Thanx for the mention Ed: ( In 1995, Nancy and her Ford were a feature in a KOA Styleline newsletter. On pages 28 and 29 in the January/February 1995 issue, our own @40StudeDude did a nice write up.) It's strange, I was thinking about Nancy last week and wondered if she was still playing cars and still going to kustom events with her '56...apparently, no one here seems to know what happened to her... R-
Same person took this photo the same day I’m thinking kkoa 80’s sometime anybody recognize Sent from my iPad
What Ever Happened To..........? number 170. 1959 Chevy Impala "Lil' Darlin" Owners: Jerry and Annette (Toni) Boyle Fishkill, New York Before we get going this week, I wanted to mention something. Lately in my search for information and pictures, it seems like finding facts has become increasingly difficult. I'm sure you've also noticed that I've been having to use more still-off-of-video pictures taken from my T.V. and computer. Since pictures and information seem so much harder to find on the more obscure customs we've discussed, I still feel like not having complete names and poor quality pictures taken from DVD and video is hurting the thread. Unfortunately with the passing of time, fading memories and many of the custom elders passing away, this is the only way to keep the thread going. I hope everyone is ok with this. Ok, back to business. This week's custom is another that seemed to only stay in the east. In my extensive video watching and research, I never saw this Impala at a Leadsled Spectacular. Jerry and Annette (a.k.a. Toni) Boyle however, were regulars at Sled Scene East. Like I've mentioned before, I don't have many Sled Scene East videos, but they were there in '92, '93 and '94. Their Impala was very mild, but a car like this would still turn heads anywhere it went in today's jellybean econobox world. About the only real custom modification was the grille. I can't say for sure what Jerry used for grille teeth, but to me they look like older VW Bug bumper guards. The car had the east coast requisite Connie kit and the unusual choice of Keystone Klassics for wheels. You'll notice that Jerry had someone do some pinstriping in white, which included the name "Lil' Darlin" on the lower front fenders, cobwebs up by the dummy spots and cruiser names on the door tops. I didn't notice the names for a good while after watching the DVDs. That would have made my name search a little easier. On the '93 DVD, Video Bob mentioned the car belonged to Jerry and Annette Boyle from Fishkill, New York. The passenger door reads "Toni". I'm assuming this is a pet name for Annette. There is a larger "Toni" lettered on the Connie kit as well. This is a real throwback to the old days as putting your girlfriend or wife's name on your car was a common practice. The Boyles looked like they were fun to be around, and many people that attended Sled Scene East must have thought so as well. Almost every time the '59 cruised by the video camera on the DVDs, there was always a car load of people inside. One time I'd swear there were seven people in there! This made the already low Impala look like it would grind up a discarded pop can laying on it's side in the street into nothing! So cool! After the '93 video, I found nothing else on the car. Book and magazine research came up empty as well. My picture search online was fruitless too, so all I have to share are DVD stills from my computer. As best as I could tell, the car was unchanged during the three year period it was at Sled Scene East. These pictures were all taken off of each DVD. The first four are from 1994. The next two are shots from 1992 showing the cruiser names on the door tops, and somewhat blurry shots of Jerry and "Toni". And the last of my pictures this week is a shot of Jerry and Annette heading towards the exit leaving Sled Scene East on Sunday in 1993. I hope that some of you that attended Sled Scene East in those days or any of you east coast custom faithful will recognize this car and may know Jerry and Annette. It would be nice if someone can fill us in on their story and what they may be up to these days. Hopefully they are still cruising around in their sleek black Impala with a car load of friends having a great time! I hope everyone had a nice Memorial Day and that all of our friends out there are well and safe after the crazy weather we've been having. All the odd weather sure puts a dampener on our cruising fun. Summer can't get here fast enough for me. You guys have a great week. See you next Tuesday! E
Ed, I don't know anything about this car, other than I like it and would totally cruise it 'till the wheels fell off. As to incomplete info and freeze frame pictures hurting the thread ... Not in my opinion. Go back and read your initial post on this thread. You're doing what you said. You're bringing attention to the little guy, who may have done most of the work on his car in his little backyard or garage. My hat is off to you, my friend. I appreciate all the work and research you put into this. Crisp photos or blurry, I REALLY enjoy reading this thread. I can't always contribute with a literal answer to W.E.H.T, but I still want to know what others say.
I agree with @54delray The still photos from video aren't hurting the thread at all, I'm not sure why you think they do. In some cases that's all we have. I'd much rather have them than nothing at all! And a lot of times it makes it better to find or rule out a car because with NO photos it's anybody's guess. At least with these we have something to compare to. I cannot say strongly enough how much we appreciate this thread and all the work you put into it @OG lil E I'm thrilled that it's continued this long and hope it keeps going for a long time!
