Haven't posted any "progress" shots of the car recently. 

Bill Cushenbery Jr. told me the story of when the KHJ Surfin'Bird was being built, he was 10 years old and in the cub scouts.  He was working on his Pinewood Derby car and his car was actually painted with the same paint as was used on the Surfin'Bird!  Bill shared this image of his recently rediscovered car. 

​My latest KHJ/93  Survey that references the KHJ SurfinBird!

​Colorized this Big Kahuna shot with Sam Riddle and The Real Don Steele. 

Funny how things overlap. I have always had a bent for "faux" bands. Love the Wonders, Ming Tea, etc. One of my favorite Gilligan's Island episodes featured the folk trio The Wellingtons.

The Wellingtons also sang the first season theme song for the show (". . . and the rest" version). The Wellingtons trio + the addition of Les Brown Jr. on drums, portrayed the 60s Rock and Roll group, The Mosquitoes. I was Jonesing on this yesterday listening to "Don't Bug Me" and stumbled onto the script for this episode. Having watched it as a kid maybe 50 times, I never realized the reference to BOSS Radio or Sam Riddle.

Episode #48 "Don't Bug the Mosquitoes" September 29, 1967
Gilligan is seen lying in the top hammock with the
radio which is playing loud rock and roll music. The
skipper is in the lower sleeping but is visibly
agitated at the noise. Gilligan on the other hand is
flailing his arms around to the music. He stops only
when the song he's listening to ends.

RADIO
"TODAY CATS AND KITTENS ON THE SAM RIDDLE
SHOW, ON BOSS RADIO, WE'RE FEATURING THE
MUSIC OF AMERICA'S NUMBER ONE ROCK AND ROLL
GROUP, THE MOSQUITOES!"

​Sam would have also been a part of the radio spots for the KHJ SurfinBird roughly a year before this! Sam is holding the mic interviewing the Big Kahuna with The Real Don Steele in the photo below.

A dear friend of mine was able to locate an original business card for Bill Cushenbery from his Burbank location. This is the shop where the Surfin'Bird was built.  The card was well loved, but I was able to scan and restore it.  Above photo is the original and the lower card is my reproduction.

Had issues with the AC / dehumidifier in the garage.  Temps were in the 90s with humidity in the 80s. 
Here is a photo of a fender I had stripped the paint from after about a week of being INDOORS! 

Current temp is now a comfortable 79 with humidity in the low 50s. 

Here is a KHJ Rules! Sticker sheet handout that I have collected, which I believe is from the same time period as the Surfin'Bird. These were cutout sheets that you would moisten and stick on stuff.  I have been wondering what to put in the inserts for the Tri-Bar wheel centers.  Maybe these would work!

 Spent some time tonight on the door area where the handle was blanked out and it was heat warped and extremely low.  Getting closer but still have a bit to go.  (Spitznagel was the early brand name of the tool that is a stud welder gun that you use to pull dents without drilling holes.)

Here are a few of the 93 KHJ Boss Radio Surveys relating to the Surfin'Bird and the Summer of the Big Kahuna I have collected so far. Still missing a few! 

Decided rather than fill this large void with lead (or body filler like it was), I decide it was better to fill this area with metal.

Original Cushenbery top is long gone.  From the radio spots, Bill described extending the top flowing back to to the "stingray" rear. Started to play with design that matches the only known image of the finished car, Bill's description in the radio spot, and what seems reasonable given the timeframe for completion. 

Also think a rear facing middle scoop that was a separator for the roof mounted surfboards, would be in line with the period. The McNulty Shark top as a very similar scoop.