What Ever Happened To..........? number 179. 1957 Chevy "Lost in the 50s" Owner: Courtney Church Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin Hi everyone! Well, here we are again. I managed to get my photos and files in order for the most part, but we are pretty much starting up where we left off. A lot of neat customs that don't seem to have much information on them. Seems like it's been going this way for a while here on the "What Ever Happened To..........?" thread, but at least we're still chugging along! This week's custom is a very cool '57 Chevy two door sedan that has many characteristics of a car that was built in the early 60s. It very well could be a survivor custom from the good ol' days. The one thing that makes me think so is the use of the Chrysler boomerang tail lights. The black paint and white pin striping also give the car the old time vibe. Funny thing about this car is that it seemed to only be around the car show scene for one year, 1988. I first saw the car on the Sterling/Rock Falls 7th Annual Custom and Lowrider Show video filmed July 22-24, 1988. I purchased my copy off of Ebay years ago. It was transferred from a VHS tape to a DVD. I've mentioned before what a good video this is as there were a lot of customs sprinkled in amongst the lowriders at that show. I never was able to find the owner's name on this car. The one time I thought I might catch it was when they were having the muffler rap contest at the show. Each "contestant" was announced by the deejay before each car and driver did their thing. When this '57 rolled up onto the cement pad to "rack 'em off", the deejay said he had no name on the show card. When the deejay asked for a name, the video skipped for a second, and if the name was mentioned, it wasn't heard on the tape. The '57 had a nice set of pipes and sounded great! When the car was done and backed off the pad, you could see the owner was wearing a purple Klassic Kruisers Car Club T-shirt. I know this club was one of the big active clubs back in the 80s and if I'm not mistaken was based out of Wisconsin. On the video, the license plates on this '57 looked like they were the light blue plates that Wisconsin had on their plates way back when, but it was a little too grainy to say for sure so I didn't want to venture a guess. That's why the location as well as the owner's name were left blank at the top of this week's post. All my pictures that I'm posting this week are still frames from the Sterling/Rock Falls Show. I'll explain why in a few minutes. This cool '57 also made the trek to the KKOA Leadsled Spectacular in 1988 in Holland, Michigan. I had no video of this show until recently when @PasoJohn kindly sent me a copy of the video he shot that year. I had noted in my steno note pad that I saw the car on that video. Well, pictures from that video were not to be. A few days ago I pulled out my copy of Paso John's 1988 Leadsled Spectacular video to find the footage of the '57 and take some stills for this week's post. To make a long story short, my tired old VCR died on me, trying to eat my 1988 Paso John Leadsled Spectacular video in the process! Luckily I managed to get the tape out without the VCR destroying it or the tape breaking. I have a new VCR that I'll be installing later this week. I don't know how much damage was done to the tape, but I guess I'll find out once I get the new VCR set up and put that tape in. Keep your fingers crossed. Trying to keep my precious VHS car show video tapes alive has been a real worry for me ever since the world pretty much axed the VHS format a few years back. If all goes well, the VCR tape watching and picture taking will be back on track very soon. This is all I have on this '57 Chevy. I hope that someone out there remembers the car or better yet, knew the owner and has more history on it. This car is way too cool to fade into the past without giving credit where credit is due. I hope everyone out there has been well the last few weeks. Hard to believe we are in August already. The nights are quickly cooling off and the leaves are already starting to change here in Denver. Looks like summer is rapidly coming to an end and the cold will be here all too soon. You guys have a great week! Talk to you soon! E
Perfect tim ing Ed, I`ve been gone a week also. And it was good seeing you in Salina. Here is a pic my dad took in 88 in Holland Michigan as well. You can tell by the very dry grass.
Thanks Mark! E It was good to see you too, Jim! The weekend flew by! Thanks for posting the great picture of the '57. In your picture you can clearly see the car did indeed have Wisconsin plates. Another clue about this one. I'll update the header on the post. If you look closely at Jim's pic, you can see the wild little "Elvis" trailer that Phil Iturbide used to pull behind his "My Way Elvis" '53 Ford convertible (W.E.H.T. # 168). Phil was also from Wisconsin, so Phil and the owner of the '57 must have been friends. Maybe they were both members of the Klassic Kruisers. E
Welcome back Ed!! Funny, being a Wisconsin boy, I don’t recall having ever seen this car before. I sure don’t have pictures of it. Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
"Lost In The 50s" '57 Chevy kustom was built and owned by Courtney Church of Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin. Courtney was an active member of the Klassic Kruisers C.C. and another very colorful character.
