@54delray can tell you lots about Lee. I do know that at the time of his death, he still owned the Merc as well as the 34 Ford sitting next to it in the pic above. The Ford was a feature car in Hot Rod in the early 60`s and still unchanged from when he purchased it years ago. The car was from West Allis Wisconsin with headlights (square) mounted on the tops of the front fenders. I think the Merc was already chopped when he purchased it. Late 70`s or early 80`s. More pic`s to come later. Is that Lee with the white socks sitting in the chair next to his wife.
Lil E, that one got me. Lee and Adie were good people. Lee could talk and talk and talk. Adie was always patiently waiting for him. On the phone, my cordless handset battery would go dead, I'd have to switch to the corded phone to finish talking with Lee. I first met them 30 plus years ago at the Classics Car Club Graffiti Night in Onawa IA. It was the type of event that Lee loved. 50's era, slicked back hair, dressed for the part, and rolling in with the lowered maroon Merc. I recall him telling of leveling out the asphalt for the state of Nebraska on hiway 51. It was a blacktop road with truck ruts wore in it. Lee's Merc sat so low, the lower control arms would shave a little of the crown off the road when he would be driving in the ruts. Many people would get down on the grass to look at the debris piled up on the front edge of the A-arms. Lee understood the lines of a kustom. He once told a bunch a Merc owners at a show to close their hoods. Said the row of cars looked like a bunch of hungry alligators. Never shy to say something, an older woman was looking at his car at a show, looking through the windows at the interior. When she glanced up to look at the headliner above the back seat, Lee hollered out to her,"Hey, does that remind you of anything?" "Look familiar to you?" Made the old gal turn about 10 shades of red. I've got pictures of his Merc somewhere, but even if I find them, my scanner hasn't been working. He had '53 Buick sidesweep trim airbrushed on the gold several years ago. He wanted it to look like chrome. He trusted the "artist" when he claimed he could do it. In reality, it was a lot of white, and light blue(like a reflection of the sky) but never had anything close to a real chrome look. Lee told me he was disappointed with it, but never did anything to remove or cover it up. The Ford that Jim mentions pictured behind Lee's Merc was featured on pages 54-57 March 1962 Hot Rod magazine. Built by Ludwig Mavroff. Lee had his own 34 Ford back in the day, and in someways the story of his car and Ludwig's paralleled each other. I don't know what ever became of Lee's car, but when Ludwig's car was available, Lee bought it. If some one can scan/post, you'll see that the car has regular headlights, but the bobbed front fenders feature unconventional/unique '59 Mercury backup lights mounted on the top leading edge, moulded in, of course. Car is powered by a 430 Lincoln/Mercury engine, cream colored air cleaner/valve covers. Interior features a '58 Ford dash. Paint is what I would call chocolate brown metallic. Big and little wide whites with 56 Lincoln Premiere caps. Cool car. Last I knew, both the Merc and the 34 Ford coupe are in the care of Lee and Adie's sons. Along with everything else from the estate. As collectors can be, I'm sure it is overwhelming just to deal with the volume of things that Lee got over the years. You didn't win many auction bids against him. If he wanted it, he bid to win. I went to Lee's funeral on a nice sunny February day. Drove the Chevy as a hat-tip to Lee. Lots of car guys there, a big hand-painted "rat fink" stood by the casket Lee was a fan of Roth, and the character he created. Lee was also a pinstiper back in the day. A few years before Lee passed, he was hospitalized with a crushed leg. The son(s) were home, moving cars around for whatever reason. Vonn was backing the Coupe into the building. Big shoe in a small space caught accelerator and the brake at the same time. Lee was guiding him back and got pinched between the car and the wall. I had a get-well card made out of an old fender skirt, with the coupe, a rat fink in a wheelchair with a leg cast, and a bunch of pinstriping painted on. At Lee's funeral, first time I heard this story. Lee had some peacocks and other birds roaming the farm. One was a turkey, that over time, became quite tame. Lee, or a friend fashioned a type of collar for the turkey, and he would walk it on a leash. When Lee would say the birds name, it would gobble gobble gobble. They went to a county fair with this turkey on a leash. Lee got the darkest wrap-around glasses he could find and a white cane. He would walk directly towards a crowd, tapping his cane from side-to-side. Most people wouldn't notice or even hear him in a noisy crowd at the fair. Then Lee would loudly ask "How are we doing Tom?" (or whatever the bird's name was) and the turkey would start gobbling. I guess it was like parting the red sea the way people got out of the way. They whole time, Lee smiling from ear to ear. Sorry for the long bits of stories. It is just a reminder that even though we are here to discuss traditional hot rods and kustoms, it is the people that we meet and the friends that make that share our interest that makes it all worth while.
