History What Ever Happened to..........?

What Ever Happened To..........? number 255.

1953 Ford
Owner: Bob Shire(?)
Kansas City, Kansas

Last week we touched on the "one hit wonder". Well, this week we are kinda going down that path again, only this time, it's further back in time. So get on your thinking caps and get ready.
In doing this thread, we've learned of the passing of so many of our custom elders, friends and some generally great folks. Losing those that were a big influence in the renaissance of customs in the 70s, 80s and 90s is not only a loss from a friendship or acquaintance point of view, but much of the custom knowledge these folks had has been lost forever. As time marches forward, it is very easy for these "little guys" of the custom scene to fall into the cracks and get forgotten about. I hope that our efforts here help that from happening, even if it's just a little bit.
This week's sled belonged to a gentleman named Bob Shire. At least that's what it sounded like his name was. He was interviewed by one of Rowdie's gals at the 1984 Leadsled Spectacular in Des Moines, Iowa. He had a thick Midwestern accent like many folks from Missouri, Ohio and a few other surrounding states, and his name sounded like Shire when he said it. I could be wrong, so if anyone knew this gentleman and can confirm I'll correct it and remove the question mark.
In the interview he gave a nice rundown on the car, including a lot of specific details that many guys getting interviewed leave out. Here is Bob rolling up to where Rowdie's camera was set up and the lady was waiting to stop the cruisers and talk with them a little.



The first few things that jump out at you as the car approaches is the bright red paint. According to Bob, it was "'56 DeSoto red". Neat that during a time when "Porsche India red" was the red of choice, Bob said his was a beautiful old red tone from the 50s. Nice choice!
The next thing that grabs your attention is the chopped top. According to Bob, the top was chopped 4 inches. The Ford had all the other usual custom touches like shaved door handles, hood and trunk. The interviewer also asked Bob about how many louvers he had in his hood and he replied "two hundred and twenty". You will also see that the car had molded trim around the grille opening, as well as frenched headlights and a '54 Chevy grille and teeth.
This next shot is of Bob in his car just as he stopped to talk.



The interviewer did a good job asking questions, and the drivers seemed to open up about their cars and the work they had done. She asked about his power plant, and Bob revealed that the little Ford was powered by a 400 Pontiac. Now that's a combination you don't see too much, an Indian in a blue oval!
After the two chatted for a minute, they wished each other well and Bob drove away. As he drove off, you will notice some very unusual little fins, as well as what look to be '51 Buick taillights. Never seen anything like this on any other custom I can recall. You will also notice that Bob chose to run the car with no fender skirts.



Like the "one hit wonder", the car came and went just like that. This was the only footage of the car at the '84 Spectacular, and I watched the '83 video as well as video through '89 and I didn't see it anywhere else. Keep in mind though that there were a number of red '52-'54 Fords on all those videos, but the modifications (especially the fins and taillights) never even came close.
I did manage to find a picture of Bob's '53 in print. In the Mike Key book "Leadsleds Chopped and Low '35-'54" on page 61 is a fine picture of Bob's '53. According to the introduction of the book, the pictures in it were taken between Minneapolis and Des Moines on the road around and to the Street Rod Nationals in Des Moines, as well as in the show. It never said the year, so I'm guessing it was in 1983 as the book was published in 1984. I guess it could have been the '84 Nationals, but getting the whole book laid out and in print the same year as the show seems like a stretch.
In the one nice, clear picture I found, you'll notice the vibrant red DeSoto paint. The car was a real looker!



The picture in Mike Key's book was the end of my trail on this one. You'll notice in my video stills that the car had a "for sale" sign in the quarter window. This may explain why the car seemed to suddenly disappear. It could have been sold and went overseas, or a new owner changed it up and put his own touches on the car that make it unrecognizable as Mr. Shire's. I know 1984 was a long time ago, but it seems like such a nice car would show up somewhere. How about it guys? Anyone remember Mr. Shire and his DeSoto red '53? We'll see..........
Inching closer to spring! The weather has been much better and I've even heard of a few small car gatherings around town. I haven't been able to make it out to anything yet, but hearing about them shows that there is hope of returning to what we once knew as normal. I hope that things like this are going on in your neck of the woods and you can get out and enjoy the great old iron you have out in your garage!
Until next time, keep cruisin'! E

 

I`ll see if anybody has a better pic before my crappy scans later. It ended up with a continental kit and was called Dutchess. Minus the side chrome. My pic`s are from The KKOA`s Last Pass show in Des Moines.

