From the "Where is it now" file, I thought I'd share an update I stumbled on recently and what happened to Steve's car. Some of you may remember the feature along side Pat Lash's '59 Parkwood Wagon in TRJ #14. While attending the recent Street Car Nats show in Japan ( http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=367063 ) I learned that Steve's old ride was supposed to be there but didn't make it due to not getting finished. In late July I'll be going to another show and one of the main event sponsors is the shop working on his old shoebox. So I did a little digging around and found some project coverage on it. I would think they should get it done by late July, especially since they are an event sponsor. A couple thoughts when I saw these pics. My first reaction was 'wow, they took a pretty much completely finished and cool car and tore it all down to make a new project...Why didn't they just buy a project car?' Then I looked more at what this thing is turning into and it made me a little sad. But I'll hold out final judgement until I see it finished. The comments on the blog state the new owner wants to make this into more of a 'race' (drag?) car. Hemi, MII/coil over suspension, etc. I definetly think they need to lose the Autometer gauge in the dash, but enough commentary on the car, I'll leave that all up to you. In my other thread on the Nats coverage a few people questioned whether or not the cars were built in Japan. Well, like it or not, right or wrong, this shows you clearly they do build them here. And the passion is strong enough that they're willing to tear apart a complete customized car that was worthy enough for TRJ...amazing. Here are the links (some you may need to scroll down to see Steve's old car) pics http://www.lavish-ac.com/50work.html blog (you can click around and find other project updates on these links) http://blogs.yahoo.co.jp/lavishautocustom/28232176.html http://blogs.yahoo.co.jp/lavishautocustom/28429878.html
I look at it this way....it's nor Steve's car anymore. The new owner can do whatever he/she wants to. As long as he/she is happy with it.
I talked to Steve a couple years back and got to talking about that car. He wanted like no other to find it and buy it back. At the time he said it was the one he regretted selling. He knew it went overseas but had no idea where. That sucks, I bet that will really wreck his day when he sees it. I agree to each his own,m but that car was ubber smooth in the first place. WHY???
I remember the front end on Steve's car. It had a extreme stepped lower a arm and the upper a arms were extended to get the camber back in range. Maybe the new owner is going to do some hard drivin' and the '50's style lowering and steering aren't enough. Interesting post, it's always good to know what's happening with well known cars.
Wow, didn't know that...I didn't mean to wreck his day. I just hope he got good money for it. There are more shoeboxes to be built!
i just cant see take something that is nice as hell and do that to it when there are so many cars out there that need to be restored and enjoyed smells like a boyd wanna bee to me " lets go to my buddys musem shopping for a nice original A and turn it into a rat rod "
Steve and that car are BAD MOTHER!@#$ERS. Whoever owns that box and runs it as is will always own "Seller's Ford", which is pretty annoying for certain guys who pay real money for cars. If the new guy is going to "own" it, he HAS to completely re-do it or it'll never be his. Makes sense. But, If I bought it, that sucker would be EXACTLY like it was. If there isn't a thread on this car already, let's see every picture of it everybody has from everywhere...I miss it.
One thing I'm not sure about and that is that it may be easier to bring in to Japan a finished car, as opposed to a project. And that may be why he did this. But it still doesn't make sense to me why he bought a car already customized and not just a runner that could be made into anything from a custom, hot rod or resto. One thing that does strike me as ironic is hot rodders getting upset with someone doing their own thing to a finished car. I'm just as guilty as anyone. But it reminds me of the resto guys crying about cars falling into the hands of hot rodders. I loved Sellers' '50 too and don't really like the turn it has taken. But it is this new guys car and he can do what he wants with it. If I see it at the show, I'm going to ask the guy about it and why he decided to buy this car for that project. More out of my own curiousity.
Steve's a cool and exceptionally talented guy, but as we all know, if you don't want others to mess with your cars, don't sell them. If it was the other way around, wouldn't be much room for anyone taking a car and changing it to how you like it which is what this hobby is all about. Not everybody is happy (or happy enough) with what they started with and not everybody will like the results. That is true for almost every single car ever changed - some cars more so than others.
I spoke with Steve a few days ago, didnt pry into his future...we just yaked about Andy for a bit........ He is one awsome person and a monster Hot Rod builder. I'm sure anything he builds will be equally as awsome or better. Leon
it was neat before... but far from finished. but for everything he's changing he could have just started with a stocker for way less I'm sure
If I remember right... His billetproof flame thrower burnt onebof my brows off ! Steve where are you?
THANK YOU for recognizing this point! It was a cool car and Seller's may regret selling it, but I'm sure he needed and/or enjoyed the money that came from it. PERIOD. The Japanese do the "American thing" better than we do half the time! I bet the new iteration will be completely cool too. ....but yeah, Autometer?!
Yeah, well with stuff like this I could understand frustrations a person could have from all the work that went into building the shoebox to just have it torn apart and rebuilt into something completely 180, as far as taking and making a drag car outta a full blown custum.-Weeks
How long did the guy have the car for? Maybe it was just time for a change? Maybe he bought it because he liked it and then just decided he wanted to go a different direction with it after a few years.
I'm holding my breath. That article and photo spread about Steve's Shoebox in TRJ is still one of my favorites. Please keep us updated Comet, would like to see how this thing turns out. I know the Japanese builders put together some great cars, hope this one heads in a favorable direction.
Will do Lucky, I'm real curious about it too. You're right about most of the Japanese built cars. They also tend not to be much in to the street rod thing. It's either old timey traditional hot rod, custom or lowrider. I've only seen a very few billet buggies. This car is more that direction than most here, so it's a little surprising in that regard.
I sure wish we can keep all of the cars we build but when your in ruff times and need cash, you just have to let things go and hope you get it all back someday.. I know that car like the back of my hand, shoot i frickin helped him work on the damn thing and it almost burnt my frickin arm off at Paso one year!! spent 14 hours doing the Flames on the Car, but it was all good times.. Anyway, the car is beautiful on the outside but it needed tons of work on the inside. They purchased the car sight unseen and probably drove it for a while and decided its better to live longer and not get killed it, so they made a choice to redo the suspension and floors.. (I was a co-pilot for many years in that Car) If My buddy Steve was to get that car back , he would do the same thing.....
Hi. This is Pat Lash. Steve got it in around 97 or so. I remember the first time we drove it was to billit proof when it was at the albany bowl. We painted it the night before.steve got so sick from the exhaust fumes that I got to drive it home! Steve's got a picture of me spraying the copper color. He's always been good about documenting his work. That was a few months before Nacho laid out the seaweed flames.He drove that car every day rain or shine, I think it was his only car for some time. He's scared the shit outta me many times in that car. I might have done the same to him in the wagon also.Mabye he can post some pics when he was building it.I think he sold it 04 or 05. Man I miss that shoebox.
that car will always be "that copper shoebox with flames from san jose " . lotsa good times them days ......
Hey Pat, thanks for posting some good stories of the car. That's one thing you can never sell-memories. It's really weird because TRJ 14 was one of only two copies I was missing in my collection until recently. So I literally was just reading the article on your wagon and Steve's shoebox when I ran across that car half a world away. That's the second time that's happened to me when reading back issues of TRJ, both in Japan. Kinda spooky.