John's last car, the roadster,...
John's last car, the roadster, appeared on the Mar. '07 cover of Street Rodder. In covering the build of the car, it was amazing how many friends John had, as they all wanted to work on it; and they did, making this car very special to John.
"Boyd had to go Hollywood and expand into a huge facility, because he instinctively knew the way to make money was to duplicate his work and sell it. Yet, one of my favorite projects of the 'big shop' was definitely one of a kind. CadZZilla, the '48 Cadillac designed by Larry Erickson for Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top, was done nearly 20 years ago and still holds up as a strong contender for the greatest custom car of all time. As complex as Larry's design was, only a shop with the capability of Boyd and the crew he assembled would have been able to make a two-dimensional drawing a reality. Together with the Thom Taylor-designed Chezoom, they raised the level from hot rod shop to that of a true coachbuilt facility capable of building any type of car imaginable."
Craftsman and builder Dan Webb on Lil' John
"I had read about John in the late 1960s early 1970s, and his Funny Car chassis were years ahead of most other builders. (He was quick to point out last summer that some of his ideas are still being used today.) He was very proud to be inducted into the NHRA Hall of Fame in 2007, and I told him it was about time! John brought his many years of race-car building to hot rodding. John single-handedly changed hot rodding with his perfection.
JR Robinson was instrumental...
JR Robinson was instrumental in getting the roadster built, and when it broke down (the first time), it was JR who showed up with tools in hand and ready to get after it.
"I met John at the Hot Rod Nationals in June 1983 in Ohio. He had just finished a track roadster; if I remember right, it was a project through Hot Rod magazine. They were having a little problem in the ignition, and John was pissed off! I was with ex-Funny Car racers Al Bergler and the late Poncho Rendon. Al introduced me to John, and we made small talk. Al said to John, 'Dan's having some problems with his Chrysler Westlake Heads,' and John said, 'That's because he didn't really have any.' I said, 'Yes I do, head number 11 and 12.' John said, 'No you don't, now get the f- away from me!' I put my tail between my legs and walked away.
"During a phone conversation a few years ago, I said to John, 'You know, I did have that set of Chrysler Westlake heads that I told you about years ago in Ohio.' John's response was, 'I'm sorry!' I said, 'You don't have to apologize.' He responded, 'I'm not; I'm just sorry you had a pair of Chrysler Westlake heads!'
"In Pomona in 2007, John and five or six others were standing by Ashley's (Dan Webb's daughter) track roadster, and John said, 'I've seen this goddamn thing in my sleep.' Before Pomona, some online message board made a big to-do about which car was better: Lil' John's roadster or Ashley Webb's track car; we were still both shaking our heads over that one. A guy walked up to us, introduced himself, and told John he was his hero. John saw the logo on his shirt that was the same one on that online message board. John gave him a real good ass-chewin'; that was worth the price of admission, airfare, hotel cost, and cost to have two cars shipped to California and back.
"John called me less than a month before he died; he was all fired up about the nicest '32 Ford five-window body in Southern California he had found. He wanted me to find a '32 three-window body to trade for it.
John was known for bringing...
John was known for bringing the billet wheel into hot rodding and OE Detroit. This was the last wheel John made.
"He asked me how the new project was going, and I said it was the best I could do. His reply was, 'F- yes, it is; you've built the goddamn thing 50 times in your head.' I will always remember the last thing he said to me: 'Make your own path. It doesn't matter if anybody but you likes your own sh- anyway!'
"I was happy that I got to make a little piece of art for John, and he called me and asked what it was for. I just told him, 'Because you're the guy who inspired me."
Goodguys Rod & Custom Association founder Gary Meadors on Boyd and Lil' John
"When I start thinking about those guys, I remember how we used to kid around an awful lot. They were both very quick-witted guys with dry humor. They could trade barbs with the best of them. I gave it right back to both of 'em, just as quick as they dished it out. That might be why we always got along so well.