The Ralphy Morales Photo Collection

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A photo of Ralphy with his old album. Ralphy did all the assistant work on the Wild Bird, and his deal with Gil was that he could take the car to his High School graduation in trade for the labor. Ralphy was instrumental when it came to researching the history of the Wild Bird during the restoration, helping Bjørn Inge puzzling all the pieces back together. After completing the restoration of the Wild Bird, Bjørn Inge stopped by Ralphy on his ambitious cross-country trip, to show him the newly restored car, and to have a chat with the legend. Photo by Raymond Mosken.
A construction photo of Al Ayala with Henry Dominguez's 1951 Mercury. The quarter panels on the car have been modified to house 1954 Packard taillight lenses. The photo was taken circa 1954 - 1955, and Ralphy came in right after it left the shop. Gil Ayala's 1951 GMC truck is parked behind the Merc in the photo. Photo courtesy of Ralphy Morales.
A front end shot of Henry Dominguez's 1951 Mercury. When this photo was taken, the hood had been shaved, the headlights frenched, and it had been dressed up with a 1954 Pontiac waterfall grille. Photo courtesy of Ralphy Morales.
Work in progress. Another photo of Henry Dominguez's 1951 Mercury. Photo courtesy of Ralphy Morales.
Henry Dominguez's 1951 Mercury in primer. In January of 2021 Danny Cuellar told Kustomrama that he and his dad were coming to California from Texas in 1959 when he saw this Merc parked in Indio. They were stopping to eat when Danny spotted it. It was green in color. Danny was 19 years old, and he walked around it many times. He was driving his 1951 Mercury. It belonged to his dad, but Danny had already started customizing it. Photo courtesy of Ralphy Morales.
An early construction photo of Gil Ayala's Wild Bird, showing it with the original hood scoop. Photo courtesy of Ralphy Morales.
A buddy of Ralphy Morales with Gil Ayala's 1955 Ford Thunderbird at his Huntington Park High School graduation in June of 1956. Ralphy did all the assistant work on Gil's Wild Bird, and the deal between Gil and Ralphy was that Ralphy could take the custom to his High School graduation. Photo courtesy of Ralphy Morales.
A photo of Gil Ayala with the Wild Bird taken during the rebuild. Photo courtesy of Ralphy Morales.
An in-progress 1959 Buick custom photographed outside Gil's shop during the rebuild of the Wild Bird. Photo courtesy of Ralphy Morales.

Ralphy Morales worked with Gil and Al Ayala at Gil's Auto Body Works. He worked at the shop in 1956 when Gil restyled his 1955 Ford Thunderbird. Ralphy's deal with Gil was that he could take the custom to his High School graduation. A promise that he kept.


In 2016 Ralphy told Kustomrama that Al was the main one that did the bodywork on the Wild Bird. Gil painted it, and Ralphy did all the assistant work on the body.




 

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