How's this for a custom lineup? From the left, you've got Darryl Starbird and his custom '41 Lincoln; Mark Moriarity with his spot-on replica of Roth's Outlaw; the one and only George Barris; Fritz Schenck and his orange homage to bubble-top show cars; and Elden Titus with the Voodoo Spider, his modern spin on a '60s show rod.
The KKOA's signature trophy is the 777 Award, which comes with $1,000 in cash. This year's recipient was John Babcock's stunning '40 Mercury from the Chicago area. Designed by Harry Bradley and crafted by Donn Lowe, the Merc blends classic Westergard- and Valley Custom-influenced styling with modern craftsmanship and underpinnings.
You're not likely to find a more authentic-looking traditional mild custom than Ron and Gail Lawson's '53 Mercury, which came all the way from Owego, NY. Subtle mods include frenched lights, a painted lower bumper, dechromed hood and trunk, '55 Pontiac side trim, custom taillight lenses, and pale yellow and green two-tone paint. Even the 303 Olds V-8 and Ford overdrive tranny are pure old school.
Silver 'Sled Spectacular The Kustom Kemps Of America Returns To Kansas For its 25th Annual Nationals
Sometimes it's good to get back to your roots. A quarter century ago, Jerry and DeVona Titus launched the Kustom Kemps of America from their home in Wichita, Kansas, providing a much-needed kick-start for the revival of the custom car movement. The organization's first "nationals," dubbed the Leadsled Street Custom Spectacular, was held right there in Wichita in 1981. As it grew, the annual custom extravaganza went on the road, landing in alternating locales in Iowa, Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, and Michigan with varying degrees of success. Lancaster, Ohio, was the show's home for the last few years.
As the Spectacular's silver anniversary approached in 2005, however, Jerry knew a change was needed. Not surprisingly, his instincts led him right back to where it all began: Kansas. Just down the road a spell from Wichita is the town of Salina, a burg that's location at the intersection of Interstates 35 and 70 makes it the nation's unofficial crossroads. Thomas Park, at the edge of town near I-70, had the space, shade trees, and laidback atmosphere Jerry was looking for to hold this quarter-century shindig, so the dates were set for July 29-31.
Just as any good anniversary party should, the Silver 'Sled Spectacular brought together many old friends and a smattering of new acquaintances to reminisce about the old days and ponder the years to come. While the KKOA has long been open to all manner of custom vehicles--traditional, high-tech, and even late-models--most regular members tend to belong to the old guard that holds wide whitewall tires, tuck 'n' roll upholstery, and rappin' glasspacks in high regard. This was reflected in the array of vehicles filling Thomas Park, and it made the event feel that much more like a trip back in time.
Perhaps most refreshing, though, was the realization that the "street custom" concept has not been lost on these guys through the years. Much like the early KKOA events, we saw very few trailers scattered around the event grounds and nearby hotel parking lots. These real-world customs were built to be driven, and most cruised to the show under their own power. That's not something you can say about a lot of big summer events.
On a personal note, this was more than just another event on last summer's calendar. The Leadsled Spectacular was an annual destination for my father and I during the 1980s and early '90s; it indoctrinated me in the madness that is customized '50s and '60s iron. This was my first time to a Spectacular in more than a decade, and it felt good to be back among the many familiar faces and cars from the Midwest. My father came along, too, making the trip that much more complete.
The Leadsled Spectacular may be smaller than it once was, but it is still uniquely focused on promoting uniquely American custom cars. Word has it the show will return to Salina next year. Maybe you should think about wandering over to the nation's crossroads and checking it out for yourself.
KKOA rep Rocky Burris makes a bold point with paint on his otherwise mild '64 Riv. Leopard-print upholstery inserts give the interior similar impact. But the neatest touch may be the subtle '54 Merc taillights frenched in the quarter-panels.
The Cordova family from Colorado Springs knows it doesn't take much to make a '60 Caddy look cool. A shaved body, bright green paint, white scallops and threads, '57 Cad caps, and a slinky stance has theirs lookin' slick.
Dig out your July 2000 issue of Custom Rodder for details on Greg Davis' '50 Buick, because there's not enough room here to list all the mods. We can say that the sectioned (3 inches), chopped, and re-topped (with a '68 Impala roof) custom still looks great.
This radical '51 Merc was King of the Mercs at the second Merc/Deuce reunion in 1984, shortly after Kansas customizer Dave Stuckey built it. Current owner Carson Chatwell revived it a few years ago and added an LT1/700-R4 drivetrain and Boyd Coddington wheels. He says it'll be getting wide whitewalls this winter.
Olds fastbacks don't get much cooler than Doug Reed's scalloped green gem. Doug's car was one of a handful that drove to the first Spectacular in '81 and to the 25th this year, not to mention attending a whole bunch of 'em in between.
You don't see many traditional custom Tri-Five Chevys these days. Too bad. Dan Cuellar's '56 looks sharp with its '56 Lincoln front bumper, altered side trim, and '60 Chrysler taillights. The gold custom cruised all the way from Norwalk, CA.
Speaking of Tri-Fives, Phil Farmer blended custom elements (2-inch chopped top, scallops, etc.) with hot rod features (Tri-power 283, 16-inch Halibrands, and a nose-down stance) to make his '57 Chevy a custom rod.
Gary Meyers' '59 El Camino wore purple suede when it was featured in Custom Rodder in July 2001. Now it shows off its distinctive '60s-style show custom charm with glossy paint and gold scallops.
Elden and Jerry Titus built this '55 Buick in the early '80s, and owner George Bright brought it all the way from Washington for this year's Spectacular. The paint was showing some age, but the bodywork--a 3-inch section job, covered quad lights, rolled front pan, slanted B-pillars, and full-custom rear treatment--still looks great.
Jim Allen's '52 Buick Special is the scarce sport coupe model. Premier Body & Paint in Arkansas City, KS, gave it the mild custom touch with '55 Olds headlights, modified '62 Olds taillights, the requisite dechroming, and dark green suede; a top chop and shiny paint are slated for the future. A hot 454 keeps the whitewalls turnin' and burnin'.
Ron Brown's '57 Ford Fairlane 500 retractable has lots of interesting little tricks, including peaked headlight eyebrows with a matching hood scoop, a custom aluminum grille, shrouded lakes pipes, a continental kit, and custom flat taillight lenses adorned with three '59 Cadillac bullets each.
The KKOA Kustom Shop was open all weekend, allowing spectators and participants to witness Bill Hines and other legendary lead-slingers chop a Chevy top.
You can always count on Kurt and Amy McCormick bringing an historical custom to the Spectacular. This year it was the Buddy Alcorn '50 Merc, originally chopped by the Ayala Brothers and later customized by the Barris Brothers. We featured it back in May 2001.
Ford never made an Edsel Ranchero, but Harrah, OK's Floyd and Becki Dutton did. Their subtle custom phantom fooled more than a few onlookers.
With its in-the-weeds stance, 18-inch Coddington wheels, green suede finish, and sextet of bullet taillights matched by an equal number of exhaust tips, Ryan James' '63 Riviera is off to a great start.
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