"Gerard Boyle Myrtle Beach - Gerard (Jerry) Boyle, 78, passed away on January 19, 2018 at Grand Strand Medical Center in Myrtle Beach, SC, surrounded by his loving family. Jerry was born in the Bronx, NY on November 15, 1939, to Ella Mae (McGee)and Gerard W. Boyle. On December 13, 1958, he married Annette T. Bruno,at St. Martin of Tours Catholic Church in the Bronx. Jerry was a cable splicer and technician for NY Telephone Co. and Nynex. He was a proud life member of Locals 1103 and 1120. He retired in 1994 from Verizon. Jerry was an avid classic car enthusiast and a member of the Classic Chevy and Right Coast car clubs. He was an authority on 50's and 60's Rock and Roll music. Jerry always said that he was "the richest man in the world" because of his family. In addition to his loving wife of 59 years, he is survived by his children; Ellen Rayburn (Greg), Gerard Boyle (Roberta), Theresa Maher (Bob), and Christopher Boyle (D'Andrea). Grandchildrenaniel (Alison)and Matthew (Deidre) Heverly; Jerry, Erika, and Joseph Boyle; Bobby and Shawn Maher; Brandon and Hannah Boyle; and Veda (Hannah) Daily. 2 Great-Grandchildren: Kayden Gerard and Everett Rose Heverly. He is also survived by a sister, Barbara Scolaro (Bill). He was predeceased by his brother John Boyle and a grandson, Benjamin C. Boyle."
Thanks guys! Your opinions matter to me, and if everyone feels like you do the thread will continue on, even if the pictures aren't the best and information is incomplete. I guess I worry about little things too much sometimes (lol)! Oh boy, another custom elder gone. Rest in peace Mr. Boyle......... Seems like we find out this sad news on almost every custom we discuss these days. I guess that we are now the age of these custom folks we talk about from shows in the 80s and 90s. I shudder to think what age I'll be in 25 years. Time does go by fast. E
What Ever Happened To.........? number 171. 1947 Chevrolet Four Door Owner: ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?, Missouri This week's car is one that I've been working on for quite sometime and it has been a real mystery. If someone actually comes up with anything on it I will be really impressed! I know this car is a four door which a lot of people hate, but really, when is the last time you saw a '47 Chevy four door custom? These cars have been all but forgotten except for the bomb builders. I've always had a thing for old four doors. Maybe it's the fact that growing up in the barrio it seems like all of our neighbors had an old four door of some sort. Even my family had a few '64 Impala, Bel Air and Biscayne four doors. Wish I had one now (lol)! One of our neighbors had a '46 Chevy four door. Mr. Paiz lived down the street from us when I was four or five. I was fascinated by this man. I don't know what he did for a living, but I do know that he also did lettering and pinstriping. Back in those days here in Denver we had a small local plumbing company right in our neighborhood. Mr. Paiz used to letter and stripe those plumbing vans in the summertime right out in front of his house at the curb! I used to sit and watch him for hours. My Dad used to always tell me "Edward, leave Mr. Paiz alone, the man is working!" Mr. Paiz used to always tell my Dad, "It's okay Bert, he's just quietly watching me, he's no trouble at all. Matter of fact, I like the company." Mr. Paiz was such a good guy! The owner of the plumbing company was a car guy named Jack, and he'd come and visit Mr. Paiz once in a while in a really cool '57 Chevy two door hardtop. I remember playing in the yard all the time and I'd hear the car coming down the street. It had duals of some sort on it and the pipes on that car had a sound all their own. When ever I'd hear the car coming, I'd go running down the street to get a look at the '57 again. I just couldn't get enough of it. It was a nice mild custom, with shaved door handles, hood, trunk and dummy spots. It was jet black with four bar Lancers, wide whites, skirts, lake pipes and an angel hair interior. Mr. Paiz had lettered and striped it. He lettered "The Jack of Spades" on the trunk lid with a picture of a playing card with the jack of spades on it. The only thing was that "Jack" should have been "Jackie" as the character on the card was a shapely gal. Looking back I guess it was sort of a pin up style girl. I actually sat and watched him do that one Saturday afternoon. Mr. Paiz didn't know it, but sitting and watching him do his magic way back then was the beginning of my love for customs and pinstriping work. I remember one day Jack stopped by and the door was open on the '57 while the guys were talking and that's when I got a good look at the interior. It was wild! Angel hair on the rear deck and even the floors, as well as a black dashboard pinstriped in white. There was also a woman