"Lee's '41 Buick Special is neither a "by the book" lowrider nor a 50's custom. It is a combination of the best features of both words."
Showing posts with label Heros. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Heros. Show all posts
On Monday, December 26, 2011
Walt's impact on customs and lowriders has been felt for over 30 years. His style was all his own. The lines he laid, the scrolls he put down, his flames, his famous roses, the crazy full paintjobs he churned out...they are and will forever be legendary.
When I was a kid I heard Walt's name often. He striped many cars for my family in the late 60's. We lived only a few miles from his shop and my uncle had known him for years. In 1970, my uncle took his 65 Impala to Walt to get the quarter windows striped. Walt did it in just a few minutes. "Blues Image" adorned the window and my uncle Bob thanked Walt as he left his shop to hit the boulevard.
A couple years and alot of work later, my uncle's 65 was almost show-ready. My Grandpa finished the paint and it was time for the finishing touch....some striping by Walt. He was still local and was really making a name for himself. Walt was the go-to guy and always had a busy schedule. But my uncle wouldn't go to anyone else. With a new paint scheme the car needed a new name. "Plum Crazy". Walt did it in two colors in his signature lettering style. He outlined a bunch of panels with thick lines. And he did some pretty large scrolls on the side of the car. Again, my uncle was very satisfied and proud of the work Walt did on the car. It was the signature late 60's/early 70's Walt Prey style that he was known for.
1972.
Around the same time(late 60's) Walt did similar work on a 67 Impala that we've come to know and love. It was owned by a man I'm proud to call my friend, Howard Gribble. If you're familiar with this blog and with the Los Boulevardos messageboard, you've most likely seen this Impala before. Walt worked his magic on Howard's car and Howard had the great foresight to document it with quality photography.
Here's a young Walt Prey posing in front of Howard's 67 Impala.
Cars like Howard's 67 and my uncle Bob's 65 were the boulevard customs from an era that gave birth to the full-on lowriders that we know today. They were the missing link between 50's customs and 70's lowriders. Before lowriders were called lowriders. Walt's style was all over them. He was doing straight lines, scrollwork, dagger style designs, lettering, you name it. He played a huge part in the evolution of this style.
The natural progression was toward more crazy styles and techniques. Again, Walt Prey was at the forefront and his work was well on it's way to legendary status. Two words..."Gypsy Rose". This car(both versions) will forever be one of, if not the, most famous lowriders in history. And it was because of Walt Prey.
Hand painted roses, outlines, veiling, cobwebbing, fades....Walt did it all.
He was definitely a master of style.
It's safe to say that modern day lowrider style and custom paint in general would not be what it is today without the vision, talent, and work ethic of Walt Prey. Los Boulevardos Car Club thanks him from the bottom of our hearts. And our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends. 
On Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Ron Aguirre passed away on Thursday May 26, 2011. I didn't know him personally. Many of my friends did. I wish I could say more about who he was as a person, but I respectfully leave that to those who knew him well. To Ron's family and close friends he was much more than the owner/builder of one of the coolest custom cars in history. But for the sake of homage and in keeping with what we do on this site, I'd like to thank him for the impact he left on the custom car and lowrider world. His legacy is one that began in the 50's and will not soon be forgotten. There's always fodder for debate in the car world. Was Ron's X-Sonic the first on hydraulics? Was it the second? Who else was doing it at that time? Who did it even before him? It goes on and on. And honestly, it doesn't really matter much. Pat Ganahl said it beautifully in Rodder's Journal #50. "First car with Hydraulics? First bubbletop? How about the best custom Corvette ever."
Pat, we agree.
Thank you Ron Aguirre. Your legacy lives on.
On Friday, April 29, 2011
It's been said many times on this blog and on our board...Winfield's fades can't be touched. He's a hero and an inspiration. This shot was taken yesterday by our buddy Adam up in British Columbia. He spent 10 hours with Gene while he layed down these beautiful fades on the C.U.T.(Customs for Urban Teens) Youth Program 65 Impala. You can read more about this build and about this great program here: http://www.losboulevardosmessageboard.com/showthread.php?335-C.U.T.-Program-%28Customs-for-Urban-Teens%29-65-Impala-10-30-09. Adam hasn't updated his build thread in a while. But we're hoping he adds some new pics and new details of this project very soon. Stay tuned. For now, let's just sit back and admire this spy photo.
On Friday, January 21, 2011
We heard through the grapevine that Jesse Valadez hasn't been doing so good these last few weeks. He has been battling cancer and has been in and out of the hospital. The doctors cannot treat him unless he gets stronger. On behalf of myself and Los Boulevardos Car Club, I'd like to take this opportunity to send our thoughts and prayers to Jesse Sr, Jesse Jr, the entire Valadez Family, and Imperials Car Club. Hang in there Patron. You have a lot of support from all over the world in the lowriding community. We wish you the best.
Photo courtesy of John Jarasa, Heavy Hitters Magazine
On Tuesday, January 18, 2011
I've been wanting to do a post revisiting one of our favorite Impalas of all time....Allen Duke's 64. We posted it here a couple years ago when we stumbled across our friend Howard Gribble's collection. The red/silver scheme is an instant classic, with white interior, sitting on Supremes. But the previous incarnations stand on their own as well. To put it simply, Allen Duke had class. Whether the car was sitting in the driveway in simple 2 tone blue enamel, hitting the boulevard in lavender lace panels, or behind the velvet ropes in red and silver with cobwebbing, it made a statement that still resonates today. For me, it embodies the essence of what Los Boulevardos strives to achieve with our cars. Class and Style. I can't think of many builds that had more than Allen Duke's 64. Many thanks and respect to the Duke of Wilmington himself. And thank the car gods for Howard Gribble as well. He's responsible for blowing our minds yet again with this rare video footage and previously unreleased photos of the Allen Duke 64 cruising the streets in its various stages from 1968 to 1969. Forget everything you think you know about lowriding. This is what its all about.
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