BILL VERNA 50 MERCURY

Carl Johnson operated a small body shop where he created several nice Customs and Hot Rods, this 1950 Mercury is one of three he did.



David Wolk recently shared several photos with the Custom Car Chronicle. Photos of two chopped and padded topped Mercury’s created in the very early 1950’s. The photos show two mercury’s one 1949 an the other an 1950 model restyled by Carl Johnson. It turned out that one of these Mercury’s, the one Carl for Bill Verna later ended up in the hands of a friend of Larry Watson, Larry Lorenzo, who had Dean Jeffried paint some flames on it. The car even made it on the cover of an book about custom cars in the late 1970’s.

But lets take a step back first, and tell you how David Wolk got these photos. We let David tell it in his own words.
“I was at the LA Roadster show about 5-6 years ago walking the swap meet. I saw an old guy with a table of old car photos for sale. He was standing there talking to another man explaining about one of the cars he built. I realized he was the builder of these cars. At the time I didn’t realize who he was and was kind of embarrassed to ask his name. I grabbed these few custom car photos asked the price, then asked if he would autograph them for me. My brother also bought one old hot rod photos, it was the famous Mooneyham an Sharp # 554 ’34 ford.
His name was Carl Johnson. At the time I hadn’t heard of him, but thought the photos were cool. Looking back I wish I would have taken the time to visit with him.”



One of the photo’s of Bill Verna’s 1950 Mercury had these words written by Carl Johnson on the back. He wrote the information on the back of the photo in 1993.



David mentioned that he later found out a bit more information on Carl when he read an article in the Rodder’s Journal issue 44 on and lake modified 1934 Ford coupe. The story provided a bit more information about Carl. He was a member of the Rod Riders club and a professional body man with  small shop. He helped chop the 34 ford 3 window in the article and also chopped the top on the Mooneyham and Sharp # 554 34 ford. David’s brother bought a photo of the Mooneyham and Sharp 34 Ford from Carl, which we used at the end of this article.

These photos from Carl are interesting for several reasons, first is of course since they show two very nice customized 1949-50 Mercury convertible’s. The second reason is because one of the photos shows a 1951 California plate, which means that the Bill Verna 1950 Mercury chopped by Carl, is among the first Mercury convertibles to be chopped. This short list also includes the Bill Gaylord 1949 Mercury, chopped by Barris, the Ralph Testa Mercury, also chopped by Barris and the 1949 Carl Johnson did for himself. And the third reason is because of the flipped side ways 1949 Buick taillights that have been used on Bill’s Mercury. A touch that was also added tot the Ralph Testa 1950 Mercury restyled by Barris in 1951. It makes us wonder who was the first to use these taillights this way. These Buick taillights also helped us identify the car to be later owned by Larry Larenzo some time later in the 1950’s, and Norman Woodruff in the later part of the 1950’s.

The 1950 Mercury of Bill Verna restyled by Carl Johanson with a padded top by Eddie Martinez. The photo was taken while the car was still unfinished, with primer spots on the rear quarters, doors and A-pillars. A set of 1951 Mercury skirts was used. The photo is now in the collection of David Wolk.

Carl chopped the windshield of Bill Verna’s 1950 Mercury and created hand made pods, or wind-splits to make the canted 1949 Buick taillights work with the Mercury quarter panels. The headlight bezels were molded to the fenders for a nice frenched look and the lenses were slightly recessed. The hood corners were left square at this point. A small lip was added to the front wheel opening. We do not know if Carl hand made the lip, or if it came from another car. A set of Spotlights was added and Eddie Martinez was hired to do the padded top with open quarter windows Eddie most likely was also responsible for the custom interior in the car. It always seamed to me that the padded top Martinez created had a rather heavy look to it, created by the think profile look.

The front section of the Mercury side trim was replaced with a shortened rear section and flipped from one side to the other to give the trim a nice pointy look in the front. The photos show that the rear quarter trim has been removed at this stage since it was interfering with the new Buick taillights. Later the rear section was shortened and re-installed. The car was most likely painted black after all the work had been completed, although we have not been able to find photos of the finished version from the time Bill owned the car.

The front view shows that the grille and parking lights have been removed, possibly waiting for a custom grille to be created by Carl. This photo shows the 1951 License plate on the car. The photo is now in the collection of David Wolk.

From the photos we have seen from the mid/late 1950’s we know that at one point the car was further customized with rounded hood corners on the front of the hood, and that the hood was shortened at the back, the filler piece added to the cowl and also those corners rounded. The grille shell was molded to the fenders and a new floating grille bar was created from a set of bumper guards, most likely accessory bumper guards for a 1951 Mercury.

This photo shows how low the top was, and also shows the primer on the A-pillars and doors where the door handles were removed. We can also see the subtile lip on the front wheel opening. Possibly Carl wanted to create a similar lip on the front wheel openings as those on the 1951 Mercury skirt that was used on the back.The photo is now in the collection of David Wolk.

Eddie Martinez did the padded top and interior on the 1950 Mercury.

Larry Lorenzo a new owner

At one point, we are unsure when exactly this was, the car was purchased by Larry Lorenzo. We also do not know if Larry bought the car from the first owner Bill Verna, or if the car had already changed hands. Most likely Larry owned the car till about late 1957, when it was offered for sale on a used car lot in Long Beach, Ca. It was bought by Norman Woodruff in early 1958 and Norman used the Mercury as daily transportation for a few years before he sold it again.

When Larry Lorenzo owned the car owned the car in the later parts of the 1950’s he had Dean Jeffries add some long licked crab-style flames in gold, yellow red on the car. The flames were designed in a way they would transform to and outline to cover the side trim of the car, and to follow the beltline. The flames where outline in a bolt white pinstripe by Dean. It was most likely Larry Lorenzo who added the lake pipes to the car. The photos we have been able to find of this version of the car, with flamed added by Dean Jeffries seam to all be taken in late 1957- and in 1958.



Larry was later good friend with Larry Watson, and this black and white photo of the Mercury when owned by Larry Lorenzo comes from the Larry Watson Collection. It shows the car with new Oldsmobile hubcaps ad lake pipes. The fender skirts and bumper guards have been removed at this stage.

This it the other photo of the Mercury from the Larry Watson Personal Collection. We are unsure when this photo was taken, possibly around late 1957, perhaps early 1958. The car was obviously for sale, for a low price of just $695.-. The hubcaps were and spotlights are removed, but otherwise the car looks to be in good shape.

Since this color photo of the Merc is the best quality one we have we took a section of the front and enlarged it, so we can have a better look. We can see that the location of the antenna has been changed from the 1951 photos, the parking lights are nicely molded in, possibly taken from another car. The rounded hood corners front and rear and how the custom lip on the front wheel openings are accented with paint and pinstriping.

The Mercury appeared in color on the cover of the book Grease Machines published in 1978 and is the only photo we know of that shows the custom interior by Martinez. 

Despite the large cover photo of the Merc, there was not a full feature on the car inside the Grease Machine book. But the introduction chapter did show this small color photo of the car. We have no idea if the guy standing behind the car is Larry Lorenzo, or somebody else. The rounded rear corners of the car can be seen very well in this photo.

Bill Junge took this photo in 1958 on Route 66 somewhere in Texas after they had a flat tire on the way home from the drag races in Oklahoma City. Bill and his buddy Norman “Woody” Woodruff (who owned the Merc since early ’58) had driven the car from SoCal to OK City to attend a Drag Racing event. Notice the water bag on the front.

Another photo Bill Junge took is the only one we know about that gives us a good look at the great shaped flames Dean Jeffries painted on the trunk of the car. It also shows how the exhaust tips exit thru the rear bumper. The car appears to have different hubcaps in this photo. 




Photo taken by Bruce Olson in late August of 1958 at the 4th Annual NHRA National Championship Drag Races in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The design of the flames, how one lick turns into an “outline” around the shortened side trim and ends with another lick is a really great touch by Dean Jeffries. Photo is shared by Todd Olson. This low angle photo shows how thick the padded top is over the side window openings.

Norman Woodruff used the still flathead powered Mercury as his daily driver for a number of years, and then sold it again. So far we have not been able to find any information on the car after this, we have no idea what happened to it, and if it is still around or not. If you know anything more about the Bill Verna / Larry Lorenzo 1950 Mercury, or more about Carl Johnson’s work as customizing, then please let us know, email Rik, we would love to add more information to this, or possible future CCC-Articles. Thank you.

The other Carl Johnson photos

David Wolk and his brother bought two more photos from Carl at the LA Roadster show. These and the article in the Rodder’s Journal issue 44 is about the only other material we have on Carl Johnson and his work as body man and custom builder. At this point we do not know when Carl started doing work as customizer, and how many cars he created. From the text on the back of one of the photos we know that he did 3 1949-50 Mercury’s and one of them is a 1949 he did for himself. David bought one of the photos showing Carl in his own Mercury. Sadly this photo does not show a date or anything else we can use to date the car. But to me it looks like this one pre-dates the one he did for Bill Verna. The car seams to have less body work done, the door handles are still in place and the stance is higher. But the photo shows that the car used 1951 Mercury skirts and also that the headlights are frenched with the lights recessed, something that we have not seen done on other cars created in 1949-50. The padded top on Carl’s personal Merc seems to be a little less bold when viewed from the side, giving the car a more elegant look.



Carl Johnson in his personal 1949 Mercury convertible with padded top. The stance on the car is a bit higher than on Bill’s Mercury, indicating this one might be done earlier. It looks like Carl used a set of Calnevar Chrome Dress-Up trim rings with smooth hubcaps. What happened to this car?The photo is now in the collection of David Wolk.

David’s brother bought this photo of the Mooneyham & Sharp 1934 Ford coupe that Carl Johsnon chopped.

Special thanks to David Wolk, Bill Junge, Anthony Whiteand Todd Olson for sharing the photos and info with the Custom Car Chronicle.

(this article is sponsored by)

Contact Rob Radcliffe at King Kustoms for more info on these T-Shirts Email Rob

.





.

INSTALLING SPOTLIGHTS

Spotlights have been a popular accessory item on custom cars since the early 1940’s. This article shows an excellent article on how to install them from the October 1954 issue of Speed Mechanics



The spotlights used on the customs from the 1940’s and 1950’s were produced by several manufactories. The Appleton and Lorainne spotlights were the brands used on most customs. And the Appleton S-112 and S-522 were the most popular models to use. The Spotlights could be bought at your local speed shop or ordered from any of the early mail order companies. They came in left and right hand version. Each box came with full instructions and templates for the use of most of the then current automobiles. However it still took some skills to mount them properly and at the right angle to have the best result. The article published in the October/November issue of Speed Mechanics is an excellent article, and must have helped many custom car enthusiast all over the US in installing their favorite set of spotlights.


Special thanks to Ulf “Wolf” Christiansson and Stefan Elbrink.



The magazine spend four and a quarter page on how to install the spotlights.

Below are some photos that give you an impression what you received back in the day when you bought a set of Spotlights for your Custom Car. The box and content shown here are from Wolf’s collection. He was very lucky to find some NOS Appleton spotlights on one of his many searches. Some of the instruction sheets come from Stefan’s collection.

If you opened the box the spotlight was sitting between bended cardboard. On top of this was another piece of cardboard and the instruction sheets.

The complete content of the box.

This is the sheet with templates for the most common cars available back then. When you ordered the spotlight you have to specify which brand and year car you wanted to use the lights for.

Clear instructions were included.

With well detailed instruction diagrams.

The backside of the instruction sheet included an diagram showing each part used in the spotlight assambly. This in case you needed to replace a broken part or had to repair something.

