Thanks Mark! Glad you're enjoying the posts. The 80s were GREAT days in the kustom world. I was following along back then, but only through magazines. I didn't have any of the videos yet, and of course none of us had the internet that has shrunk the world. All we can do is hope that maybe some time in the future those days will return, but it's doubtful.........E
Well,, I had to go through my pictures to make sure, since Sancho has been pretty good at finding my pics on other threads of some of these lost cars....I didn't want him beating me out on my own pics this time. LOL No luck. Thought I might have seen it at Ft Smith, but it didn't turn up in my albums. Neat car, and I do agree with you Ed, we don't see too much yellow these days and it does look real good on lots of cars....but I don't see me painting any of mine yellow. LOL
Okay, I found these 2 small photos. The website I found them on has a copyright date of 2011. There is a link to another site but it apparently no longer exists. Here's the site these came from: http://www.grilleteeth.com/photo/photos.asp Looks like it gained a visor....looked better without! I can't tell if it had a Continental kit in the photo Ed posted but it does in these pics.
Nice pics, Sancho! Nice and clear and they will give the guys an idea of what a great looking car it was. I'm a visor guy--only on certain cars. Not this one though, like you said. On the video the car doesn't have a Connie kit, so it was added later than 1985 or so. E
Jeff was posting on the HAMB, but haven't seen anything from him lately. Thought he'd reply to this thread if he was still active. His car made a helluva impression on me back in the 80s at the KKOA shows. I sold him a Merc a few years ago, and he said he was going to recreate his car, but didn't personally have many pics of the original. Think he's in NC now, IIRC.
Hi Guys ... This search is going to take some "imagineering"... Anybody know the whereabouts of a chopped '49 Ford Coupe from the N/W suburbs of Chicago in the late '70s / early '80s ?? Unfortunately, I have no photos of the car, but I think that I can provide enough detail that people may remember it .. It had some very unique features , ( for the time)... To the best of my recollection: '49 Ford coupe, chopped about 3".... Merc grille shell with a Desoto grille ... Rounded corners on the hood, doors & deck... No side trim that I remember... Flipped front uprights & lowering blocks in the rear put it on the ground ... Power was a 289/302 Ford with C-4 trans ... The car MAY have had a '51 Victoria dash.... The color was maroon , with a deep maroon plush interior ..( Done at Ogden top & trim in Cicero Il ??) The feature that set it apart from ALL the shoebox Fords at that time were the rear quarters ... The quarters had been extended by adding '55 or'56 Plymouth fins ,complete with tail lights ... The round part of the tail light may have had '59 Caddy tail lights ... The car was sold in the early '80s & went to parts unknown..... Just wondering if it has ever been seen ??? Thanks ... Bob ....
Bob---I think I have a pic of it. It has skirts and side chrome similar to a 55 Pontiac, and lake pipes. The rearend sits lower than the front. Sorry I don`t have a rearend shot of it. My computer doesn't jive with my laptop so I can`t post a pic. It is a good lookin car. That's why I like customs. They are not belly button cars and the cool ones stand out. If you see it a few times, you eventually take a pic of it. The pics I have from the last 15 years aren`t very organized so I don`t know if I have seen it lately.
I believe the car as described may have been pictured in a magazine's show coverage in the eighties. It was pictured from the rear in a low shot, with the owner kneeling beside it, holding an award he had won at a major outdoor Custom gathering. The magazine was probably "Classic and Customs", if anyone cares to search their collection.
I DO remember skirts & full length lakes pipes .. The side trim may have been there & I just don't remember it .. It also had frenched headlights... I was just wondering where that car wound up...... Thanks .. Bob..
I've been looking around the internet, Bob, but no luck on pictures yet. The car doesn't ring a bell with me, but if it's out there, the guys that are involved in this thread will find something. Now, I've got to get out some magazines. E
I have looked some and also had no luck. I did come across another photo of Chris Bogas' 1951 Ford. (W.E.H.T. #21)
Wow Bob (@Gray Ford), this has been a tough one. After looking through magazines for the last day or so I've come up with nothing. I looked through my Classic and Customs as well like @'Mo suggested and I didn't find anything in the issues I have. I don't feel too bad though because you even stumped @Sancho--that's very hard to do. I'll keep a note of your request here at my desk, and if I find out something I'll post it. Good thing about the "extra" work looking for this Ford, I did find a few good cars to feature in W.E.H.T. in the upcoming weeks. Uh oh, tomorrow is Tuesday again, better get busy (lol)! See you guys then..........E
Thanks for looking guys ....If it's any help, it may have gone to Indiana or Ohio when sold .....The work done to the quarters & tail lights is what made the car unique ...... Thanks .. Bob..