 

The top pic is from a KKOA show in Kansas City in 83. The others are from about 1990. The Duchess. Kool tail lights.

 

I was doing some research this evening and I came across a little more on Bob Shire's Ford. These are pictures of the later version called "The Dutchess" that Jim (@stanlow69) posted pictures of above. I'd be curious to know if Mr. Shire still owned the car at this point or if it was sold and a new owner changed it up.
These pictures are still shots from my copy of the 1987 Last Pass video in Des Moines, Iowa shot by @PasoJohn.

You'll notice that bullets have been added to the ends of the '54 Chevy grille, as well as more teeth.





Other changes include changing the 'caps from Lancers to Crab Claws, and molded lake pipes were added.



Moving to the rear you can see the addition of a Connie kit, and Caddy bullets were added to the Buick taillights.



It's clearer in Jim's pictures, but the plates read "DO-WOP". A closer look at Jim's pic shows the plates are from Missouri. I know that Kansas City, Kansas and Kansas City, Missouri are just across the river from each other, so maybe Bob still owned the car at that time. In the interview at the '84 Spectacular, Bob said he was from Kansas City, Kansas. Maybe the car relocated over to the Missouri side. It will be interesting to hear that story if it ever comes out.



Here's a shot of a car hop tray all set up at the show. Talk about chopped! No way you're going to get a tall glass through that window without making a mess (lol)!



Here's a few interior shots. Simple interior, but it looks the part of the 50s. Teardrop knobs and tuck'n'roll.



Here's a neat shot. Check out the Last Pass '87 T-shirt hot off the presses!



Well, that's all for this bonus Thursday night update. Jim and I managed to find a little more on Mr. Shire's Ford, but it's current whereabouts is still a mystery. Maybe more will turn up. We'll see..........E

 

Not sure the exact year I took those pic`s. Could of been 87. I have that t-shirt and wore it for my Senior pic`s with my KKOA club jacket. Good work ED.

 

Thanks Jim! Always appreciate the kind words.

Just curious, would this be the picture that you're talking about? Sorry pal, couldn't resist! E

 

@OG lil E It`s okay. You know the picture will get deleted, the cars to knew. So how`s the 36 inches of snow in Denver ED. Couldn`t resist.

 

Man, you got me good on that one! The snow has been a pain in the a.......no wait, a challenge. I think I've shoveled enough snow to fill up a pair of dump trucks. Thankfully the sun came out yesterday and the meltdown was in full force. I think a few inches melted already. They are predicting another storm tonight, so that will slow the thaw some. I'm hoping that after that storm rolls through, we'll have a few nice days for melting.
Nothing like getting a whole winters worth of snow all at once. And everyone wonders why I hate winter so much! E

 

I hate to cover up such a cool car, but rules are rules. I went ahead and edited the picture to keep from getting into trouble. E

 

I'm happy to say that Barbra Ann is still out there. Recently an auctioneer I know bought what I assume was the Townsley estate and included in it was this custom. He let it go to another acquaintance of mine who plans to enjoy it awhile with the only a few mechanical upgrades. I've talked to the new owner and he is liking the car a lot. Hopefully soon I'll have a video of the car and how it looks today.

 

Wow John! That’s awesome!! Glad it’s still around and even better still it has lasted relatively unscathed.

Jim and Ed you guys are cracking me up with the senior pic. Wish I’d gotten to wear a cool t shirt, jacket and pose with a cool car that was mine for my senior pic...I had to wear shirt, tie and sport coat in front of a Owen Mills style back drop. Let’s not even talk about the size of my glasses! Lol. I’m proud of you Jim! Good job!!

 

What Ever Happened To..........? number 256.