Not included in the box, but needed for installation are these two brackets that go onto the A-Pillar. These had to be bought separate since a few different types/angles were needed to make sure the lights fitted your car model.







.

A CAR WORTH FIGHTING FOR

When George Barris moved from Sacramento to Los Angeles he drove a 1936 Ford Cabriolet. A nice custom. But George soon understood that when he wanted a profitable Custom Body Shop he needed something more to advertise his workmanship.

(CCC-Article original published in 2013, revised article in Feb 24, 2016.)

George’s life changing 1941 Buick

Around 1946 or early 1947 George found a 1941 Buick convertible that he wanted to turn into his dream custom. A Custom that would show the Barris Shop’s qualities as Custom Car designers and builders. George and Sam had been working in their own shop for perhaps a year or so and work was slowly increasing. He worked on the Buick after hours, so there was not always a lot of time to spend on the car. At the time it was George’s only car, so the work on it either needed to be wrapped up the same day, or he had to ask one of his friend or brother Sam for a ride home and to work the next day.

It is really amazing that there are so many photos of this very important early custom car icon. And not only from the finished car. There are several photos of the Buick show different stages. A few early photos from the Jim Kierstead Collection show the Buick as George acquired it. And a few from later when it was painted white primer at an early El Mirage dry lake events. There are also two photos known showing the Buick with the windshield frame chopped, but still without the full fade-away fenders.



Most likely somewhere in early 1947 George Barris finds a nice 1941 Buick convertible with some fender bender damage. The perfect new base for a new personal custom George has in mind. Notice that the car has a set of spotlights, but not the famous S-112 Appletons, and George had also installed a set of single bar flipper hubcaps and some unidentified beauty rings. (Jim Kierstead Collection)

George’s Buick next to Jim Kierstead’s 1939 Mercury at Balch’s Garage Balch’s garage on Vermont street, Inglewood Ca. Jim’s Mercury was chopped by Sam and Jim, and is one of the first, perhaps the first 39-40 Mercury Coupes ever chopped.  (Jim Kierstead Collection)

The Dan Post Original Master Custom-Restyling Manual from 1947 shows a small photo of George’s 1941 Buick with the chopped windshield (listed as a 4 inch chop), new Cadillac grille, but the fade away fenders still needed to be created. Hard to see for sure, but it looks like the Buick already had the Kustoms Los Angeles plaque mounted in this photo.

George showing off in front of the camera, standing on his hands. Behind him the start of his 1941 Buick. The work on the fade-away fenders had just begun. 

In 1947 George finished the car as a full custom with chopped windshield, full fade-away molded-in fenders and a Carson Top Shop created padded top. The car was restyled just the way George loved it. The fade away fenders were created most likely using sheet metal, bend, cut and shaped to fit the 1941 Body. Some material was added to the top of the front wheel opening to flatten and lower it, making the car look lower and longer. The lower sections of the front fender and fade away section were rolled under with a nice radius, making it look like it had always been on the car like that. The headlights have been frenched into the molded front fenders and the heavy original chrome ornaments where removed. The stock grille was removed and replaced with a cut down 1942 Cadillac grille. The front sheet metal was reshaped to blend the grille in. The area below the hood was created from sheet metal and the hood character line was very nicely repeated into that and reshaped to end in a nice point just above the new grille. At the rear the fenders where molded to the body and flared nicely into the body with a gentle curve. George added a set of bulbous teardrop shaped fender skirts. The trunk was shaved and the external hinges were removed and replaced with internal units. That together with the molded in rear fenders created an extremely smooth rear portion of the car.

White primer

Once the majority of the body work was done, Barris painted it white primer. He drove it around like this for a little while making sure everything worked properly. In the photos showing the Buick in white primer we can see that George still used the stock Buick front bumper. We have not been able to locate a photo of this version of the car showing the rear, so we do not know how that looked at this stage. After George had removed all handles on the car he place electric solenoids. The car had pushbutton controls for the doors, trunk, hood and antenna.

In this photo we can see that George flattened the top of the front wheel openings and he rolled the bottom of the fenders inwards. Note the Kustoms Los Angeles plaque.

The Buick in white primer at El Mirage. Note that the front bumper is still the stock 1941 Buick unit.

Royal Metallic Maroon

Later in 1947 George started to prep the body for the final stages of the build. He replaces the stock rear bumper for a 1946 Oldmobile unit and mounted the taillights in the bumper guards. George painted his Buick in hand-rubbed Royal Metallic Maroon Lacquer. Possibly with the metallic part being Venus Martin gold or bronze powders which Barris used a lot in the early years.The upholstery is listed as red (dark?) and white “leather” in the Road & Track magazine. So far we have not been able to find a photo of the interior, other than one of the wrecked car showing a portion of the white with darker colored piping on the headliner. There is one photo of the Buick with the finished paint-job with the stock Buick bumper still in place. But later George replaced the bumper with a 1946 Oldsmobile units which had very nice wrap around sectioned which flow very nice with the fade away fenders.



This is the earliest photo we have been able to find of George’s Buick completely paint. When this photo was taken, most likely in the later part of 1947 the car still had the original ’41 Buick front bumper. Typical for the era are the black wall tires which were later replaced with white wall tires.


A little while later George replaced the ’41 Buick front bumper with a 1946 Oldsmobile unite which wrapped around the front fender very nice, giving the car more depth and speed, and flows nice with the fade away fenders. Note the curb feelers on the front fender.

George also used his Buick for long distance drives. (most likely it was still his only car then) This photo was taken at the Elmer Howard’s Body -Fender & Top shop in Sacramento NorCal.

After George had finished his new Custom he wanted to show it to his old Sacramento friends. Left to right Unknown, Jack Odberg, George Barris, Buddy Ohanesian, Bruce Glenn, Norm Milne and Mel Falconer. The friends were pretty impressed with George’s new Custom ride. The photo was taken in late 1947. 



George was invited to show the car at the very first Hot Rod Exposition in January of 1948 held in Los Angeles . The Buick was the only Custom Car at the show and was a huge crowd pleaser winning the top award. The show gained a lot of attention to the Barris’s Custom Shop and their Kustom creations. At this time the Barris shop was still named Customs Shop with a “C” but the cars they restyled were already called Kustoms with a “K”. In may 1948 the new all-round car magazine Road & Track showed a photo of George’s Buick in the magazine. The photo of the Buick was absolutely perfect, showing the beauty of the car with its super low profile sitting on large white wall tires, wonderful fade-away fenders, the 1941 Cadillac grille, shaved door handles and low padded top. The Kustoms Los Angeles plaque, which George had created for his own club also showed prominent in the photo. In the same issue of Road & Track George ran a 1/4 page ad using the same photo promoting the Barris’s Custom Shop work. The ad, magazine article and showing the car at this important 1948 show really helped promote the Barris Shop name, and more and more customers were able to find the small shop on Compton Ave.





The one photo that changed is all.

This photo of the George Barris 1941 Buick might be one of the most important photos in the history of Barris Kustoms. It was this photo that was used for the Road & Track May 1948 issue as well as the first ever ad the Barris Shop placed. This same photo would later also be used at other shows, to help promote the Barris Shop. The change to white wall tires for the car makes all the difference. The black walls from the earlier version make the car look almost sinister, but the new white walls add that wonderful classic look which elevated the car into its own league. The photo angle is absolutely perfect, and shows the car in all its beauty with a nice background. I have seen this location being used before, Johnny Zaro’s 1941 Ford was photographed with the same building in the back ground. I never did find out where the location was. I also have not been able to find out who the photographer was who took this for Barris Kustoms such an important photo.



The photo that was used in the Road and Track May 1948 magazine.

George his Buick was featured on a full page in the May 1948 Road and Track magazine. The Barris’s Custom Shop used the same photo for a quarter page ad in the same magazine. This publication changed it all for the Barris Shop.

The Barris shop sure set a new trend in custom restyling going for long, low and smooth lines from now on. George’s Buick had it all, perfect stance, perfect flowing lines with the chopped padded top and full fade away fenders. Twin Appleton spotlights, dark paint and white wall tires, with smooth large disk hubcaps.



The Buick parked on the street next to the the Barris Compton Avenue shop. The License plate is an 1947 tag plate.



Front 3/4 view of the Buick parked next to the Barris Compton Avenue shop.



George’s Buick was a huge hit among new customers, and the shop ended up creating several similar styled (but different in details) Buick’s requested by new customers. George’s 1941 Buick was the home run the shop needed. It made everything that would happen from now on possible. And not only the car was important, George now realized how important publicity was, he realized that with the right amount of advertising, showing cars at local shows, and having your cars featured in the new magazines would make all the difference.



Once George had finished his really well styled and proportioned Buick, he used it to promote his Barris Custom Shop. The car was also used on the shops Business Cards for some time.



George used the same photo as he used on the Barris Business Card of his 1941 Buick for an 1948 magazine ad. Notice how he specifically mentions that the car was in a Hot Rod Show.



The Buick with some sort of award ribbon mounted on the antenna. Could this have been after the car won the award at the first Hot Rod show in January 1948?

One of the nicest photos of George his Buick comes from the Johnny Zaro Collection. The car is parked next to the Compton Ave. shop and behind it we can see Sam’s 1940 Mercury. The photo is old and cracked, but man, what a  profile.

Some time later, around late 1948 or perhaps early 1949, the car was wrecked. George and some friends were at the Lynwood Clock drive-in, and some jealous guys were kicking George’s Buick. Even putting in some dents. George got out of his car and a pretty hefty fight was started. Russ Lenarz, a friend of George was trying to get the car out of the way. He made an u-turn on the the drive-in. But ran into a telephone pole causing severe damage to the Buick. In the meantime the police had arrived and George and some of the other guys where arrested.

Substantial damage after the crash.


The Buick was damaged on the front and drivers side. The front fender and part of the fade away fender were badly damaged. George decided he could fix the car. And while he was at it, he decided to restyle it some more with a bit more modern components. For this new version George wanted to use some more modern parts and decided to use a cut down 1946 Caddy grille for the car. He also added new tires now mounted with Cadillac Sombrero hubcaps. And to make the fade-away fenders show off even better than before he changed the teardrop shaped hubcaps for a set of more square units that followed the line of the fade-away fenders all the way to the back of the car. George got the car in primer, but never got it painted again. He sold it in 1949, and he never saw or heard about it again.



The Buick rebuilt after the accident, but still in primer. The new cut down 1946 Cadillac grille looks great, and gives the front a less boxy feel. Cadillac Sombrero hubcaps on wide whites are a perfect update as well.

George’s 1941 Buick in primer. This was after the car had been in the accident and George had repaired the damage and did some restyling at the same time. This photo is interesting for many reasons, but especially because a similar styled full Fade-Away Custom can be spotted behind the Barris Compton Ave. shop on the far left side of the photo. The photo was taken in either 1948 or ’49. Note that George changed the teardrop shaped fender skirts for more square units that looks to flow really nice with the fade away fender line.

George Barris did search for his old Buick. There had been rumors that it was still around. But none of these rumors ever resulted in finding anything that came even close. Not being able to find and restore the original, George did have plans at one point to recreate his old personal custom. He realizing how important this one car had been for his career. However this idea never came any further than the thinking about stage. And with George now gone we sure know the car will not be recreated by Barris anymore.



This early Custom would be one really fine candidate for a recreation.
The George Barris 1941 Buick, one of the most important cars in the Custom Car history.

(this article is made possible by)

.

JOHNNY HAGEN 50 MERCURY

Johnny Hagen created this Classic restyled padded topped 1950 Mercury as his own personal driver. And as a rolling advertising for his Glendale body shop.



