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Customs Jay Johnston's Shoebox

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by Ryan, Dec 26, 2009.

  1. Ryan
    Joined: Jan 2, 1995
    Posts: 21,632

    Ryan
    ADMINISTRATOR
    Staff Member

  2. I love the louvered skirts and the upholstry in the trunk! Cool car.
     
  3. Gene Rator
    Joined: Jan 19, 2009
    Posts: 80

    Gene Rator
    Member
    from sweden

    Good to see Jay's car getting some public attention, It sure is a great looking car. Loved it since late seventies when I got my copy of mentioned CC. What happend to it? Got repainted in some kind of blueish color, I believe. But then it dissapeared.
     
  4. Hot Rods Ta Hell
    Joined: Apr 20, 2008
    Posts: 4,670

    Hot Rods Ta Hell
    Member

    I first saw it in CC when as an early teen in the 70's, starting to get into ods and Customs and started collecting vintage car magazines. Always dug the car and though it seemed to be chopped a bit too much, that roof somehow "made it all work". The flow of the roof C pillar into the Olds side trim was sweet.
    IIRC, it hailed from the Desert area of Socal (Windfields territory nowadays).
    Always wondered if it survived. Would be a great car to restore/show up at a run with!!!

    Ryan; We need to find you a better copy of that CC issue.
     
    Stogy likes this.

  5. mauler rich
    Joined: Aug 28, 2009
    Posts: 146

    mauler rich
    Member

    Love the old car magazines, just to look back in time to see how thay did it.
     
  6. Dave B.
    Joined: Oct 1, 2009
    Posts: 225

    Dave B.
    Member

    I wonder if the designers of the Volvo P1800 got their inspiration for the rear fender/tail light treatment from this car? :confused::D
     
  7. Roger O'Dell
    Joined: Jan 21, 2008
    Posts: 1,150

    Roger O'Dell
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    Jay did some of the work on Watsons Grapevine, and was at this years Winfield & Watson show
     
  8. mkilger
    Joined: Sep 4, 2009
    Posts: 424

    mkilger
    BANNED

    Bill Bowmen did some work on the car too, he also built my dads car 51 chevy the Gator, the gold one, we are fixing it now after a crash .
     
  9. 49ratfink
    Joined: Feb 8, 2004
    Posts: 18,828

    49ratfink
    Member
    from California

    one of my pet peeves is messed up "hardtopped" cars. that one looks to have been a hardtop or vert from the getgo with a sedan top. ?? or am I still tweaking from too many Christmas cookies?

    either way it looks good.
     
  10. holeshot
    Joined: Sep 18, 2009
    Posts: 1,519

    holeshot
    BANNED
    from Waxahachie

    RYAN...thank's for sharing, NAA i've never seen it. but i truely love that old custom! but i must say there was an even finner one at the car show in fort worth this year. and he's a H.A.M.B. member...POP.
     
  11. gtnrkix
    Joined: Jan 29, 2005
    Posts: 709

    gtnrkix
    Member

    " rubberized horsehair" ?? Where can I buy that?
     
  12. 49ratfink
    Joined: Feb 8, 2004
    Posts: 18,828

    49ratfink
    Member
    from California


    you got to find a rubberized horse. I'd check with Gumby, I think he knows one.:D
     
    Stogy likes this.
  13. Very cool.. Jay is a very good friend of mine.. I took him to Winfield and Watsons show this year.. It was the first time Jay and Larry had seen eachother in almost 50 years. He had a ball. Even started talking about another build.

    Just for bragging rights here... I have Jay's copies (original photos) from the CarCraft shoot.
     
    Stogy likes this.
  14. MODELA30
    Joined: Sep 23, 2009
    Posts: 1,180

    MODELA30
    Member

    Wow nice magazine. That smell of old paper. Nice and musty!!!! Thanks for posting that. I have some old hot rod ones i will have to pull out. If i can only remember where i put them. Knuck from indiana.
     
  15. COS
    Joined: Dec 14, 2006
    Posts: 729

    COS
    Member
    from KCMO

    I like how the trim lines up with top as great breaking/transition for the paint... Great trick and flow.. Hope that makes sense!!!!
     
  16. Rikster
    Joined: Dec 10, 2004
    Posts: 5,795

    Rikster
    Member


    I bet that if you can brag about the fact that you own the originals... you also can share them with us here.... Now that would be really cool!!!

