Tiki Cars

I was wondering if other members are in to vintage cars from the golden era of Tiki? My car of choice is a slightly customized 65 Buick Riviera.

You've got quite a few around here. Futura Girl drives, of course, a Futura, C.B. Howlie has a 64 Falcon, I got a 64 Fairlane, and I'm sure there's allot more I don't know about in TC.

[ Edited by: suicide_sam on 2003-05-22 11:40 ]

Since he's not tellin, I will. SugarCaddyDaddy's got a 64 Caddy.

My little beach buggy is a 67 VW bug that's all tiki'd out. Don't know if I will be able to keep it now that I've moved to the beach. Just no parking for the extra vehical. Whould be pretty easy to seel over the next few weeks.

Trustar

Does a '64 Cadillac Coupe de Ville count as a car from the golden age of tiki? Laney has a '66 Coupe de Ville.

Does a '68 Impala (family) Wagon count?

How about a 63 Lincoln Continental convertible (the Kennedy car)?...and, yes, it's black, but sorely in need of a paint job..hope that everyone finds the humor in the DK sticker on the bumper!

Linda

Someone had a converible T-Bird at the "Gathering of the Tribes" last summer that was SWEEEET! White with blue stripes and a big tiki on the hood. The license plate was 'Tiki Brd' or something like that. Anybody know whose it was? I'd love to see pix of it!

Well, I drive a south orange county soccer mom suv and a hooptie little truck(late 80's) but by the end of the summer I hope to have my vintage ford tiki truck. I love cars and messing with them. Welding, upholstery and if I have a manual, just about anything else. The ultimate for me and the wifey would be a black and chrome Indian with a Tiki Theme. Chromed bamboo-look handlebars, a tiki on the front fender and also the tank with the speedo in it's mouth and some tapa engraving .And, and, and..... Hey Fred, PATENT PENDING!

I got a Muni pass.

Used to have a 1959, oh, never mind.

Another one rides the bus, hey hey...
midnite

I drive a 1966 Lincoln Continental. Actually, make that I PARK a 1966 Lincoln Continental in my parents driveway, as I am to poor to drive it right now.

I can do you one better than the DK sticker. When my dad was in junior high, he collected campaign memoribilia from the 1960 presidential election. So my Lincoln actually has a Kennedy for President sticker in the back window!

1971 Buick Centurian Convertible.

Mahalo,
Al

I shared a car with my dad in high school. It was a 1980 Oldsmobile Cutlass sedan. It was mostly mine, but he worked in city government and would have to borrow it for meetings sometimes. I put a Misfits sticker on the back, and I used to love seeing it parked at City Hall next to all the police cruisers with that on the back. Eventually, people took notice of it and he had to scrape it off. It wasn't very tiki; in fact, you were much more likely to find a 40 of 8-ball wrapped in a sweater under the spare in the trunk.

-martin

Hey Al,

Was that photo taken in 71'? (born in the usa!)

Last car was a '68 Fury, green, death dashboard with King Crimson "In the Court of the Crimson King" permanently wedged in the 8-track!

If you damn kids don't settle down back there...

[ Edited by: Atomic Cocktail on 2003-05-23 11:40 ]

[ Edited by: Atomic Cocktail on 2003-05-23 12:39 ]

For me it's a '79 Olds delta 88... Looks like crap, runs like a dream... I'm considering a summer project/party to tiki it out... (since it literally can't look worse) I dunno - anybody good at auto paint? Know where I can get a hood-ornament moai?

On 2003-05-22 22:13, Trader_Rick wrote:
I drive a 1966 Lincoln Continental. Actually, make that I PARK a 1966 Lincoln Continental in my parents driveway, as I am to poor to drive it right now.

I can do you one better than the DK sticker. When my dad was in junior high, he collected campaign memoribilia from the 1960 presidential election. So my Lincoln actually has a Kennedy for President sticker in the back window!

Ohhh... have sticker envy..must try to find Kennedy sticker on E-Bay...

I don't know how to drive. I ride a beat up old bicycle!

But I love all your cars. Wish I had one!

I've wanted a late-'60s Dodge Dart (ideally green) for the loooongest time, but I figure such a car would need to also become a hobby. If I had the money for it, the one car I really, really want is a late-'40s yellow Studebaker convertible.

My grandma had an early 60's Fairlane for which I still pine...sigh...not to mention the red '65 MGB my father sold after he promised it to me. Family! Gotta love 'em!!

For now I am happy with my Volvo station wagon. You can fit a moose in one of those things. Or a tiki.

Humuhumu, in Port Townsend a few years back I ran across a guy with an old warehouse/garage who sold automobile antiques. (manuals, parts, memorabilia etc.)

