Peabody MA 50/60s Christy Massio photos

I wonder if that T-Bird had a bubble top? Hard to see from the angle the picture was taken.That could be the Malden Armory or possibly the Commonwealth Armory in Boston.Not too many custom 55-57 T-Birds around then;the only ones I can remember are Bob Champagne's orchid 57 and a 55 that had the tops of the rear fenders rounded off.Got a pic of that one at the Flywheels(Braintree)auto show at Tedeschi's Market in 62 or 63.Damn! I wish my computer would let me post pics!

EDIT:Just noticed the 3 pics at the bottom of the last pic. The T belonged to Vito Venuti and was also at the Sears car show.Originally started by Ken Frederick,Vito bought it and did a great job finishing it.That was fun to stripe as it was completely assembled when striped.A quick story about that one:
I was up at the small Dunkin' Donuts shop near Main St. in Saugus one very cold February day when Vito and Sally came rolling into the parking lot in the T.They get out and are only dressed in what could be described as summer clothes.When I asked him about it he took me over to the car to show me the HEATER and side curtains he'd just installed.The side curtains were barely visible and the little heater(not sure what it came out of)would literally drive them out of the car! Even though it was very low,he would drive it just about anywhere.

 

When I first met Christy back in 78 , your 3 window was still on the chassis. It was channeled and painted black with flames ( I think Kelsey had flamed it). I bought the rear end(10 bolt Chevy) and radius rods that came out of that car for my first Grafitti style coupe. Just watching Chris build that car was was a complete learning curve for me. I always tell people, if it wasn't for Christy, I probably would have never finished my first Hot Rod. He was ( is) a wealth of knowledge,always willing to tell or show you how to do something and is one of the best body men I have known.
Chris had told me about many of these cars, but there were no pictures to see. Great to finally see these cars after all this time. Thanks for posting !

 

Hey Ray. I fell in love with this car from the first time I saw the picture of it hanging in Christy's garage. I later bought it it from Geroge around 1997-8. By that time the broken windshield problem had been taken care of. The top of the windshiled frame was straightened out and to the best of my knowledge, no more windshield problems. Loved the car, but hated driving a car that "someone else built" so I sold the car to John Lyon, who sold it to Donny Cavanaugh. Donny almost instantly sold it to Tom Flemming , who still owns the car today.
When I owned it back in 98

And Tom had it at the October Pine Speedway Reunion. Still looking great after all these years !

 

Another quick story about Christie:
Went up there to do a car one day and he's chopping a Model A coupe.Not a lot;maybe 2 1/2 in. He was welding the rear part of the roof using his trusty gas wrench.He'd put down a bead about an inch long and then take up a hammer and dolly and work the weld flat.Got all the way around to the rear window and then proceeded to hammer and shrink the metal til the weld was almost invisible.Didn't need any filler on that one! He is a true artist in that he makes it look so easy... until you try it yourself.
He also hosts(I think still)a weekly radio show on the Internet called,"Uncle Henry's Basement" using nothing but his own records.He must have about 30,000 45's and some of the most obscure stuffI've ever heard.I always thought I knew quite a bit about old records but I can't hold a candle to him!
One year we were driving back to Michigan after attending the Ty-Rods show and we stopped to see him in Middleton.I had recently installed a new cassette player in my Safari and when I mentioned it he went over to his stack of tapes from when he was doing the show at Salem State College and gave me about 20 of them to listen to on the way home as the radio reception was terrible in the mountains in upstate New York. I still have them next to my CD/tape player in the shop and every once in awhile dig one out and play it.THANKS CHRIS!
I don't know if he still posts on here but his name is "hotrodder3" I believe.

 

Hey Baron!
Wasn't aware it had passed thru so many hands;thanks for the update.Is there any way you could send me an e-mail with those pics in a JPEG format rather than a BMP? I don't know how to convert them and I can't load a bMP properly.Have a Happy New Year!
Ray

 

Hi Ray. Same to you. PM me your email address and I will gladly send them to you. Here are a few more of Chris's 32 and 29 Rdstr pick up taken at Jolly Jorges.


One of the first Cruise Nights at Jolly Jorges (1979 ?)

 

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Awesome pics Baron! I like the Kelsey Martin flames line-up! Thanks for the info on Ron Rippa's old 3 window. I was told Peter Lamb brought it back from Minnesota?

 

Thanks to all of you New England hot rodders who have provided background info... Some of these photos are later but they might bring back a few memories.. & especially thanks to Christy who let me borrow the images to share. He has hundreds of stories he tells of all the characters who hung around his body shop on the North Shore.

 

Great pics! Thanks so much for sharing!

 

this great!! im still digging thru some of my dads old pics. i know theres a few of a 50 ford he did for my brothers godfather billy thomas of hamilton ma. canted linclon headlites, and 59 chevy tailites very cool car. in the pic with the kelsy flame line up, at the end of the row theres a red hot rod. its a 32 studabaker coupe. ironically it was owned by a guy on the very next street over from were i grew up. his name was wayne paris same name as me but spelled differant! wierd huh.. that car got "stolen" from the world of wheels ,and i saw it for sale yeras later as a yellow roadster!!! io will find those pics, and post again later with more info and stories, for now heres a pic of christy bailing my fat, ugly, stupid ass out again after totaling my olds again!!