In 2014 we did an article on the quest to find the first chopped 1949-50 Mercury. And even though this quest is about a chopped Coupe body and not really about convertible’s, we did list Bill Gaylord‘s 1949 Mercury convertible in the article. Bill’s Mercury was chopped by George Barris in trade for a padded top of George’s personal 1942-47 Cadillac convertible in 1949, making it one of the very first 1949-50 Mercury’s to be chopped. In late 2015 we did an article on Bill Verna‘s 1950 Mercury Convertible’s chopped by Carl Johnson. In that article we also showed a photo of Carl Johnson’s personal 1949 Mercury convertible, which was most likely chopped and customized before Carl did the 1950 Merc for Bill Verna. Both also very early chopped Mercury’s.

To chop the top on a 1949-51 Mercury is obviously a far less difficult task as chopping the same year coupe body. These mercury’s did not differ much from the mid 1930’s convertible’s which had been cut down by the body shops for 10+ years already. the only real difficult in them was for the Top Shops who needed to create ultra long padded tops for them. There were basically two different style of padded tops that could be made for these Mercury’s. One with open rear quarter windows, and one with the rear quarter windows closed and the padded top running all the way to the  rear of the doors. And of course there was the variations on the flow of the rear of the top and rear window size and shape.



Bill Gaylord’s 1949 Mercury with 1949 tag on the license plate has the long smooth flowing top with filled quarter windows.

Bill Gaylord’s Mercury had the full flowing padded top with the rear quarter windows closed, shaped very much like the top shops had done on most of the pre 1948 cars. It appears that the 49-51 Mercury convertibles done a little later, perhaps after some had seen the rather heavy top done by Bill Gaylord on his own personal Mercury, were mostly done differently. Most builders decided that open quarter windows for a long padded top like this might be more elegant and work better with the lines of the Mercury. The car in this article, the Johnny Hagen 1949 Mercury Convertible also has this a little more boxy top with open rear quarter windows.

The Johnny Hagen 1949 Mercury Convertible

Johnny Hagen, owner of a custom shop in Glendale California created this classic looking 1950 Mercury for himself in 1950. According the article in Hop Up magazine from October 1951, Johnny was planning to build this car in stages, and this was just stage one. What he created with this first version was almost as if one of the original designers of the 1950 mercury had requested a factory custom, like a design study. The car is very subtle  all around, which gives the car a really nice classic look and feel. The article states that Johnny was planning on removing the stock taillights and adding them in the rear bumper guards to clean up the rear of the car. And also to update the engine with more speed accessories for ht eFull House treatment. We have no idea if Johnny eventually updated the car or not. The Hop Up magazine article and one single photo in the October 1954 issue of Speed Mechanics is all we have been able to find on Johnny’s 1950 Mercury.

We have very little information about Johnny’s Custom shop in Glendale. We know that he painted Dave Peter’s 1949 Ford restyled by the Valley Custom Shop. But other than that he stayed pretty much off the grid, or at least he was not mentioned much in the magazines.



Johnny’s 1950 Mercury was featured on a full two page spread in the Hop Up issue, and the best of all is that it was printed with an amazing blue hue Rotogravure print technice. Making this Hop Up feature a double pleasure to look at.

Padded top removed and rear bench cover installed. Johnny’s 1950 Mercury now becomes a well balanced “two seater”.

Johnny cut the windshield pillars a modest 2 1/2 inch for that subtle factory custom look. The vent windows and side window frames were cut and reshaped accordingly.  The stock headlight rings were molded to the body for a nice frenshed look, the grille surround was molded to the fenders, and so was the splash-pan. The grille was modified with an aftermarket center bar insert. The hood, doors and trunk were all shaved of their handles and emblems for that much desired clean look. The Hop Up article states that Johnny installed a set of 1950 Mercury skirts, but it appears that the skirts were extended down, to fit level with the bottom of the car, for a lower and smoother look. Johnny painted the car in a super glossy dark color. The magazine article does not list the color, so we can only guess… He installed a set of Appleton Spotlights, lowered the car level with a few inches for a moderate lowered stance. And added full size white wall tires and stock 1950 Mercury hubcaps.

The front end restyling included frenshed headlights, molded grille surround and splash-pan and smoothed hood. The reflections show how smooth the body work and paint are.

The rear of the Mercury is mostly stock, expect for the shaved trunk. This photo also shows the extended down fender skirts.



The Padded top was created by the American Top Shop in Lynwood, and shows a basic shape similar to the Carson Top Shop tops. (Gaylord padded tops were always more flowing at the back). The shop also created a cover to be installed behind the front seats in case the padded top was off the car. We do not know if the rest of the interior was left stock, or if the same shop also did a full custom interior for Johnny’s Mercury.



This is the only photo we have been able to find of Johnny’s Mercury with the Padded top up. It gives the car a wonderful classic look.

Another photo of Johnny’s Mercury from the same Hop Up photo shoot was used in the October 1954 issue of Speed Mechanics special on installing Spotlights. 



Johnny Hagan created a very interesting classic looking 1950 Mercury as his own personal driver. The car has the same feel as some of the custom cars from the early 1940’s. Those cars were mildly restyled and lower than stock, but not as low as the laster samples. It almost feels like Johnny brought back the early 1940’s style back in the early 1940’s on a current model… like a new retro trend. The result is an really stunning looking early chopped 1950 mercury custom. We have no idea what ever happened to this Mercury, if Johnny was able to restyled it further as originally planned, or if it changed hands and was restyled more elsewhere.
If any of the CCC-Readers knows anything more about Johnny’s Mercury, or even about Johnny Hagen and his body shop, please let us know. We would love to hear about it.

(this article is sponsored by)





.

DON DOBBINS SHOEBOX

In 1955 Don Dobbins from was starting his career as body-man, his 1949 Ford Coupe would be his canvas for a lot of successful restyling experiments.

 
In 1955 Don Dobbins had just come back to the US for serving in the Army stationed in Germany when he found a nice $350.- 1949 Ford coupe at a local Junk Yard. While still in the army he used the car as daily transportation and slowly started to transform it into his dream custom in his spare time at a local body show he was working spare time. Don wanted to become a body man and he figured that he could best practice on his own project while building his dream custom. He experimented a lot on the car and tried many new things just to practice and to see if he could do the work. 
 

Photo taken not to long after the Ford was bought from a car lot in july 1955 after Don had returned from service in Germany.

Don spend his spare time reworking the Ford at a local body shop where he had a part time job while still in the army. The hood had been shortened in the front, new grille opening created, 52 Mercury headlights molded into the fender, shaved body and Oldsmobile rear fenders.

The Humble beginnings

At first the car transformed into a mild custom, with a shaved body and custom front and rear. Don welded the front end of the hood to the front fenders, and cut a new line a bit higher to make the hood look thinner. He used some spare parts, round rod and sheet metal to create a new grille opening. He molded in a set of 1952 Mercury headlights and cut of the Ford rear fender tops and replaced them with 1951 Oldsmobile units. The splash-pan front and rear were molded to the body and at the rear the lower trunk corners where rounded with a large radius. Don cut a 1955 Ford rear bumper in half and made it to fit the narrower 1949 Ford body. He also cut holes for the exhausts in the new rear bumpers. At this time Don also removed the tired original flathead engine and replaced it with an 1953 Oldsmobile engine. The car would use a grille made from 1950 DeSoto grille bars, sadly there are no photos of this.

 

1951 Oldsmobile rear fender sections were added including the tail lights, the Ford wind-splits were deleted and the trunk corners rounded. The rear bumper is a narrowed 1955 Ford unit with exhaust tips thru the bumper.

The Ford flathead engine was replaced with an 1953 olds engine in 1957 while Don lived in Junction City Kansas.

From 1957 to 1961 work on the Shoebox continued and the car went from a mild Custom to a full radical Custom. Don had chopped to top 4.5 inches, not wanting the rear of the top angle forward as the early 1950’s customizers did most of the time, Don added almost a foot of metal to the top above the doors to get the shape he was looking for. Remember that the Shoebox was the experimental project for Don, well he wanted to try something else on his car to create some more interesting shapes. He recessed the center section of the roof 3/8 inch and created a wonderful peak where the recess ended. This made the top look a lot longer and very interesting. Don created a very small rear window for this version of the car and used plexiglass for it. He would later reshape the trunk and hood to mimic this shape as well, but we will get to that later.

1961, More body changes including a chopped top, rear wheel opening change and a molded in lake-pipe. Work was done while Don lived in Independence Mo.

1962, getting the car ready for its first car Show in KCMO. The car now has 1955 Chrysler Grills and a front bumper based on a 1962 plymouth bumper an 1954 Mercury front bumper guards crafted in at the ends.

1962 First full Custom Version

First car show 1962 unfinish inside interior was hidden by white painted glass. Kansas City Mo. This side view photo also shows the very small rear window very well.

In 1963 the car was completely finished in its first version and showed in KCMO.

Don added a mostly molded in lake pipe running from the top of the front wheel opening to the rear of the doors. There the molded in pipe was cut open and filled with a hand made chrome plated double opening lake pipe. The rear wheel opening was lipped an the lip was extended toward the rear bumper. At the rear the lower edge of the trunk was cut off and welded to the body. A second set of Oldsmobile taillights was molded into the rear of the body creating a very interesting new rear of the car. The car was lowered all around and the drive shaft tunnel was raised for clearance. Don painted the car in a nice medium blue metallic, added steel wheels with baby moon hubcaps and narrow white wall tires.

For the interior Don hand made a dash-board and installed a large number of gauges in a custom made dash wide panel. The steering wheel was replaced with an 1961 Chevy unit and the seats where replaced with four bucket seats he found in an early 1960’s Volvo PV. The interior was finished in white and blue tuck & roll, the garnish moldings were painted body color. Don finished the car like this in 1963.

Close up shows the 1950 Chrysler grille and home made bumper. This close up also shows the peaked lower edge of the hood, and gives a good look at the scoop Don created below the bumper to allow for more air to cool the Olds engine. The scoop is peaked in a similar way as the hood has been. 

The 1953 Oldsmobile engine was nicely detailed with a four carburator intake and lots of chrome plated parts.

More changes.

Later in 1963 it was time for more updates on the car Don decided to change the grille one more time. The 1955 Chrysler units were removed and a new larger grille opening was created using sheet metal and shaped round rod. The new larger grille opening was filled with hand shaped chrome plated thin round bars giving the car a completely different look and feel again. Then on June 19, 1964 disaster happened. After Don was asked to bring his Shoebox to the St Joseph Mo Car show to be shown as feature car at the show an engine fire destroyed the engine bay and damaged the hood and front fenders.
 

Then in 1964 before the St Joseph Mo car show disaster happened. The engine caught fire on june 19 1964 damaging the engine compartment, the hood and front fenders. The car had chosen to be the Feature Car at the show, so Don was not only devastated by the damage, but also missing out of the opportunity to be the feature car.

Outside damage after the fire. It took Don a while to get back to the car and redo it. Notice that Don had already changed the front end of the car before the fire. 

After the devastating fire it took Don a bit of time to get back to feel good about the car. Before the fire he never minded cutting into the car to make more changes, but that fire really hurt him. But he did get back on the car and decided to not only fix the damage, but make more changes/improvements at the same time. Don really liked the shape of the new grille opening and how it mimicked the lower hood peak, the below the front bumper scoop and even the roof recessed panel. But the hood and trunk still looked to flat compared with the rest. So Don designed a wonderfully shape scoop to be used on the hood as well as the trunk. Don did not want the scoops to sit on top of the hood and trunk like most others he had seen did. Instead he cut out the panels and recessed them into the hood and trunk. Using sheet metal and round rod to make them look really nice. All work was done metal finished, like the rest of the body work Don performed on the Shoebox.