I remember both the Merc and the 34 from my younger days. Sad to hear about his passing, but good to hear the family still has the cars. He had good taste.
Wow, great response to this one so far guys! I'll update the Krueger's hometown in the heading @Sancho. Also thanks for posting Lee's obituary. Sad to learn that Lee and Adie are both gone. Sounds like Lee was a real character. Great write up Bill (@54delray). It sounds like you knew the Kruegers quite well and you have some great memories of them. Love the turkey story. I would have loved to have seen that! When I posted this I figured that you and Jim (@stanlow69) would know something about the car and the Kruegers. Seems like a lot of Nebraska folks are regulars at events in the Midwest. @PasoJohn told me that Lee often talked about his collection of bubble back window Plymouth Barracudas. Sounds like he had a lot of them in various conditions out in a field behind his house Great pictures of Lee's rod too Jim. You can tell it was an original hot rod from the good ol' days. The Kruegers were car people that were the real deal. So rare nowadays! E
Oh my gosh! I am laughing hysterically about walking through the fair with a seeing eye turkey on a leash.
Lee and Adie,were great custom people and we would talk together for hours about custom's. Lee had told me at one time he had a collection of 65-66 Plymouth Baracuda's in the backyard,(Like over 20). I saw them at all the Last pass shows I went to (4 out of the 5). I knew he was quite a bit older but we were always young when we were together at the show.
Here is a scan of his Merc looking like an alligator at the Cruz`in Classic`s car show in Onawa in about 1986 with my dad`s Vicky sitting next to it. I just told this story to a couple a week ago at a show. Then Ed features his car.
Here is another scan with one more to go. A picture from the rear. This picture almost looks like it was taken in Springfield Illinois KKOA show.
@hrm2k posted these photos of Wes Downing's '55 Ford (W.E.H.T. #111) in the "Photos of custom 55 and 56 fords" thread. https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum...m-55-and-56-fords.992808/page-2#post-12692269
Here is a picture from the rear with it now paint gold in color. Also named Sweet and low. Never was fond of the new color, so I didn`t take many pic`s of it in this version. I more than likely took this picture at a Goodguys event in Des Moines. The picture is faded a bit.
Kool I get to contribute to one of my favorite threads. I took the following pics at the last Merc Deuce Reunion.
