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Welcome to Kustomrama - Traditonal Rod & Kustom Wikipedia

Kustomrama is a Wikipedia dedicated to traditional hot rods and kustom cars. It is an online encyclopedia covering all aspects of our kulture. Everyone is welcome to contribute and start new and interesting topics on the Kustomrama Wikipedia. Write about yourself, your company, your car, your favorite kustom or your all time automotive hero. All entries are welcome as long as they somehow relates to traditional Rods & Kustoms.

Kustomrama Wikipedia is a project that will evolve and grow over time. Join this community today and help Kustomrama become the number one Traditional Rod & Kustom Wiki!!

For feedback, inputs, stories or if you have some cool old photos to share, feel free to mail us at: mail@kustomrama.com

Kustomrama Newsletter

Kustomrama Newsletter
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Featured Stories

Stan Makrush's 1955 Chevrolet Convertible - The Gypsy
The Gypsy is a 1955 Chevrolet Convertible restyled by Stan Makrush of Foxboro, Massachusetts. Stan's custom creation was completed around 1957/1958, featuring custom treatments such as canted quad headlights, frenched Packard taillight lenses, fender skirts and a continental kit. After owning it for some years, Stan sold tickets for the Gypsy, and the car was eventually raffled away at a car show.
Click here for more information and photos

Robert Stack's 1931 Ford Model A Roadster
In 1960 Robert Stack of Hollywood, California won a Best Actor Emmy-award for his role as Elliot Ness in the television drama series, The Untouchables. 22 years earlier, In 1938, Bob drove his 1931 Ford Model A roadster to a record of 115.68 mph on the Muroc Dry Lake. Al Jepson and Ed Winfield helped Bob achieve a time not too many other four-cylinder Fords could match in 1938.
Click here for more information and photos

Chuck O'Malley's 1956 Dodge Convertible
From 1958 to 1962 Chuck O'Malley's 1956 Dodge Convertible of Cheltenham, Pennsylvania was restyled at least three times. The first version, named "Mariette" was shown at the 1958 Hot Rod & Custom Car World's Fair in West Springfield, Massachusetts. The third version, named the Granada gained national recognition when it was featured on the cover of Rod & Custom March 1963.
Click here for more information and photos

Lost and Found

Lost: Doc Albers' 1949 Ford
In the early 1960s, Robert "Doc" Albers of Lakewood, Ohio got a sectioned 1949 Ford from his dad. The car was originally restyled by Milton Depuy of Cleveland, Ohio around 1956, and when Doc got it, it had no motor. Doc got the old custom back on the road again, and he drove it for a while in black primer before he sold it to Russell Standish in 1964. Since then it has disappeared, and Doc is now looking high and low for his old car.
Click here to read more

Found: Josh Haagen's 1950 Buick
In 2012 Josh Haagen of Bangor, Maine bought an old custom built Buick boattail roadster that had been left abandoned behind a building. He was told that the car was originally built in Berwick, Maine. Josh, who is a body shop guy, believes the car was once completed, run on the road, and disassembled for a restoration that never happened. Josh is currently looking for info on his car. Do anyone recognize this one-off creation?
Click here to read more

Lost: Harold Agresti's 1951 Cadillac Series 62 Coupe
Harold Agresti's 1951 Cadillac Series 62 Coupe was restyled in the San Francisco Bay Area around 1956/1957. The look of the car was upgraded by installing a 1954 Cadillac front clip. It was then nosed, decked and shaved for handles. Harold Agresti of Turlock, California bought the car in 1958. After selling the car locally, the Cadillac was eventually sold off to Arizona in the early 1960s. Do anyone know anything about the whereabouts of Harold's Cadillac?
Click here to read more

Kustomrama Photo Archive

The Joe Crisafulli Scratchbook and Photo Collection - Chuck Burkart's 1958 Chevrolet Impala
A photo of Chuck Burkart's 1958 Chevrolet Impala taken in the driveway behind Flyers Body Shop were Joe Crisafulli gave the car a flame paint job in 1959. Later on the same year, Joe gave Chuck's Impala a more modern scallop paint job. Both Joe and Chuck were members of the San Jose Rod and Wheelers car club.
Click here to check out The Joe Crisafulli Scratchbook and Photo Collection

