Featured Stories
From Kustomrama
Larry Watson (1939 - 2010)
Earlier today we lost another great custom hero. After struggling with brain cancer for a while, Larry Watson left us all July 20, 2010. Inspired by Von Dutch, Larry began striping in his parents backyard at age 16. It didn't take long before he opened up his first shop Watson's House of Style in north Long Beach, California. Being the most influential custom car painter ever, Larry's legacy will live on forever amongst enthusiasts all over the world!
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Larry Ernst's 1952 Ford Convertible
In 1951, after buying a brand new 1951 Chevrolet Bel Air reverend Larry Ernst of Toledo, Ohio packed his bags and drove the car to California in order to have Barris Kustoms restyle it. Around 1953 Larry bought himself another car, a 1952 Ford Convertible. After buying the car, Larry packed his bags again, and went on another custom journey. This time the trip went to Detroit, Michigan and the Clarkaiser Custom Shop.
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1955 Chevrolet Biscayne
Even though the 1955 Chevrolet Biscayne Concept Car was officially condemned in 1958, styling treatments from the car can be found on GM cars well into the 1960s. As luck had it Harry Warholak, Sr. of Warhoops Junkyard saved the Biscayne by scattering pieces of it all over his junkyard. In 1989, custom and concept car collector Joe Borts bought the remains of the Biscayne. Restoring the car has been a long journey, but July 24, 2010 the restored version of the car will make its debut at the Concours d’Elegance of America at Meadow Brook
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Ken Leake's 1959 Chevrolet
A couple of weeks ago we featured Jim Cirovello's 1959 Chevrolet Impala on Kustomrama. Jim's Impala was basically restyled by Dick Jackson and his steady paint gun. Ken Leake, another Long Beach area citizen, also choose Dick Jackson of Advanced Custom Paints to restyle his Impala. Ken's Impala received a similar paint job consisting of violet and white scallops over a silver pearl base under violet. I wonder who if Ken was influenced by Jim, or if it was the other way around?
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Frank Poli's 1950 Ford
This mildly restyled 1950 Ford Shoebox was restyled by Modesto Century Toppers president Gene Winfield at Winfield's Custom Shop for Frank Poli. Up front it looks like Gene has made a custom grille bar for Frank, but the item is taken from a 1951 Ford Meteor. A similar grillebar can also be found on Bill Hines' 1950 Ford known as The Bat. Frank seldom drove the car in fear of damaging the car in the fender-bashing traffic, but luckily the car received a couple of magazines features.
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Jim Truscott's 1956 Ford Victoria
When Jim Truscott of Shawnee, Oklahoma wanted to restyle his 1956 Ford Victoria he wanted the very best for his car, so he packed his bags and drove the car all the way west to Compton, California were he had George Cerny of Cerny's Custom Shop restyle his beloved car. Once George had done what Jim commissioned him to do, he hit the road to Southgate to have Baron, Roth and Kelly apply some eloborate gold and Candy-apple scallops.
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Larry Ernst's 1951 Chevrolet Bel Air - The Bel Air Royal
Even though Jesus built Ministry's Hot Rod, reverend Larry Ernst of Toledo, Ohio decided to let the Barris Brothers restyle his 1951 Chevrolet Bel Air Hardtop in 1951. Beeing a roman catholic priest, owning a custom car was not easy in the 1950s. As the story goes, Ernst was asked to park his car around the block from the Catholic Charities Mission where he worked so it would not offend members of the congregation or make it seem like he lived a better life than he should.
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Benny Furtado's 1948 Ford
After opening up his own shop behind his mothers chicken house, Gene Winfield did a lot of custom work for friends and family. One of the first "strangers" to have Windy's Custom Shop restylle his car was dairyman Benny Furtado. Benny, who came from a nearby town had acquired his 1948 Ford brand new off the showroom floor. After driving it around for about a year, he decided to have Gene Winfield improve the cars appearance in 1949.
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Sam Gates' 1947 Ford Club Coupe
In 1948, Sam Gates of Pasadena, California decided he wanted a custom car more than anything else. He looked around, seeking the best shop that could make his dream come true. After a while he decided that his car could only become the car of his dreams if he did the work himself. Not having any experience, he attended metal work classes to learn the trade. After two years of learning Sam landed a job at Link's Custom Shop, where he worked at the car after work.
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The Ohanesian / Reichert 1934 Ford Coupe
This bad ass 1934 Ford 3-Window Coupe was originally owned and raced by Sacramento Thunderbolts member Harold "Buddy" Ohanesian. In 1952 the flywheel blew on the car on a Drag Strip. The driver, a guy who occasionally ran it for "Bud" was badly injured in the accident, so "Bud" donated the car with no engine to an auction were the money went to the wounded driver. This is were Orvel Reichert enters the story.
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Jim Cirovello's 1959 Chevrolet
Dick "Peep" Jackson began hanging around Barris Kustoms at age 14. After a while he became a broom boy in the shop sweeping floors, from there he advanced into becoming a mighty fine painter. After learning the trade from some of the best men in the industry, Dick started his own body shop and custom car studio called Dick's Custom Shop. One of the first cars he restyled in his own shop was Jim Cirovello's 1959 Chevrolet Impala.
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Gary New's 1949 Chevrolet Coupe - The Batmobile
What's your favorite Batmobile? Mine is a 1949 Chevrolet Coupe restyled by Walkers Body Shop for Road Barons member Gary New of Bakersfield, California. The car was built about a half decade earlier then the more famous Batmobile by Barris Kustoms. Once the bodywork was done, Gary's Batmobile was scalloped and pinstriped by "The Crazy Painter" Ed "Big Daddy" Roth. France's Top Shop upholstered the car with amatching Bat insignia in the back seat.
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Ken Sowers' 1956 Plymouth
1956 Plymouth restyled by Bill Babb of Wirth Body Shop for Ken Sowers. The profile of Ken's 1956 Plymouth appeared almost stock, giving no hint to the extensive frontal modifications on the car. The front was modified to accept a 1958 Buick grille. 1958 Edsel inner grille rings were used as headlight housings, and large airscoops were cut into the front fenders. The hood was louvered and shaved.
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Robert Rader's 1934 Ford Convertible - The Rader Sport Custom
Robert Rader of Emmanus, Pennsylvania learned his sheet metal fabrication skills while working at the nearby Mack Truck Company. In 1948 he used his skills to turn his 1934 Ford Convertible into a Sport Custom known as the "Rader Sport Custom". Robert kept the car almost unchanged until he died in 1974. After he passed away, the widow kept the car unchanged for another 20 years. In 1994, Terry Bean who had admired the car since he was a little kid was able to buy the car from the widow.
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Donald J. Hyland's 1939 Ford Coupe
February 23, 1955 Donald J. Hyland of Springfield, Massachusetts debuted his newly restyled 1939 Ford Coupe at the fifth annual Hartford Autorama. Donald bought the car brand new, and drove it around for a while before he decided to have it customized. The coupe was then chopped, channeled, and dechromed. The fenders were molded, and fit with fender skirts in the rear. The stock bumpers were replaced by ripple-style bumpers. Donald kept the chassis stock, but swapped the stock engine for an 125 hp Mercury V8
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Ron Guidry's 1936 Ford 5-Window Coupe
December 6th, 1957 Long Beach Renegades member Ron Guidry drove his 1936 Ford 5 Window Coupe over to the Barris Kustoms Shop. He had just been invited to display his car at the Oakland Roadster Show, and wanted Dean Jeffries to give it a new paint job for the show. The next night the shop caught fire and Ron's Ford was lost among 13 other cars, fellow Renegades member Ed Cousins bought the remains of the car for $150.
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Alfred A. Berton's 1932 Ford Cabriolet
In 1955 Alfred A. Berton displayed his neat 1932 FordCabriolet at the fifth annual Hartford Autorama in Connecticut. The car featured many unusual parts such as Kinmont Disc Brakes and a Carson Top by Glen Houser of Carson Top Shop. I'm really curious about the top, was Alfred's roadster originally built in California, or did Alfred drive it to Los Angeles in order to have Glen make him one of his legendary padded tops?
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Clarence Schaaf's 1937 Cord Special
When Clarence Schaaf of Erlton, New Jersey wanted to build himself a Sport Custom he started his build with a 1937 Cord chassis. The chassis was fit with a 200hp Lycoming V8 engine, and a hand built body. After the contours of the body were made, Clarence fit his car with a set of 1950 Studebaker front-fenders, and a set of 1950 Buick rear fenders. The build took 14 months of spare time, and $3,700 USD to complete. But once completed the build was valued at $7,000 USD.
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Roger Cunningham's 1950 Ford Convertible
When Roger Cunningham of Portland, Oregon wanted to have a different, cool, and comfortable custom car, he turned to Bob Mead of Forest Grove, Oregon. Roger had owned several other customs before, and decided wisely what car to purchase as his next project. After considering several different makes and models, the decision fell upon a 1950 Ford Convertible. After completing the build, the car was featured on the cover of Rod & Custom November 1956
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Sig Monson's 1949 Dodge
When I first saw Sig Monson's 1949 Dodge in Trend Book 105 Restyle Your Car an old suspicion I had was confirmed. 1949 and 1950 Dodge's and Plymouths have huge custom potential! A 1949 Dodge more-door will cost you about one tenth of a 1949 Mercury, so I really hope Sig's Dodge will inspire someone out there to do the same as he did 58 years ago. The result could be a low-budget custom that really stands out next to many big-budget cars.
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Ronny Green's 1941 Ford
When Ronny Green bought his 1941 Ford, it had already been chopped and fit with a padded top. Most of the chrome had been removed, and the doors had been push-button operated. When he got the car it was in a bad shape, so Ronny had Studio Custom Auto Body Shop in Burbank, California fix it up again. Once completed, this version of the car was featured in the first issue of Custom Cars Magazine.
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Robert Johnson's 1951 Oldsmobile 98
When members of the Renegades Car Club in Long Beach wanted to have their cars restyled, they often had Larry Watson apply one of his famous paint jobs. When members of the Satan's Angels Car Club wanted to restyle their cars, they would often turn their cars over to Joe Bailon of Bailon's Custom Shop. When Satan's Angels member Robert Johnson bought his fifth custom car, Joe Bailon was hired to make it stand out from the crowd.