Later in 1964 Don had fixed all the fire damage and updated the car with a wonderful styled hood scoop that fits the below the bumper scoop an new grille opening perfectly. The rear window was also changed at this time and enlarged for a better rear view. This photo also shows the wonderful recessed center section of the roof.

Don created a completely new dash board with a custom made gauge panel covering the complete width of the dash. The Volvo PV seats and the door panels were covered in white and medium blue tuck & roll upholstery.

To be able to get all the damage repaired and clean up the engine and engine bay he removed the engine and decided to make it cleaner and more beautiful than before.

At the back the new scoop and recessed panel would flow all the way to the rear splash pan. In the lower section Don cut a panel and made another recess for the license plate to sit into. Don wanted the plate to sit at the same level as the splash pane,and to be able to do that he had to cut the 1955 Ford rear bumper and made a recess in there as well. This time around Don also enlarged the rear window by cutting it up around 4 inches into the top. The new larger rear window balanced out the top a lot better now as well. With all the work done Don prayed the car medium blue metallic once more. It was like this when the car was featured in the January 1966 issue of Popular Customs Magazine. Don even got an inset color photo on the cover of the magazine.

Color photo from the cover of the January 1966 issue of Popular Customs magazine shows the wonderful designed rear of Don’s shoebox. The Recessed center section mimics the hood of the car, and so is the scoop added to the trunk. Notice that the trunk has been shortened considerably allowing for the custom quad Oldsmobile taillights.

Besides having a color photo on the cover of the Jan 1966 issue of Popular Customs, Don’s Shoebox was featured on four pages inside. 



Around the time the Popular Custom Magazine appeared, Don made a few more changes to the Ford. One of the most obvious ones was the opened up rear wheel openings. They where now shaped similar to the front wheel openings, but with a lip added. The lip Don created was flowing from the wind-split he had create on the earlier version of the car. Don also decided to do something different for paint for this version. The color would still be from the blue family, so that the interior still would fit the new exterior of the car. Fortunately Tom Davison always had his camera handy and took some photos of this version of the car. Tom described the new paint as: “It was a candy blue and green fade over silver flake, misted with crushed glass over the the candy. There was lace painting in darker blue on the top and scoop indentations only.”

 
Side view photo by Tom Davison shows the new lipped wheel opening.

This color photo by Tom shows the lace on the top an the hood scoop indentation. It also shows the fades in lighter blue and green hues and the sparkling of the flakes and crushed glass.

1969 Selling the Shoebox

Towards the end of the 1960’s Don repainted the car in a dark blue and added lighter blue outline flames to it. The painted wheels with baby moons were replaced with chrome reverse wheels. Sadly only one dark snapshot could be located of this version of the car. In late 1969 Don sold the car and it ended up in California at the Movie World Cars of the Stars. Until then Don had showed the car at many cars shows in the Missouri, Kansas and Nebraska area winning many awards.

This is how Don’s Shoebox look like in 1969 with a new dark blue and flame paint job. Snapshot taken when the car was showed in KCMO. This was the last time Don showed it before he sold the car.

The car ended up at Movie World Cars of the Stars.

Mark Jaroslaw took these two photos at an unknown California Car Show in the early 1970’s. The photos were developed in August 1974. 



In the early 1970’s Don was told the car was still in California, and in 1976 Don went to California and during his trip he went to the Cars of the Stars to find out the car was not part of the collection anymore but was not at the Harrah’s Museum in Reno Nevada.  In 1986 a lot of the cars in the harrah’s Collection where auctioned, including Don’s Shoebox. The car was bought by a guy from Salem Orgeon. The new owner was able to find Don, and send him some photos how the car looked now. And asked for more information on the car. Sadly the contact information has since been lost and Don also could not remember the owners name. the car is now repainted in a light pearl blue with darker blue flames and scallops. The car is named My blue Angel.

 
In the mid 1970’s the car ended up in the Harrah’s Automobile Collection in Reno Nevada. It stayed there until 1986 when it was auctioned and found a new owner. Colin Hillier-Danes (HAMB-Member Colin HD) from dorset, England took a couple of photos of Don’s Ford at Harrah’s in February 1984. The car was sitting outside (under a roof though) in the waiting erea at the restoration shop of the museum. At the time the car had been coveredin gray primer which made it look a bit sad. There was no engine in the car, and the Museum had no history on the car when Colin asked for it. Colin later found the car in the Popular Customs magazine. The Museum staff mentioned that the car would go on auction later that year.

The interior looked still rather good in 1984, although the windshield garnish is missing and the headliner sagging due to the lack of suport for the molding.

The grille and bumpers must have been stored elsewhere, since they are still on the car in more recent photos.

Colin send copies of his photos to Custom Rodder magazine and they used this rear photo for a small article in the letters section. The taillights are missing… possibly stored together with the bumpers.

The car was most likely worked on at the Harrah’s museum, since this is how the car looked like when it came up for auction.

The new owner contacted Don and send him a few photos of how his old Shoebox the way it looked then. Sadly Don has lost the contact information and could not remember the name of the new owner. He does remember that the car was now in Salem Oregon.

This is how the car looked a couple of years ago. Still in very good shape with some very minor changes. 

Don has no idea what happened to the car after that. There are some more recent photos of the car from several car shows, and the car is still looking very good. But Don has not been able to find out who owns the car now, and where it is located. So if you know who owns Don’s old Shoebox Custom now, please let us know.

(this article is made possible by)

.

CHOP TOP HISTORY part 1

The most transforming of all custom body changes, if not the most beautiful, is lowering of the top. Better known as the Chopped Top.

One of the best known, perhaps most desirable Custom techniques of them all is chopping a top. For this CCC-Article I will concentrate on the history of chopping metal-tops from coupe or sedan models of cars typically used for customizing 1933 and up. It is generally accepted that chopping the windshields of convertibles and roadster style bodies – with or without a matching padded top – was done earlier than chopping the metal topped coupes and sedan’s. The reason the convertible tops were done earlier is obviously, the relative easy modification of removing a few inches from a  straight window pillar compared to removing a few inches from a cone shaped top of a coupe of sedan. But who was the first to tackle the coupe or sedan chop, when and where was it done first on a custom. In this first part we will concentrate on the early beginnings of chopping tops, done mostly on cars from the 1930’s up to 1940, restyled in the period till around 1950.



Influences

I think it is fair to say that we most likely will never find out who actually chopped the first top on a custom. Customs as we see them are based on the 1933 and up cars. And as far as I have found out it took a few years before the first body guy started to experiment with lowering the top on one of these cars. So far the first chopped metal top custom I have been able to find was a 1937 Ford sedan that had a lowered and reshaped top to be a mix between a sedan and coupe. The top portion of the roof was covered with canvas making it looks a bit like a padded top custom, but it was in fact an all metal top. We do not have an exact date when this car was build, but from the things we have found it looks to have been done 1-2 years after it came from the factory. Sadly in those years not many photos were taken. The work done on the early customs was not considered to be very special, worth documenting, or even remembering. Still it is interesting to see how much we can find out, how far we can go back. And perhaps, or hopefully some of our readers will remember more and will fill in some gaps, and add details to the story.



One of the earliest cars with a chopped top we have been able to find was an 1937 Ford sedan with a cut down and vinyl wrapped top. We are not 100% sure when this car was chopped, but it was most likely in either 1937 or ’38. More photos of this car can be seen HERE.



Coach-building and design studies
There are several direction we can look at that inspired the early custom car builders to start chop the top on cars. One of the directions is the design sketches from designers from the 1930’s. Both independent as well as those working for the big car companies. The design sketches made to find directions the next model was hinting to were often drawn with low stance, long wheel-base, and small size windows with low tops. This way the car looks more sinister, longer, more powerful, faster, and above all more attractive. When the designs were approved the design was mostly adapted to the real life situation and more than often the request was to create an automobile in which the owner could keep his hat on, demanding a tall top. The beautiful design sketches however did have its influence, and the designs on them were often combined with the real life cars for the sales ads, and brochures, to make the cars look more attractive.



Art Ross created many design sketches for the Duesenberg and other high end automobiles in the mid 1930’s. Many of his sketches show car bodies, coupes and sedans with vary small side windows and raked back windshields giving the designs a what we now would name a chopped look. Many other designers came up with similar chopped top designs in the mid to late 1930’s.



Cars that did not have to meet public standards were Coach-build cars. These however were mostly based on high end cars, like Duesenberg, Packards and Cadillacs. When these cars were special ordered by the mostly rich clients, the finished looks were often more important that the practical effect of the cars. Designers working with the Coach builders could create new more streamlined roof tops, much lower and more atractive than the production stylist from the bigger car companies. The Coach-builders only had to please one client. In was in the early/mid 1930’s that these coach-builders started to come up with cars with smaller windows, leaned back windshields and more streamlined rear portions of the roof.

Since the car bodies were mostly build from scratch we cannot really call these chopped cars, but they sure had the looks of what we later would call chopped cars. These low roofed streamlined cars looks so wonderful, and must have influenced many young car enthusiast in the mid to late 1930’s. Most of this coachbuilding happened in sunny California where the people were more car loving than in other parts of the US at the time. One of the reasons was of course the great all year round weather, but also the great new roads that did not suffer from strong winters causing many holes and bad surfaces. However the year-round decent weather in California did not make the choice of a coupe or sedan to be your next Coach-build or Custom a logic step. Perhaps financial reason might have played a roll in choosing a sedan or coupe, which were cheaper than the more desirable convertible and roadsters.



This Duesenberg was originally built in 1932 as a short-wheelbase four-door sedan. The owner Dr. Seeley Mudd sent the car to Bohman & Schwartz for a complete new body. it was finished with the new chopped looking top inn 1937. The design of the car employed aerodynamic principles that were only experimental in the 1930s. Body panels were covered with leather-like Zapon cloth.

This is what LeBaron came up with in 1937 when they did coachwork on a Lincoln Model K chassis. It looks very much like an oversized chopped 1935 – 36 Ford 3w coupe. (thanks Per Webb)

Bohman & Schwartz also created the Phantom Corsair. This very streamlined car finished in 1937 had a wonderful chopped like roof and small windows.



Sales Illustrations
Another influence for the first chopped tops on customs most likely were the sales ads and car brochures created for the mid/late 1930’s cars. In this period, up to the late 1940’s (and even later) most of the car magazine ads and sales brochures used illustration of the cars rather than actual photos. One of the reasons to do this was that it was easier to slightly alter the cars in the illustrations to make them look longer, lower, more attractive than in a photo. Today all this is done in Photoshop, but back then creating an better than real life illustration was the way to go. Many of the illustrations used back then show cars with a much lower top than the actual production car. The low top gives the car a much longer, and lower appearance, which makes the car look more attractive than when the illustrator showed the actual height of the top. Most likely this lower look must have influenced the young car-builders from the late 1930’s early 1940’s in experimenting with the cut down tops.



This sample shows an ad for the 1935 Ford coupe and the 1936 Ford sedan. Both image illustrations show the cars with a much lower top than the actual production car. The low top give the car a much longer, and lower appearance, which makes the car look more attractive in these sales ads than when the illustrator had used the actual height of the top.



Padded topped convertibles
The Carson Top Shop created the padded Frensh top design in 1935, and around 1937 the first chopped padded top was produced by the Carson top shop. We will come back on the chopped padded top in a separate article at a later time. As mentioned before lowering a convertible top was a lot easier than to lower an all metal top. But the looks of these lowered padded toped customs might have inspired the first person to lower the top on the metal top cars.