Thanks for the reply @a990hemi! Great information! Nice to finally be able to put a name and location on this nice '57. E
I took a page out of the @Sancho and @John B research book and came up with some information about Courtney. Sadly he passed away from kidney cancer in 2017. Like I've mentioned many, many times before, this is the tough part about doing this thread, finding out that so many of our kustom elders have left us. Rest in peace Mr. Church..........E https://nitardyfuneralhome.com/tribute/details/27108/Courtney-Church/obituary.html
Courtney's '57 Chevy was built in the mid 80s with all body mods handled by Al Abel. Al used to go into Stan Deppe's Auto Salvage with a torch to cut off Chrysler and Packard rear 1/4 n tail light sections to graft onto his kustom builds ...usually for less than $ 100 per pair!. That yard was completely crushed out and returned to farmland about 8 years ago and each and every Buick was missing its headlight surrounds and every Packard was missing its rear 1/4 sections then. Courtney sold the Chevy in the early 90s to fund a radical '54 Oldsmobile full kustom with heavily chopped hardtop, Packard tail lights and lavender pearl paint. His ol buddy Phil Iterbide stitched up period perfect lavender n white tuck n roll for the Olds.
What Ever Happened To..........? number 180. 1961 Chevy "Bel Camino" Owners: Ralph and Nancy Schindel Green Bay, Wisconsin. This week's custom was built by a guy that I actually knew. I had the pleasure of meeting Ralph for the first time at the 2000 Leadsled Spectacular in Wichita, Kansas. Ralph was a nice guy and he was the real deal. He walked, talked and lived customs. I ran into Ralph at many Spectaculars over the years, but he was never in the '61. He was in one of his other customs including his '51 Mercury that he saved from the scrapper or his radical Chevy Impala that had a chopped top and extended rear quarters. Ralph built many wild cars over the years, and he helped a lot of people with their customs as well. Ralph was responsible for converting Mick's (@straykatkustoms) '51 Merc from a four door into a two door, and reworking the front fenders when a previous owner installed Datsun Z car front headlight assemblies in the car. Ralph wasn't afraid of hard work, and he pulled off large jobs with ease. Pictures of the '61 turned out to be pretty hard to find, but it was featured in the first KKOA book on page 91. You can see the impressive laundry list of modifications done to it and the huge amount of work that went into it. It might not be everyone's cup of tea, but you have to admire the imagination, time and work it took to pull it off. The only time I saw the '61 on video was when Ralph, his bride Nancy and their son Jeff made the trip from Wisconsin to Pennsylvania for Sled Scene East in 1994. On a side note, it really is a shame that Sled Scene East is no more. From the magazine coverage I've read and the videos I've watched of the show it looked to be one of the best custom gatherings around. The show lasted many years but finally ended around 2013. We can thank the late Blaine Kauffman for that! All you lucky folks that got to attend that show should be thankful, it had a great run! The Schindel's sleds must have made quite an impression on Video Bob Huff as the cars were on the video many times. You would see Ralph and Nancy cruising in the '61, and Jeff's radical '58 following behind or vice versa. The Schindels were definitely custom folks that weren't afraid to travel. I don't know if the "Bel Camino" was ever fully completed. Every time I saw the '61 in pictures or video it was in flat black primer with purple scallops. I don't know if it ever got painted or if "prime was fine" with Ralph! Sadly, we lost Ralph on August 2, 2013 at the age of 74. I don't know if Mrs. Schindel or Jeff kept Ralph's cars or they were sold off. I know if my Dad built some neat cars like Ralph did they wouldn't go anywhere--too much sentimental value! Ralph's passing left a void in the custom scene in the midwest that all those that were close to him still feel. It's strange to go to a KKOA show and not see one of Ralph's wild customs prowling around, or hearing the taps on his boots clicking on the pavement as he walked around visiting with old friends and making new ones. He is missed! I hope that Mick, Jeff Schindel or anyone else that really knew Ralph has some insight as to where the wild '61 is. It would be a real shame if it's just sitting around somewhere getting dusty. You know Ralph would have never liked that! I hope you all had a great week and you're getting in all the car shows and cruise nights in you can as summer is almost gone. Sure goes fast doesn't it? Until next time, take care! E
Great write-up Ed. Right up the alley of what you stated this thread was all about, back in April of 2016
Sorry I ask: where did the numbers of the car came from? How do you know wich car is meant with a number?
@Lines The number is just the order in which @OG lil E has posted them. The first one he posted was number 1, etc. up to #180 this week.
