Elden Titus passed yesterday

[RodBurNeR]

If you didn't know , if you knew him then you should know about a great man who passed on yesterday. I am not the kind of person to "carry mail" , but Elden was a HUGE influence on kustomizing real cars as well as model cars. Most importantly a very nice guy and best friend to MANY. I feel it would be an insult to not mention him on here. I have updated my blog which is all i have to say at this time.

RIP

http://rodburner.blogspot.com/

[ricky12]

i didnt know him but im sure he will be missed

[RodBurNeR]

www.titusbrothers.com

i took this photo as well as another guy at KKOA this July. George Barris, Ellis Kendrick and Elden Titus.

me sitting behind wheel

cars he was building, built and had hands in....

me on the left, Elden in the middle, the car is his creation called "Vibrasonic"

"Vampyre"

i took these here in Omaha at the world of wheels

Hosted on Fotki

Hosted on Fotki

Hosted on Fotki

maybe you didn't know his name....you probably DID hear of or see "him" in lots of kustom cars and models over the years though. each time you look at a kustom model, you will see a piece of Elden. if you heard of the Kustom Kemps of America...then you have at least brushed knowledge of Elden Titus. His brother Jerry started the KKOA and it's the BEST rod and kustom show in the world as far as i am concerned! Elden was producing what was becoming one of the best model contests at this show. you didn't get trophies and ribbons...you got $500 for top prize and awards just like the REAL cars got.

I have been told this model contest will live on through Ellis Kendrick and the KC Slammers. the show MUST go on in his Honor.

here are my photos from this July

http://public.fotki.com/drasticplasticsmcc...m-kemps-of-ame/

Edited October 10, 2008 by awbcrazy

[Custom Hearse]

Truly a sad day for custom car lovers everywhere. R.I.P. Jerry.

[Frank Steffens]

A true loss. May he rest in peace.

[agtxr7]

Elden was a great positive influence and a master craftsman, and will be sadly missed. I had been following the build up of the 1:1 VibraSonic Roadster in various publications. What really sparked my response to this thread is the thought I had when I say the last installment on the VSR in the Oct Car Kulture Deluxe, which was "Why don't manufacturers kit up cars like this again?" Kits of the Vibrasonic Roadster, Atomic Punk, and other modern show rods and super customs would provide super cool buildups, a wide/wild variety of parts to bash and build, and especially would inspire a whole new generation the way Roth and Cushenberry and Starbird and others inspired my generation, to include Elden Titus. It would only be fitting if a major manufacturer would kit the VSR for the current market. So how do we get this started, off the forum boards and into the manufacturer's stream of conciousness?

[Peter Lombardo]

Unfortunately, I fear we are going to hear lot more of this in the coming months and years. The “Hot Rod†craze began in earnest in the late forties and early fifties. These guys were in their early twenties then so that makes most of the pioneers of the custom and hot rod boom to be around seventy eight years young. It’s sad, but time marches on. Also, I bet these guys were sucking in all kinds of dangerous toxic fumes building, welding and painting cars back when there was little concern for personal health. That couldn’t help their longevity on this planet.

It is also true of the modeling hobby. The “Golden Era†is considered to have begun around 1960. My first car model experience was a 1959 Mercury Convertible that my older brother gave me for my tenth birthday. The leaders and pioneers of our hobby are all reaching “that†age. We owe it to those guys to keep the hobby, and the custom car/hot rod scenes alive and vibrant. I know I am doing my part.

[RodBurNeR]

Unfortunately, I fear we are going to hear lot more of this in the coming months and years. The "Hot Rod" craze began in earnest in the late forties and early fifties. These guys were in their early twenties then so that makes most of the pioneers of the custom and hot rod boom to be around seventy eight years young. It's sad, but time marches on. Also, I bet these guys were sucking in all kinds of dangerous toxic fumes building, welding and painting cars back when there was little concern for personal health. That couldn't help their longevity on this planet.

It is also true of the modeling hobby. The "Golden Era" is considered to have begun around 1960. My first car model experience was a 1959 Mercury Convertible that my older brother gave me for my tenth birthday. The leaders and pioneers of our hobby are all reaching "that" age. We owe it to those guys to keep the hobby, and the custom car/hot rod scenes alive and vibrant. I know I am doing my part.

True. Bill Hines i think is 83 or 84, Gene Winfield is 82 i think, George Barris is 82 i think. All these guys were at the KKOA this summer and i met them. Elden was the younest at 60. Age has no discrimination that's for sure.