Dry lake racing
In the early 1930’s there were a lot of young guys who took their model A’s to the California dry lakes to go racing on the immense lake beds that turned out to be absolutely perfect to go fast, and faster. Some of the cars racing there had cut down windshields to reduce air flow and make the cars faster. Some of these cars even had their convertible tops cut accordingly creating a nice low profile. The lowered windshields gave these cars a whole different, more tougher, longer, powerful look. This looks most likely helped some of the customizers later on when they started to think about lowering the top on their metal top coupes and sedans. Perhaps at first to use them on the dry lakes to increase speed, and later for the looks.



Ed Hagthrop’s chopped 1935 Ford Coupe at one of the mid 1940’s dry lake events. 

About chopping tops in early publications

The earliest publications I have been able to find listing the lowering of the top on Custom Cars technique dates back to 1944. Dan Post published a series of typed “Mimeographs” in the 1940’s names Remodeler’s Manual for Restyling your car Informal Notes and Observations of Body Alterations to Bring Your Auto Lasting Style. The first one of these was published in 1944. The technique was however not named Chopped Top yet, at least not in the publications. It was named Lowering Hard Tops, meaning metal tops in contrast to lowering convertible tops. The first time the technique was named Chopping Tops was published in 1949 as far as I have been able to find it. Edgar Almquist also produced a series of Custom Styling Manuals, and the first one he did in 1946 has a nice write up on the technique as well. As far as I have been able to find out the name Chopping Tops has been used since around 1946, perhaps even earlier, but the first time it can bee seen used is on the early photos of the Barris Compton Avenue shop from around 1946.



The first time chopping the top on customs was described in a publication was, as far as I have found out, the Dan Post Remodeler’s Manual for Restyling your Car first published in 1944. The above sample comes from the 1945 version of this manual which had a few minor corrections added. The technique was not yet listed as “chopping”.

Edgar Almquist published a series of Custom Styling Manual’s in the 1940’s. In the 1946 edition of this Manual he described the Lowering Metal Tops technique. The picture 9 mentioned in the text showed a Barris build 1941 Chevy coupe with filled in rear quarter windows. We will discuss this car in part two of this series.

This written description of cutting down the top comes from the 1947 Dan Post “Master Custom-Restyling Manual”. The “Photo 10 mentioned in the text is shown below.

Photo 10 in the Dan Post “Master Custom-Restyling Manual” shows a 1934 Ford Vicky with chopped top, an unknown Mopar sedan in the back and an unknown 1939-40 Mercury coupe with chopped top very vague in the foreground. It appears that the Mercury coupe in the foreground has the windshield raked back, a different technique than listed in the text.

The Dan Post “Blue book of Custom Restyling from 1949 shows this illustration guiding the reader how to cut the top on a “hard-top” coupe. This is the first time I have found that the technique was named CHOPPED in a publication.

George Barris was interviewed for the April 1950 issue of Motor Trend magazine about Custom Restyling. This is what he said about chopping tops.

A photo of a heavy top chop in progress on a Barris created 1940 Ford coupe was used to illustrate the Chopped Top technique in the April 1950 issue of Motor Trend magazine. The car in the photo has the windshield angled back a lot and looks to be far from finished in the back.

In 1951 Motor Trend magazine produced the first of the Custom Cars Annuals. Trend book No. 101. To describe chopping the top technique they used the George Barris text from the Motor Trend April 1950 issue, with more explaining added to it.

This photo collage of customs appeared for the first time in the Dan Post Blue Book of Custom Restyling published in 1949. Most of the photos had already been used in his publications from 1947. It shows how few metal topped cars were actually chopped, compared to the convertible chopped and non-chopped cars.



One of the things I have noticed in my research on the chopped top subject is that in general the chops on the early customs is less radical than those done in later years, more towards the end of the 1940’e and early-mid 1950’s. The main reason for this I believe is because of balance. From the early beginning of customizing, at least customizing with the reason to improve the looks of an automobile, there has been the realization that the customizing needs to be done in balance with the rest of the car. There is a balance between the amount of chop and stance of the car. Early customs usually had a higher stance, so the top was lowered proportional. Later in the 1940′ the cars were often more lowered, which could be done because the roads got better. Therefor to stay in balance with the side view of the car the top needed to be chopped a bit more than before. Of course there are always exceptions to these rules. But over all the chop amount on the early customs was a bit less than later on.

Another thing that I noticed is that in most cases the cars that have been chopped have remained the drip rails. In some cases the drip rails were shortened and ended just after the door openings. But they were rarely completely shaped as we are so familiar with from the late 1940’s early 1950s. Another thing that I have noticed is that the early chops appear to be a bit more boxy, less streamlined than how they were done in the later part of the 1940’s and early 1950’s.





The 1936 Fords

From all the photos of the early chopped custom cars I have come across it looks like the first chopped metal topped body must have been a 1936 Ford. There are early samples of the 5-window coupes as well as the two door sedan bodies as chopped customs. It looks like, and I’m not sure why this is, that the now more popular 3-window coupe was not amongst the first body styled that were cut.


Santa Monica ’36 Ford 5-window Coupe
The earliest chopped Custom Car I have been able to find that can be dated with a license plate is an beautiful restyled 1936 Ford 5-window coupe build in the late 1930. I know of two photos of this car, and both show the car with 1940 California license plates. According Dean Bachelor who took one of these photos of this car has mentioned in the past that the car had been restyled by the Santa Monica Body Works company. We have not been able to find out anything about this shop, but most likely it was a regular body shop and the owner of the Ford might have requested the shop to perform the custom body work. A common practice on early customs. The car has the top lowered a few inches, well balanced with the stance of the car, not to much, just perfect.

Santa Monica Body works restyled this 1936 Ford 5-window coupe in late 1930’s or early 1940 with a chopped top, removed running boards, smooth hood sides, narrowed grille and separate grilles in the front fenders. One of the most beautiful ’36 ever done.

Mark Murray shared this photo of a 1936 Ford Sedan from his grandfathers photo albums. Mark always heard his grandfather say that this one might have been the first 1936 Ford sedan to be chopped. This side profile shows how much the top was chopped.Sadly we cannot see a license plate or date on the photo to help us identify it. It does look to have been done in either the late 1930’s or early 1940’s.

Mark Murray also shared these two photos of an 1936 Ford coupe getting chopped. Pretty rare photos, since there are not to many early photos of these cars getting worked on. These two photos were taken around 1948.



Tommy Jamieson ’36 Ford 5-window Coupe
Howard Fall restyled this 1936 Ford 5-window coupe (below) for Tommy Jamieson in 1939-1940. The car is much more radical than most of the custom from this period. The body has been channeled over the frame and 1937 Ford front fenders raised so that the bottom edge would be level with the lower parts of the main body. The hood was replaced with an modified 1938 Ford hood, top chopped with vertical pillars and rather upright rear of the top. Custom made grille and sollid hood sides. The rear fenders are stock and use 1938 Ford teardrop taillights, the license plate is set in in the rear valance and the bumpers are replaced by 1940 Mercury units. Howard Fall painted the car two-tone green.



Tommy Jamieson heavily restyled 1936 Ford 5-window coupe with chopped top in 1941.

Tommy’s ’36 Ford is an unique custom with a lot of restyling going on, especially for the time it was created. Notice how upright the rear of the top is. This was done before the streamlined style would be favored. 



Bob Fairman / Jimmy Summers ’36 Ford coupe
Bob’s ’36 Ford 3-window coupes with the full fade away fenders is one of the first chopped coupes I have been able to locate. Together with George Barris his ’36 Ford 3-window they both appear to have been build in 1941. We are not sure if it was Jimmy Summers who chopped the top on Bob’s Ford, or if he perhaps did it himself or together with Jimmy while he worked in his shop. The chop on Bob’s coupe was a relatively mild chop, especially if you compare it with some of the others like George Barris or Bob Pierson’s coupes.



Bob Fairman’s 1936 Ford chopped 3-window coupe with full fade away fenders was created when Bob worked for Jimmy Summers. The earliest plates we have seen on this car are from 1941.

Even thought these photos were taken in 1949, the car in the photos very much appears to have been restyled in the early 1940’s. The chopped top is rather square, with is further enhanced by the filled in rear quarter windows. From what I can see no part on the car is newer than 1941.



George Barris ’36 Ford Coupe
The first real full custom George Barris created for himself was a 1936 Ford Coupe in 1941. It shows a typical Nor Cal style we often associate with as the Harry Westergard Style. Long, sleek, high small nose and a speed boat stance. However I do not think we have ever seen a early chopped coupe of sedan done by Harry Westergard. George chopped the top on his personal ’36 Ford a few inches, nothing really radical, but from the photos we do have of the car it looks to be very well balance. with the highpoint in the center of the door.





Jack Calori Ford
One of the most influential chopped ’36 Ford’s ever is the the chopped coupe Herb Reneau created for his friend Jack Calori. It is another car done in the typical Harry Westergard style, but on this car we are not even sure if the owner, or builder have actually ever been in contact with Harry, nor any of the customs he has created. The Calori Coupe did however have a huge impact, and one of the reasons was because it was featured on the cover of the November 1949 issue if the Hot Rod magazine. A very popular magazine at the time. Inside the car had a massive three pages including an incredible x-ray drawing by Rex Burnett. The one thing a bit odd for a custom around this time were the black wall tires, but that was how Jack liked it, he was a Hot Rodder, not so much a Custom Car guy.  The car was restyled in Long Beach California in 1948 by body man and good friend of Jack Calori Herb Reneau.  As far as we know this was Herb’s first chopped top on n all metal top. Most likely the picture in this issue of Hot Rod magazine has inspired many young guy to start working on a chopped 36 Ford Custom all over the US.



The set free photos and the X-Ray drawing show the real beauty of the car very well and how much impact the chopped top has on the ’36 Ford coupes. 



Bob Pierson ’36 Ford Coupe
Another very famous 1936 chopped Ford Coupe was the one owned by Bob Pierson. The car was originally build as a mildly restyled street custom in 1947 But in 1949 it was decided to chop the top to enter it in a different category at the dry lake races. However the car was not only build to race, everything was made to look really good as well. Bob and Dick Pierson and Harry Jones chopped the top on the car. Harry was a body man from Inglewood who also painted their 2D coupe. The chopped top coupe was well traveled in SoCal in the late 1940’s early 1950’s.



Bob Pierson’s 1936 Ford how it was originally restyled in ’47. DeSoto bumpers, Appleton spots, a bull-nose, ripple disc hubcaps, and solid hood sides and teardrop skirts. (This photo was given to the current, 2016, owner of the car by Dick Pierson.)

By 1949 Bob drove the car around with a wonderful chopped top.  (photo from the Bob Pierson’s personal scrapbook)

We do not know when this photo was taken, most likely in the early to mid 1940’s. It shows a rather badly chopped ’36 Ford 5-window coupe with the rear quarter windows and roof top filled in from Michigan. The engine was replaced by a Cadillac flathead engine1

Other early chopped customs

The 1936 Fords might have been the first coupes and sedans from which the tops were cut and lowered. But they sure were not the only ones. In the early years the FoMoCo cars however were dominating the custom scene. But from early one all year models ended up with chopped tops. Some model years turned out to be more popular than others. The 1939 and 40 Mercury coupes have been very popular candidates for the chopped top from around them mid 1940’s. The almost hard-topped looking top was extremely high on the coupes, making it look very odd, and a prime candidate for a haircut.

We have noticed that quite a few of the early chopped cars had kept the drip-rails in place. In some cases the drip rails were shortened, especially on the cars that had the rear quarter windows closed, which was another popular custom style in the early years. Most likely the closing of the rear quarter windows was inspired by the padded tops created for the chopped convertibles.