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1957 Townsend Typhoon MK2
The Townsend Typhoon was the brainchild of Frank Townsend of Tucson, Arizona. The car started as a wood model in the early 1950s while Frank was still in high school. By 1957 Frank was busy building his third full scale Townsend Typhoon called the 1957 Townsend Typhoon MK2. This car was found in a field on a ranch in Arizona in 1999, and has since then been restored to its 1957 version by T2V Racing and Restoration.
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James L. Price's 1950 Oldsmobile
A year, or two before Valley Custom Shop sectioned Jack Stewart's 1950 Oldsmobile the Polynesian, Spohn Coachworks sectioned James L. Price's 1950 Oldsmobile. We have featured a lot of Spohn creations heavily influenced by the 1951 GM LeSabre Concept Car here on Kustomrama, so I thought it was about time to show a Spohn creation not influenced by Harley Earl's masterpiece.
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Bob Alexander's 1948 Plymouth
WhenEsquires member Bob Alexander of Glendale, California wanted to have his 1948 Plymouth restyled, he handed the car over to the guys at Studio Auto Body also of Glendale. Studio Auto Body converted the business coupe into a club coupe by installing rear seats. They also restyled the coupe by remodeling the grille shell, and by installing a shortened 1949 Mercury grille.
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Ralph Stefano's 1955 Lincoln Capri
After Ralph Stefano was drafted from the navy, he wanted a nice car to cruise the streets of Pueblo with. He got hold of a 1955 Lincoln that he wanted to have restyled. The young bodymen Bill Dickey and Otto Krueger of G&D Body and Paint were chosen for the job. After the bodywork was done, Jack's Upholstery in Trinidad reupholstered the interior.
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Tony Ferreira's 1954 Mercury
It is important to support local businesses. So when Tony Ferreira of San Diego, California wanted to restyle his 1954 Mercury he handed the car over to a local shop called House of Custom. After House of Custom had done their work, Tony's car was featured on the cover of Custom Cars September 1957 where they reffered to it as the "Modernized Mercury".
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Bob Clark's 1946 Cadillac Sedanette
This 1946 Cadillac Sedanette was restyled by Valley Custom Shop for their part-time employee Bob Clark. The car was mildly kustomized by removing much of the chrome, and by lowering it 2 inches. After Valley Custom had painted the car in a two tone Mandarin Red and Black, Bob drove it to his hometown Denver, were he had a 1952 Cadillac overhead engine installed.
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Phil Schmidt's 1952 Mercury
Wonder if Phil Schmidt's 1952 Mercury was inspired by the Barris Kustoms built Nobby Miyakawa's 1952 Mercury? Or if it was the other way around? Anyway, the two cars has many similarities. While Phil was in the Navy, he did not want spend his weekly paychecks into a lot of excess baggage, neither would he save it. Instead he had Styler's Custom Shop of San Diego customize his car. Phil helped out a lot during his hours of liberty as well.
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Bill Faris' 1932 Ford Roadster
Bill Faris' 1932 Ford was restyled by Neil Emory and Clayton Jensen of Valley Custom. The hopped up roadster clocked 132 mph at the 1951 SCTA Lakes Meet, and was chosen to be the ultimate Roadster Hot Rod by Hop Up Magazine in 1952.
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Richard Lee Tiago's 1957 Ford Ranchero
Since my brother has left for the Lonestar Roundup, I guess it's up to me to keep Kustomrama alive in the meantime. I've chose to featuren this sleek Ranchero since I have a weak spot for Rancheros. It was bought brand new by Richard Lee Tiago in 1957, however it did not last long before he ended up in a traffic accident, damaging the top pretty bad. While Ward's Body Shop was fixing it up, Richard decided he wanted to have it customized as well.
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Arthur Cooper's Comet
It's tuesday, and it's time for another 1951 GM LeSabre inspired creation. I have added so many 1951 GM LeSabre inspired creations by Spohn Coachworks these last weeks that I start to wonder if Harley Earl was inspired by the bodybuilder of Ravensburg, Germany?
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Tom Piantkoski's 1948 Mercury
On his way from New Jersey to Los Angeles in the early 1950s, Tom Piantkoski was involved in a traffic accident in Zanesville, Ohio, and totaled his customized 1941 Mercury. Still eager about coming to Los Angeles, he continued his trip by bus. In Los Angeles Tom bought an uncompleted 1948 Mercury custom that he drove back to New Jersey and completed.
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Larry Shinoda's 1932 Ford 3 Window Coupe - The Chopstick Special
Larry Shinoda is an automotive legend, responsible for designing the second generation Corvette and the BOSS 302 Mustang. In the beginning of his career, Larry was an active Californian hot rodder building and racing his Chopstick Specials cars. Larry built this 1932 Ford 3-Window Coupe in 1953 while working for Phil Weiand.
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Robert Mooselli's 1948 Mercury
Robert Mooselli's 1948 Mercury was built by Spohn Coachworks in Ravensburg, Germany in 1952. The complete chassis on the car was bought new from Ford Motor Company in Belgium for a cost of $1,100. The body was built entirely at Spohn for an additional cost of $6,000, and is heavily inspired by the 1951 GM LeSabre Concept Car.
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Ed Webster's 1951 Buick Convertible
1955 Plymouth taillights were popular custom taillights in the mid and late 1950s. When Ed Webster of Aurora, Illinois restyled his 1951 Buick Convertible, he decided to rework the fenders of his car to accept a pair of inverted and frenched in 1955 Plymouth taillights.
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Phil Hernandez' 1951 Mercury
1951 Mercury four-door restyled by Toigo's Auto Body & Paint Shop of San Diego, California for Phil Hernandez. The deck lid, hood and doors were shaved for chrome. Push buttons were used to operate the doors and deck lid. The headlights were shaded in order to simulate 1955 Chevrolet units.
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Arvi Hänninen's 1949 Checker
Built between 1953 and 1956, this 1949 Checker Coupe is probably the first custom car of Finland. Arvi Hänninen owned a bus body builder company called "Suonenjoen Autoasennus", and had the employees restyle his Checker when they didn't have anything else to do. The car is still around, and is currently being restored back to its first version.
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Tom Pollard's 1929 Ford Roadster
Known as "Dragnets Big Rod", Tom Pollard's 1929 Ford Model A Roadster was originally built by Kazar "Cozy" Simonian in the late 1940s. Once completed Cozy had spent all his paychecks building the car, and had to sell it on order to get some money. Tom bought it, and made it famous as the Hot Rod from NBC's Dragnet even though it never appeared in any episodes of Dragnet.
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The Donz Lancer
The last few weeks I have featured some custom cars influenced by the 1951 GM LeSabre Concept Car. Some are built as lookalikes, while others are inspired by certain design elements on the Harley Earl creation. This weeks featured car was built by Donz Custom Shop in Orlando, Florida and has a rear end treatment very similar to the 1951 GM LeSabre.
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Carl Cerny's 1949 Chevrolet
This clean 1949 Chevrolet custom was Carl Cerny's personal ride. Carl ran Cerny's Custom Shop together with his brother George. The boys turned out some really nice customs during the 1940s and the 1950s. George received a lot of ink with his chopped 1950 Plymouth Suburban, but I haven't been able to find out much on his brother Carl.
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Ralph W. Angel's 1950 Chevrolet
As many other American soldiers serving occupation duty in Germany, Ralph W. Angel had Spohn Coachworks build him a 1951 GM LeSabre influenced custom creation. After his time in Germany, Ralph brought the car with him back to the USA. Back home the car attracted so much attention that Ralph decided to sell it.
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GAZ GL-1
With roots going back to 1933 Ford V-8's, I think it is safe to call the GAZ GL-1 a Russian Hot Rod. The car is a factory race car that was built by the Russian auto manufacturer GAZ in 1938. The original car is lost forever, but a recreation of the 1940 version of the car was recently debuted at the Moscow Museum. The cold war is over, so I hope the guys who built it will bring it over for this years Bonneville Speed Week. (Would this be kool or what? RtR)
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Bill Moore's 1957 Ford Ranchero
This nifty Ranchero was owned by Long Beach Renegades member Bill Moore of Garden Grove, California. According to Custom Cars October 1959, Bill's Ranchero was one of the first 1957 Fords that were fit with 1958 Edsel taillights. The modification looks really good and if I owned a 1957 Ranchero, I would have made an eBay auto search for a pair of those taillights as soon as I got the car home.
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Dick White's 1941 Ford Convertible
It's been a while since we have featured any Canadian built cars here on Kustomrama. Many nice hot rods and kustoms were also built north of the American border in the 1950s, and Dick's 1941 Ford is one of those. Before the build was completed, Dick sold his car to Don Sherwin, another Canadian kustomizer who completed the build.
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Glenn Stauffer's 1949 Chevrolet
Last week we featured Nickolas M. Staranick's 1947 Buick 1951 GM LeSabre lookalike built by Spohn Coachworks in Germany. This week we have added another 1951 GM LeSabre inspired creation to Kustomrama. Glenn Stauffer's 1949 Chevrolet is not a lookalike, but it's rear end treatment is very inspired by Harley Earl's creation.
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Gary Heliker's 1926 Ford Model T Roadster
1926 Ford Model T Roadster owned and built by painter and bodyman Gary Heliker of Lawndale, California. The trunk on Gary's car was welded shut and fit with taillights from an Oldsmobile F-85 station wagon. The front fenders on the car was made from old Ford wheel covers, and the grille shell was a cut down 1932 Ford grille shell.
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Bob Metz' 1950 Buick
In 1983 Brett Johnson bought a restyled 1950 Buick that was advertised locally in Old Cars Weekly. Not aware of its past, Brett began to modify the car after his own likings. in 2009 somebody recognized his Buick and suggested that it could be an old Bob Metz creation. The lead turned out to be true and after some investigation it turned out that Brett's Buick was actually Bob Metz' first custom attempt.
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Nickolas M. Staranick's 1947 Buick
In the 1930s Spohn Coachworks gained fame with their Bugatti, Mercedes-Benz, and Maybach creations. During the World War II the once prominent name was forgotten. In the 1950s American soldiers on occupation duty in Germany rediscovered the talented coachbuilder and had him build them unique custom cars. The result was another era of Spohn, and many of the cars he built were based on the design of the 1951 GM LeSabre Concept Car.