1950 Mercury "Cotton Candy"
Owners: Don and Marilyn Kober
Coralville, Iowa

This week's custom is one that I know has a ton of history, but the history I found seemed to only cover about a four or five year period for the most part. The owner seemed like a big time custom guy as well, so I'm sure more will come out on him. I've been researching Don and Marilyn and their '50 Mercury for quite sometime, and I've gathered quite a bit of information to cover, so this will probably be one of our more detailed feature cars. I'm hoping I got the information fairly straight, but if not, I'm sure Jim (@stanlow69) will help me out. The Kobers were Iowans just as Jim, and Jim remembers so much custom history, especially from the Midwest. So grab a cold drink and maybe some chips or cookies or something and get ready, this is gonna be a long one!
Don Kober was one of the founding members as well as the vice president of the Wanderers Car Club based out of Coralville, Iowa. The Wanderers were one of the big clubs that was very influential in the renaissance of customs starting in the late 70s all the way through the 90s. They were one of the big clubs like the Lincoln Land Kustoms were in the early KKOA days. I can't say exactly how big their membership was for sure, but I've read different stories telling of membership from 40 members all the way up past 100! The cars weren't just a collection of clunkers either, they had some real "heavy hitters" in the club. I'm sure many of you will remember seeing Ray and Myrna Bozarth's incredible Buick four door turned Carson topped cruiser..........



Another cool custom is the '60 Impala of Daryl and Deb Lewis affectionately known as "Pair O' Dice"..........



And the last sled I'll mention is the beautiful '51 Ford Victoria of Larry Booth. This was W.E.H.T. #62 way back in May of 2017.



Here is the write up on Larry's sled just in case you missed it:

https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/what-ever-happened-to.1016572/page-42#post-12057550

These were just a few of the cars cruising with the Wanderers at one time or another in the past. They were a club that really had it all together.
I don't know if the Kobers had more than one custom, but our focus this week is their cool bright yellow chopped Merc. Like we've touched on before, there were a lot of yellow customs back in the 80s, and a good portion of them were Mercurys. The Kober's car was one of the standout Mercs of that group. The first video sighting I found of the car was at the 1984 Leadsled Spectacular in Des Moines, Iowa. There wasn't a whole lot of video on the car, but it was there.





I did find one really good shot on Rikster's website of the Kober's Merc in the @KustomLincolnLady collection. I'm guessing this was taken at the '84 Spectacular, but I can't say for sure. I do know it was before 1985, which I'll explain about later.



Every summer the Wanderers had their own show called the "Coralville Cruise". I think the first cruise was in the summer of '83, but I don't know how many years they continued to have it. I have read about it many times and it was one of the "must attend" events of the summer in the Midwest. This write-up about the Coralville Cruise II was in the KKOA Leadsled'er Volume 4 Number 3 on page 16. I believe this show was in 1984.



In February 1985, the Kobers put their car in a Rod and Custom show in Monticello, Iowa where it won high honors. The upcoming cruise and car show season looked very good for them and their super Mercury! Here is a nice write-up I found about the show that was featured in the Kemp Gazette Volume 2 Number 4 on page 24.



Don and Marilyn were looking forward to the busy summer to come, making plans for all the shows and cruises they wanted to attend. In May, just as the show season was just starting to roll, the Kobers narrowly missed serious injury when a "sleepy semi-driver rear ended Cotton Candy". There was a really good write up on the whole incident in the Kemp Gazette Volume 3 Number 1 on page 3. I went ahead and scanned the whole article so you can read about all the details of the accident, as well as the pictures of the damaged sled. Thank Goodness the Kobers were unhurt. This could have really been more of a tragedy than just a mangled Merc! Needless to say, their big plans for the summer of '85 were shot.







The Kobers were determined to bring "Cotton Candy" back, and with lots of dedication and hard work, they brought the car out all rebuilt and ready for the show season in 1986. At the '86 Spectacular in Springfield, Missouri, Rowdie and one of his gals did a wonderful interview with Don, where he gave the full rundown on the accident that destroyed the Merc almost beyond repair. Don also mentioned there was a member in their club that had a Ford wagon they could use to attend the Spectacular in '85 since their Mercury was out of action. At least they still got to attend the show, even if it was without their prize custom. Here is one of Rowdie's gals talking to Don.