painted on the glovebox door wearing nothing but a smile! It had black and white teardrop dash knobs and I asked Jack if they were made out of licorice. The guys got a good laugh out of that one! I also remember an 8 track player under the dash playing Elvis and being amazed at the "light under the dash". It was the first time I'd ever seen a color bar. Jack and Mr. Paiz were always very patient with me and they didn't mind having a little guy hanging around. I remember one day Mr. Paiz and Jack were going to a car show or something and Mr. Paiz had his '46 Chevy out. It was pretty much stock but it sat low, had wide whites, Olds Fiesta flipper caps and factory style fender skirts. It was the factory two tone green, dark green over light green. It had a split manifold with duals and it had that great sound! Mr. Paiz had lettered "Green Eyes" on the trunk lid with the silhouette of a shapely woman in the back ground that went into scroll style pinstriping. His work was awesome! I rarely saw the '46 as it was in the garage most of the time, so to see it on the street was a treat. Seeing the '57 and the '46 on the street together that particular day was something I'll never forget. I remember watching the pair cruise off together with the subtle burble of their pipes and the sound of oldies blasting out of their radios. The real topper was when Mr. Paiz rolled by and hollered out the window "See ya' later Eddie!" and he pulled the cable on his wolf whistle. Man, that was such a great memory! Mr. Paiz was a really cool cat! I guess that's why I kinda like Chevy four doors, huh? This week's car was a mild custom that was nosed and decked, but the hood ornament was left on. It had frenched headlights and the unique touch of Buick portholes in the bottoms of the front fenders. The portholes are the one thing that made searching for this car a little easier. Lake pipes were added as well as '50 Buick tail lights out back. The car was two tone brown over yellow and had a visor. I was on the fence about featuring this car. Lack of information and pictures were holding me back. I saw it on a few videos and I took pictures of it, but they are very grainy. The thing that made me decide to feature it is that a few weeks ago I bought the Mike Key 1984 book "Leadsleds Chopped and Low '35 thru '54". On pages 34 and 35 was a great shot of the '47 cruising in traffic. That clinched it, I think the car is cool enough. The picture looks weird as it was spread across two pages in a strange page break and my scanner put a glare on it, but I think it's still worth posting. According to my video research, the car was at the Spectacular in Des Moines in 1984. The shot on that video was so brief that I couldn't get a good picture from the frozen VHS tape, but it was there. The '47 also made the trip to Springfield, Missouri in 1986 for the Spectacular. I saw it a few times and got a few frozen stills. Hate to sound like a broken record, but these shots are very fuzzy and I hope you can make them out. If you look closely, you can see a "For Sale" sign in a back side window. My poor old TV and VHS tapes are getting tired (lol)! This first shot was taken as the Chevy rolled into the show a couple hundred yards from the gate: This shot was taken when Rowdie cruised around the fairgrounds in a convertible filming the cars at rest. It isn't a great shot, but even at a glimpse, you can definitely make out the Buick portholes in the bottoms of the front fenders. This last shot is my favorite. The cars were cruising around the fairgrounds. The owner of the Chevy is on the wrong side of the road. Just as the car goes into full view so you can see the '50 Buick taillights, the car he is passing comes into view. It is none other than @chopolds in his fantastic chopped '57 Olds when it was in purple and white suede. A great moment in time! Other than seeing the plate on the car was from Missouri in the Mike Key book, I have no other information on this one. Maybe someone out there will know more. I'd love to put a name and location on this rare four door mystery custom! Before I go tonight, I want to wish all of you a safe trip that are making the trek to Indy for the Custom Car Revival! I'm sure you will all have a great time. All of us unlucky ones that can't attend will be watching for pics! Have fun! Until next time, take care! E
Like I said Ed. You have good taste in cars. I have a front and rear view of the car when it was in Missouri for the KKOA show. Yes it was forsale and I wanted it. Seemed cheap at the time. Loke $3200 or even less. It had a diamonds with buttons for the door panels. Need to figure out my scanner one day.
Man, Ed. What a great story leading up to this week's feature W.E.H.T. Your love of 4 door Chevys immediately post-war puts you in good company. Pat Ganahl comes to mind.
