Note: If this quick reply gets too long I'll just title it as an episode. EPISODE 5 - A Quick Story: Finks, Angels, and Vultures One of Pop's sons had a tricycle growing up. One of those cool metal ones in red; the kind that have a tall backbone and neck with a little step on the back. At one point, when the kid started to get too big to pedal the bike, Pop started eyeballing the thing. The pedals were just too close to the handle bars for a big kid. You'd bust your knees just about the time you got old enough to really enjoy it. The designers got it right though.. It had great lines. The bike was cut in half - right in the middle by the seat. Half of the bike was then turned over, 180 degrees, and welded back together. The front end parts were just unbolted and flip-flopped upside down. With the seat tilted down, it took on a whole new look. With the bike welded up, Pop hit the door and hopped in the car to head toward the shop. As he's rolling along, off to the side of the road winks an old police bike (45 Flathead Harley). The cops had just rolled it outside for sale. It still had the lights on it and all. It was a trike... Word got out fast that he was chopping up a bike. A few friends talked and the secret was out; it wasn't long before someone walked into Ed Roth's place and slapped down a photo of it under-construction. Roth gets excited about it and tries to get a hold of Pop, but can't reach him... He knows they aren’t going to be at any shows together before the bike is done, and so the decision is made. He hops in the car to head out to Kansas City. Someone leaves Roth's place with the story, and walks into the local Hell's Angels charter. Hearing the story, an Angel named Grizzly took out after Roth to catch him on his way to Kansas City. Long story short, Ed and Grizzly show up at the front door in Kansas City together. The bike's still only in primer at this point when they roll it outside, but some quick photos are shot that day so they have something to take back home. A long discussion about the potential of bikes follows the rest of the evening, and the rest was history. Roth heads back home to California - and Grizzly doesn't. Grizzly crashes in Kansas City, and soon the bikes start pouring in, other Angels at first, and they just keep coming. Before the bike Roth and Grizzly showed up to see is even done, Pop, Grizzly, and the other guys at the shop are turning out choppers like they're going out of style. The first feature was the T-bucket styled “Wild Child”, but the magazine decided to change the feature title to - “It's a What?” I'm not sure if Big Bike was around yet at that time, but for some reason my mind is telling me that's who shot it. I'll look around for the rag - I'm pretty sure there's a copy around the shop. At this same time, word hit the East Coast. Someone in New York had walked into the Road Vultures MC with the same news. Like Grizzly, the Vultures hit the road bound for Kansas City, and similarly a Vulture named Cuckoo stayed behind - and then even more bikes came, more bikes were built, and more parts were designed. Roth eventually started Choppers Magazine, and sold many of the parts being designed and built – narrowed springers etc.. Wild times. Have a good one everybody. (I stumbled on a few postcards from Roth a couple weeks ago sent during this time. I'll scan one and post it when I get some time.) <script src="http://connect.facebook.net/en_US/all.js#xfbml=1"></script><fb:like-box href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Wild-Childs/130345530376900?ref=ts#%21/pages/Wild-Childs/130345530376900?sk=info" width="292" show_faces="false" stream="false" header="true"></fb:like-box>
This is the only picture I've seen of the trike, besides the shot with Roth in it. Thanks for the history lesson. When (year) did this take place? You should put this up on the Jockey Journal, the HAMB's bike counterpart site
I'm not sure. I'd have to figure out the year. I'll see if I can find some more pictures. Most of my shots of these bikes are on slides. To start figuring, that blue paint-job you see, at the bottom, was a quick re-paint done years later. By that point, it'd been shown and ridden enough that it had been disassembled and needed a new motor. There were other bikes the shop had been using by that point for promotion. In a shock, one of them, Purgatory, was stolen one day at a show by a promoter. There wasn't time to waste; if I remember right, they needed to get something to the next show to buy em' some time while they fought to get the other bike back. The decision was made to put Wild-Child back out; the blue paint was around, and so it was pieced back together with that, and boom - hit the circuit again. The original colors were the best. It was a pagan gold - that's why you see the brass colors on it and gold interior - it all fit together. I'll try to find some pics of that.. Sadly, Purgatory was never recovered, but it sat in the Hall of Fame for quite a few years. Here is a photo of Wild-Child, in blue, posted up by a friend. The date on it says 67 - so that's a point to work from. Also, Roth, in the yard photo, looks to be about 30 - maybe a hair younger? That would sound about right. Wikipedia says he was born in 32. Sadly, for now, when the under-construction shots were taken is anyone's guess before that point.