Here we see pictures of the new flame job that has way more flame licks that take up more of the car's front sheet metal.



And more licks down the side.



Here is one of the coolest shots of this whole article for me. Here we have a rear view showing the new '51 quarters and the amazing job that was done putting the Merc back together. A true labor of love that gets all my respect. I've seen cars with way less damage than the Kober's Merc end up in the junkyard! The custom folks of the early days of the KKOA were hardcore!



Here's a bad blurry shot, but I had to include it. It shows the "NIFTY" personalized license plate, with the Wanderers plaque proudly displayed below it.



Another bad, dark shot, but I had to include it also. Here is the interior of "Cotton Candy". Lots of plush button tuck velour that looks nice and comfy for many smooth travelling miles. Note the crazy octagon "van craze" steering wheel. You're not going to see many customs running one of these.



My last shot from the '86 Spectacular is of Don's engine. It's a flathead with plenty of nice detail and go fast goodies. I wish I could have found a better shot, but this was the best there was.



After the Spectacular, the Kobers made it out to the '86 Last Pass show in Des Moines. There were so many great shows in the Midwest in those days! Here's a nice mention about the Mercury in the Kemp Gazette Volume 3 Number 7 on page 8.



After the Last Pass in '86, the story of this custom gets kinda strange. It may not mean much, but maybe someone can shed some light on this. After the '86 Spectacular, I found no more video footage of the car, and the Last Pass was the last mention I found of the car in print at a car show. My constant video watching and researching turned up a few weird clues that may or may not mean anything, but after '86 the car itself seemed to vanish.
I mentioned late last week that I found some video of Bob Shire's '53 Ford on my copy of the 1987 Last Pass video that my buddy John (@PasoJohn) was kind enough to send my way. I've never been fortunate enough to attend any car show in Des Moines, although I did travel through it on my way to and from the Flying Eyeball Reunion in Davenport back in 2004. Any of you that have been around this thread for a while will recall stories of George's Chili King in Des Moines, as well as Porky's Tenderloin Restaurant. From what I understand, they used to be right down the street from each other. As far as I know, the Chili King is still going, although sadly I've read that it isn't what it once was. Porky's wasn't so lucky as it shut down around 2009. Too bad as the place was a real landmark. Here's a photo still of the Porky's sign the weekend of the 1987 Last Pass.



On the '87 Last Pass video, John had the foresight to take his video camera into Porky's and do some filming in the restaurant. I can't imagine that much video footage of the outside of Porky's still survives, let alone the interior of the restaurant, but John shot some footage! Here is a Studebaker front clip that looks to be decorating a wall inside. The 80s were great!



As John rolls his camera taking in the great atmosphere of the place, he scans across a wall where some license plates are on display. I'd watched the video a bunch of times, and how I missed this before is beyond me, but up on display with the collection of license plates was the plate off of the Kober's Merc, "NIFTY".



Here is a still picture I took of the front plate on the '50 during the '86 Spectacular interview. This is the same plate!



I don't know if the Kobers were there in the Merc and they took the plate off the car for display in Porky's or something, or if the plate was found laying on the ground or what. I do know there was no video that I saw of the Kober's car on the 1987 Last Pass video. This is definitely a strange find!
The last strange find of the Kober's Merc is in one of the KKOA books. We all know that two books were produced, the first one in 1992, and the second in 2003. You would think the Kober's Merc would have been in the 1992 first version since the car was around the scene more recently in the 80s, but it wasn't there. Strangely enough though, the car was in the second book from 2003 on page 34, and it was the pre truck accident version before May 1985! I don't understand this at all! Maybe the Kobers just wanted their legendary Mercury remembered in the great book of KKOA sleds. I don't know. Sure is strange that the car has never seemed to be captured in later videos or even in photos of car shows around the custom heavy Midwest after 1986.