Thanks Bill! I've always admired the guys that build cars out of their own little garage or shop or out in the backyard. Guys that do the lion's share of the work themselves or with the help of family, close friends or car club members. Just because a guy can't afford to pay a famous builder to do work or have a million dollar bank account doesn't mean that a cool custom can't be home built and impress people and turn heads everywhere it goes! E
Talked to Ralph a couple times over the years....funny enough...at the SK 500 in Oklahoma, even though I grew up In Wisconsin. Never met him then, but I took a few pics of his cars. Here's the '61 and a '58 that I presume to be his...or at least one he had a hand in for sure. These were taken at the Pierce Park show in Appleton, WI 1991.
Ye Sir ...that's the 2nd version of Courtney's Olds. The first version was solid lavender pearl paint.
@drdave the 58 belongs to Ralph's son Jeff. Last time I saw it, it had a shiny purple paint job on it. Ralph later built a Mercury. I think that Jeff has it now as well. I'm friends with Jeff on FB so I guess asking him would be the easiest way to find out.
From Jeff Schindel - "Yes the '61 did eventually get painted, after the '64 BelAir was done the '61 was sold minus the engine and transmission, last I knew it was up in Door County Wisconsin. After the '49 Merc was done he sold the '64 to a guy in Green Bay who still has it. I have his Merc"
In the photos @drdave posted the front end is considerably different. I assume this is an earlier version? Different grill, quad lights vs. Buick, hoodscoop, etc.
You say that and then I thinks I gots a pic of it painted purple, but nope. Got pics of Ralph's Merc tho...(Stray Kat 2008)
Thanks for the report John! Nice to know what happened to the '61 as well as Ralph's '64. I hope they are in good hands. Haven't seen them in quite sometime. E Thanks for posting the cool pics @drdave! Neat to see how Ralph's '61 as well as Jeff's '58 progressed over the years. All the changes made to them was crazy! Such a staggering amount of work from one transformation to the next. Obviously the Schindels loved welding, mudding, sanding and everything else associated with building wild leadsleds! E
Looked around the 'net and I found a few pictures from the Carnut site of Jeff's '58 in shiny paint. Judging by the background I'd guess this was at the 20th Leadsled Spectacular in Wichita back in 2000. Here's a picture of the "Special Schindel Edition" of Rod & Custom that Mick (@straykatkustoms) whipped up through the magic of photoshop a number of years back. There is a picture of Ralph's radical '64 Chevy, Jeff's '58 and the beginning stages of Ralph's Merc that the Doc posted. Man, Ralph would start with a ROUGH pile of parts and transform it into kustom greatness! I also found a few pics of Ralph's '64 on the Carnut site. I believe this was at the 20th like the above pictures of Jeff's '58. Someone (I wish I could remember who) posted a picture on the Kustom Blues thread (I think) recently of a Chevy very similar to Ralph's '64. I searched around but I couldn't find it. Anyone else remember that? Was that car a newer version of Ralph's Chevy maybe put together by the new owner? E
Thank you Ed for highlighting Ralph's Kustoms. Ralph was the real deal. He was the Waylon Jennings of Kustom guys. He dressed like an outlaw with chains and taps on his boots but he was one of the kindness guys that you will ever meet. I was Blessed to be able to run with him and cherished the times that we had together. Ralph loved kustoms and you could see his passion with all of his builds. Sometimes we get caught up in the cookie cutter traditional kustom builds. They are hard to beat and I enjoy looking at them. I appreciate and enjoy the free spirited Kustom builders. Ralph was definitely free spirited. He was not afraid of a challenge. You have to honor a guy that builds Kustoms his way and will drive them anywhere at any time of the year. I miss seeing the '58 a shows. I never seen it on the highway but what a sight that would be, seeing it rolling down the blacktop. I will be always thankful for Ralph helping me out by basically rebuilding my Merc. Sad to say I'm not a builder. I can do minor mechanical work but just don't have the patience to do more. Ralph recognized the need and he wanted to put on a fresh coat of primer on my Merc. It ended up being a huge build. Ralph redesigned and rebuilt the front end and converting my Merc to a two door. Wow, what an undertaking. He couldn't use stock Merc two doors because my quarter windows would be way too small. So Ralph extended and narrow my existing doors with a four door parts car that I had. Needless to say I'm very thankful. Like I said earlier, Ralph was not afraid of a challenge... Ralph made Kustoms fun, "Holy Fright" I sure miss him....
The Jalopy Journal