The Dave Jenkins Photo Collection - The Kookie T
This photo from The Dave Jenkins Photo Collection shows Norman Grabowski's Kookie T at an indoor car show after Jim Skonzakes had bought it an repainted it white with red flames. The car is displayed next to one of Jim's other famous cars, the radical Golden Sahara custom by Barris.
Click here to check out The Dave Jenkins Photo Collection

The Marty McDonough Photo Collection - The Kalivoda-Hamlin Modified T
This photo from The Marty McDonough Photo Collection shows Dick Kalivoda and John Hamlin's 1925 Ford Model T Modified Roadster at the 6th Detroit NHRA Nationals in 1960. Dick bought the car from Ed Norton in the late 1950s, as Ed was going to use the original engine from the car in a dragster. After setting a national record with the car, Dick won money so he could haul the modified to Detroit.
Click here to check out The Marty McDonough Photo Collection

For Sale

Leo Lyons' 1950 Mercury - The Ultra Modern Merc
Leo Lyons' 1950 Mercury, a very radical and futuristic custom creation is currently up for grabs. Leo built his Ultra Modern Merc over a span of 9 years. The one off a kind car was almost entirely crafted of aluminum. Once completed, it landed the cover of Custom Cars February 1960. Today the car is located in the Nor Cal Bay Area, and it really deserves to be bought and restored back to it's former glory.
More info...

Dave Stuckey's 1965 Pontiac Catalina
In 1969, well known customizer Dave Stuckey of Stuckey Kustom in Kansas was still restyling cars like he did back in the 1950s. So when he set off to customize his own 1965 Pontiac Catalina, he decided to have it chopped, sectioned, channeled and lowered. After driving it for a while, Dave sold the car to David Schluck in 1972. David has now decided to part with his old custom, and his asking price is $30,000.00.
More info...

Richard Zocchi's Second 1962 Pontiac Grand Prix
In 1962 Gene Winfield of Winfield's Custom Shop restyled a 1962 Pontiac Grand prix for Richard Zocchi. About 40 years later Zocchi decided that he wanted a chopped clone of his old custom, so he commissioned Lucky 7 Customs of Antioch to build him one. The build was completed in 2002. The car is currently up for grabs, looking just as good as it did 11 years ago.
More info...

Featured Events

The Race of Gentlemen 2012
October 19-20, 2012 an epic event known as The Race of Gentlemen took place at the Loch Arbour and Allenhurst beach front at the Jersey Shore in Monmouth County, New Jersey. The Oilers car club filled the beach with traditional styled hot rods and motorcycles racing agains the clock. 15 cars and 15 motorcycles attended the race. Between 2,500 and 3,000 people came to watch the action.
Click here to see photos from the 2012 The Race of Gentlemen

Ink-N-Iron 2012
The 9th annual Ink-N-Iron tattoo and kustom kulture festival was held June 8th thru 10th, 2012 aboard the Queen Mary in Long Beach, California. The Ink-N-Iron Motorama found place the same weekend under the Queen Mary Dome, amongst the attractions at the Motorama was a Lions Dragstrip display, a Barris Kustoms City display, the Long Beach Renegades car club historical wall and the Wall of Legends.
Click here to see photos from the 2012 Ink-N-Iron

Jokers Car & Bike Show 2012
June 1-2, 2012 the 9th annual Jokers Car & Bike Show was held in Tidaholm, Sweden. As always, the little show in Sweden attracts hot rod, custom and bike enthusiasts from all over the world. As the members of the Jokers car club have been more into motorcycles than cars recent years, more and more bikes are attending this show. Some great cars are always attending anyhow, and the show is still a must if you live in Scandinavia.
Click here to see photos from the 2012 Jokers Car & Bike Show