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Ted Leventhal's 1950 Chevrolet Convertible
According to George Barris Ted Leventhal's 1950 Chevrolet Convertible was the first car painted in what became known as Candy Apple Paint. Mel Pinoli of Pinoli's Body and Paint Shop in San Leandro, California laid the paint. While Joe Bailon might have been the first to apply Candy Apple red, George claims that Pinoli's Body and Paint Shop laid the first candy job.
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Carl Burnett's 1927 Ford Model T Roadster
In the 1940s this roadster was owned by San Diego Prowlers member Chuck Gibson (known as "Hoot", after the name of an American rodeo champion and a pioneer cowboy film actor, director and producer) who raced it at the dry lakes. Fellow club member Carl Burnett bought the roadster from Chuck in the early 1950s and built the car into a show winning roadster. The car is till a Prowlers club car, and is currently owned by their latest member John LaBarre, who is the fourth Prowlers member owning the historic roadster.
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Del Mar McCutcheon's 1955 Buick - The Kandy Kane
Kustom by paint! At first sight The Kandy Kane looks like a wildly restyled Buick. But when you give it a second look you realize that the most radical modifications on the car is the shaved hood and deck lid, and the row of bullets that has been added to the grille of the car. Thanks to Larry Watson and his Watson's House of Style kustom by paint became very reasonable in the mid and late 1950s for teenagers of California.
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Gene Winfield's 1935 Ford Shop Truck
January 29, 2010 Hatfield Restorations debuted their newly restored Gene Winfield Shop Truck at the 61st Grand National Roadster Show in Pomona, California. Gene completed the first version of the truck in 1961. He sold the car to a guy in Oregon in 1965. In 2008, after being lost from the public eyes for many years, the car was found in the weed behind a barn in Oregon.
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Paul Schiefer's 1925 Ford Class C Modified Roadster
July 18, 1948 Paul's C-Class Roadster was clocked at 148.02 mph at a SCTA meet. That was the best run for the car in 1948. In 1949 after seeing the record speeds Don Waiste's 1927 Ford Model T roadster accomplished, Paul decided to change the body on his roadster to a more streamlined 1927 Ford Model T roadster body. The swap was successful and later the same year the car stopped the clocks at 156.74 mph.
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Spencer Murray's 1949 Chevrolet
Before Spencer Murray had Lynn Wineland and more than 2500 Rod & Custom Magazine readers design the Rod & Custom Magazine’s Dream Truck, Spence cruised the streets of Glendale, California with a Link Paola restyled 1949 Chevrolet. In 1952 Spence's Chevrolet attended the National Roadster Show in Oakland where it took 2nd place behind Joe Bailon's 1941 Chevrolet Coupe, Miss Elegance.
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Geoffrey Hacker's Bill Burke Bellytank Re-Creation
When Bill Burke raced his P-51 Belly Tank at El Mirage and Harper Dry Lake in 1946 he was the first person ever to race a Belly Tank in the "Streamliner" class. When Geoffrey Hacker's recreation of Bill Burkes Belly Tank appears at the 2010 Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance it will be the first Belly Tank to appear at a world class concours event.
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Frank Castro's 1949 Pontiac
Frank Castro's 1949 Pontiac was featured in Car Craft July 1957, 9 months prior to the featured story on Bob Lewis' 1949 Chevrolet Fleetline in Custom Cars April 1958. Maybe Bob saw Frank's car and decided to have a similar one built using a Chevrolet? When looking at the cars in black and white they sure look very similar.
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Lynn Yakel's 1932 Ford 5 Window Coupe
When Lynn Yakel built his 1932 Ford 5 Window Coupe he wanted a car that he could use both on the streets and on the salt flats. Both versions of the car look really good and I can't decide if I like the street rod better than the speed chaser. Lynn saw the Coupe for the last time in the 1960s. The car has been unseen for many years, but rumor has it that it still is around somewhere.
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Bob Lewis' 1949 Chevrolet Fleetline
Bob Lewis' 1949 Chevrolet Fleetline is a great example of a tastefully done late 1950s era custom car. The car was slammed to the ground, lowered at least 8 inches front and back and modernized with a 1955 Chevrolet grille, 1952 Ford headlights, 1955 Buick side trim and 1955 Oldsmobile rear wheel openings. After the cat was painted, local Pinstriper Charles Bodge decorated it inside and out.
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Dick Del Curto's 1950 Ford
When Joe Bailon of Bailon Custom Shop was chosen to upgrade and modernize Dick Del Curto's 1950 Ford he mated it with fins from a 1957 Studebaker Hawk, a 1955 Oldsmobile center bar, parts from a 1956 Mercury bumper, 1953 Ford headlight rims, 1956 Dodge taillights and 1957 DeSoto side trim. The result was a very mild custom compared to other Bailon creations.
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Ron Dunn's 1950 Ford
Around 1951/1952 Ron Dunn drove his 1950 Ford to Neil Emory and Clayton Jensen of Valley Custom Shop. Ron wanted a radical yet practical custom car and had figured out that Neil and Emory were the right men for this job. The restyled coupe was first shown at the 1952 Los Angeles Autorama where it won First Place in its class.
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Wayne Rogers' 1952 Ford Sunliner
After driving his 1952 Ford for a couple of years, Wayne Rogers wanted to trade his Sunliner for a brand new 1954 Ford. Not willing to trade his old car and pay $1,500 extra, Wayne took his Sunliner to the Valley Custom Shop and asked if they could make it look even newer and more modern than a 1954 model.
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Richard Axcell's 1955 Ford Pickup
If you are into pickup trucks you should check out Car Craft June 1958 as the magazine is a "Special Pick-Up Issue". One of the trucks used to convince you into buying that certain issue was Richard Axcell's 1955 Ford Pickup. Richard's truck was featured in full color on the cover of the magazine. Earl's Custom Shop restyled the truck, but I wonder who painted it!
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Dick Carter's 1941 Ford
After seeing Var Martin's 1941 Buick Dick had a vision of a dream car and fantasized about building it. In 1948 Dick and Jesse Lopez bought a 1941 Ford each that they drove over to Barris Kustoms for a restyling. After about a year in the works Dick and Jesse could hit the streets of Bell with their new rides. Dick's Ford was less radical, so it was finished first.
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Norman Timbs' Buick Special
Norman Timbs' Buick Special is a homemade streamlined sport custom designed and built by Norman Timbs. Being built over a span of 3 years, Norman's custom was supposed to be a prototype for a limited series of cars reflecting advanced concepts in performance and aesthetics. The car is newly restored by Custom Auto of Loveland, California, and is planned to make its debut at the 2010 Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance in Florida in March.
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Creighton Helms' 1936 Ford Roadster
Creighton Helms commissioned Donn Lowe to build him a neat custom car that could have cruised the streets of Chicago when he was young. Maybe Donn misunderstood Creighton, cause the Roadster doesn't say Chicago at all to me, for me this car screams Sacramento! January 22, 2010 Creighton's Roadster will be offered for sale at the Automobiles of Arizona auction in Phoenix.
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Jack Stewart's 1950 Oldsmobile - The Polynesian
In 1952, Jack Stewart of Canton, Ohio came to Neil Emory and Clayton Jensen of Valley Custom Shop in Burbank with a sketch of a sectioned 1950 Oldsmobile he had created. Jack had designed his dream car, and wanted Valley Custom to help him fulfill his dream. The rest is history, and 9 months later Jack could return to Ohio with a genuine "California custom car".
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Buck Gallegos' 1953 Mercury
When this 1953 Mercury was featured in Trend Book 143 Restyle Your Car from 1957 it had been restyled by Barris Kustoms for Buck Gallegos of Pasadena, California. Two years later the Mercury was featured in Rod & Custom May 1959. By then the car had been sold and further restyled. This version of the car was owned by Dennis Wilcox, also from Pasadena.
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Rudy Rodriguez' 1935 Ford Truck
It seems like everyone either loves or hates Rudy`s "Bobber Truck". When the truck was sold at the Icons of Speed & Style auction in 2009 the car sold for more money than many significant hot rods and kustom cars being sold at the same auction. What do you think about it? I'm a huge fan of Rudy Rodriguez and the cars he restyles at Fullerton Fabrication and this truck is no exception.
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Fred Boss Artwork
Have you seen our new logo? It's placed at the top-left corner of this site. The logo was designed by the talented Norwegian artist Fred Lammers. Fred is an illustrator heavily influenced by cars, surf and the 1960s american pop culture. After contributing to the Friday Art Show on the HAMB, Fred has received worldwide recognition, and his art is constantly popping up all over the world.
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John Cassaubon's 1950 Ford
1950 Ford Club Coupe restyled by Clarkaiser Custom Shop for Pharaohs member John Cassaubon of Toledo, Ohio. John's Ford gained national recognition when it was featured in Hot Rod Magazine August 1958. The car is still around, and was restored by Harold Workman also of Toledo, Ohio. Harold did some modifications to the top when he restored the car, making it flow better.
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Mick Tully's 1954 Chevrolet Bel Air - The Golden Galleon
The first version of the Golden Galleon was featured in Custom Cars November 1958. Back then the car was owned by Mick Tully from Gardena California. The car is still around, and is curently owned by Norm Gonzales of Lompoc, California. The car has been changed a lot since its debut in 1958, and rumor has it that Barris Kustoms may have been responsible for some of the changes.
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Larry Watson's 1950 Chevrolet - The Grapevine
The first car Larry Watson pinstriped was his own 1950 Chevrolet. The year was 1955. He had watched Von Dutch and Dean Jeffries as they were laying modern stripes, and decided to try this cool paint technique himself. Larry's stripes became an instant hit, and from that day on his parents driveway would be filled with youngsters urging for some modern striping. A star had been born.
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John Taylor's 1956 Oldsmobile
John Taylor's 1956 Oldsmobile was last weeks featured photo in the Kustomrama Photo Archive. I had no idea who owned it, all I knew was that he was a member of the Roamans Car Club of DeWitt, Iowa. Justin Kudolla came to the rescue again, and thanks to him John's classy Oldsmobile can be added to the Kustomrama Wiki.
