Event Coverage Kustom Kings of New Hampshire

here are a couple

 

Great story with the sedan, the mail slot front window was a big issue with DOT. Dick perservered and showed authorities that at the time in NH there was no windshield heighth requirement for cars, only the fact that your wiper had to sweep the driver's field of vision. Of course in this case the wiper blade was about the length of a pack of cigarettes. I sat in this car in Dick's driveway and got claustaphobia sitting still. Can't imagine what it was like actually driving it.

 

Another note, the '36 roadster pictured that Dick built had a SCOT blown flathead in it. Very traditional. He had collected parts for a while and actually found the intake for the blower at Strawberry Buick flea market in Maine one year, most guys passed by it without realizing what it was but not Dick. When I first came to New Hampshire in '81, there was car dealer specializing in hot rods and classics. In there for sale was a gorgeous '40 ford convertible. Came to find out it was built by Dick from basically pieces of several junked convertibles. Amazing work!

 

Thanks for posting all the great shots of some really neat looking customs.

Love those fat fender cars and their classic look.

Jimbo

 

Some great shots both new and old in this thread. Makes me wish mine was on the road.

 

Jim Cushman lit up one of his antique tractors for a holiday display.





some club cars from the hot rod reunion thread

 

Hey everyone!

I wonder if someone could give me some info on what it takes to join the KKoNH? I also have a few friends that are interested in meeting more people in the kustom kar kulture. Thanks very much!


Jimmy

 

Way to go Paul!

 

Jimmy

The club meets at Squires Auto Body, Epping Rd, Exeter NH the first Monday of every month at 7PM . Membership is open to the general public. You need to apply in person with your car OR images of it .

 

Good morning,
Last week Dad sent me an E mail, talking about adventures he has had with Dick and it was very nostalgic. Many Monday nights in the shop and over to Alan's. It brought back memories of when the club was formed and it's infancy.

I too miss those days. I also miss the intimacy of a small club, no rules, no meetings, just a few good friends a tank of gas and off you went. You knew everyone and thier families. The club went as far as to throw me a birthday party at the legion when I turned 18.

I have been thinking about this for a long time and have decided to try and bring back the old ways. Im leaving the Kustom Kings to start a new club. A small un club using the early Kustom Kings as a model. This is in NO way a reflection on the members or the club. I consider all of you my friends and many to be my mentors. I wish the club all the best and a great up coming season,
Lil' John

 

I understand and wish you luck.

 

I haven't had time to cruise the HAMB for awhile. When I went through this thread and saw the old pictures of Larry Robbin's coupe, it brought me back quite a ways. I'm glad Bill owns it now, and brought it back to it's former glory. I'm 64 years old, so I was a youngster when Larry had his garage in Portsmouth. But I remember my older brothers bringing me to Portsmouth, and that's when I saw Larry's car for the first time. I was in love with that coupe. Later on my brother would compete against Larry at a few car shows. My brother owned the "Marauder" a refrigerator white 57 Chevy with a rolled and pleated interior. The body work was done by Tim Dube's father. This thread brought back a lot of memories for me, Thanks. PS: I miss Rolly.

 

Here's a picture I found on the internet of my brothers car at a show in Mass.

 