Dick Fowler’s 1938 Ford Coupe was another early chop done at the Barris Shop. The shop was done most likely around 1946. The amount removed from the top was more than on most in this period. The car was also lowered a little more than other. And Barris shaved the drip rails on this one for an ultimate smooth look.



Earl Bruce 1940 Ford Coupe
Earl Bruce bought his 1940 Ford DeLuxe business coupe on September 15, 1939 at Al Stuebing Ford on Cahuenga Blvd in L.A. According the story in American Rodder magazine he drove it straight from the dealer to the northwet corner of Melrose Avenue and Fairfax where Jimmy Summers had his shop. He ordered a full chop and filled quarter windows from Jimmy. There are also stories that Roy Hagy chopped the top on Earl’s Coupe for first owner Tommy Winship, not sure which story is right. The fact is that the car was chopped in late 1939 and the first images we have found of it are from October 4th 1940 when the car was filmed at an scta event.



Movie clips from the October 4th 1940 SCTA event show the Earl Bruce 1940 Ford with the fresh chopped top and fog lights used as taillights. Notice that Bruce used a set of 1939 Ford headlights on the car early on.



These two photos were take a little later in the 1940’s. It shows that the car was now outfitted with rear fender mounted Buick taillights. The headlights are now replaced with 1940 Ford units. Notice how small and high located the rear window is.

This side view taken a little later, gives us a good look at this early chopped coupe top. The whole top has taken on a quite different shape than the stock top, and appears to have been stretched in the center. The rear quarter windows are filled in and the door top corners have been rounded. The drip rail was shortened to a few inches behind the door.



Another early chopped coupe styled in a similar way as the Earl Bruce coupe was the Bob Creasman 1940 Ford coupe. Bob’s coupe was chopped in 1943 by Bob Creasman and the Brand Brothers Body Shop in Los Angeles. Four inches were removed from the top. The top was extend four inches to make sure the A-pillars and the rear of the top would line up after the top was lowered. The rear quarter windows were filled in, just as on Earl Bruce his coupe. Later in the 1940’s the car was outfitted with a set of full fade away fenders.

Unidentified 1940 Ford chopped Coupe from the Bart Bartoni collection (Don Montgomery books) is very interesting. The car appears to be mostly stock, except for 1946-48 Ford bumpers, a bit lower suspension, and a wonderful proportioned chop. It looks like it just rolled out of an 1940’s magazine ad illustration.



Don Lee ’40 LaSalle
Don Lee created a few restyled cars for his clients. They do not really fit the Custom theme we discuss here per-see, but I feel they need to be mentioned here anyway. These were also done very early. The 1940 LaSalle shown here was done in 1940, and shows how the windshield remained stock height, but leaned back to create a lower roof prifile. The rear quarter windows had been filled in and the whole top smoothed. Don Lee also created a similar styled Cadillac based on a 1941 Cadillac Series 62 Coupe for Clark Gable and Carole Lombard.



Don Lee’s 1940 LaSalle Coupe with chopped top and leaned back windshield. Chrome rock shields and teardrop shaped skirts. Created in 1940.

Chopped sedans

The majority of the early chopped metal top cars were based on coupes, or coupe turned cars. The coupes and convertible body style was always a more preferable style, if you could afford it. These styles were a bit more expensive than the family 2- and 4-door sedans. Overall the coupes and convertible had better lines, longer doors and a wonderful flowing top design, making them the number one choice for customizers as well. But there were also a number of good looking custom sedans. I’m not sure if these cars were based on sedans because the owner wanted it specifically to be a sedan, or if that was all the budget allowed at the time. Either way, quite a few sedans were chopped in the golden years of customizing, and with great success.

There are a great number of samples of chopped sedans that have really great improved lines and have become stunning looking customs. And the plus of course is a lot of space inside, a comfortable ride for four or more. Chopping a custom sedan was most of the time a bit harder to do that a coupe. Especially if the rear of the body was slanted forward. Then often the whole rear of the car needed to be reshaped to flow with the new roof shape. But the end result, when performed right, looked stunning.



Barris Customs restyled this 1938 Ford Standard sedan with a heavy, beautiful flowing chop, smooth hood sides and Packard Clipper grille. The rear of the body had to be reshaped, angled forward to make it flow with the new roof shape. The work was done in 1946-47. These photos appeared in a 1947 published Dan Post booklet.

This great photo from the Bart Bartoni Collection (courtesy of the Don Montgomery books) shows a 1939 Ford 2-door sedan in the mid 1940’s. Wonderful early style custom with a heavy chop. The chop on this one appears to be a bit more “boxy” than the 38 Ford above. Most likely indicating that the roof on this one was actually lengthened with an added “band”.

Eldon Gibson 1940 Oldsmobile
Eldon Gibson 1940 Oldsmobile 4-door sedan had been damaged in a fire when it was still brand new. Modern Motors, a Glendale, Ca. a Cadillac/Oldsmobile dealer, repaired the damage and lowered the top at the same time. To make this work on the sedan body the top was dropped with the B-pillars lined up. The top was not streched, and to make it all work, the stock height windshield was leaned back, and the rear window leaned forward, and the A- and B-pillars reshaped to make it all looks like it belonged there in the first place. The photos below were taken in 1941 in Downtown Burbank and shows how radical the car was compared to the other cars in the street. It was very unusual then, and still is today to perform a chop like this on a 4-door sedan.



The Oldsmobile was finished in medium blue with dark blue on the top. The hood and truck where shaved and a set of teardrop fender skirts, stainless rock shields, and single bar flipper hubcaps added. 



1939-40 Mercury’s
The Barris shop has played a huge role in the development of the chopped top. Early attempts sometimes worked fine, but we also know about quite a few of early chopped cars that just had odd proportions and could hardly be called an improvements over the stock look. However the Barris shop managed to get the looks of their tops always on the money. Sam and George did learn a lot from the work they did, and you can see a clear learning curve if you compare the early chops with the later one.

Supposedly Sam Barris chopped the first one around 1946 on Jim Kistead‘s 1939 Mercury. There are several photos of this car in progress, and the work done on the top looks pretty rough in the early stage, indicating the Barris Shop was experimenting and learning how to deal with the Mercury coupe top shape. In the early days the shops did not use pre-shaped panels like they would do in the later parts of the 1940’s. We know that sometimes the body man would use spare body parts and shape those to fit the new lower c-pillars.



Jim Kirstead’s 1939 Mercury coupe is said to be one of the first, or perhaps the first 39-40 Mercury’s ever chopped at the Barris Shop. These in progress photos show how the c-pillars received a lot of cuts to be able to form the metal into the right shape. This was clearly done before the Barris shop worked with the California Metal Shaping’s preformed panels to redo theC-Pillars after the chop. Notice how small the windshield was after the roof came down.

In 1946 the Barris shop restyled another ’39 Mercury, this time for owner Bill Spurgeon. The top was chopped, but far less extreme as on Jim Kirstead. The windshield looks to have been chopped just mildly, or perhaps it was even raised into the top. The rear of the top shows a very much factory line, just lower, and a bit more streamlined. But not blended in as much as would be done later on.

The back of the photo on Bill’s ’39 Mercury gives us a bit more info on the car, build in 1946, finished in 1947.



Comparing the ’40 Mercury chop
On the 1940 Mercury’s we can do a good comparing using the 1940 Mercury of Johnny Zaro build around 1948 and the late 1940’s, early 1950 chopped 1940 Mercury of Nick Matranga. Both cars are based on the same 1940 Mercury Coupe, but have a completely different look and feel, and have been built only two years apart from each other.



In progress photo of the Johnny Zaro 1940 Mercury. The work has all been done and the car is in primer around 1948.



Below is an image of two 1940 Mercury’s, the top one is the Johnny Zaro Mercury, and the bottom one the Nick Matranga 1940 Mercury. The Johnny Zaro Mercury has a much more conservative chopped top. Very much styled along the lines of the original car, but then with a lower top and sliglty more streamlined with the rear portion of the top molded to the body to make the body and top a one piece affair. The chopped top done like this gave the car a completely new more aggressive look and with a low stance the proportions looked a lot better than original. To be able to get the side windows the right proportional size, the top needs to be chopped quite a bit, leaving the windshield very small.

The Barris shop learned from this, and when they did the 1940 Mercury for Nick Matranga Sam Barris cut the windshield less than the top itself, moving the windshield up into the top a bit. This way the windshield was now in line with the side windows. When Nick’s Mercury was restyled, it was the late 1950’s and the styles had changed and the urge for more streamlining made Sam experiment with the chop. Sam wanted to make the top flow much nicer on Nick’s car than what he had done on previous merc’s. He used pre-shaped metal panels from California Metal shaping to create the right curves to make the top flow much nicer into the catwalk. The new shape of the top made it look like a one piece body, while the original top was a separate component separated with a small chrome trim piece. The low top with flowing lines gave the car a very modern look. The Barris Shop made it look even better when they replaced the straight side window posts with elegantly curved hand made chrome plated channels.  The Nick Matranga Mercury is considered the ultimate chop for the 1940 Mercury, although in more recent years some of the high end builders have even improved on the looks of this. We will get back to that in the next part on the history of the chopped top.



The stock 1940 Mercury Coupe had a hard-top looking rather high top.

Johnny Zaro’a concervative chopped 1940 Mercury on top, and the Nick Matranga streamlined ultimate chopped 1940 Mercury on the bottom. Both were chopped by Sam Barris at the Barris shop.

Here ends the first part of the History of the Chopped Top article. We are far from done, there is a lot more to tell and share. The next article will cover the cars from 1941 and up that have played an important part in the history of the Chopped Top. In the meantime, please comment with any additional information you have on the subject, and if you have any more proof of early chopped top customs pre 1940. Please let us know and email Rik at the CCC.
Stay tuned for part two…







.

RALH BUSH SPORTS CUSTOM

Ralph Bush owned this 1941 Chevy based Sports Custom while in Collage in 52-54 in Santa Barbera. It was originally created in Pasadena around 1948-49.

Special thanks to Geoff Hacker for sharing the photos and information.

The photos of this Sports Custom are all from the Ralph Bush Collection. Ralph bought the car in 1952, and owned it for about 3 years, while he was in Collage in Santa Barbera. Before Ralph bought the car he had seen it many times on the roads in Pasadena Ralph had a good friend Bill White, who would later become a business partner. A business partner from Bill at that time was Keylor Whitehead from Pasadena, Kaylor was half owner of this car. Kaylor and his brother (Ralph could not remember the name of the brother) had build the Sports Custom in their home garage after they had returned from WWII. They had found a 1941 Chevy, that most likely had been in an accident and decided to build a dream Sports Car from it. When Ralph bought the car it has already been completed for a few years, and he never really asked what all was used to create the car, but the ’41 Chevy base was clearly visible and the engine in the car was still the original Chevy Blue-Flame 6 cylinder motor.



A 1941 Oldsmobile rear bumper, and 1946-48 Lincoln continental rear fenders/taillights were used. A smaller trunk opening was cut into the new shaped rear portion of the car.