What Ever Happened To..........? number 25. 1954 Hudson 2 Door Owner: Jeff Anderson Berlin, Wisconsin This week's custom is a true reach back into obscurity. I've been searching for information and pictures of this car since late last week and there just isn't much out there on this one. Jeff Anderson's Hudson sled blurs the line between mild custom, lowrider and bomba, all rolled into one. That statement might make the true custom heads around here cringe a little, but if you keep reading I'm sure you'll understand. Most of my description of this car is coming from about an eight second clip of this car on the '83 Leadsled Spectacular video. The car has the full stock grille, hood ornament, badges and all the factory trim that Hudson's rolled off the assembly line with in '54. The only thing not original on this Hudson were the shaved door handles, and the lowering of the suspension. Other than that, this baby is all stock. Jeff added period vintage accessories such as a visor, curb feelers, mud flaps, fog lights, spotlights with rear view mirrors on them and a Continental kit. It was still powered by the inline six and had a split manifold. The car had very subtle pinstriping on it, and it looked to have some kind of a cartoon character on the Continental kit. At a quick glance, the car really looks a lot like a Mercury. Aside from the short drive by on the video, I was only able to find a 3/4 rear shot of the car in the '83 Leadsled Spectacular coverage in Custom Cars by Hot Rod Vol. 2 #2 from 1984 on page 27 in the upper left corner. I watched a lot of video this week, and it looks like Jeff and his Hudson were only at the '83 Leadsled in Springfield, Ohio. I didn't see it in any other video. I really like Hudsons, and this one reminds me of the simple beginnings of the custom movement. Not everybody could afford a more popular Chevy, Mercury or Ford, let alone paying someone to chop it, shave it or whatever mods a young kid wanted to do to his car. So, maybe he would add-on assorted doo-dads or accessories that his budget might allow, whether new or used from a wrecking yard. Maybe the car was "family owned" and cutting it up was a no-no. Dad might go for a few shiny add-ons to make their car more sporty. Who knows? At any rate, I thought you guys might enjoy taking a look back at a rare car that might not be a true "leadsled" and maybe leaned more toward the lowrider movement. One of the neat things to me about this car is that it was at the Spectacular close to 34 years ago, and it still has a timeless look to it that makes you wonder if it's 1957, 1983 or even 2016. Isn't that why we all do this? To remember better times and cars, and most of all..........PEOPLE! Until next week, take your Mom or Dad, an elderly shut in that may not drive anymore, your grandkids or a buddy for a cruise in your sled! Take care..........E
This one is also proving to be elusive. I agree with you on the "simple beginnings" of the custom movement. This applies just as much today as it did back then. A nice mild custom really isn't that far out of reach. I personally think this may relate to the lack of photos/coverage of some cars (such as this one). It may have just been too mild for photographers to take notice.
I like your comment about simple beginnings, Ed. I remember as a kid reading @pgan write in Street Rodder and later, the early years of Rod and Custom's rebirth, encouraging folks again and again that mild customs make great daily drivers and that way back when, the school lots were full of them for the very reasons you pointed out....most couldn't afford a full on Merc or Chevy so they worked with what they had to make it cool. All I wanted and dreamed of was the day I could be working on a car and driving my own mild custom just like Pat begged us to do. That day finally came and I haven't stopped since.
I'm with you drdave, I too read Pat Ganahl's writings about how cool it was to drove a mild custom. If I remember right, there was a caption under a photo of a mild 49-50 Ford coupe, running spun disc wheelcovers. Not long after that, I bought said spun aluminum discs and put them on my 55 Ford Club Sedan. Some JC Whitney lowering blocks in back, cut coils in front, and some of Gary Glasgow's lakepipes and I had achieved coolness. I've got nothing on this Hudson, but love the whole W E H T thread. OG, there is a brief shot of my 2 tone green Club Sedan in the 84 Leadslead video, as they come around the "triangle" near the clock. It's on the right side, parked in front of , or behind a 55 Vicky with a continental kit.