Spiker, intersting side note on Larry's coupe. When he sold out his place I bought the NOS green fiberglass Cal Automotive nose Larry had to put on the coupe, the one that takes quad headlights, as Larry was competing with Chili's Beach Boy album cover coupe with the same grille shell. When I moved out of Exeter to head north, I got in touch with Bill and sold it to him, felt it ought to stay with the car. Really neat piece. I think at one point someone tried to repop them but this one was made back in the day.
As to Olskoollou's post, I think it was heartfelt and if you have to go, go with class which he did. Hopefully he will have his bellflower Buick custom on the road this summer. I too miss the old days, all those nights in Allen's garage and the "drama". Boy the old man could tell you every 50s song and the artists with just a few notes and the grand stories he told about car show promotion. I am a better guy for knowing Alan and having been the recipient of his help from time to time. I remember when we found the '33 five window all apart in Manchester, complete with old time blue and white tuck and roll. We had to stop at several addresses with a truck and trailer to get all the pieces and Alan took one look at it and knew the car, had ridden in it in high school in Manchester! And yes Spiker, I too miss Rollie, he was a great guy and a lot of fun. Damn we are at that stage of our lives where you read the obits before the front page, eh? See you May 3rd at the show/swap meet at the North Hampton Airport?
Also all the early Kustom Kings guys were the old Rockingham County Rods and Kustoms members. We morphed into the Kustom Kings when Alan was in on the ground floor of the fledgling KKOA. We made some national magazines back in the 80s after becoming a KKOA charter club. The early 80s car shows were more than sitting in a lawn chair next to your car. The clubs ran competition against each other with "Beat the Clock" type events. I remember olskoollou being a kid on an old army stretcher with a pot of water on his stomach. Two club members ran with the stretcher over a course for time, and you had to have water left in the pan afterwards. Dumb stuff like that but it was fun, families were involved, I dunno, guess it was less sterile than the "you show me mine, you show me yours" type shows today.
I wish someone would start a "donuts and coffee" type event in NH like they have on the West Coast. Come and go as you want, usually in a big parking lot near a coffee and donuts shop. Do it early Saturday AM, maybe 7-10 or so before the mall stores open? Really laid back, shoot the bullshit, type program. I had high hopes for the new diner at Southgate Plaza in Portsmouth as that is a big lot but having eaten there, really wouldn't work.

 

Nice lookin 40 !!!! Should give you some breathing room. As I recall those Model A's were a tight fit. The Early Sat AM Coffee Run sounds great.

 

That was taken at Tedeschi's Market in 1963.I still have the picture around somewhere but not the negative.PM me your address and I'll send it out to you if you wnat.

 

We all miss Rolly-a one of a kind. Lost him in March of 2009. Tom...

 

Talking about morning breakfast clubs. I spend the winters down here in Florida, and one of the things I look forward to the most every week is the 2 breakfast clubs I go to. One on Wednesday morning, the other on Saturday mornings. We're called the "Breakfast Club", (we even have shirts), but it's not really a club like you would think. We just show up, order our food, and b-llsh-t. The trick is finding a restaurant that will let you do it. The Wednesday one is at a Chick-fil-A and usually has around 20 to 25 guys show up. The Saturday one is a little bigger, it's at a regular restaurant and I've seen as many as 50+ show up. We just bench race and shoot the sh-t. The one thing that's unique about being in Florida, the guys are from all over the country. So you hear new lies, whoops, I mean stories every week. We have a blast talking about the old days as well as what's going on now. If you can get one going I highly recommend it. The guy that organized it will call us and ask us if we want to go to a NAPA store or some other business and put on a display of cars, he'll also reserve a bank of rooms for us for a bigger show etc. It's very unofficial.
About the picture of my brothers car I will contact you, Thank you.

 

Spiker I agree wholeheartedly. If any ME or NH guys reading this thread have a possible location for such a "breakfast club", how about posting it on here or sending me a pm. I was in Seabrook this morning looking around but didn't come up with a big parking area that also included a place for coffee and donuts. Like you say, just show up, drink coffee and shoot the bull.

 

The '40 looks very cool! Hope to see you at some meetings and events this year!

 

Joe's found another 50 Merc & it's looking good ! Last years maroon Merc found a new home.

 

Barry Smith is coming along nicely with Christy's old shoebox

 

Great pics of some great rides!

 

Kustom Kings Car Show Hampton NH MAY 3rd

 

Jim Cushman got his shoebox back from PA with everything straightened out once again, new side trim and spectacular deep blue paint.

 

Saw Larry's old coupe today at the flea market .it was for sale for 45k

 

got to see it at ludwig's custom autobody before it left for home, looks amazing!

 

Larry's new paint

 

Thanks Rick!