That's where my report on this Mercury ends. I seem to recall reading somewhere that Mr. Kober passed away. I hope I'm wrong on this, but we hear all too much that our custom elders are leaving us at a rapid pace. I do hope that some more history on "Cotton Candy" as well as the Kobers comes out, because real, hardcore custom people need to be remembered and thanked for all they have given us!
I'm sure many of you have heard that Denver got pounded by a huge blizzard over the weekend. If my memory serves, we haven't had a storm of this magnitude since 2005. Once every sixteen years or so is still too much for me. One of the things you learn early on living in Colorado is that March storms can be incredible. The old saying "In like a lion and out like a lamb" definitely applies to the Mile High City. We are pretty much dug out, but right now, as I type this, that darn white stuff is falling again here in northwest Denver! I hope last weekend's storm is the last big storm we get this year as I'm really over winter. I guess I'd better not talk too soon though, because I remember getting a few big snowstorms here during the month of May in the past. Some years it seems like winter just doesn't want to let go. I hope this year isn't one of them!
If you're in a warm place right now enjoy the weather and get out and cruise. As for the rest of us, c'mon Spring!
Have a great week everyone! E

 

Pic`s of his Merc in Springfield Illinois. Over heard him saying their daughter decided to stay with her grandma the day of the wreck. Otherwise, she was usually in the backseat. Never made it to one of their shows. Can`t go to them all. Was just in Des Moines this past Monday. Haven`t been their since the Goodguys show the 4 th of July. Was the skirted version taken in Springfield Missouri.

 

Here`s an Old`s he had built that appeared in the mid 90`s ? I believe it won the Custom Rod of the Year that Goodguys awarded at the Des Moines show. To many people around it to get a good pic. Bozarth`s won the award the first year they started the honor. They also had a customized 77 Lincoln with a targa top that was called Shadow Dancer. They had lights underneath it that were set to music. I sent Ed a pic.

 

Nice tidbit of history Mark! I didn't realize it was the same Kobers that owned Harold's car. On the Sterling/Rock Falls Lowrider Show video from 1988 Harold's car was there, and I remember seeing the car show sign saying it was built by Harold Olsen and was now owned by the Kobers. Now the puzzle pieces all fit together.
Now I'm gonna have to get out that DVD and watch it again. Thanks for the info! E

Man, that story sends chills down my spine. After seeing the pictures of the smashed up Merc, you know if the Kober's daughter had been with them that night she might have been badly injured or worse. I think there was some Divine Intervention there!
Like always Jim, thanks for posting some nice clear shots. We all enjoy them very much! E

I've learned a lot from you guys about the Kobers. They were definitely real custom folks. I've seen pictures of the Olds before, but never knew who the owners were. Always dig finding out new unknown (to me) facts about our custom elders.
The Shadow Dancer is cool! I'd cruise it for sure, but I like big unloved boats of the 70s, 80s and 90s. I wonder "What Ever Happened To..........?" the Shadow Dancer..........E

 

I just saw this post and thought could share a few things.

Angelo Pupillo, my father, did indeed build both the green 51 Merc and the blue 53 Ford. Both were traditional old school builds, and both were powered by flatheads. In fact, we got the 51 running after it sat for years before I left for the Air Force in 85.

The last car show my grandfather went to before he passed away was indeed the '94 SSE. Grandpa drove Blue Heaven down from NY. He passed the next year. I just transferred from Griffiss AFB to Barksdale AFB LA and was unable to be with them at this show. Thank goodness I have this photo of my father and grandfather that always brings a smile to my face.

As for the Merc and the Ford, he has sold both of them, and I have no idea where either car is. Dad said they kind of disappeared.

Dad is still doing his thing. In fact, I may be headed up there soon (I am now in Florida) to bring one of my dad's current rides home with me. A 63 Ford Galaxie he crafted a few years back. He said he wants to sell it, so I want to keep it in the family.

It is very heartwarming to read the stories you wrote. I thank you.

 

New printer/scanner. Any better ? Time for some reposting. That`s was Ray Bozarth`s 51 Vicky in the pic below. He bought one a 3 or 4 years ago.