News

05.07.2013 - Dean Jeffries Dies at 80
May 5th, 2013 legendary custom painter, pinstriper and fabricator Dean Jeffries passed away at home. Dean began pinstriping cars with another legend, Von Dutch, in Lynwood, California in the early 1950s. He spent a lot of time around Von Dutch, and the pair became known as Von Dutch and "The Kid". Dean's talent evolved fast, and he went from pinstriping, to custom painting, to custom car fabrication.
Click here for more information on Dean Jeffries

04.07.2013 - On the Salt: Kent Fuller's Last Car
Legendary chassis builder Kent Fuller is currently busy building his last car, a Streamliner capable of doing 300 mph on Bonneville! In order to help Kent finance his big dream, a Kikstarter campaign has been launched online. Trough this campaign you can back Kent and his dream, and become part of the history when he writes Land Speed Racing History with the Streamliner.
Click here for more information

06.19.2012 - Custom Painter Joe Andersen Has Passed Away
June 18, 2012 legendary custom painter Joe Andersen passed away from diabetic complications. Joe started his striping business on Western Avenue in Los Angeles in the 1950s. He went on to buy his own shop on 1519 W. Florence Ave., Los Angeles that he purchased and turned into Custom Auto Painting by Joe Andersen. Many custom painted cars went through Joe's shop in the late 1950s and 1960s, and Joe quickly became one of the most recognized custom painters of that era.
Click here for more information on Joe Andersen

Kustomrama Styling Studio

Kustomrama Styling Studio no. 8 - 1940 Mercury Coupe
Janne Kutja is back with another previously unseen design from the Kutja Design Archive. This concept came alive when Janne wondered how a 1940 Mercury custom would look with a roof similar to a 1940 Ford or 1941 Mercury coupe. Puzzled by this, Janne designed something that easily could have rolled out of Barris Kustoms prior to the Matranga Merc...maybe after that as well? Click here for more information and photos

Kustomrama Styling Studio no. 7 - 1953 Kaiser Hardtop Coupe
Janne Kutja is back with another previously unseen design from the Kutja Design Archive. This one, dated 2008, shows the potential that lies underneath the lines of a big and bulky 1953 Kaiser. You rarely see customized 1950s Kaisers. In fact you don't see too many 1950s Kaisers at all. In 1953 a total of only 29,945 cars were produced. Let's hope this design by Janne can help a car or two survive in a recycled and restyled version. Click here for more information and photos

Kustomrama Styling Studio no. 6 - 1966 BMW 1600
Scandinavia has always been years behind the current California car trends. Take for instance the early 1960s Boulevard Cruisers, also known as the first lowriders, it took almost 40 years before that style hit the scene over here. I guess things would have looked different if we had the internet back in the 1960s. If we had, the streets of Helsinki might have been filled with Euro-Boulevard cruisers such as Janne's slammed 1966 BMW 1600...Click here for more information and photos

Fred of the Week

Hot Rod
Fred Lammers aka "Fred" or "Phred" is a Norwegian artist and illustrator from Oslo, Norway. Cars, kustoms & art: Fred has been involved with that as long as he can remember. He give his older brother credit for his interest in cars. He taught Fred about the makes and models and so on, but when it came to the tech stuff he was more interested in the design and soon started to draw and design stuff. Each week..well at least once in a while... Kustomrama presents a new masterpiece by Fred. Click here for a larger version and more art by Fred

Featured Videos

1958 MHRA Drag Race Lansing MI Featuring Speed Sport Roadster
This seven minute long 8mm home movie was recorded by Richard Cote of Dearborn, Michigan at a MHRA sanctioned drag race in Lansing, Michigan in 1958. Richard helped Larry Carline build the primered small block Chevy powered 1927 Ford Model T truck with the Paxton supercharger that can be seen in the movie.
Click here to check out the movie

Spritz by Fritz - Chop a Model A Top at Home
The man who gave us the Roswell Rod is out with another great how-to DVD. Fritz' third DVD is aimed at home builders that wants to perform a successful Model A chop at home, in their own garage, using their own tools. Work alongside Fritz in the garage as he chop a 1930 Ford Model A coupe 2 1/4 inches, fill the roof opening with an old Chevy station wagon donor panel, and show you every step of the way how he did it. Chopping a Model A Coupe has never looked easier!
Click here to check out the trailer