The only thing Ralph remembered about how the car was build was when Kaylor Whitehead had told him that after the new fenders were added, or created the transition from the fenders to the hood was to sharp. The brothers cut a galvanized quarter inch pipe in half and welded and leaded that in place to round of the transition from fender to hood, and make this look more pleasing. It appears the brothers might have used some newer fenders, and possibly doors to create the new sides of the car. At the back they incorporated 1946-48 Lincoln Continental rear fender sections including the Lincoln taillights. The door tops were reshaped with the main section lower than stock, creating larger side window openings. The grille opening was home made and grille parts came from all over. Originally the grille had chrome plated horizontal bars installed, which looked very nice. But Ralph drive the car a lot more than the original owners had ever done, and found out that the car overheated to easy. So he removed the horizontal grille bars. All the photos Ralph had showed the car after this modification. Ralph also did the new center grille insert with the “RB” engraved in it. When Ralph bought the car it had a large “W” from the Whitehead brothers in the center of the grille.



This was the only photo Ralph could find of the car with the Carson top removed. The photo was taken somewhere in Santa Monica. The interior looks to be all black, but Ralph could not really remembered anything about it.



Ralph was very familiar with the car and had always liked it very much. He also remembered it from the Annual Junior Rose Ball Parade in Pasadena in 1949. The car looked really gorgeous leading the parade. In 1952 Ralph’s friend Bill mentioned that the Whitehead brothers planned to sell the car. Ralph bought it then for $900.-. Quite a big sum of money for a High School kid of 18 in 1952. But Ralph had a nice 36 Ford which he sold, and with the savings he had, he was able to get the money. He was in heaven with his new car… and the car made quite an impression with his school buddies and of course the girls in town as well. Ralph remembered that the car had a special radio in it. One that you could choose the radio station with using a foot controlled button… a big success with the girls as well. Ralph remembered that the real Carson Top Shop top was not to heavy, and could be easily removed with two guys for some topless cruising.



The front uses an unidentified bumper and grille parts with integrated amber fog lights. Notice the huge antenna. Something that was used a lot in the 1940’s.

Close up of the front shoes that the bumper is misaligned, making the front end a bit crooked. 



One one trip from Santa Barbara to Pasadena the car broke down on highway 118. It turned out the top of one of the pistons had broken off. It was in the middle of the night and fortunately had was able to reach a small town on the highway and used a pay-phone to call his father to ask him to pick him up, which he did. The next day Ralph returned with his toolbox. Took of the head, and found the broker piston problem. He took out the piston, and the spark-plug, put the engine back together and started the engine. He drove the car back to Santa Monica running on 5 cylinders with no problem… there he rebuild the engine. Ralph remembered that the engine had an aftermarket two carb intake, but it was never really powerful, but did what it needed to do.



This front 3/4 view shows the nice lines of the car really well. Ralph remembered the paint was a solid, non metallic light (ice) green.

The Whitehead brothers had installed a nice Mercury Monteray Accessory steering wheel. Sadly the photo is a little dark so we cannot see much details on the interior. Notice that the Carson Padded top shows some sagging after being around 8 years old when this photo was taken.

In the mid 1950’s Ralph sold his Sports Custom to his nephew Ray Milton and lost track of both the car and his nephew some time after that. He has no idea what ever happened to the car. Ralph bought a brand new Singer Sports Car after that, and has always had a soft spot for Sports Cars ever since. As far as Ralph could remember this car was the only car the Whitehead brothers ever created. They were not in the automotive business at all, it was just a fun project for them.

(this article is made possible by)





.

GAYLORDS COUPE DEVILLE

How the Gaylord shop in Lynwood California turned a badly damaged 1954 Buick Riviera into a Dream Custom Masterpiece for owner Sal Mammano.



Towards the mid 1950’s several of the major Custom Car builders in California created heavily restyled, almost concept car like custom creations. Cars that took Custom Restyling to a new level. The Barris Shop was working on the “Golden Sahara” based on an 1953 Lincoln Capri for Jim Skonzakes from Ohio, as well as a sectioned 1954 Cadillac “The Parisienne” for Milton Melton, and Bill Gaylord was creating a full concept show car based on a ’54 Buick. These Custom Cars were created for clients that were able to spend the money needed to creating these new types of customs. Some of these new clients planned to use these Custom Cars to help promote their successful business’s, or plan to extensively promote these cars at car show all over the country. It appears this new clientele generated a new style of Custom Car, more classic or coachbuild that what had been done in the years before.





In 1954 Sal Mammano delivered 1954 Buick Riviera to Bill Gaylord‘s shop in Lynwood California. Although Gaylord never really advertised with it, his shop could tackle a whole lot more than just the interiors and tops they were best known for. This 1954 Buick is the perfect case to show this shop did not hesitate to take on the nearly impossible jobs. You see, the ’54 Buick Sal delivered to the shop was, despite having only 3500 miles on the odometer, in far from pristine condition. The car had been in a rather bad accident damaging the car pretty bad. So before the team at Gaylord’s could start the restyling process the car first had to be pulled straight and fixed. Sal Mammano ran a very successful hair styling salon “Casa Di Bella” in Downey Ca. and he planned to help promote his salon with a beautifully restyled Custom.








Construction

Before the body was straightened Gaylord had collected a ’54 Cadillac front end and rear bumper and taillights, and had marked the car for the modifications he had in mind for it. The damaged Buick parts that would not make part of the final design, were simply removed or cut off before the car was straightened. With everything in line, the body could be sectioned 3.5 inches to create a much longer looking car. The Cadillac front fenders were matted to sections of the Buick, and the hooded headlights were extended 2 inches. The Cadillac hood was modified at the front to match the new grille opening which was created from the Cadillac grille surround. A custom scoop was created near the back of the hood on each side. The rear fenders were extended, and heavily reshaped to accepts a set of 1954 Cadillac taillights and the narrowed 1954 Cadillac rear bumper.



This is how Sal Mammano delivered the Buick to Bill Gaylord’s shop… it needed a little work.

Bill Gaylord (outside of the car) and an employee working hard to get the body back in shape.Notice that large portions of the floor have been cut away.

When the frame and body had been straightened they started to remove the parts they would be replaced by the Cadillac components, or in need of more body work. Many shops would not have taken on a job as complexed as this one.



Both the wheel openings front and rear were completely reshaped with a very elegant teardrop shape fine tuned with a wonderful lipped edge. The peak running from the headlight covers to the sides of the front fenders was repeated on the rear fender, but much longer and towards the rear of the door this shape curved up, all the way to the belt-line and formed a scoop to help cool the rear brakes. The new grille opening was filled with a shaped and chrome plated pressed steel insert. The front Cadillac front bumper was narrowed to fit the Buick body.



This interesting construction photo shows how the original round Buick rear wheel openings had been filled in prior the new reshaped wheel opening. It also shows that the rear fender is created from the Buick fender to with the Cadillac taillight was added using sheet metal and round rod.

Version One

The hard top had been completely removed and the windshield surround was cut free from the body and angled back to give the car a chopped appearance. The stainless had to be cut and reshaped to fit this new set-up. A two part “Sedanca, or Coupe de ville” style top was created for the car. Bill Gaylord created the base for the new type from wood covered with fiberglass, which was still a very new product to be used back in 1954. Once the fiberglass had been shaped it was covered with thin padding and white Orlon and the sides were decorated with chrome plated cast bronze landau irons. The front, removable, section of the roof had a large clear lucite center section. With all the body work done the car was painted red. The interior was done really beautiful in white leather tuck  & roll with button tufted red velvet. The car was dressed up with a set of Appleton Spotlights, and 1953 Cadillac hubcaps. The car was actually finished on the show floor of the 1954 Pan Pacific Petersen Autorama show.



Local Los Angles news paper article about the reconstructed wreck becoming a dream on wheels. Bill Gaylord is finalizing the interior on the show floor at the Pan Pacific Auditorium 1954 Motorama show. (The name Lunney in the news paper article comes from Bill’s full name: William Gaylord Lunney.)

This is the only photo that we have been able to find that shows Sal’s Buick in its first red finish at the 1954 Petersen Motorama show in November 1954.

At the shows Bill sometimes lifted the top on his cars to give the audience a better look at the beautiful interiors he did.

Sal’s ’54 Buick in 1954 shows the car without the two part Coupe De ville top. This photo also shows very good that the first version of the car did not have any side trim added. Not on above the belt-line, nor on the body sides. 

Version Two

Not too long after the car was finished, the Buick was redone again. We are not 100% sure, but the car was most likely taken to the Barris shop at this point for an new paint-job and some new details. It might also be possible that Barris only did some minor work on the car, details and info on this are a bit sketchy. For this version the 1954 Cadillac front bumper was replaced with a 1955 Cadillac unit that had longer and smoother bullets. A set of 1955 Cadillac Eldorado belt line trim pieces was modified to fir the Buick, and a side trim created from 1955 DeSoto units was created to be able to do a great looking two-tone paint-job. The car was then repainted with 30 coats of opalescent blue lacquer and white below the DeSoto side trim. The 1953 Cadillac hubcaps were updated with Eastern Auto spinners added to them. The interior was redone in white and dark blue. At one point the section below the DeSoto side trim was painted in a light metallic blue. But it is unknown if this was done before or after the white version. The Blue and white version of the is how the Coupe de Ville appeared in color on the September 1956 issue of Motor Life magazine.

Two a new side trim was added that allowed for a nice two tone paint job.  with the addition of De Soto side trim, and painted with thirty coats of opalescent blue lacquer, with light blue below the trim. A new interior in white and blue replaced the red velvet. Later, the lower panel was painted white. This version was featured prominently on the cover of Motor Life magazine in September of 1956.



This color photo shows the Buick with the new Blue paint-job and the lighter shade of metallic blue below the side trim. The car looks absolutely stunning and very classic. Notice the new longer and smoother front dagmars. The sand below the car and the red curtains behind it make the absolute perfect setting at this 1956 show.

1956 Custom Car Show South Bay. Rear portions of Sal Mammona’s Buick with Cadillac rear fenders and Junior Conway’s Ford, customs displayed in a large parking lot near San Pedro. (Photo by Bob D’Olivo/The Enthusiast Network/Getty Images)

The beautiful color photo used for the Motor Life September 1956 magazine cover was taken by Bob D’Olivo with magazine art director arch Grey in the car at 2232 North Beachwood Canyon Drive in Hollywood.

This rear 3/4 view shows how long the sectioned Buick with Cadillac components looks. The chrome plated louvers added to the rear fenders are also new for this version of the car.

The September 1956 issue of Motor Life magazine showed the car in color on the cover and in black and white on a full spread inside. The George Barris photographed and written article mentioned Gaylord as the builder with details done by Barris.

At one point, it is also not known when, the car in this version was repainted again and the whole rear of the car above the added lip and the trunk was repainted in white. This photo taken at the Gaylord shop, shows how the wood and fiberglass top was re-upholsterd. This photo shows very clearly how the transparent center was installed in the front removable section of the top. The car has the second white and dark blue interior. Notice the upholstered seat in the shop window in the background.

Version Three

Some time later the car was redone again. This time with some more body work. The 1954 Cadillac taillights were removed from the rear fenders and replaced with Cadillac El Dorado rear fender fins. A set of modified ’56 Oldsmobile taillights was added into reshaped pods below the Caddy fins. A third El Dorado fin was added to the trunk and the whole body was re-painted in Brilliant Gold and dark metallic blue below the side trim. The 1953 Cadillac hubcaps were replaced with 1957 Lincoln units.



The last version of the Buick as we know it has three Cadillac El Dorado fins added and the car is now painted polychromatic gold and metallic blue.



Later the Buick Coupe de Ville was sold to Tony Carlos. And we have not been able to find out what happened to the car after that. The one photo shown above is the last we have been able to find. If anybody reading this knows what happened to Sal’s Buick after 1957, please email Rik here at the Custom Car Chronicle. We would love to find out and add this part of the story to this article.



Two images showing Sal’s Casa Di Bella Beauty Salon where the original owner Sal Mammano worked.