 

Thanks for checking in with us @fixb52s! Always nice to hear stories from family and friends of the owners and builders of these fine cars, and to hear stories of close families that share the hobby. Glad to hear that you enjoyed the write ups of your Dad's customs. It is my honor to bring the stories of these great cars to everyone every week.
Sorry to hear your grandfather passed away, but it is always great to hear when someone like your Dad is still going strong!
Kudos to you and Angelo, and good luck with all your car adventures! Take care! E

 

What Ever Happened To..........? number 257.

1948 Pontiac Four Door
Owner: "Four Door" Freddie Romo
Minneapolis, Minnesota

Those of you that have been following along with this thread for a while might look at the header on this week's feature car and think the owner's name of the car sounds familiar. The reason for this is that we covered one of Mr. Romo's cars in the past. Back in October of 2018 we covered Freddie's cool chopped '49 Plymouth four door. It was W.E.H.T. #138.
The Plymouth had the distinct honor of being one of the cars that was at the very first Leadsled Spectacular in Wichita, Kansas back in 1981. Here's a picture of the Plymouth from Custom Cars by Hot Rod printed in 1982. This was the only old picture I was able to find of the car.



Here's a link to the write-up on Fred's '49 if you want to read about what history we found on the car:

https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/what-ever-happened-to.1016572/page-99#post-12787776

I don't know if Fred had any cars that weren't four doors, but the four doors he had were cool and his knick name is equally cool, "Four Door Freddie". Fred had an incredible '40 Ford more door that he sold within the last handful of years. Rumor has it that he'd owned the car since the 60s!



Another car he had was a chopped four door hardtop '64 Pontiac. I might have the facts a little mixed up here, but if my memory serves, @PasoJohn told me that Fred gave the car to his son in the mid 80s to attend college in Colorado. I've always gone to a ton of car shows and cruise nights, even way back then, but in all my travels and cruising back then I never did happen upon the car here in Colorado. It would be interesting to find out whatever happened to this one!



Fred seemed to latch on to cars and hold on to them for years. He's had his Pontiac for a long time. The first time I ever saw this car was in Custom Cars by Hot Rod Volume 1 Number 5 from 1983. On page 64 there was a picture of two of the coolest '48 Pontiac four doors you've ever seen. The car on the right had a healthy chopped top, and the car on the left was none other than Fred's before it went under the knife. These pictures were in the magazine's coverage of the second Leadsled Spectacular in 1982 in Des Moines, Iowa. We've touched on this before in a little discussion as to whether the guy that chopped the '48 in the picture on the right, ultimately chopped Freddie's car, but this has never been determined. John told me that a gentleman named Carl Zechbauer chopped Freddie's cars, so maybe he chopped the other '48 first. Sadly, Mr. Zechbauer passed away a number of years ago.



For some reason Fred seemed to always make it a point to attend the KKOA shows in Iowa. Back in the 80s and 90s Iowa seemed to be a hot bed for custom car shows. The Last Pass show ran in Des Moines for a number of years, and the Leadsled Spectacular was in Des Moines in 1982 and 1984, as well as in Davenport in 1989 and 1998.
Here is a picture of the Pontiac with the chop. I don't know which Leadsled this picture was taken at, but maybe Jim (@stanlow69) can elaborate on that as this is one of his famous wall mounted snapshots.



Here's another of Jim's shots. I think Jim mentioned this was at one of the Last Pass shows.



This shot is one of John Tretten's. I think this was at the Leadsled Spectacular in Des Moines in '84.



The next batch of pictures are all still shots from my copy of Paso John's video of the '89 Spectacular in Davenport, Iowa. In the first grouping of shots, Freddie just cruised in through the arches at the entrance of the fairgrounds.



In this picture, the car almost looks like an ambulance--except for the cool flames and chopped top. What a long drink of water!



Nothing like the view of a humpback custom from the back, especially a chopped one!



Still trying to find the perfect spot to park..........



Just a few shots of Freddie's '48 sitting in the grass at the show. The Leadsled in Davenport in '89 looked to be a good one! It seemed to be a very large show.