What Ever Happened To..........? number 129. 1956 Chevy Bel Air Two Door Hardtop Owner: ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?, ? ? ? ? ? This week's W.E.H.T. is one of the first cars I took notes on and have been researching since the beginning of this thread. After lots of research, my searching has turned up very little so I've decided to post it and see what the custom faithful can come up with. To me, this cool little '56 Chevy looks like the kind of car a broke and inexperienced kid would have built in the late 50s or early 60s.......... In my mind's eye, I picture a teen named Jim that lived on the poor side of town that always worked hard to get his "dream car". Saving for the car took much longer than his friends because he lost his father in the Korean war and once he got older he had to help his Mom pay the bills and take care of his younger brother and sister. He might have been able to make more money if he quit school and worked full time, but Mom would have none of that. "A young man needs to get his education" she always said. Having no father and only a few friends, this resourceful young cat did his best building his sled with the few things he could afford to buy and whatever his hands and willing helpers could pull off. Having no experience in welding or body work made this car a very mild custom. All the chrome factory dress-up items like the hood bird and emblems were left on the car. The neat add-ons came from the local Western Auto parts store whenever the budget would allow. Dummy spots, Lee lenses, lake pipes and teardrop knobs topped the list. When he wasn't working, he haunted the local wrecking yard and managed to score a set of Foxcraft fender skirts for the car, and as luck would have it, they were the same color yellow that adorned the bottom of his clean hardtop. The wrecked '56 in the junkyard also had a Continental kit, and 'ol "Merle" at the 'yard liked the kid so he gave him a good deal on the whole lot. $20.00 and the skirts and the Connie were his. His buddy's father used to have a very nice '56 that had all the extras including a factory sunvisor. The Dad never really liked the looks of a visor and he took it off almost right away. Earlier in the year the '56 was traded in on a new '60 Impala and the visor just sat in the corner of the garage gathering dust. Being the good friend that he was, Jim's buddy asked his Dad if he could have the visor to put on Jim's '56 and Dad told him he could have it. Dad always felt sorry for Jim since he had no father, but he was a good hardworking kid, so he helped Jim out whenever he could. Dad wasn't really a car guy, but he helped Jim do some of the simpler things on his car like tune-ups and oil changes. The boys took a metal shop class in school and they were learning how to work metal including welding, so maybe one day the '56 would get shaved and leaded. Their teacher was always trying to find ways to help raise money for his class and the school, and he found a great deal on an old louver press in the local newspaper classifieds. It was used during the war in a factory to put louvers in various areas of B-17s. The teacher thought the school could utilize the press and make money for various causes. Jim took to the press like a fish to water and he got good real fast at running straight rows of louvers. After a month or so, Jim asked the teacher if he could try louvering his visor. The teacher said he could try it, but warned him that it would be easy to mess it up if he wasn't careful. Jim got to work and the visor turned out super. A few weeks later Jim was at the wrecking yard again and he came across a set of Moon discs that were thrown in the trunk of a burned out Studebaker. They weren't in perfect shape, but he thought with a little elbow grease they would clean up nicely. He took them up to the counter and Merle was impressed with Jim's find. Merle told Jim he was just reading in a Rod & Custom magazine how a guy named George Barris on the west coast was using masking tape and cans of spray paint to customize these types of 'caps. Merle just happened to have the magazine behind the counter and he told Jim he could have it. Then Merle really surprised Jim with his next offer. Merle told Jim if he had the nerve to paint up the discs like in the magazine, he could have them free of charge! Jim promised to bring them by to show Merle once they were painted and mounted on the car. Summer was quickly coming to an end, and Jim wanted his Chevy looking sharp for his senior year of high school. He had been collecting parts and working on them for many months, but hadn't installed any of them on the car yet. With the help of his small circle of friends and his buddy's Dad, they spent the Labor Day weekend of 1960 installing Jim's neat stash of parts on the car. By noon on Sunday, everything was installed and it was time to get to work on the discs. "Dad" had a roll of masking tape and he masked off a few different designs on a pair of the Moon discs and after a short debate, a design was chosen. Dad went to work masking the other 'caps as the boys walked down to the hardware store to get a can of spray paint. After another debate, the boys decided on a nice shade of yellow that was just a bit lighter than the yellow on the bottom of the '56. They hurried home and the spraying began. Since Dad did the masking, Jim insisted that he do the honors and spray them. Dad did a masterful job and the Moons turned out awesome. "Not too bad of a job if I do say so myself", Dad said, "and look, not even one run!" The discs were left to dry and the guy's thoughts turned to how they were going to mount them. The boys didn't really understand how they went on, and Dad wasn't real comfortable drilling into the kid's wheels. He suggested they mount them on a set of old beauty rings he had in the garage, and then they could be taken on and off like regular hubcaps to check the air and such. Dad warned Jim that he'd better