Great points, Doc. I've always been a fan of Ganahl's columns and writings. He has a knack of taking you back to "the good ol' days" even if you weren't there! When Rod and Custom came back in the late 80's, I ate each issue up with a spoon. They were loaded with so much cool stuff it was unbelievable! The fact that they were bi-monthly at first was a killer. It sure seemed like a long time between issues! Hey @54delray, I'll watch for that. I'm still "learning" that '84 video as that is one I just got from Doug (@49toad) a few months ago. That looked like a great run, and the Des Moines setting is awesome. The buildings in the background are great! Hey Iowa guys, I've never been to Des Moines. Does that main street where most of that video was shot still look like that? Be cool to have another custom gathering there again someday! E
The mainstreet of the fairgrounds does look like that. Gary Meadors as the Goodguys founder liked the Des Moines show the best only second to the Pleasenton show in California(his home town). But I always liked the after hours show at the KKOA headquarters hotel (Howard Johnsons) back parking lot the best. Ed, pick a date and I`ll get my room booked. Is anybody else interested.
That sounds great, Jim. If only it was that simple. Who knows, with a little planning, an event like that really could happen! E
What Ever Happened To..........? number 26. 1958 Chevy Impala Owner: Jerry Haynes Milford, Ohio Of all the cars I've featured in this thread, this one seems to have been around for the shortest amount of time so far. Jerry and his wife Lana put this sweet '58 Impala together and attended the '83 Leadsled Spectacular. The car was very mild, but unique enough to make people take notice. It was a beautiful kandy green with lighter green scallops. The body mods were minimal, with a '54 Chevy grille installed and the door handles were shaved. Unfortunately, I could only find pictures of the car from the front view, so I have no idea if the car had custom taillights. The thing that seemed to really make this car stand out is the fact that Jerry chose to run Supremes and pinner whites. Also, Jerry's car was brought to the ground via hydraulics. Like the Newman's and their awesome '55 Buick "Pink Panther" (W.E.H.T. #14), and the virtually unknown '57 Buick "Hopcat", Jerry loved to cruise the fairgrounds lifting and dropping the car. In the video, it always had lots of people checking it out. Now, the mild custom is very popular today, but in the early 80s, not many people were going with this style of custom. Chopped tops, wide whites, flipper 'caps and lots of body mods were the order of the day back then. The mild custom like this with more subtle paint and wheels like Supremes was still trying to make a comeback from the days of the early to mid 60s. I don't know the story of Jerry or this Impala, but it seemed to only be around, at least in these colors, for the '83 car show season. In my research I was only able to find the car on the 1983 Leadsled Spectacular video. No other years after that. Also, the only magazine I was able to find it in was the 1984 issue of Custom Cars by Hot Rod Vol. 2 #2 on page 21. It's a small black and white picture of it in their coverage of the '83 Spectacular in Springfield, Ohio. I was also able to find a few pictures of it on Rikster's site. Even in color pictures, it's hard to do this car justice. On the video the paint on this car just glowed! Jerry was a bodyman, so I assume he painted it himself. He did a super job. It was just gorgeous! So, after 1983, did Jerry repaint the car and it's disguised under a new coat of candy? Was it sold, traded or wrecked? That is the mystery. So Jerry, are you out there? We'd sure like to know the true story of "What Ever Happened To..........?" your Impala. Until next week, take care..........E
I keep going back and looking at this one also from Rik's site. I doubt it's the same car. It has lake pipes, spots, different wheels, side trim, and grill. Not to mention the punched hood. Maybe it's just the color and the scallops. I can't help but think that maybe Jerry's car influenced this one, at least a little bit.
Man, that does look a lot like Jerry's car. I keep looking at both cars and I'm thinking, nah, it can't be the same car. There are subtle changes, but there are a lot of them. If the one with the flippers and no skirts above was built after Jerry's, the absence of scallops on the hood would justify having to re-paint the hood after the louvers were punched. Maybe that's why the scallops were gone. Then I look at the similarity of the scallops on the front fenders and think that maybe it is the same car. But, the fender scallops are just different enough to think they are two different cars. Hmmm.......... Good find, Sancho! E
Let me make a phone call. Seriously Jerry is the cousin of the man I call my adopted dad, Weldon Haynes. Also if you have any of the Classic & Custom magazines from the 80s you'll see Jerry and Lana's names on a lot of the articles.
Thanks for the info, John B. I'll pay attention to the article credits on the Classic & Custom articles, as I look at the copies I have quite a bit. Be nice to find out more about how Jerry is doing and the story of the Chevy. Thanks for checkin' in! E
Hard to tell from the photos but it appears that Jerry's car does not have the dual antennas in the passenger side rear quarter, next to the back window. Wild that with all the differences, they are so similar! John B, thank you for your contribution. I am also looking forward to hear what he has to say!
The Jalopy Journal