With a small collection of chopped four doors, Freddie may have attended the show other years in other cars, but '89 was the last time I found the Pontiac at a Leadsled Spectacular.
Time catches up with all of us, and since Mr. Romo is in his eighties now, I don't think he travels too much anymore to go to car shows. I've heard he still goes to local shows in and around Minneapolis, but with his eyesight not what it once was, he always has to head out for home early as he has a hard time driving at night.
The last two shots I have tonight were from 2020. Paso John was kind enough to share them with me. You can see that even though Fred has owned the Poncho for decades, he is still working on it and changing it up. The car was painted in baby blue suede below the beltline, with a darker blue (with metalflake?) above the trim and baby blue flames on the roof. In this first picture, the hubcaps are gone and the car is running smoothies. Also, the fog lights that were on the front of the car for a long time are gone.



In this shot the car looks pretty much the same with the exception of a slight wheel change. The smoothie cap is gone, replaced by a spider cap. Don't know what's going on in the back as far as the wheels go, as the car is so low you can't even see the wheels! Oh yeah, almost forgot to mention that in these two photos the car had been put on an air suspension.



By now you might be saying to yourself, "Well this car isn't lost at all", and that's fine. Every now and then I like to throw a car in the thread that isn't lost just because I think it is too cool not to be included here. A car that went to many KKOA shows is also very important to me as this is what this thread is based upon. Freddie is one of those custom elders that was there in the beginning and helped the custom movement to get rolling again in the 70s and 80s. It 's always nice to give credit to one of the little guys that most people have never heard of that built some very sweet rides over the years. So here's to you Mr. Romo, and thanks!
Man, will it ever stop? After the huge storm of over a week ago, the snow was almost gone and we were drying out. Sunday night into Monday we got a few more inches of snow, then the sun came out and most of that was gone. Tonight it's snowing again and it's in the 30s. Spring is having a hard time getting out of the starting gate, and it seems like summer is still a long way off. Can't happen soon enough for me. I tell you what, after the car show season fiasco we had last summer, I plan on cruising the wheels off my cars this year, that is if I can afford the gas! I hope you all are getting out and enjoying Spring wherever you are. I know it doesn't still feel like winter everywhere. Cruise on y'all!
See you next Tuesday! E

 

I have all these picture`s of cars and Ed is educating me on which car belongs to who. Thank you. The pic of his Pontiac above is also from the 89 Show in Davenport. You can see Dad`s Vicky in the background next to the Lowrider Merc with the full moonroof. Here is another one of his Plymouth. Looks like it was taken in 81 in Wichita`s KKOA show. You can see the Olds in the background featured earlier. Found it in Tex Smith`s How to Build Custom Cars. You have a copy. View attachment 5016208

 

You write very interestingly, like a historical article. I recently read samples of such good historical essays on this page. Are you suddenly not a writer? Because I was so fascinated by your text that I confused your statements with one of the Asian philosophers. I love history and including retro cars, especially when they are described that way.

 

Thank you, I really appreciate that! Sometimes I'll proof read the post before I post it and I think to myself "I hope everyone can understand what I'm trying to say". So far so good I guess..........E

 

Yes we get it and we all enjoy your post. Your attention to detail with your research is amazing. As a reader, it is a lot to take in, I cant imagine the time you have with each post. You can tell you have a passion for Kustoms.

 

Thanks Mick, coming from you that is a HUGE compliment! I admit that keeping the thread going has turned into a lot more work than I ever imagined, but the feedback and enjoyment people write to tell me about makes it all worth it. The thread has introduced me to many people both online and in person that have become good friends and I wouldn't trade that for anything! E

 

What Ever Happened To..........? number 258.