pop them off and put them in the trunk when he went to the movies or school dances or places like that. "If you don't, they'll be gone when you come out." As the sun was starting to set, the Moons were dry and mounted on the car. Just the finishing touch! Jim asked the guys if they wanted to go for a cruise and stop in at the local drive-in for a malt or something. Since tomorrow was Labor Day, they could stay out later and get some real good cruisin' time in. They couldn't get in the car fast enough! Dad slipped his son some money and told him to treat Jim and the guys to dinner since they had all worked so hard all weekend. As the boys drove off, Dad stood in the drive way and watched them drive away. "Jim's little Chevy really looks good" he thought. "Boy does time fly! Man they sure grow up fast.........." Just a little fictional reading for tonight's post. I hope everyone enjoyed my meanderings. Like I mentioned in the beginning of the post, I found nothing on this car in print or any online pictures. However, I did have some luck on my video search. The Chevy was on the 1983 Leadsled Spectacular video filmed in Springfield, Ohio. The car also appeared on the 1985 video, also filmed in Springfield, Ohio. Since I found no pictures of this car anywhere, I tried something for this write up that I've never done before. I took an actual picture of the car on the video on my television. I apologize for the quality of the pictures, but it is much harder than I expected it to be. Too many factors at work here for great pictures, but at least you can see the car and hopefully someone out there has better shots. This one is a true mystery as I have no owner information or a location for this car. It has been a real brain buster and I hope you guys can come up with more than I did. Until next Tuesday, take care! E
Well, I'm afraid this one may be a lot harder to find. However, I was watching a Cecil Hall KKOA Spectacular slideshow on youtube and found this shot of Gina's Jewel.
Thanks for featuring the car not knowing any info on it or the owner. I have a set of MOON hubcaps that I put the same design on 20 years ago. . Maybe I will be able to use them on a future project. Cool story. I`m surprised Scott Pavey doesn't have a pic of it since he has a 56.
Very cool story, but I can't think of any young kid in the late 50's - early 60's that would have put a sun visor on their custom. Mick
Hello all… Just saw this post and wanted to fill in some blanks for everyone. I was the owner of this “overchopped” 54 Chevy back in the early 90’s. I bought the stock bodied/updated drivetrain from a guy in Kansas (found it in the KKOA newspaper of the day… no Internet!!) and had it shipped to Allentown PA (where I was from at the time). Body was in blue primer/blue interior but stock. I drove it for a while with minor cosmetic changes and eventually took it to Bruce Conover of Just Reminiscing Autos in Easton PA to have a total makeover of things I had in mind over the years of wanting a 54 Belair 2dr Hardtop. As a side note my inspiration mostly came from a lipstick red 54 Belair I saw at the Wheels of Time show in Macungie PA also mentioned by “Rot & Kustom” a few posts down from the original “Whatever happened to #119. 1st year I saw it, it was radically chopped… 2nd year at Mucungie it was a convertible/Carson top. I remember the guy was from New York, plate read “OL RED”… never saw that car again though. I Drove the car finished for a couple of years and to numerous shows both local and distant including the Leadsled Spectacular in Hamilton OH in 1991 where I was invited to do the photo shoot for Custom Rodder… Wow!!! First and only time I’ve owned a car apparently worthy of mention. Eventually went through a bad divorce and lost the car to the ex (an even longer crazy story!) Last time I saw it, it was for sale at R/T Speed shop in Quakertown Pa and also offered in Hemmings for sale. After the Internet came about, I would from time to time, do searches to see if I could locate it. I eventually found a couple pics from a magazine about a show I attended in Tenn. “Sancho” posted those 2 pics. Then I found this post… https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/help-where-is-this-54-chevy.322341/#post-7340285 which “chopcars” posted Jan 4th 2009. I contacted him as he was looking for it as a previous owner. Don’t know if he ever found it, but the pic of it in purple is definitely the same car (has the “Konover Kustom” badge on the fender) Just like you I wonder where it is now… I also did searches on Bruce Conover of Just Reminiscing Autos and just found this on H.A.M.B https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/bruce-conover-customs.1105084/ Want to say Thank You so much for the kind comments by OG Lil E about my Chevy… I did LOVE that car so much and was heartbroken when I lost her. And yes the reactions when cruising where great… especially when I fired up the flamethrowers!! Well Thanks all for listening to my story… It was great reading your posts… And by the way I’m not out of the “hot rod” scene just delayed for a bunch of years. I currently drive a 68 Chevy C/10 LS conversion and have a chopped but unfinished 56 Mercury 2dr hardtop. Included some pics of the way it first looked, some of the work done and the finished car The 60 El Camino was one of Bruce's own custom.s Cal Sampson
Thanks for the post Cal (@Dead End Kid)! Great to hear custom history first hand. Sorry to hear of the loss of your '54. Maybe someday the stars will align and your chopped Chevy will find its way home. 'Til then good luck on your other projects. We hope you stick around a while! E
Great story Ed. Funny...the guy that owned the local yard I got stuff from in the 80’s was named Merle. Lol Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Still coming up empty on the '56 Chevy but it just occurred to me this morning that we have another yellow sled. Sure seemed to be a more popular color at that time.