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Wayne Ludmas' 1954 Chevrolet
During his teens Wayne Ludmas spent much of his time building and racing jalopies. After purchasing a late model car, he found a new meaning with life, and switched to customizing instead. Wayne's 1954 Chevrolet is a great example of a mid fifties low budget custom built to cruise the streets. Wayne was 18 years old when his Chevy was featured in Car Craft June 1957.
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Otto Rhodes' 1953 Ford F-100 - The Mountain Pearl
After spending four years building his dream truck, Otto Rhodes' 1953 Ford F-100 was the first full colored vehicle to be featured in Hot Rod Magazine. Not long after completing the build Otto was drafted, and spent the next 18 months in Germany. When he returned to Pueblo, Colorado he felt that he had to redo his truck in order to make it stand out at shows. In 2009, more then 30 years later the second version of The Mountain Pearl made its debut.
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Terry Browning's 1958 Ford Ranchero - The Ruby Ranch
Terry Browning did everything himself on his 1958 Ford Ranchero, everything from bodywork, to paint and pinstriping. The car gained national recognition after being featured on the cover of Custom Rodder January 1960. October the following year Terry's Ranchero, also known as the Ruby Ranch was once again featured on the cover of Custom Craft October 1961.
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Harold Ohanesian's 1940 Mercury
After returning from the service in 1945 Harold "Buddy" Ohanesian bought himself a 1940 Mercury. He drove it over to Harry Westergard and had him chop the top so he could put a padded Hall Top on it. Harry also cut the decklid down, extended the hood and fit the car with a reshaped 1946 Chevrolet grille. Dick Bertolucci was later hired to further restyle the car and fit it with a removable steel top.
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Louie Bettancourt's 1949 Mercury
Have you seen this Merc lately? This is the last known photo of one of the most important Mercs in kustom history. Originally restyled by the Ayala Brothers, Louie's Merc could have been the first chopped 1949 Mercury to hit the streets. After going through a couple of modifications by Barris Kustoms, the Merc ended up behind Dean Jeffries shop, where it was stolen around 1970.
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Andy Southard's 1958 Chevrolet Impala
Andy Southard was the Larry Watson of the East Coast. Based out of Oceanside, New York, he scalloped, flamed and pinstriped several East Coast Hot Rods and Custom Cars. After finishing his 1958 Chevrolet Impala, Andy took the car on a vacation to California. During his stay in California several minor modifications were done to the car.
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Norman Wesp's 1955 Oldsmobile
A couple of months ago I bought a Polaroid photo album filled with old photos of custom cars and hot rods taken at an outdoor show held somewhere in Iowa in 1956. Each week I post a new photo in the Kustomrama Photo Archive. After posting Norm's Olds in my weekly Kustomrama Newsletter yesterday asking for help to recognize the car, Justin Kudolla came to the rescue and could tell me the previous owner of the car.
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Wes Collins' 1934 Ford Roadster
This 1934 Ford Roadster was once owned by Wes Collins. Wes was a good friend and crew member for Vic Edelbrock. Vic was also married to Wes' sister Katherine. I haven't been able to find out much about this car, but according to information that was posted by Rik Hoving on the HAMB Wes' Roadster was sold to Al Marx. When Al owned the car it was painted white.
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Frank and Charles Gilardone's 1953 Ford Victoria
Around 1953-1954 Frank and Charles Gilardone had Ron Clark and Bob Kaiser of Clarkaiser Custom Shop in Detroit, Michigan restyle their 1953 Ford Victoria. Once completed the car was selected to be exhibited at Ford's own rod and kustom show at the Rotunda auditorium in Dearborn, Michigan. The car is still around and was last spotted for sale a couple of years ago. By then the car had been painted black.
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Lee Plastic Company
Have you ever seen a 1959 Ford with Indian eagle inspired taillights? If yes, chances are that the taillights were handmade and sold by Lee Plastic Company of Detroit, Michigan. There were many companies producing and selling custom made taillight lenses in the 1950s and 1960s, but the most known company had to be Lee Plastic Company. The company is long gone, but there is plenty of companies making reproductions of their most popular taillight lenses today.
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Ralph Testa's 1950 Mercury
Restyled by Barris Kustoms in the early fifties, Ralph Testa's old 1950 Mercury is luckily still with us. Restored back to its former beauty by kustom car enthusiast Bill Worden, the car was an important car amongst all of the historic Mercs being exhibited at the 2009 Sacramento Autorama. When Barris modified the car back in its day they fit it with horizontally mounted 1949 Buick taillights, a pretty unusual treatment that I haven't seen on any other 1949 - 51 Mercurys.
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Kennie Anderson's 1933 Ford 3 Window Coupe
Is it period correct to put a small block Chevy in your rod? Hell yes, if you're going for a look newer than 1955 of course. It has been a trend lately to not like small block Chevys. People think it is boring, that it is only suitable for dorks running pastel colored street rods. With this in mind I thought it was about time to feature a really bitchin' small block powered 1933 Ford 3 Window Coupe today. Dating back to 1960, you can't say anything bad about this mean beauty?
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Bill Wolfe’s 1951 Mercury
Studying at day and working at night it took 2 years for Bill Wolfe to earn enough money to complete the restyling of his 1951 Mercury. Gene Winfield was commissioned to do the job. The car is long gone and was last seen in a wrecking yard. When Bill wanted his old car back he once again turned to legendary car builder Gene Winfield. Gene recreated the original car using one of his fiberglass Mercury kits. This time Bill had more money to spend, so the second car was also chopped.
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Gil Ayala's 1951 GMC Truck
In 1953 Gil Ayala debuted his recently restyled parts hauler. The car was a rolling advertising board for Gil's shop Gil's Auto Body Works and gave him national free advertising through a couple of features in Hop Up Magazine and Rod & Custom Magazine. Shortly after the car was featured in Rod & Custom Magazine Gil sold the truck to Bruce Geisler of Huntington Beach. Bruce reinstalled the stock grille and painted the car light pink.
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Thor Sanden's 1929 Ford Model A V8 Roadster
Last week we featured Clayton Paddison's 1926 Ford Model T Roadster on Kustomrama. Today we are featuring Clayton's grandpa, Thor Sanden's cool late 40s early/50s built 1929 Ford Model A V8 Roadster. Thor bought this roadster from a buddy after attending the 1951 GM Motorama Show at the Pan Pacific. The car is long gone today, but Clayton is currently working on a recreation of this neat roadster.
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Skip Batchelor's 1958 Chevrolet Impala
In 1959 Ray Farhner built a radical show rod known as The Eclipse in order to advertise his business Farhner Custom Shop. It seems like Ray's advertising worked on Skip Batchelor who had Ray restyle his 1958 Impala. In the summer of 1960 Skip could debut his brand new creation and as a result of the good craftsmanship and design Skip won an award at the first show in which he entered the car.
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Don Coulter's 1955 Oldsmobile
Looking through Custom Cars April 1958 I found a Barris Kustoms creation I couldn't remember seeing before, so I thought it was about time to add it to the list of Barris Kustoms here on Kustomrama. While writing the article I remembered that I had seen that front end before in the photo collection of the GT350LADY where it was parked right next to Sam Barris' 1952 Ford Convertible.
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Clayton Paddison's 1926 Ford Model T Roadster
If there was a "Kustomrama Hot Rod of the Year" Award, this years grand prize winner would have been Clayton Paddison's 1926 Ford Model T Roadster. After only 23 years on this planet Clayton has built a period perfect 1930s/1940s gow job that looks like it has escaped the pages of Throttle Magazine. Way to go Clayton! We look forward to your next project that you are currently collecting parts for.
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Dan Landon's 1949 Chevrolet Club Coupe
When Barris Kustom Automobiles began the restyling on Dan Landon's 1949 Chevrolet Club Coupe they tried to follow the guidelines of the owner as well as they could. Dan wanted the roof as low as possible, but George and Sam wanted to leave as much window space as possible. In order to please both parties they ended up sectioning the roof and to cut the windshield opening further into the top.
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Jerry Halak's 1958 Ford
Yesterday I featured a mildly kustomized 1957 Ford that was restyled by legendary builder Gene Winfield. Today I'll follow up with a mildly kustomized 1958 Ford restyled by its owner Jerry Halak of Toledo, Ohio. Jerry kept the body mostly stock, but removed most of the chrome trim on the car including the door handles. Doors and trunk were electrically operated. The side trim was stock.
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Jack Smario's 1957 Ford
When Jack Smario wanted to restyle his 1957 Ford and make it stand out from the rest of the 1957 Fords around Pittsburg he went to Gene Winfield's Custom Shop in Modesto, California. Gene did his magic on the car, fit it with a bunch of chromed bullets and painted it in black lacquer with gold dusting. I have never seen the car in color, but I bet it was a real headturner.
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Revelle Harrison's 1940 Ford Coupe
Last week we featured Ed Jacques slammed 1941 Ford that was featured in Hop Up May 1953. This week we'll follow up with a 1940 Ford that was featured in Hop Up April 1953, one month earlier. Revelle's Coupe is also slammed down in the dirt and as last time the writer had a hard time figuring out how it was possible to drive around in such a radically lowered car. Revelle's coupe was his daily driver back in 1953, I wonder if he still drives it?
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Junichi Shimodaira's 1927 Ford Model T Roadster Pickup - La Cucuaracha
Most people in the western part of the world haven't heard about Junichi Shimodaira. Many have seen his most famous creation the RODriguez Show Rod, that is now currently located in California, but what many don't know is that Junichi is one of the pioneers behind the traditional rod and kustom movement in Japan. Heavily influenced by the Mexican lowrider culture of Southern California Junichi opened up his own shop Paradise Road in 1987.
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Ed Jacques' 1941 Ford
In the early 1950s Ed Jacques' 1941 Ford Club Coupe was one of the lowest cars around. It was radical for its time and the writer that wrote a featured story on the car for Hop Up May 1953 couldn't find any reason whatsoever to lower a car this much. I guess Neil Emory and Clayton Jensen of Valley Custom Shop, who built the car for Ed had their doubts too. But Ed wanted a slammed car and that's what he got.