1960 Pontiac Convertible "Sugar Shack"
Owner: ? ? ? ? ? ?
? ? ? ? ?, Maryland

This week's custom is another one of the "wildcards" that I haven't been able to track down the owner's name and home town. I think I've finally exhausted all my research material on this one and I'm convinced the answer to this custom mystery is nowhere in my library of books, magazines and videos. I'll put it out here and maybe someone can fill in the blanks.
This awesome '60 Pontiac was only at the 1990 Leadsled Spectacular in Holland, Michigan. On that video, the car had a personalized novelty plate on it painted to match the car. It looks to have Maryland across the top of it but it is hard to see. I'll post that picture later. This may be a clue as to who the owner was and what part of Maryland he was from. The car itself had lots of neat touches that would make it at home at a custom show or even a lowrider show.
Our first look at the '60 tonight is a picture that popped up on the "Kustom Blues" thread a while back. I don't know who the photographer was or who posted the pic, but I was glad to see it. This is the only clear photo I found of the car. In the picture the car looks like a peach color, but believe me, it isn't, it's pink!



It is easier to see the Pontiac's pink color on my still shots from the '90 Leadsled. You don't have to do much in the way of customizing on a '60 Pontiac. They were pretty wild from the factory.



Here's a pair of shots showing the sides of the car. Notice the wire wheels. As a kid that grew up around lowriders, I learned to appreciate the early wire wheels that were big back in the lowrider days of the 70s through the mid 90s. Thick wire Starwires are still cool today, and can be very expensive (if you can find them)!





Here's a close up of the pink paint. The camera caught the sparkle of the paint as "Video Bob" Huff circled the car catching it on film. I'd be willing to bet the car had Metalflake brand 'flake on it from the Spindrift series. This 'flake was popular to put in the clear as you top coated the car. The flake itself was almost completely clear allowing the color of the paint underneath to shine through, yet it still sparkled in the sun or the right lighting at night. Spindrift is super rare nowadays! If I saw the car in person I could tell for sure, but since the only look we have of the car is on video, this is my guess about the metalflake.



As we round the rear of the car, we find a nice pair of frenched antennas.



From the driver's side rear we can see the cool diamond shaped rear window. I think the owner liked lowriders as there is the lowrider man logo on the glass. I wonder if it was a sticker, paint or it was etched into the glass. I'd say etched as in most of the shots it looks nearly invisible.
Also, notice the line around the original square shape of the window. This car had a zip out window. I learned about these from my good friend Rocco a number of years back. He told me about a '62 Dodge Polara convertible he had way back when. It had a zip out rear window. I told him I never understood this feature and he filled me in. He said that on hot summer days you could unzip the window and it would rest in the rear area where the top was stowed when it was down. He said it allowed for cool air to run through the car as you drove with the top up when it was too hot to take the top down. He told me it was almost as good as air conditioning. Roc also told me that during the summer in the evenings he never had the top up unless it was raining.



Here's a close up of the car's nick name lettered on the back.



Peeking through the windshield, we can see the white diamond stitch vinyl covering the dash. This matches the top very well. The light pink mirror muff and fuzzy dice are a nice touch.



Once we move to the inside you can see the dash was painted pink like the outside of the car. I think that by 1960 the pink car paint craze from the factory was over. Could this car have been originally pink?
If you look close it looks like the carpet is a thick white pile--almost shag. When I first saw the flooring I thought that maybe it had Angel Hair on the floor. What do you think?



The seats were all covered in the same diamond stitch white vinyl as the dashboard. Diamond stitch is a great look that seems to be making a bit of a comeback.





My last shot tonight is of the front novelty license plate I mentioned earlier. It was hard to see in the rest of the video, but luckily Bob zoomed in for a quick second and caught this.



And there we have it. The mysterious pink '60 Pontiac custom that only seemed to hit a KKOA show once. Anyone recognize it? I'm hoping that our right coast custom faithful remember this car from a Sled Scene East, Lead East or another East Coast show. So, can anyone tell me where the "Sugar Shack" is?



Is it just me, or does 2021 seem like it's going by fast? Here we are just a few days before Easter already! Let me be one of the first to wish all my custom family a joyous and blessed Easter. I hope you can get out and go to church, visit with family and have a nice dinner or however you celebrate this special holiday. Maybe after you get all the family activities done you can even take the sled out for a spin. Whatever you decide to do, be safe and have a wonderful holiday! I'll see you next week, same time, same place.
Happy Easter y'all! E

 

From the Michigan KKOA show. The picture is a bit faded.