Growing up in KC and seeing all the custom paint from Wild Childs still sticks in my mind. I had a motorcycle tank painted there and remember David Mann and a few El Forasteros hanging around the shop. I was 15 and it was 1970. Is Ray Farhnar still around?
That's good to hear man. Yeah, Crotch Cannibal (El Forasteros) was a buddy of my Pop - and Tiny; not sure if you remember them. Sadly, Ray checked out a few years back man; really miss him. You don't have any pictures of that tank do you? I'd like to see it. (Oohp Stu beat me to the punch!) Edit: A buddy of ours just saw this post and sent me this. ----> El Forasteros and Dave Mann
I was passing through KC in about '95 on my way to Knoxville. I was a sprint car racer and traveling at the time and I was staying at a girls place in Heart of America trailer park on 40 hiway. Ray lived there also and he would hang around my trailer while I was doing maintainence getting ready for the next race. I would tell him how I used to go to all the car shows and he loved hearing about it. He always had a mason jar full of vodka on ice to keep from being thirsty. I wanted to be one of those El Forasteros so bad, I got goose bumps watching the Jesse James "history of the chopper" (El Forasteros segment) I remember Moose from many of the car shows, which were mostly in the winter. Looking forward to your posts. I'm subscribed.
(Still have some of those jars around the shop as a drinking glasses.) Glad you're here buddy. Don't have television, so I never seen any of that Jesse James stuff, but if he has a show out about Moose he must be alright.
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Grim: There was guy who worked at Wild Childs (maybe part time) by name of Don Seitz. He had a band or played in one (Mystic Number National Bank??) and later on opened a custom shop "Custom Car Creations" (Grandview, Mo.). He was pretty talented with both body and interior work, plus a pretty fair musician. Anybody know what happened to him? Stu
I remember Custom Car Creations. I lived in grandview and rode my bicycle by that shop often. I remember one car in paticular was a corvette roadster('64?) done up with a lot of modifications owned by a local roofer named Kenny Hazen. The front end had a mako shark look to it and it appeared in a lot of car shows. Kenny used to chase a girl that lived down the street from me and I saw the car often in nice weather. I was 13 or 14 at the time and was already car and motorcycle crazy. The guy at custom car creations wasn't real friendly to me and my buddies when we would ride up to his open overhead door. I don't blame him, artists are funny like that. That shop was right next door to Russel Karting Specialties, one of the coolest places in the world at the time. I tried to get this man to paint my motorcycle tank and he told me he didn't have time, that's when I ended up at Wild Child's. I was probably the only 15 year old in the KC area getting a custom paint job in those days. Sorry to ramble on, this thread has sparked some memories.
You sir, have a way with words that I am enjoying as much as the pictures! I am sure there are a group of men, somewhere, raising a glass in your honor!
Degenerate: Wasn't that Corvette a candy or pearl green?? Don also had a corvette 58-59, but I heard it got stolen from the shop. Stu
Yes that car was a green color. Had a lot mods. front and rear. I'm pretty sure Kenny kept that corvette a long time. I remember seeing the older corvette in the back of that shop in primer and the body was off the frame with the fame sitting next to it. Just a couple of miles down blue ridge Jerry Slover had his first auto parts store, he later bought Pete&Jakes. Plenty of custom car and motorcycle history in KC. Did you live in the area Stu?
Grim, Have you ever chatted with "King George" the shirt painter/striper? I hear that he still live's in this area. Feel free to PM me for more info. Chris Oh yea, I look forward to your post's on the history of "Wild Childs".
Sod, Hey thanks a bunch man!.. You know, if I'm thinking of the same guy, I'm pretty sure he hung around Dave Stuckey. Can't picture any of his specific work, or conversation, but I do remember hearing the guy bein' pretty good. You know, I'd hit up Tom Davidson.. Tom did that gig too; I bet they knew each other, and Tom's pretty good about keepin' up with people. Pretty sure that guy was from Lawrence. If you don't know Tom, he's a class act; you'll like him a lot.