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Frank Monteleon's 1941 Ford
Around 1949/1950 Frank Monteleon asked Barris Kustoms if they could modernize his 1941 Ford. This was exactly how the Barris Brothers made their income, so in 1950 they started to restyle Frank's old Ford. Seven years and four 1950 Oldsmobile fenders later Frank was the proud owner of a show-winning soon to be on the cover of thousands Rod & Custom Magazines kustom car.
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Wayne Kleb's 1927 Ford Roadster - Satan's Chariot
In the early 1960s Wayne Kleb of Spring, Texas built an award winning Show Rod that still looks good today. Last seen by the original builder in the 1980s, Wayne and his son Kyle are currently looking for this car. If you know where it is today contact Kyle at: kylekleb@prodigy.net.
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Anthony Abato's 1954 Oldsmobile Convertible - The Comet
It's about time to feature an East-Coast Kustom here on Kustomrama and that's exactly what Anthony Abato's 1954 Oldsmobile Convertible is. Anthony bought the car brand new in 1954 and restyled the car over and over again until it was unfortunately lost in a house-fire in the 1960s.
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Johnnie Luna's 1951 Oldsmobile Holiday 88 Coupe
Johnnie Luna bought his 1951 Oldsmobile Holiday 88 Coupe brand new. In 1956 it was featured as one of the top ten best customs of 1956 by Trend Book 122 Custom Cars 1956 Annual; by then the car had been restyled twice by Cerny's Body Shop in Compton, California.
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Paul Lehrbass' 1952 Pontiac Catalina
When Paul Lehrbass' wanted to have his 1952 Pontiac Catalina restyled he handed it over to George Cerny of Cerny's Body Shop in Compton, California. After George had done his magic it was time for legendary pinstriper Von Dutch to finish off the car.
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Chuck DeWitt's 1950 Ford Convertible
Chuck DeWitt's 1950 Ford Convertible was voted as chosen as one of the ten best customs of the year in 1954 by Trend Book 109 Custom Cars 1954 Annual. At the time Chuck (or Charles which was his birth name) was a geology student at the University of Southern California.
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From Mild to Wild - The Evolution of the Telstar MX7
What started out as a mildly kustomized daily driver in 2007 evolved suddenly into a tribute to Bob Metz and Barris Kustoms, before it ended up as a homage to Harley Earl and his futuristic concept cars. The transformations on Jim Laga's 1950 Ford has been well documented on the HAMB for a couple of years. Kustomrama has merged the threads so far and created the full Telstar MX7 Story
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The Kustomrama Story
The first version of Kustomrama was launched by Sondre Kvipt in 2005. Since then a lot has happened to the site and what was originally launched as an online magazine dedicated to traditional hot rods, kustoms, rockabilly and its related kulture has evolved in to a traditional rod and kustom wikipedia containig 2,242 pages.
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The Srabian Brother's 1954 Ford F-100 Pickup - The Wild Kat
When Barris Kustoms debuted the Wild Kat in 1956 they beat Detroit with quad headlight styling by 2 years. Unfortunately the car lived a short life in the show circuit, as the car was totally destroyed in the Barris Kustoms shop fire December 7th, 1957.
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Rod Robinson's 1959 Chevrolet
1959 Chevrolet restyled by Bertolucci's Body and Paint Shop for Rod Robinson. After restyling and building custom cars in his shop since 1948, Dick Bertolucci decided to switch his energies to conventional body, fender and collision work instead of custom work in the late 1950s.
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Al Andril's 1940 Mercury
In 1947 Barris Kustoms restyled 2 almost identical 1940 Mercuries for Al Andril and Johnny Zaro. Sam Barris (who was responsible for the top) chop started out by chopping the top on Al's car. When Al's car was chopped and primered, Sam continued his magic on Johnny's car.
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Teddy Zgrzemski's 1954 Ford
In recent years Bill Hines has become a major legend in the world of traditional kustom cars. Everyone knows his name but few know his cars. This 1954 Ford was restyled by Bill Hines for his nephew Teddy Zgrzemski in the late fifties or early sixties. The car is a typical wild Bill Hines kustom kreation.
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Ed Cousins' 1932 Ford Pickup
Ed Cousins was a member of the legendary Long Beach Renegades Car Cllub in the late 50s. During the 1958 show season the Renegades participated at 28 shows, winning 162 trophies. In 1958 Ed Cousins' 1932 Ford Pickup was entered at the National Roadster Show in Oakland sharing the class with the better know Ala Kart.
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Charles DeLacy's 1951 Studebaker Starlight Coupe
1951 Studebaker Starlight Coupe restyled by Charles DeLacy of Los Angeles, California. Charles customized his Studebaker in his spare time, working by night at an aircraft plant, going to college by day and working at a body shop during his "idle" hours. The build took 15 months to complete.
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Ken Vertrees' 1951 Chevrolet
In November 1951 Ken Vetrees bought himself a 1951 Chevrolet Convertible. After sketching how he wanted the car to looke, he drove it over to Bill's Body Shop for the restyling. The car got a low racy effect by lowering the car: 5 inches in the rear and 3 inches in the front. The grille opening was reworked and a 1951 Plymouth grille set in to replace the stock item.
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Nobby Miyakawa's 1952 Mercury
In 1955 when Car Craft Magazine decided to please its readers with a step-by-step feature on how to build a custom they decided to cooperate with Barris Kustoms and Nobby Miyakawa. Nobby owned a 1952 Mercury Monterey that the guys at Car Craft felt would be the perfect canvas for a mild kustom project.
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Ray Farhner's 1932 Ford Roadster Pickup - The Eclipse
In 1959 Ray Farhner had Doug Thompson design him a car. Ray wanted a car that would help him advertise his custom shop in Independence, Missouri. Ray's pickup is still around and will be offered for sale without a reserve at the Icons of Speed & Style auction that will be held in Los Angeles September 26th.
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Butler Rugard's 1940 Mercury
In 1940 Kustom Car enthusiast Butler Rugard brought a brand new 1940 Mercury over to a Sacramento based body and fender man known as Harry Westergard. Over the next few years Butler kept bringing the car back to Harry for further modifiactions. The car is still around today and September 26th, 2009 the car can be yours if you have the dough.
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Bill Cushenbery's 1940 Ford - The El Matador
The El Matador was built by Bill Cushenbery around 1960. After swapping hands a dozen times and touring the car for several years the life of the El Matador could have ended in 1993 after a garage fire. The garage the car was stored in burned to the ground completely destroying the car. Its current owner gave the car up, but refused to sell it.
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Milt Goodman's 1955 Chevrolet
Restyling his 1955 Chevrolet with a 1958 Chevrolet grille, headlights and front bumper there is no doubt that Milt Goodman of Vancouver, Canada must have been a major fan of the brand new 1958 Chevrolet. With good help from his friend Jack Williams, Milt managed to complete his build before the 1959 Chevrolet were entered the market.
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Roy Abendroth's 1955 Buick Century - The BuSonic
Roy Abendroth started restyling his 1955 Buick Century in 1959. The car took 3 years to complete, but once it was completed it really caught the attention at the shows. Before the car went into storage in 1968 Larry Watson repainted the BuSonic in Gold Copperflake. Jim Breazeale found the car a few years ago and decided to restore it back to its 1963 incarnation.
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Bob Hamke's 1927 Ford Roadster
Steve Carrasas followed a lead he had on an old Model T Roadster stacked away in a garage. He followed the lead, photographed the car and posted the pictures on the HAMB wondering if anyone knew anything about the car. It didn't take very long (only minutes) before the car had been identified as Bob Hamke's 1927 Ford Model A Roadster, a car that had been featured in Hot Rod Magazine November 1950.
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Terry Parkening's 1938 Chevrolet Coupe
You don't see too many early Chevrolets in the old small format magazines. Actually you don't see too many these days either! In Scandinavia the 1940-1942 Chevrolets have been an affordable choice for many kustomizers to lay their hands on. In 1963 Terry Parkening of Elkhorn, Nebraska got his sleeper on ink in the prestigious Car Craft Magazine.
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Gil Ayala's 1955 Ford Thunderbird
Gil Ayala was the front man and painter of the Ayala Brothers duo. In 1945 he opened up his own shop Gil's Auto Body Works in East Los Angeles, California. After running the shop for a decade I guess Gil decided it was about time to buy himself one of those brand new Thunderbirds.
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Mac Shutt's 1932 Ford Roadster
Glossy paint is definitively back. The scene has been dominated by satin cars for quite some years now. The trend is turning and more and more traditional hot rods and custom cars are given an extra finish job in order to be able to receive a proper paint job. Back in 1951 Mac Shutt also decided to give his channeled roadster a glossy maroon paint job.
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1954 Mercury XM-800
It's a well-known fact that the designers up in Detroit were following the Kustom scene to see what they were up to and vice versa. I have therefore chosen to also present the Custom Cars of Detroit here on Kustomrama. The 1954 Mercury XM-800 was Ford's first venture with fiberglass. Tom Maruska bought the remains of the car in 2008 and did a great job restoring it back to its former glory.
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Tom Bacon's 1953 Studebaker Commander
When Bob Burke designed the 1953 Studebaker it was meant to be a show car only. Bob's boss Raymond Lowey fell in love with the design and convinced Studebaker to put the car into production. Tom Bacon was also a fan of Bob's design, but he figured the car needed some additional restyling. Tom removed most of the chrome, chopped the top and punched more than 500 louvers into the old coupe.
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Harry Bradley
Yesterday we featured Harry Bradley's 1951 Chevrolet Custom known as the La Jolla. Today we will tell the story about the man behind the car. Automotive designer Harry Bradley started his design career by contributing illustrations to hot rod and custom car magazines. The Alexander Brothers noticed the young talent and had Harry help them design rides too.
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Harry Bradley's 1951 Chevrolet Bel Air - La Jolla
The La Jolla is legendary automotive designer Harry Bradley's first car. He purchased the car in 1954 and spent the next couple of years restyling it in order to make the lines flow better. The car was restored and changed in 1999 by custom car collector Jack Walker. September 26, 2009 the car will be auctioned away at the Icons of Speed & Style auction.
