Danny Cuellar

In 1959, when Danny and his dad were coming to California from Texas they saw this Ayala restyled 1951 Mercury 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 from The Ralphy Morales Photo Collection.

Danny Cuellar's 1956 Chevrolet at a KKOA Hangin' Dice Nationals show in Fort Smith, Arkansas. Photo from the Rick Ruth Photo Collection.

A rear end shot of Danny's Chevrolet. The car is running Califonria license plates and a East LA Auto Butchers plaque. Photo from the Rick Ruth Photo Collection.

Gil Ayala's 1955 Ford Thunderbird of East Los Angeles, California. Known as the Wild Bird, the car was restyled by Gil and Al Ayala at Gil's Auto Body Works. The first version was completed in 1956. Around 2011 Danny bought the remains of the old custom and saved it from being parted out.

The Wild Bird as it sat when Dan bought it. This photo was published in The Rodder's Journal 40. Photo courtesy of the Rodder's Jornal.

A photo of Danny taken at Johnie's Broiler in Downey in October of 2016. Photo by Sondre Kvipt - Kustomrama.

Danny's pikup and daily driver. Photo by Sondre Kvipt - Kustomrama.

Photo by Sondre Kvipt - Kustomrama.

Danny and Bjørn Inge Jansson with the restored version of the Wild Bird at the 2017 Lonestar Round Up in Austin. Danny drove from Southern California to catch the first public appearance of the restored version of the car. Photo courtesy of Auto Butchers of East Los Angeles.

Danny Cuellar of San Antonio, Texas. Danny began customizing cars in the 1950s, while he was living in San Antonio. At the time he worked at Crown Custom Shop. Later on he moved to California.

Danny Cuellar's Cars

Gil Ayala's 1955 Ford Thunderbird - The Wild Bird