the car. Ron never forgot the special priviledges granted that weekend and went on to build many customs, in his own style. It was a striking car then and remains so today... many thanks to all that have helped preserve and restore this true cl***ic!
Just goes to illustrate if you want to sell a part like this you can't drag it to swaps once a year and hope someone comes along who knows what it is and needs it, you have to post it on the net for people to find.
barry is a great guy and has had afew great customs he was from jersery before moving to fld. if you go to his site you will some of them
The Jalopy Journal