I immediately thought of you while posting this week's car, Jim. If anybody would remember this '47 it would be you. $3200 was a lot of money in 1984, but considering the car it sounds like a good price. By today's standards $3200 is a big time bargain! You need to find some help in getting your scanner back up and running again. I for one would love to see better pics of this yellow Chevy! E Thanks Bill! Until you mentioned it, I forgot that Ganahl had a late 40s Chevy four door. I remember reading many of his great stories about his Chevy and various other cars in Rod and Custom. One of my favorite articles of his was in the August '92 issue on page 97 called "Las Bombasitas". It's a great read with some super pictures of bombs. I sure miss the old Rod and Custom..........E
Back from the Revival. I have done a fair amount of looking for this Chevy only to come up empty.....
Thanks for checking in @jzb. Amazing how many people have chimed in on this thread giving updates about custom people from the past. The picture that Jim (@stanlow69) posted was on page 54 in a thick magazine called Custom Cars by Hot Rod Volume 1 Number 5 from 1983. It's a great reference source and one of my all time favorite magazines. I see them on Ebay from time to time so finding one shouldn't be too tough. One quick note: there is also a second picture of Mr. Rotten Ron doing some striping work in that magazine on page 68. Your Dad really did a lot of work in those days. Best wishes to him and your family! Take care! E
What Ever Happened To..........? number 172. 1953 Chevy Owner: Donn Lowe Colorado Springs, Colorado This week's car is a rare one. When I say rare one, what I mean is that the only place I've ever seen the car was on Rowdie's 1984 Leadsled Spectacular video shot in Des Moines, Iowa. Anyone that has been into customs for a while has heard of Donn Lowe and his shop Lowe Customs. He has built a number of cars, many which went on to be quite famous, but this little Chevy seems to be the exception. It was built back when Donn had his shop in Colorado Springs back in the 80s. I remember as a kid hearing about Donn all the time, and I even met him once at a cruise night when he had an awesome chopped Ford shoebox. He over heard me talking to my Dad about all the modifications on the car and Donn was impressed such a young kid knew about leadsled touches. But that is another story.......... Donn's '53 Chevy was a masterpiece of a mild custom, with very little done to it, but what was done made it a stand out. The thing I like best about this car was the use of the '62 Oldsmobile taillights. It's a great touch that I'm surprised isn't done more often as it looks great! The molded grille shell looked super and the '57 Buick grille was a natural. One of Rowdie's gals interviewed Donn at the '84 Spectacular and he gave a nice rundown on the car. It had a nice white tuck'n'roll interior in it, which you could see on the video and in the last picture I'm going to post. I guess the Chevy was a little too mild as I had no luck finding any magazine coverage on it. During the 80s most customs you would see featured in magazines were "over the top" sleds and many mild customs were often over looked. Once again this week we are stuck with stills photographed frozen on my computer screen, but I think they are clear enough for people to make the car out and maybe recognize it from the 80s. I'm glad to say that I heard Donn is still in the game building customs these days--I think in Oregon. I hope that someone has a few clearer shots of this beautiful Chevy that this legendary builder quietly put together a few decades back. In closing tonight, I just wanted to thank those of you that went to the CCR for posting all the great pictures and videos. It was definitely the next best thing to being there. Such a great venue! Viva la Custom Car Revival! Until next Tuesday, see you around! E
Went and got a printer/scanner Tuesday night. So I`m getting closer at posting pic`s. Took a bunch more pic`s in Indy this past weekend as well. Learned a lot more by talking non stop with custom minded people. Have one of Lowe`s Chevy as well from back in the day.
My stepson gave me a new printer/scanner for Christmas last year (2018). I hadn't gotten around to installing it as my old one was still limping along. About a month ago I was fiddling with it trying to get it to work correctly when the black power supply box slipped out of my hand and shattered the glass table where you put magazines or photos to scan. It was a real mess. After lots of swearing and cleaning, I hooked up the new one. Man, am I ever sorry I waited! The new one is quieter and runs through the paces a lot faster and actually prints like its supposed to. I guess I shouldn't complain, the old scanner was over 20 years old! Once you get your new scanner going I'm sure you'll be much happier! We can't wait to see more of your great picture collection, Jim! E
It was great spending time with you @stanlow69! You sure have some stories Sent from my SM-G935V using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
And the Interior. Still having the wife teach me how to do this. I think I might have this down. What do you want to see next.
Donn Lowe`s 53 Chevy taken in Des Moines KKOA show. You could tell back then he was a classy dude that would go on to build some cool cars in the custom world. There aren`t to many cars that he has built that I haven`t liked.
Happened upon a random car show on vacation while driving through Belle Fourche SD. Look what I found. The couple that owned this bought it from Allyn Smith who bought it off ebay in Feb 2017. It’s Sugar Daddy! (W.E.H.T. #44)
The Jalopy Journal