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Ted Lundquist's 1951 Kaiser
Last week we featured a nicely kustomized 1951 Kaiser, this week we will feature another one. Ted Lundquist built this Kaiser convertible out of a four door in order to promote his shop. Once completed, Ted's Kaiser won a Popularity Award at the National Roadster Show in Oakland, California, so I guess he succeeded with his mission.
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Dave Chavis' 1951 Kaiser
Tired of customizing Fords and Chevrolets, Dave Chavis purchased a 1951 Kaiser that he decided to modify. With good help from George Cerny's Body Shop Dave's rare and mildly customized Kaiser turned out really great.
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Jesper Bram pinstriping
Last week we featured some pictures from the Bedrock Weekend Show in Denmark. This week we will continue to focus on Denmark, as we present you all a very talented Danish pinstriper named Jesper Bram. Jesper was born in 1973 and is doing a great work in keeping the old art form alive.
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Mario Pirondini's 1950 Ford
You don't see too many 1950 Fords wearing 1957 Pontiac side trim. When Cleary Motors restyled Mario Pirondini's 1950 Ford Shoebox they fit the car with side trim from a 1957 Pontiac. The trim fits the car well and makes it stand out from most other 1950 Fords.
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Sam Barris' 1952 Ford
Known as the Practical Ford after being featured on the cover of Rod & Custom December 1955, Sam Barris built his 1952 Ford Convertible so the family could have a car to use. Sam gave the car a T-Bird look by creating a hand made chromed grille.
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Howard Clarkson's 1951 Chevrolet Bel Air
Howard Clarkson bought his 1951 Chevrolet Bel Air brand new off the showroom. He wanted to set his car apart from other Bel Airs and decided to let Neil Emory and Clayton Jensen of Valley Custom loose on it.
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B. M. Buckley's 1950 Chrysler New Yorker
In Custom Cars March 1958 B. M. Buckley's 1950 Chrysler New Yorker is named a Rare Hybrid. In the issue originally owned by B. M. Buckley HY is crossed out and replaced by Lo. So I guess B. M. considered his rare build as a Rare Lobrid.
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Gordon Anderson's 1949 Chevrolet Fleetline
Last week we could read about how Sam Barris convinced 18 year old Helen Manning into restyling her Fleetline more than she first asked for in order to set it apart from others of the same model. It seems like Sam gave the same advice to Gordon Anderson...
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Helen Manning's 1950 Chevrolet Fleetline
In the early fifties 18 year old Helen Manning brought her 1950 Chevrolet Fleetline to Sam Barris of Barris Kustoms. She wanted Sam to fill the hood and smooth the trunk of her car. Sam convinced Helen that in order to set the car apart from others of the same model she should also do some more modifications to the car...
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Fred Hunzinger's 1932 Ford Five-Window Coupe
You don't see too many full fendered, chopped and channeled 1932 Fords. So it was about time to finally feature a really bitchin' one here on Kustomrama. Fred Hunzinger's 1932 Ford Five-Window Coupe was featured in Trend Book 110 Hot Rod 1954 Annual and it really stands out from the rest of the cars in the magazine.
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Bill Gaylord's 1953 Oldsmobile Holiday Coupe
1953 Oldsmobile Holiday Coupe restyled by Bill Gaylord of Gaylord's Custom Shop. Bill restyled his Oldsmobile in order to promote his business, so the car was completely upholstered from floor to top. The whole inside was padded with foam rubber and covered with red and white Naugahyde.
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Per Ivar Kolgrov's 1948 Mercury Convertible
Building traditional hot rods and kustom cars doesn't have a long tradition in Norway. So it is always exiting to stumble across old hot rods and custom cars built in Norway. Per Ivar Kolgrov's 1948 Mercury Convertible was built in the early 1960s and must be one of the first custom cars to hit the streets of Oslo.
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Jimmy Summers' 1940 Mercury Convertible
This 1940 Mercury Convertible was Jimmy Summers' personal ride. Jimmy built the car around 1947. He channeled the car and raised the fenders. The hood was sectioned and running boards and gravel shields were removed. The car featured a padded tan Carson Top and a handmade grille similar to that of a Buick
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Jay Everett's 1934 Ford Pick-up
Have you heard about Jay Everett? Jay is best known for his hand built sport custom named the Astra Coupe. But there is more to Jay then the innovative Astra Coupe, in Hot Rod Magazine February 1951 Jay's 1934 Ford Pick-Up is featured. The subtle Pick-Up really gives you a hint of Jay's excellent taste in cars.
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Wayne Mahaffey's 1935 Ford Phaeton
Wayne Mahaffey's 1935 Ford Phaeton was featured in Trend Book 102 Hot Rods from 1951. Personally I think the car would fit much more at home in the Trend Book 101 Custom Cars, but I guess the 1946 Cadillac mill classified this beutiful car as a Hot Rod in 1951.
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Joe Mello's 1950 Chevrolet
Joe Mello's 1950 Chevrolet Hardtop was restyled by Van Leeuwen in the early 1950s. The car is a clean and distinctive Chevrolet custom featuring a shaved hood, custom grille bar, Cadillac hubcaps, dual spotlights and frenched headlights.
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Robert La Briola's 1949 Oldsmobile
When Robert La Briola failed to find what he wanted in a sports car, he decided to design his own based on a 1949 Oldsmobile Convertible. The bodywork on the car was performed by Barris Kustoms.
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Dave Cunningham's 1940 Ford Sedan
Dave Cunningham's 1940 Ford Sedan was channeled 10" over the frame. He did the job roughly himself, but decided to trailer the car over to Barris Kustoms in order to let them complete the job. Once completed it didn't take long before the car was back at the Barris Shop for another makeover.
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Ted Svendsen's 1934 Ford Coupe
Ted Svendsen's 1934 Ford 5W Coupe was sectioned and chopped by Kustom Kraft of San Diego, California. The rest of the modifications were done by its owner Ted Svenson also from San Diego. After hours of hard work Ted got recognition for his work as the car was featured on the cover of Car Craft September 1958 with two pictures.
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Clarence Catallo's 1932 Ford Coupe
Best known as the Little Deuce Coupe, Clarence Catallo's 1932 Ford Coupe, the Silver Sapphire, was used on the cover of Beach Boys' Little Deuce Coupe. On the cover picture the car featured Barris Kustoms Crests, but most of the work done to the car was performed by the Alexander Brothers out of Detroit
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George Barris' 1936 Ford Convertible
Legendary kustomizer George Barris' first full kustom job was a 1936 Ford convertible that he built in 1941. George restyled the car while he was in High School and the car was completed before he graduated. The '36 made George the Kustom King of the school and turned out to be a door opener for his future career.
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Alvin Serpa's 1946 Ford Convertoble
Alvin Serpa's 1946 Ford was the first car Gene Winfield did extensive custom bodywork on. When Alvin first brought his 1946 Ford Convertible to Gene Winfield, the top had been chopped by someone else in Turlock, California. Alvin wasn't satisfied with the chop and asked Gene to chop it a little more.
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Al Gratz' 1955 Chevrolet Corvette
Inspired by the finned cars of Chrysler Corporation, Al Gratz of Gratz Body Shop in Fort Wayne, Indiana decided to restyle his Corvette by forming large fiberglass fins incorporating 1957 Plymouth taillights and 1958 Chrysler Windsor bumpers.
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Ed Roth's 1930 Ford Model A Sedan - The Little Jewel
We all know Ed "Big Daddy" Roth for his wild fiberglass creations, but this 1930 Ford Model A Sedan was Ed's first forray into the show car scene. In 1958 Ed sold the Little Jewel in order to get money for chrome on his second show car the Outlaw. The car was sold to Lee Rhodes of the Long Beach Renegades.
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The Manta Ray is Alive
The 1951 GM LeSabre Concept Car is one of my all time favorite cars. That was probably the case for Glen Hire and Vernon Antoine of Whittier, California too. Their hand made "prototype" for a small production automobile was heavily inspired by the 1951 GM LeSabre. In 1959 the car was sold to Junction City, Kansas and for many years nobody knew where the car was. That was until Kustomrama got an email from D.E. Lacer...
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Darol Jorgenson's 1957 Chevrolet Corvette
Quad headlights was one of the hottest custom tricks in 1958. When Darol Jorgenson of the Renegades Car Club decided to customize his Corvette, it had to have quad headlights. The front fenders on the car was extended in order to provide shades for quad headlights from a 1958 Ford.
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Gerald Twamley's 1954 Chevrolet 210
Gerald Twamley bought this 1954 Chevrolet 210 2-door in 1955. At the time Gerald was a member of the Rogues Car Club. The car went through several modifications. Starting out as a mild custom and ending up as a pretty remarkable semi-radical custom featuring scallops paint job by Larry Watson. During the build Gerald was "recruited" by the Renegades Car Club.
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Pete Angress' 1952 Ford
With a burgundy and gold kustom paint by legendary Larry Watson, Pete Angress' kustomized 1952 Ford Victoria is a great example of the cars of Kustomland in the late fifties. Pete was a member of the Renegades and bought his car from fellow club member Bill Moore
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Al Lazarus' 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air
Al Lazarus was a member of the Renegades Car Club. In 1957 he decided to paint his mildly customized 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air black. Al and a buddy painted the car in Al's backyard. The car got a few flaws in the paint and since he didn't want to repaint it, he asked Larry Watson if he could cover them up.
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The Renegades
This week we will do a tribute to the Renegades Car Club of Long Beach, California on Kustomrama. All of the featured stories on Kustomrama this week will somehow be related to this legendary car club.
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Frank Livingston's 1949 Chevrolet
Over the years, Frank Livingston has owned several 1949 Chevrolet customs. His last one is a tribute to the first and most known '49, the one he debuted at the 1955 National Roadster Show. After using the car for a year, he got tired of it and brought it to Bailon Custom Shop for a make over.
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Dick Jackson's 1957 Ford Thunderbird
Named the Little Bastard after legendary actor and teenage girl heart breaker James Dean, Dick Jackson built his 1957 Ford Thunderbird while working as a painter at Barris Kustoms. With only 10 miles on the clock, the Thunderbird was teared down and rebuilt as a neat mildly kustomized 2 seater.