He also had some amazing vintage cars for sale!! and his prices were very reasonable, especially as they looked to be in superb shape. Ohhh, I'm still pining for this late 40's blue convertible--I think it was a Chevy or a Chrysler, auuugh. I have pictures somewhere.

Anyway, is he still there? And/or have you seen that place?

--Lisa

p.s. I'm so with you on that Dart, especially. They are the greatest cars. A friend of mine once told me, "pick a car like you're picking clothing--choose something you'll look good in!" Well, you'd go marvelously with a green Dart. 8)

Next week on VH-1:

"Where are they now?"

Episode Two: Village People, the leather guy.

"...and I'm sure you will find
Many ways to have a good time"

midnite

Humuhumu, I used to have a '64 Dodge Dart GT. It was one of the best cars I've ever owned for a vehicle of that era and type. It had the slant six engine, push-button drive, and since it was the GT model, the bucket seats / with consol & other ammenities (which back in the '60's on a car that cheap were few). If you see one in good shape at a down to earth price...grab it.

Dr. Z, last summer when we had that huge south swell, I saw that T-Bird parked down by the Wedge here on the peninsula. Ever since I saw it, I've dreamed of that car. It was perfect.

For me, I'm still dreamin' of that '59 Coupe Deville. I gotta get a Cadillac. Long white and chopped.

I spotted a Tiki Car Last Night...Well it was just a car with a tiki decal and two nice people wearing hawaiian shirts :P

My 65 riviera is chopped and i'm in the process of having some other body modifications done. After painting I would like to hire a member of TC to paint a Tiki on the trunk. Anyone interested?

Luckydesigns, had a '60 Coupe Deville, same car but smaller fins and sans the 4 bullet tail lights (which used to get ripped off a lot by guys with '64 Impalla lowriders). Great car! a true American "land yacht". This car had 4 lighted ash trays w/ lighters, an automatic high beam dimmer (that thing on the dash that looks like a ray-gun), a foot switch on the floor that you could change the radio with without taking your hands off the wheel. All this and enough HP to move this piece of Detroit metal sculpture to any place on the map with a touch of your right foot.

OK, better late than never. Here's my baby. Here name is Audrey and she's a 1963 Chevy Nova with teal interior. When I bought her 10 years ago, she was practically stock. But the original 194 engine eventually took a dive and I replaced it with a 250. (Sorry, couldn't afford the 350.) Since I drove it everyday on the freeway, I also converted the 2-speed powerglide to a 3-speed and put in power steering. Oh, and I put in an electronic ignition for those cold mornings. Unfortunately, she's been in the shop for some time with a mysterious steering problem. (I wish I could just afford that new rack and pinion front end they make now for Novas.) I miss her everyday. :cry:

Smiling coyly for the camera

Her profile

Hey Vintagegirl,

Very cool Nova!! Smart move with the electronic ignition, I did the same on my riviera. Hope you get her back soon! I'm doing some extra work to mine and plan on having her in the hootenanny car show.

tikivixen/humuhumu...That shop with the old cars and stuff is still open in Port Townsend and the prices are reasonable...So reasonable that a couple weeks ago some chrome covered thing had me thinking I should really own a car. And if you go to PT drink at Sirens.

Any car can be a Tiki car. 3 years ago I had a dazzlingly bland sunbleached beige 1983 Ford Futura (on loan from a friend). I did the inside all Tiki for summer of '00. In the back window sat some plastic mugs and fruit and leis, the Freaky Tiki nodder and a hula girl, with paper Chinese lanterns hanging down. Pineapple air freshener freshening the air. It was like driving in my own private island paradise.

Vintagegirl, I know what you mean I sold my 4 door, 1964 Nova with a straight 6 a few years ago, totally stock, a very sweet little car, plus I looked so cute in it! I loved that car. I still miss it! I basically gave it away for nothing. I'm looking for a old Nova Wagon now...your priorities change with a baby. As boring as my Honda is, it is more reliable. The trade off was worth it.

[ Edited by: DawnTiki on 2003-05-31 00:47 ]

Totally understandable, DawnTiki. I guess you can't really have a toddler sliding around that bench seat. Although that does remind me of when I was a kid (before the seat belt law) and my mom basically throwing out her right arm in front of me if she had to stop suddenly.....like that would've really done any good.

Shipwreck, that '60 sounds super cool. The '59 may be to collectable to find in my price range.

Vintage Girl

Hell, I'm 48 and my Mom still sticks her arm across me in the car. Old habits die hard.

Trustar

Hey, that's MY MOVE! STOP SHORT!

I just saw a two door Mercedes in NB with the plates reading TIKICLB. The license place frame was an ad for the Tiki Room club in Costa Mesa.