To kisam - another class act. Oh and Don Seitz moved back to Maryland. Last we saw him was in the 80s. He rolled up to the shop in a school-bus converted into a motor-home. He hung out for about a week, come to think of it he even worked in the shop that week, and then moved on. Nobody's heard from him since, but he looked to be livin' large at the time. I'll post up pictures of both those Vettes when I get a chance. Don built the older one for himself at the shop when he still worked there; think a few of the guys helped out. Don was stationed here in the Air-Force when he first stopped in the shop. Talent from what I hear - music too.
Grim: Yes Tom Davidson knows Don, but does not know where he might be now. Don originally was from Maryland, but was stationed at Richards-Gebaur AFB. Upon his mustering out, he worked at Wild Child's and then opened his own shop. Don customized his own Corvette and in it's last version, he used flourescent colors. Really fired up in the sun. In fact, he had a "sunburst" design painted on the removable hardtop. The paint faded very bad, very fast. That's part of being a trendsetter I suppose. Don also did the interior on the corvette in gold zodiac. He had his own commercial sewing machine and did a pretty nice job. That's the car which was stolen from his shop in Grandview (no insurance) and I never heard of it being recovered. Keep us informed of your work and best wishes. Thanks. Stu
EPISODE 6: Nineteen Sixty-Three (Part I/II) "Was that little kid pin-striping!!!?" WHOA WHOA WHOA!...... You just passed it! Off to the side of the road, some kid, you swear wasn't older than 9, and an old stocker just gave you a run for your money! Whatever it was - it was covered, from head to toe, in Von Dutch style pin-striping - in progress. You yank the wheel to whip right at the first block you see; once more and the car jerks onto the next block over. Bungalows, terraces, and porches fly by in anticipation of the next cross-street. What the hell just happened?! Nothing can be seen between the houses - too many trees. Turn three and it's over as you hit the stop-sign. It is some kid!.. His name was Tom Davidson, and Pop pulled over to meet him.. Later on, Tom would build a model car that would inspire two Corvettes... It was 1963, and with access to a brand new total it was on. (Part II - continued below) <script src="http://connect.facebook.net/en_US/all.js#xfbml=1"></script><fb:like-box href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Wild-Childs/130345530376900?ref=ts#%21/pages/Wild-Childs/130345530376900?sk=info" width="292" show_faces="false" stream="false" header="true"></fb:like-box>
EPISODE 6: Nineteen Sixty-Three (Part II/II) With the damaged area needing repair, front-end modifications began. Then, as fast as it had all began, it was over. In a freak accident, the car was totaled while under construction by the owner... With a bulk of newly found insurance money, the car would never come back. Tom's mods were too different to just let go.. Farhner made the leap and got his hands on a newly totaled Corvette before the year was over... Ray Farhner's Corvette - Part 1 Ray Farhner's Corvette - Part 2 The Outer Limits became custom car history.. The best part? Tom Davidson ended up owning it. (Until next time friends.) <script src="http://connect.facebook.net/en_US/all.js#xfbml=1"></script><fb:like-box href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Wild-Childs/130345530376900?ref=ts#%21/pages/Wild-Childs/130345530376900?sk=info" width="292" show_faces="false" stream="false" header="true"></fb:like-box>
Grim, Thanks for this RAD thread. Just Bitchin'! I really wanted to see how colorful the trike/Ed Roth photo was, so I restored it ... I love old faded photos, but this looks really cool brightened up. Hope you don't mind me adjusting/retouching your photo. I'm looking forward to the shop opening up again. Thanks, Aaron
Aaron, Thanks for stopping by and reaching out buddy! The labor you put into that restoration is well received; too kind on putting so much time in man... It looks amazing flipping back and forth. To anyone who can't eyeball em' side by side, he's even removed damage and debris from the image. If you've seen the pic earlier in the thread, it's really worth it to zoom in and eyeball it again here. It's a whole new deal. Can't thank you enough for the kind act. Have a good one man.
The Jalopy Journal