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Mandy Holder's 1951 Mercury
Mandy Holder's 1951 Mercury was the result of a collaboration between Barris Kustoms, Mize Custom Shop, Gaylord's Kustom Shop and the Dukes & Duchess Trim Shop. The car was featured on the cover of Car Craft March 1958 and is without doubt one of the best looking '49-'51 Mercury Customs of the late 50s.
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Norm Milne's 1931 Ford
It seems like Harry Westergards most loyal customers were his fellow club members from the Thunderbolts Auto Club. I'm not sure if they were his best paying customers though. This car is no exception as Harry built it for fellow club member Norm Milne. Harry is best known for his tastefully done kustom cars, but as you can see here Harry also knew a thing or two about hot rods. This car is still around and is currently undergoing full restoration in Williams, Oregon.
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The Blue Danube
If you had Barris Kustoms build you a car in the 1950s or 1960s chances were big that George Barris could fix your car a role in a movie or TV show. That happened to Lyle Lake and his 1952 Buick Riviera called the Blue Danube. January 8, 1960, on the birthday of Elvis Presley, the Blue Danube had its 5 minutes of fame on the Twilight Zone show.
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Ed Sloan's 1953 Plymouth
In 1953 a seventeen years old kid brought his brand new 1953 Plymouth to Barris Kustoms. Ed Sloan had just began high school and needed a daily driver to bring him back and forth. Driving a stock 1953 Plymouth didn't appeal Ed, so he asked Sam and George for help. The result was one of the best known 1953 Plymouth kustoms ever built. It is the first 1953 Plymouth featured here on Kustomrama and it will probably take a while before we'll feature another one. Click here to Read More
Gene Garret's 1936 Ford
The last Indiana Jones movie featured a neat 1932 Ford Roadster in the opening scene. Will we ever see an Indiana Jones movie where the ancient treasure is replaced by an old kustom car? Finding old kustoms is big business in the United States these days, so I guess finding Gene Garret's long lost Harry Westergard restyled 1936 Ford could be the perfect plot for the next George Lucas movie about Indian Jones. Can he find the long lost treasure and save it from the evil hands of the rich and greedy collectors? Click here to Read More
The Jade Idol
Restyled by Gene Winfield for Leroy Kemmerer in 1958, the Jade Idol is the car that helped Gene gain national recognition as a custom car builder. Once completed the car won awards everywhere it was entered, best custom, best paint, best interior and so on. The car was actually so popular that it seldom only won one prize. The car has had a rough life, but it is still around, restored back to its initial version.
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Nelson Morris' 1932 Ford Roadster
At the first annual Hot Rod Exposition held in Los Angeles, California, 1948 a team of hot rodders leaded by Lou Baney rebuilt a 1932 Ford Roadster in 3 days. A junk roadster was disassembled and rebuilt. Everything on the car was built on stage including paint, chrome and upholstery. After the show the car was given away as a "Door Prize". Nelson Morris was the lucky winner of the car.
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Joe Burgasser's 1959 Chevrolet
1959 Chevrolet Impalas were popular cars to customize in the early sixties. Joe Burgasser's Impala was featured in Popular Hot Rodding July 1962 in a step-by-step story showing you how the front and rear was restyled. The story was written by marketing wizard George Barris and the job was performed by non other then Barris Kustoms.
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Lon Hurley's 1946 Cadillac
Todays featured car is a 1946 Cadillac two seater roadster built by Lon Hurley The car was built between 1949 and 1951 and is featured as one of the most notable custom cars in the 1951 Trend Book 101 Custom Cars. This car is a perfect example of the sport customs being built in the 40's and 50's.
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Dick Ward's 1949 Chevrolet
Todays featured car is a mildly customized 1949 Chevrolet restyled by Dick's Body Shop for Dick Ward. Dick was a member of the Renegades Car Club of Long Beach, California. His car was featured in Trend Book 116 Custom Cars 1955 Annual.
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Richie Valles' 1959 Chevrolet
Attending the 2008 Viva Las Vegas Rockabilly Weekend there was a 1959 Chevrolet El Camino attending that really caught my eyes. The mildly customized El Camino was slammed to the ground, painted in a subtle green color with a flaked roof and inside of the bed.
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Bill Scown's 1934 Ford
You don't see too many customized 1934 Fords. This one was restyled by Bill Scown in the early fifties. Bill gave the car a compact appearance by removing trim and filling in body components such as the hood nose, hood side panels and deeply valanced rear fenders.
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Dave Stuckey's Lil' Coffin
In 1954 Dave Stuckey began a long and ever changing journey for a 1932 Ford Sedan. The car, better known as the Lil' Coffin has been restyled many times during the years. Darryl Starbird has recently restored the car back to its 1962 version and is currently showing the car at his museum. This is our tribute do Dave Stuckey and his wild deuce.
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Marty Ribits' 1934 Ford - The Golden Nugget
In 1952 Marty Ribits hired Bill Hines to restyle his 1934 Ford. Marty wanted the best of both worlds and told Bill to make him a custom hot rod. The car went through several changes in the following years. The car toured from show to show, collecting prices, before it ended up in a field. In 2004 Larry Jordan bought the remains of the car and restored it back to its former glory.
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The Southern California Plating's 1935 Ford Phaeton
The last known photography of the Southern California Plating's 1935 Ford Phaeton is taken by Spence Murray in front of a gas station in Hollywood in 1944. People remember seeing it for some years after this, but nobody knows if it's still around. Many have tried to locate it, without any luck. Maybe it's about time for someone to clone this beautiful car?
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Ralph Ferks' 1954 Oldsmobile - The Startling Starfire
Yesterday we covered Dave Puhl's 1957 Chevrolet Convertible. Today we follow up with another Dave Puhl creation, the Startling Starfire. The Startling Starfire is a 1954 Oldsmobile built by Dave for Ralph Ferks. The car is still around and is currently undergoing restoration. If anyone have more information or pictures of this car, feel free to contribute here on Kustomrama.
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Dave Puhl's 1957 Chevrolet
In 1963 Dave Puhl worked as foreman at Darryl Starbird's Star Kustom Shop in Wichita, Kansas. While working there he built this mildly customized 1957 Chevrolet Convertible. Dave removed one of the peaks on the hood and added an off-center grille to match the remaining peak. A relatively simple but distinctive modification.
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Tats Gotanda's 1959 Chevrolet Impala - The Buddha Buggy
The Buddha Buggy is a 1959 Chevrolet Impala Custom built by legendary Bill Hines for Tats Gotanda in 1962. Bill was inspired by Ron Aguirre's X-Sonic Bubble Top Corvette and installed a full hydraulic lift system on Tats' Impala. After recently being restored by Bill Hines, this car is once again touring the show circuit.
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The Car Craft Dream Rod
The Car Craft Dream Rod was designed by the staff of Car Craft Magazine in 1961. In 1963 Bob Larivee of Promotions Inc with the approval and help of Car Craft Magazine commissioned Bill Cushenbery to build the Dream Rod. In 2005 Mark Moriarity bought the remains of the car and spent the next 3 years restoring it back to its former glory. In January, 2009 Mark could finally show off the fully restored Dream Rod.
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John D'Agostino's 1958 Oldsmobile Super 88 - The Egyptian
The latest creation from John D'Agostino and D'Agostino Kustoms was debuted at the 60th Grand National Roadster Show. The Egyptian, a 1958 Oldsmobile Super 88, features body and paintwork by Oz Kustom of Oroville, California. Thanks to Howard Gribble and his camera, Kustomrama is also able to present this car to the kustomworld.
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Per Thoren's 1928 Ford Model A Roadster
Per Thoren of the Jokers car club in Sweden owns one of the meanest Model A Roadsters in Europe. 10 Stromberg's on a blown 396 Chevy engine makes this car stand out in a crowd.
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Kjetil Kvipt's 1951 Pontiac Chieftain Eight
Being based in Norway, it was about time to present a Norwegian kustom car on Kustomrama. First out is Kjetil Kvipt's 1951 Pontiac Chieftain Eight. The car left Washington, USA as a rusted out 4-door. It ended up in Norway and was reborn as a bad ass two-door hardtop.
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Hersh Conway's 1949 Ford
Known as one of the best painters in the world, this 1949 Ford was the launching pad to Hersh Conway's great career. While Junior painted the car himself, the kustomizing was done by Barris Kustoms.
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Joe Nitti's 1932 Ford
Voted as California's Most Beautiful Roadster at the 1950 Los Angeles Hot Rod Show I guess Joe Nitti didn't expect his roadster to become one of the most significant 1932 Ford Hot Rods 57 years later
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Bert Gustavsson's 1951 Dodge
Built beyond recognition, Bert Gustavsson's custom started life as a 1951 Dodge. It took 20 years to complete the build, but once it was finished the Swedish custom scene had once grown with another outstanding custom car.
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Joe Urritta's 1941 Ford
1941 Ford Convertible Sedan built by Barris Kustoms for Joe Urrita of Fresno, California. The complete restyling job on the two-door sedan costed $3,600. The body was first channeled, then sectioned and rolled under.
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Jack Calori's 1936 Ford
One of my all time favorite 1936 Ford's is Jack Calori's chopped 3W Coupe. Jack needed a car to tow his 1929 Ford Model A Roadster with, so he bought a stock 1936 Ford 3W Coupe to do the job. After spending some late hours in the garage together with legendary body man Herb Reneau, the tow car had been transformed into one of the best looking kustoms of the 20th century.
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The Forcasta
After building the Predicta, Darryl Starbird had made a big name for himself in the custom and show car circuit. After a lot of thinking, he started his second build in 1961. It is not easy to see, but his next build the Forcasta started life as a 1960 Chevrolet Corvair Monza.
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Hank Griffith's 1942 Ford
One part 1942 Ford Coupe and one part 1951 Cadillac, that's the essence in Hank Griffith's 1942 Ford. The car was built for Hank by the legendary Al Ayala, one of the two Ayala Brothers.
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Carson Top Shop
Carson Top Shop is the birthplace of the famous Carson Top. The first non-folding padded Carson Top was built in 1935 by Glen Houser that was an employee in the Top Shop.
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Jim Hurley's 1949 Ford
1949 Ford completely built by its owner Jim Hurley. Jim did all the bodywork, interior and engine work himself. This tastefully kustom was featured in Car Craft May 1957.