She is also deceased says he was preceded in death by her Sent from my SM-G935V using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
What Ever Happened To..........? number 130. 1959 Chevy Impala "Airmobile" Owner: Larry Simonutti Chester, New Jersey This week's custom is one that I can still remember seeing for the first time. It was a feature in the then "new" Rod and Custom. It was just a few issues after they made their comeback in the December 1990 issue on pages 80 and 81. As I oogled over the article, I could never understand Mr. Simonutti's choice of wheels. Everyone I showed the article to felt the same way. My lowrider friends thought the car should have wires, and my custom friends thought the car needed some Caddy caps or Lancers or something. I told everyone they were probably right, but that would be so easy to change. From then on all I could dream about was either a chopped '49-'51 Mercury or a '59 Impala. Even back in the early 90s the prices on them were already climbing. I came to the quick realization that it would be a long time (if ever) that I would be lucky enough to have one of these beauties. All these years later and I'm still waiting (lol)! As far as the history of Larry's "Airmobile", I'm not real certain when it was built. As mentioned above, the car was featured in R&C in December 1990. I searched quite extensively and I wasn't able to find another feature article of the car. This surprised me as I'm sure I saw it featured somewhere else. Maybe it was, but I don't have the magazine. The only other place I found the car in print was in the second KKOA book printed in 2003. I didn't scan the pictures though as the angles weren't very good so I just posted the R&C article. I'm sure more pictures will be posted later on from some of our custom faithful, especially you east coasters. As far as video appearances, there were quite a few. I'm almost certain that Larry took his Chevy to a few Leadsled Spectaculars or Sled Scene East shows prior to 1991. But, I have a large hole in my video collection and I have no KKOA videos from 1988-1990. The first appearance I found of the Chevy was at the 1991 Leadsled Spectacular in Hamilton, Ohio. I didn't see the car on the '92 video, but it reappeared on the '93 Spectacular video filmed in Springfield, Ohio. These are the only two Spectacular videos I found the car on. Since Larry was from New Jersey, it seems that it was much closer for him to go to the KKOA's Sled Scene East shows. I only have a few Sled Scene East videos, but Larry was on most of them. He was at the show in 1991, 1992 and in 1993 all held in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. He must have loved having hydraulics as he was always "heavy on the switch". After 1993 I found no more on the Impala. My picture search was unsuccessful. I've been searching the 'net for quite sometime and I have found nothing. I'm sure this won't be a problem though as this car seemed to be very popular and I'm sure many pictures have been taken of it. I'd be willing to bet that Larry attended Lead East a time or two and a few of you guys saw it there and took a few shots of it. I sure hope more comes out on this car as it still "does it for me". Before I sign out for this week, let me be among the first to wish everyone a Happy Labor Day. I hope everyone gets some well deserved time off to enjoy the last holiday of summer. You better get some quality crusin' time in while you can. That nasty cold white stuff will be here before we know it! Until next week, have fun! E
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