 

WOW! This is turning into quite a romp back in time. A lot of these cars I remember well;others I'm not sure about.I'm going to try and list the ones I remember by either post number or description.Here goes:

Post#29:
Vito Venuti's T roadster
Ivory 34 sedan may be Christie's before it was orange? Not sure.
Sonny Venuti's black 57 Chevy.I think he still owns it.Saw him last August just before he went in for a knee replacement.
In the group shot the center door T belongs to a guy from Saugus named Jim(can't remember his last name).Had a Ford V6 in it and he bought it in Vancouver BC and drove it cross country to Saugus(MA).I think he still owns it.He used to help put on the cruise night at Augustine's on Rte 1 in Saugus.
Post #36
I think that flamed roadster in front is Art Johnson;s and the one next to it is Steve Daley's from Lynn.I know Kelsey flamed that one and I striped it for him at his house.
Post #37 picture 2:The 37 Ford I think was Frank Manos'car at the time.Walter Jepsons old car. The 33 next to it was built by Walter Brooks of Malden and may have been owned by Mike Stevens at the time.The frame in the foreground is I believe the one that was under Richie Willet's Mystery Wrecker.It was entirely chrome plated and was bolted rather than riveted together so they could get it in the tanks.The Buick engine eventually got double GMC 6-71 blowers.Kelsey ribbon painted it nd I striped it at Dave Yetman's old shop in Beverly around 1974.
Post #39: The truck I believe was John Hychko's shop truck and the Merc next to it may be Sonny Venuti's.The blue roadster(a Plymouth)belonged to Art Russell and I think still survives today painted black.I saw it on a trailer at Lead East in 1992.
The green 32 Cabriolet is Richie Tallant's car from the Boston area Roadsters.Had a gold plated Cadillac engine.
The blue 56 Ford may be Frank Balzano's car but I don't remember it having a continental kit.
The yellow 34 Ford phaeton belonged to Phil Carelton from the B.A.R.
Post #40: The T roadster with bullwinkle for a rear window belonged to the Carroll Brothers from Chelsea(they also owned the Whale;a chopped 56 Ford with a Hilborn injected Lincoln engine that they raced at Sanford ME).I believe that car still exists as well;I know Richie Willet knows where it went.
The various #3 pic shows Ted wingate's red Deuce roadster and Mickey Lauria's(Total Performance)T touring in for a fuel stop.
Post #42:Christie's 34 Ford
71A Harvey Richardson's blue deuce roadster with a blown 468 inch Olds motor.
71B Paul Ducas(sp?) Ford sedan.I striped that at a car show in CT after this pic was taken.
The yellow Ford coupe belongs to a friend of Kelsey Martin and I cannot remember his name.
The chopped and channeled 40 sedan I think bleonged to Brad Barrows.

If I have gotten any of these wrong,blame it on my advanced case of C.R.S. lol

 

looks like New England has quite a Hot Rod History. somebody should be taping or writing down all these old stories before they are lost.

 

Thanks for the history lesson Ray! Thanks for posting Christy's pics RB!

Anyone know the channeled 34?



or this one?




This is George Veracka's 32. Still looks the same. George is still around and his son Scott takes care of the car now.

 

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Thanks again RB and Baron for all the pics !!!! I spied another shot of my coupe with an un-dropped headlight bar, red painted insert and no hood. Cool stuff !!!

 

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To add to what was already posted:
Post #49 flames f is Kelsey Martin's coupe.Striped a bull graphic on the back(long story)and that car wound up in New York.Kelsey did about 3 or 4 of these cars in similar fashion.
The silver 34 roadster belonged to George(Whitey)Gould from Waltham.Had a Buick(I think) V6 and Recaro seats.Striped the car to match the seats.George went to work for Boyd Coddington and sadly passed away awhile back.His most famous car was the T-Bird green T roadster with a nailhead with 6-2's and chrome EVERYWHERE.
show 104 is I believe Jerry Galluccio's C cab truck.
show 107 is Ken Frederick's tangerine Model A coupe with a Latham blown 427 Chevy.He owned and built the Iced T that someone on here uses as an avatar.
show 111 is I believe Dick Royer's 29 Model A sedan delivery.Dick belonged to the Vintage Wheels of Rhode Island and was an Autorama show co-ordinator for many years.
Post#53:
show130aul Protz's 35 Ford sedan next to Steve Daley's roadster.
show 131: rear view of Mickey Lauria's T tub.
show 132:34 Ford cabriolet is Tony Grasso's(I think);the green T in back of him is a guy named Eddie(who was a deaf mute)that belonged to the Boston Area Roadsters;background is Ed Murray's dark blue 34 Ford sedan delivery.
show 133 in back of the black 34 sedan is Skip Readio's multi hued 34 4 door.
Thanks again RB for posting these wonderful old pictures.

 

This has to be Dave Simard's rpu

 

I love this pic of the 3 window in post number 40. does anybody have more info on it??

 

Fantastic pictures, thank you for sharing!

 

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Check out the 3/4 size Ford truck tailights. 3 pairs were made & Christy still has the mold

 

great thread... great pics... thanks for sharing...

 

If this attaches, This is the roadster pick up at present time. New top is now a folding black top, made possible with the help of Steve Benson