    Here are two photo's of the Shoebox that I Kololrized for the Rodder's Journal.

    The first one is in the two tone purple color and the second one - a section from the Parking Lot Custom Car Show photo - in the better known color combination.
    I have always liked this car a lot... although the top looked a bit strange

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]


    And two great color photos from Pat Ganahl's excellent TRJ article on Custom Cars...

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: Dec 27, 2009
    Stogy likes this.
  17. Muttley
    Joined: Nov 30, 2003
    Posts: 18,500

    Muttley
    Member

    The roof is really strange looking, beautiful interior though.
     

  18. How did you color those photos like that? They look great. I especially like the second one.
     
  19. Louvered skirts break up the flow of this beauty .
     
  20. 33-Chevy
    Joined: Nov 30, 2007
    Posts: 267

    33-Chevy
    Member

    It looks like the top on a convertible with all the windows closed out on the freeway.
     
  21. I scanned a few.. Don't know how they will look here.. Rikster, I sent Jay that copy of the Rodders Journal with his car colorized.. He loved it. Rikster, here is an offer to ya.. Give me a snail mail address and I will send you my originals of all the photos Jay gave me so you can make copies of them.. Just make sure they make their way home when your done.. Anyway.. I am kind of a computard.. Lets see how these came out..
     

    Attached Files:

    Last edited: Dec 28, 2009
  22. more
     

    Attached Files:

  23. Rikster
    Joined: Dec 10, 2004
    Posts: 5,795

    Rikster
    Member

    WOW!!!!.... Thank you

    Those photos are amazing... and they sure gave me some more insight in the different versions of the car.

    I thought the yellow and orange version was the final version... but now I think that the last version is a Blue and Silver painted Shoebox with modified front wheel openings.

    For long I had this enlarged section of a photo taken at the Peterson Motorama in 1954? at the Pan Pacific Auditorium.

    It looked like Jay's car.. but I never had seen it in this color combination. And the taillights looked different than on Jay's car in yellow and orange.

    gt350lady photo collection
    [​IMG]


    But now with these two photos I know its Jay's car in its final? version in white/silver and dark blue? or is it green like in the faded photos?. and new Mercury taillights.
    The new front wheel cutouts looks fantastic on the car.

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: Dec 28, 2009
  24. Fantastic! Seeing pics of it in green was a big surprise. That was a big kick with inspiration! Many thanks for supplieing the photos to Rik to get them shown for all us die-hard custom fanatics in the world.
     
  25. Gotgas
    Joined: Jul 22, 2004
    Posts: 7,175

    Gotgas
    Member
    from DFW USA

    Stunning.

    I don't think the top looks weird at all. :confused:
     
  26. junquewerkz
    Joined: Mar 16, 2002
    Posts: 96

    junquewerkz
    Member

    While I dig hot rods more than customs, I really like the pic "jay11" that Tumbleweed posted above. Can you imagine showing up somewhere in '56 in that bad-looking custom?! Very cool. Thanks for posting these.
     
  27. shoebox1950
    Joined: Jul 17, 2008
    Posts: 1,216

    shoebox1950
    Member
    from California

    very very cool! Thanks for posting these pictures up!
     
  28. 40 & 61 Fords
    Joined: May 17, 2006
    Posts: 1,999

    40 & 61 Fords
    Member

    So.......
    Does it still survive, or has it gone to the great Kustom show in the sky?
    Was it know as the "Desert Beauty, or was that a different shoebox? If so, I remember seeing ads that it was For Sale back in the Mid 80's.
     
  29. Rikster
    Joined: Dec 10, 2004
    Posts: 5,795

    Rikster
    Member

    I have no information about the cars current whereabout... Or that it might have been crushed or anything like it. Perhaps Jay knows more about. I hope to get in contact with him soon.

    As for the Desert Beauty... that is a different car. But they sometimes do get mixed up. Similar colors (although reversed), side trim and heavy chop.
    Desert Beauty was built by George Gowland who had a shop in the desert...

    Another cover car George Gowland's Desert Beauty, but this time for Rod & Custom.

    [​IMG]


    There is a nice HAMB thread about this car here


    If anybody has any information about this car... please post it here..
    Also a scan of the ad you mention from the mid 80's would be very welcome.
     
  30. Rikster,

    When you talk to Jay (check your pm's) Ask him about the grille on the car at the c.c. photo shoot...
     

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