Probably the owners of the venerable punk club. I think the Tiki Room has closed recently. Anybody have any info on that? There was a huge tiki on the roof carved by Leroy but you wouldn't notice it if you weren't looking for it.

too lazy to scan a picture of my car so I got this from the interNet. I was lucky enough to have parents who bought a '64 malibu convertible in the 80's for $700. It was parked on the PCH in Malibu and my pops went scurring thru the beach looking fo the owner to see if the $800 price tag was fo real... yeah thats right, he talked him down a $100. On my 16 birthday in '96 I drove that car all thru highschool, and rarely put the top up. I hope to cruise it to some tiki events this summer down south with my tikis fo sale fillin up the back seat. Funny one, trader rick, me too, she's sitting in my parents garage til I sell enough tikis to pay fo new brake cyllinders. Like a dork, I start it up every weekend but I ran out a gas and can't afford any.

Sweet asss ride TT. Some kids are lucky. For a while in HS I had to drive a DARK GREEN NOVA ('70)w/ no radio.

An old post from JohnnieVelour.

We have a '66 Thunderbird convertible.

I have a 62 cadillac coupe

My dream car .. a cherry woodie decorated tiki-style. For now I can only windowshop. I went to the annual "Woodies on the Wharf" recently and drooled.

http://www.oldwoodies.com/gallery-event-wow00.htm

My first car was a 1970 Barracuda Gran Coupe.
It was a rust and bondo bucket, and even after I gave it to the bdoy shop it still was a bondo bucket.
Changed the whole drivetrain from slant six and 904 tranny with wimpy rear end & suspension to hot 340/727/8.75 sure grip rear end and XHD suspension.
Then met an American guy who really made it an awsome machine, with me helping him..then after a year and a half of working on it, I crashed it after 9 days of putting it on the road.
Sent the surviving stuff to my friend (who left back to the states) and he said he bought me a 72 Challenger. If he ain't BS me, that should someday be my car.
In the mean time I sold my 1970 Dart Swinger to another buddy here. It is a rust and bondo bucket just like all the old cars around here.

Some pics of my Barracuda:

when I bought it in 1991

After body work and paint (maybe looks good in the pic, but under the paint there is 1/4" thick bondo)

1997 - Ouch! my whole life savings! Never try to impress a motorcycle rider while on a slick road with narrow tires and more than 350 HP...

Ran

CruzinTiki, we were at the "Woodies on the Wharf" also. Probably walked right by you.

Some day I will own one.

1951 Ford Custom Fordor - it's got electrical problems now and hasn't seen much action in the last year - I gotta find the time to fix her, kinda hard with all the projects around the house.

Getting my '70 ford pick-up this week. Tiki it out after summer.

This would be my Tiki Car - 1957 Buick Roadmaster convertible .

Hello, I haven't had much luck posting to this site, here's attempt #4.
I am the proud builder of "The TikiMobile" . The eyes (and tongues)of the Tikis in front, are the turn signals.(They flash). The car is made of wood, just like a tiki bar. The car is white in color because the car will be dry-erase (right now it is currently white primer). I have heard locals call it "the car that makes you smile". It is more fun than ANY vehicle I have ever owned. I also have a pink and white '56 DeSoto Firedome (Yeah, it's got a hemi), and a mild custom "63 TBird. _Pagogo

On 2003-05-22 09:28, tiki-riviera wrote:
I was wondering if other members are in to vintage cars from the golden era of Tiki? My car of choice is a slightly customized 65 Buick Riviera.

Mine's a '63 Comet Custom convertible 260 V8 (here shown at Caliente Tropics, 2004)

Bought in Hermosa Beach in 2004... driven to Chicago on a Route 66 roadtrip in 2005... shipped to England...

We're driving it to Sweden next week (2,000 miles round trip) for the A-Bombers Old Style Weekend. All that way only to have to park it in the 'out' field as it's post-56!!!

Stopping for tiki drinks overnight in Hamburg and Rotterdam on the way home!

We also have a '50 Buick (did the trip to Sweden in 2005) '52 Chrysler sled, '60 Fury, and European cars: MkII Zodiac, '67 Beetle and 3-will-become-1 Triumph Vitesses. But the Comet's the golden era of tiki!

Found a '58 DeSoto Firedome yesterday ... wondering whether to buy?

The Stevenson Wedding Mug by Cheekytiki, 2006

[ Edited by: 54 house of bamboo 2007-07-26 13:23 ]

.......Well, heres my ride. Its the one I take to my Tiki gigs w/ the Agents oF VooDoo. Its a 1952 Chevy Panel truck & runs great!..............Remy

front [must be a long trip today, hence the water bag]

can you tell Im also a railroad geek???

All packed up for a gig