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Hot Rods Pomona 1952
The University of Southern California Libraries Digital Archive is a website filled with old photos that has been digitalized. One of the set featured in the archive is called Hot Rods Pomona 1952 and contains 17 pictures taken in Pomona April 27, 1952. These pictures are Hot Rod history at its best and is definitively worth a look.
Click here to see the pictures
Jesse Lopez' 1941 Ford
1941 Ford Club Coupe built by Barris Kustoms for fellow Kustoms Of Los Angeles member Jesse Lopez. The build was started in 1946 and was finished two years later in 1948.
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Chuck Porter's 1949 Ford
A Chopped, Channeled, Dropped and Sectioned 1949 Ford Pickup built by Chuck Porter in the mid fifties. Chuck built this truck in order to pull his race cars and advertise his business. The truck is still around and is currently being restored by Chuck's daughter Debby.
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Pierre Paul's 1941 Buick
1941 Buick Special built by Pierre Paul, of Oakland, California. The overall height of this car was 56-inches. This was made possible by a 3 1/2 inch body channeling and a 3 1/2 inch top chop.
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Ben Mario's 1947 Buick
1947 Buick Convertible built for upholsterer Ben Mario by the Barris Brothers in 1949. The car was modified with 1948 Cadillac fenders, grille and bumpers, giving the car a new and more exclusive look.
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George W. Jackson's 1939 Ford
This mildly kustomized 1939 Ford was featured in the Custom Cars Trend Book No. 101 from 1951. The story doesn't say much about this tastefully kustom except that its owner is from Silver Spring, Maryland. If you know more about this car, feel free to contribute here on Kustomrama.
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Bob Hoshiko's 1948 Mercury
Non traditional kustom built by Valley Custom for Bob Hoshiko. The most distinctive part of Bob's Coupe is the front that is modified using 1955 Chrysler grille and bumper.
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The 1952 Maverick Sportster
During my daily visit at the Hemmings Auto Blog, I stumbled across a picture of a boat tail speedster called the 1952 Maverick Sportster. Looking like a two seater LaSalle sports roadster I figured it was worth doing some more research on this car.
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Keith Landrigan's 1932 Ford
Featured on the cover of the second Hot Rod Magazine, Keith's channeled LaSalle powered Roadster is a legendary racer on the flats.
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Jim McKinley's 1936 Ford
After being wrecked by a trolley, Jim McKinley spent 66 months and $ 2.500 to turn his Three-Window Coupe into a tasteful kustom.
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The Beatnik Bandit
Ed "Big Daddy" Roth's Outlaw was originally called the Bandit. But after reading about a bank robber called the Beatnik Bandit Ed changed the name on his creation.
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Sam Barris' 1950 Buick
In 1953 Sam Barris sold his chopped and fully customized 1950 Buick Sedanette. For decades the car was gone, but it was found in the late seventies. The car was sold and disappeared once again. Some years later the car was once found, this time on a riverbank in Tanton, Massachusetts. The shape of the car was then just as bad as when Sam bought it in 1951.
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Santo Vasques' 1950 Chevrolet
Featured on the cover of Car Craft May 1957, former president of the Renegades Car Club's 1950 Chevrolet Convertible is a really tasteful mid fifties kustom car.
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Ray Giovannoni's 1936 Ford
Built in the late forties in Washington DC, this East Coast kustom really looks like a West Coast Harry Westergard creation. The car was featured in Hot Rod Magazine November 1948 as Ray was visiting the West Coast to get a new top made for the car.
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The Moonglow
Built in the front yard of his parents house, Duane Steck's 1954 Chevrolet Bel Air low budget build, better known as the Moonglow, must be the most cloned 1954 Chevrolet ever. The car was last seen going in to a crusher near the LA harbor in the early 60's, but even though the car still lives on in our hearts.
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Nick Matranga's 1940 Mercury
Built by George and Sam Barris, the Matranga Merc took 15 months to complete. Once completed the car got smashed in a telephone pole about one year later. Even though its short life, the Matranga Merc, won several prizes at the shows and is today considered the most known 1940 Mercury kustom ever.
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George Mitobe's 1957 Ford Ranchero
With a wild paint job by Larry Watson, George Mitobe's mild kustomized 1957 Ford Ranchero really stands out from the rest.
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Ed Roth's Outlaw
Ed Roth's first attempt at working with glass resulted in a T-bucket inspired show rod called the Outlaw. Originally called the Excaliber, the Outlaw was released and sold by Ed Roth as a fiberglass kit.
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The X-Sonic
Built in 1959 by Ron Aguirre, The X-Sonic was the first kustom ever to use hydraulics to raise and lower the ride height. The X-Sonic was also one of the first Bubble Top Kustoms and is well worth a closer look!
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Jeff Motes' 1938 Austin Bantam
One of the first cars featured on Kustomrama was Jeff Motes' 1938 Austin Bantam, Jeff's rad truck is now also featured in the Kustomrama Wikipedia and is well worth a look!
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Sam Barris' 1949 Mercury
Late 1948 Sam Barris sold his famous 1940 Mercury Kustom in order to buy a brand new 1949 Mercury. After driving the stocker around for a while figuring out how to chop it, Sam was finally ready to begin the operation. The first chopped and completed 1949 Mercury was born!!
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Doane Spencer's 1932 Ford Roadster
Built for dry lake racing Doane Spencer's 1932 Ford Roadster was the first Hot Rod to win the Hot Rod class at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance.
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Dick Flint's 1929 Roadster
Featured on the cover of Hot Rod Magazine May 1952 Dick Flint's 1929 Roadster went on to become a true hot rod legend. Its signature aluminum track nose and belly pan, has been a major source of inspiration for many hot rodders during the years.
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Arthur Bentas' Raven
Starting with a brand new 1950 Dodge chassis it took Arthur Bentas 9 years to complete the Raven. When finished in 1959, the Raven won many prizes and was featured in the November issue of Hot Rod Magazine. In 1960, one year after it was finished, Arthur put the car away. Until 2007 the car was a lost legend on the east coas kustom scene. But in 2007 Joe Germann decided it was time to wake the car up from its long sleep again.
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Bob Hirohata's 1951 Mercury
After seeing Sam Barris' chopped Mercury in 1952 Bob Hirohata immediately bought a brand new low-milage 1951 Mercury that he handed over to the Barris Brothers for a full kustom treatment. 3 months later Bob Hirohata was the proud owner of the first hardtopped '49 - '51 Mercury ever.
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Art Lehner's 1939 Ford
Featured in Rod & Custom March 1959 as "The Fadeaway Ford", Art Lehner's 1939 Ford ragtop was originally built in order to promote Art's body shop.
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The Manta Ray
Heavily inspired by the 1951 GM LeSabre Concept Car two gentlemen from Whittier, California spent over 4200 hours converting a 1951 Studebaker into the fiberglass bodied Manta Ray.
The existense of the Manta Ray is not known today, but if you know anything about this wild build feel free to share it here on Kustomrama.
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Rod & Custom Magazine’s Dream Truck
The Rod & Custom Magazine’s Dream Truck also known as the Spencer Murray's Dream Truck was a rolling labaratory that readers of Rod & Custom magazine helped desingning by contributing styling ideas. Being built by several talented kustom builders such as Gene Winfield, Bob Metz and Barris Kustoms the car took 4 years to complete. In 1958 the car was Wrecked and for several years this kustom icon was missing from the kustom scene.
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Detroit vs the Customizers
Back in the mid fifties customizers claimed that Detroit stylists were copying their custom treatments, without giving them any credits for it. In June 1956 Rod & Custom magazine featured a 6 page feature by George Barris covering this subject. Being obsessed by "custom cars" being built and drawn by Detorit stylists, Kustomrama will in the future expand its scope and also feature futuristic concept cars.
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The Bonaguro Special
Named after its creator, John Bonaguro, the 1957 Bonaguro Special is a distinguished piece of kustom history. John started building the car in 1957. Starting with the suspension from a 1950 Studebaker, John completed his build 6 years later, in 1963. If you know anything more about the 1957 Bonaguro Special, feel free to share it with the rest of us here on Kustomrama.
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The Alexander Brothers
Partners in crime, cutting up and kustomizing stockers in perfectly good condition, Larry and Mike Alexander, better known as the Alexander Brothers, opened up their first custom shop in Detroit in 1957. During the years, around 60 fully customized cars rolled out of the Alexander Brothers shop. Among these are noteable cars such as the Alexandria and the Purple Pelican.
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Bill Hines Bat
Titled "Those fins are still growing" in the March 1959 issue of Rod & Custom, the Bat by Bill Hines was a shoebox that stood out from the rest.
Help us expand the story of the Bill Hines Bat on Kustomrama now!
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The Sledanette
Recently up for sale on ebay is one of the slickest kustom cars in Scandinavia; The Sledanette. The car, built by Kari Saarlea from Finland, has been around the Scandinavian kustom scene for some years and it really deserves a page in the Kustomrama Wikipedia. Hopefully the car will also be around for many more years to come.
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The Ala Kart
The George Barris built Ala Kart was a big sensation when it debuted at the cover of Hot Rod Magazine in 1958. The air bagged 1929 Ford Model A pickup truck is known as the first show rod and winner of the America’s Most Beautiful Roadster Trophy at Oakland Roadster Show... twice!
Feel free to contribute to this story if you know anything about the famous Ala Kart
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Shifters
First featured club on the original Kustomrama Marketplace was the Orange County Shifters. With roots all the way back to 1992, these guys are considered being the pioneers of the nostalgic hot rod scene as we know it. In true tradition, Shifters is also the first featured car club on the Kustomrama Wikipedia.
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Pekka Wizzard Mannermaa
Pekka Wizzz Mannermaa, Born in 1958 has a pretty long stretch of working with Swords and 1-Shot. Here’s some background on this legendary Rat Finn from Finland .
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The Pierson Brothers Coupe
Once known as the fastest closed car in America, the first coupe that beat the roadsters. The Pierson Brothers Coupe is also the first featured cover story on the Kustomrama Wikipedia.
If you know anything about this '34 Ford, please feel free to share it with the rest of us!
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Comments and Additional Information
For comments, additional info or photos, send an email to: mail@kustomrama.com