The Monroe Manor complex that was used as backdrop for the 1956 Motor Life cover photo-shoot is located at 2232 North Beachwood Canyon Drive in Hollywood. It was constructed in 1949 and is made up of ten terraced, duplex-type units built right into a Hollywood hillside.  Each of the twenty apartments in the complex is entirely different in size and style.  The building was later also used for the TV serie “Joey” with actor Matt LeBlanc.  (More info on this building on the IAMNOTASTALKER wesbite.)



The Monroe Manor complex located at 2232 North Beachwood Canyon Drive in Hollywood.

(this article is sponsored by)





.

CUSTOMS by KEITH WEESNER

The Custom Car and Hot Rod world Keith Weesner creates in his paintings and black and white artwork is as close to perfection as it can get.



Keith Weesner is a profesional full time artist from Thousand Oaks, California. He creates beautiful paintings of Hot Rods, Custom Cars, Race Cars and fantasy girls all embedded in a surrealistic world. Keith artwork for T-shirts is highly demanded and he works for clients all over the world. He travels all over the globe from all states in the US, to Scandinavia, Japan and Australia making new friends and selling his art at car shows. Keith passion for early style Custom Cars and Hot Rods is evident in his work, time to put the spotlight on some of the wonderful Custom Car art Keith has created over the years.



“Jade Teardrop”

’51 Ford coupe

Keith Weesner’s own 1949 Ford 

1954 Chevy Sedan

Close up shows how super detailed the work of Keith is. It also shows that Keith works on the car first, before doing the background.

By Rik Hoving

I cannot remember when I first saw Keith’s artwork, it might have been in the 1990’s Custom Rodder Magazine, or perhaps Rod & Custom. I knew about Keith and the Chopper’s car club from Burbanks Ca. The cars these guys were building back then were magical, like a step back in time. I fell in love with Keith’s 1949 Ford Shoebox that was build by Scott Guildner and keith himself. The car was the perfect combination between the Ayala and Barris customs from the early 1950’s and the slight cartoonish paint style Keith had developed over the years. His Shoebox really was like one of his paintings had come to life.

As you can read in the introduction by Keith he was very much inspired by the famous California Custom Car builders from the 1940’s and 1950’s. And it shows in his artwork. The perfect combination of styles borrowed from the Ayala’s and Barris brothers. Perhaps even perfected from what these guys could do back in time, simply because on paper/canvas/wood anything is possible. But Keith always makes his creations look like they have really happened, like they were actually parked outside his studio and he drew them right there.

When you look at Keith artwork, and especially his color paintings it is almost like you are drawn into this perfect Custom and Hot Rod world like how it is in your dream. Or perhaps how it used to be. I was born in 1967, so I have never experienced this time in real life myself. However listening to all the great stories told by the people who had been there, reading the stories in the magazines and books, and looking over thousands of photos gave me an impression on which I created the perfect Custom Car and Hot Rod world…  And exactly that is how Keith Weesner visualizes this world in his paintings.

’40 Ford padded top convertible

“How do I do a certain color paint job? Find a photo of a car that color (in the lighting that you want) and see what the paint does at different angles on the car, how it’s affected by sky and ground tones, etc.”

Close up of the 1940 Ford convertible with an amazing amount of details.

’40 Ford coupe with rear quarter windows filled in, inspired by several samples built in the 1940’s. The dark lime color looks to be hinting towards the Ayala brothers.

Customs and girls…

Detail from “Red Room” showing headlight treatment inspired by the Bob Dofflow ’49Ford used on a ’52-54 Ford.

From the painting “Lit Up”. The Custom ’52 Ford F-1 in Keith his painting is recreated in metal by metal master Jimmy Hervatin.

Framed…

Keith did a few quick sketches when he was inspired by a Lincoln convertible with 49-Merc top sitting on top of it. Clever use of Post-Its.

Black & White

1949 Mercury inspired by the Sam Barris and Jerry Quesnel Barris creations.

Deron Wright 1941 Ford inspired coupe in the city lights

’41 Ford Coupe, Early Barris / Ayala inspired

’46-48 coupe at the Starlite. (unfinished artwork)

A few more samples of black & white art

Hammered Shoebox Ford at night

New design for Austin Speed Shop for the Roundup next week! John Joyo’s ’36- only with shiny paint…

“Metropolis Thirty Six”

’41 Ford padded topped convertible

Part of the “Pistons & Paint” T-Shirt art. ’50 Ford convertible with combining the Barris Chuck DeWitt grill and Larry Ernst side trim.

’54 Chevy Bel-Air

’39 Mercury Coupe

T-Shirt & Hoodie art

Keith Weesner is a full time artist, and one of the products he offers are his own line of T-Shirts, but he also creates Custom T-Shirt art for third parties. Over the years he has created several designs for the Rodder’s Journal shirts, including the special Revival car show shirts. Many car clubs from around the world find their way to Keith his studio for some unique designs for their special show shirts and hoodies.






The Future…

Over the years Keith has created several futuristic vehicles, Jetson like flying Custom Speeders, and out of this world show cars. This article did not have enough space to cover those here as well… perhaps they will appear in a future article on Keith. There is one futuristic painting that I wanted to include here “Hauler”. A futuristic pick-up inspired by the Alexander Brothers “Deora” combined with the space age illustration style from the late 1950’s.



“Hauler”

More Info…

For more information about Keith Weesner Artwork, the Art and other product he is selling, and how he can be hired for commission work check out the Keith Weesner Website,  or his Bigcartel selling prints website. You can also follow Keith on Instagram (@weesner1958 instagram) to keep up to date with his latest art.







.

ANTHONY WHITE COLLECTION

Anthony White, Pin-striper extraordinary, historic Custom Merc owner, collector of vintage photos and walking Custom Car encyclopedia, an introduction.



I have been in contact with Anthony White for many years… well on the computer that is. We “met” for the first time on the HAMB where he was one of the die-hard custom car guys. One of the guys that always shared his knowledge in word and pictures. I soon found out that Anthony was an authority when it came to historic Custom Cars, both from the 1950’s and especially from the revival of the 1980’s and 90’s. His knowledge of especially the east coast cars from this last period is astonishing. If somebody asked a question about a specific red Merc that he had seen at an 1986 show, then Anthony would reply with the name of the owner, the builder, the body modifications… and a little later if at all possible a photo to proof it as well. Anthony loved everything Custom Car, and absorbed as much as he could, and best of all he shared everything he knew and had, with everybody who wanted to know about it.

Over the years we have stayed in contact, and for the last couple of years mostly on Facebook, when he shares photos from his huge collection, pictures of his latest incredible fine, straight and detailed pin-striping jobs, and all kinds of Custom Car trivia. A new facebook post from Anthony is always a pleasure.
Now its time to pay some attention to Anthony White here on the Custom Car Chronicle. In this article we will highlight a few of the many photos from his collection, and share some info on the historical Custom Merc that was owned by his family since 1985. We will share much more of his photo collection on the CCC-Forum, and will continue to update that with new material when Anthony shares it on his Facebook or Instagram pages.



Anthony White with his Frank Maratta ’49 Mercury original built in 1956.



Anthony White was born in NYC and raised in Rockland county New York. He lived in South Florida for 6 years until 2009 and now he lives in New Jersey.His interest for Custom Cars started in kindergarten when his mother bought him a copy of the book “Grease Machines“. His father sam Anthony with the book and started to read in it as well. He started telling tales of his mild custom 49/50 Mercs he had when he lived in Washington Heights NYC.

Anthony read the book cover to cover, over and over again. He noticed the creativity in the restyling and terms like nosing, decking and his use of ’55 DeSoto side trim captured his attention immediately! His Custom Car brain-data-base was starting to take shape back when he was a little kid. Shortly after that, (at age 7) Anthony was taken to Lead East where he met Barry Mazza and Bob Nitti and the Kustom Knights. These Custom Car hero’s were all very impressed with young Anthony’s knowledge of Custom Cars and were all very eager to help him any way they could from then one. Anthony remembered that at one point ath the Lead East show he yelled at his mother, “Look mom, a Barris Merc with fadeaways” Of course, it wasn’t.






Anthony continued to visit as many east coast Custom Car shows as he could, and started to take as many pictures as his allowances allowed him to. He kept every single photo he has ever taken. He also started to buy the magazines that covered Custom Cars and at each show he went to he tried to find the old guys who could tach him more about Custom Car history. He also was introduced to one of the most knowledgeable Kustom Historians on the planet, Mr Ray Soff of Saddle Brook N.J. and they would become good friends. Years later Mr Ray Soff’s incredible photo collection would help Anthony identify the family Custom Mercury.



I never forgot a single true 50s/60s style KUSTOM I’ve ever seen. I remember every curve of every modification of every car I see and have since childhood

The Frank Maratta Remington ’49 Mercury

To give the family something to enjoy at the Kustom Car hows shows, which had become like religion for the White family, they bought an old chopped Custom Mercury in 1985. They knew it was an old custom car, but nobody knew anything about it, who had built it, or when.  Anthony had seen a picture of this car in an old magazine when the car was first built in 1953 as a mild custom, but he could not proof it was the same car, since the car was now chopped. Not too long after the car was bought the had taken it to a Kustom Knights picnic. While Anthony was browsing thru a pile of Ray Soff’s old pics he spotted the family Mercury among the photos. Anthony was then able to verify what he already suspected, that it was the George Remington car from Astoria, Queens in NYC with certainty. The funny thing was that Ray was very well aware of the photos he had, but did not know it was the White family Merc until Anthony pointed it out.





The car was done first as a mild custom car with DeSoto grille and spare tire cover on the back, typical for the east coast style. The car like this was featured in Car Life magazine in February 1954. It was this magazine that Anthony had seen it for the first time. The photos had already been taken in 1953, since later in 1953 the car was crashed in a New England sanctioned road race. George Remington took the damaged car to Frank Maratta’s body show in Hartford Connecticut in 1953. Over a period of time Frank turned the ’49 Mercury in an great looking full Custom. He did the collision work, rounded the hood corners with a large radius, Chopped the top Did the tail lights which are 4 frenched stock lenses and painted it bright gold. The car’s restyling was inspired by the Ayala brothers built Wally Welch Mercury. (Anthony once found several Wally Welch Mercury clippings in the material he had received from George Remington.) 


The car was finished in 1956 and showed at the 1956 Hartford Autorama. Frank had painted the car gold, possibly inspired by the lime gold on the Ayala built Wally Welch Mercury. But George Remington never liked it, so he repainted it ’56 Chrysler maroon as soon as he picked it up from Maratta. George hold on to the car until 1972 when he sold it to Ed Soffco, who put a 445 engine out of a ’37 Chevy gasser in the car.  When the White family bought the car in 1985, it was owned by John Burgess. When John owned the car he got hold of some of the color photos of the mercury in red. He later donated them to Anthony. Back in 1985 John was aware of the name Frank Maratta, but at the time he did not know who he was, and that he was the builder of the car. So Franks name was not mentioned when the White family bought the car. Much later when Anthony talked to John again the puzzle was coming together.



This photo was taken at the 1956 Hartford Autorama. Frank Maratta from Hartford Conn. had recently finished the 1949 Mercury and painted it gold. It was like this how it appeared at this show. 

This was a pic taken by George Remington in the mid 60’s of his Merc. The color was 56 Chrysler maroon which was immediately done after picking up the car and hating the fact that Maratta painted it gold!

Anthony tracked down Mr George Remington, the original owner of the  Merc, and he drove to his house when I was 15. The man showed up in the same customized Volkswagen bus that he got rid of the Mercury for in 1971. He gave Anthony the 2nd place cup that the car won in the Hartford Autorama! George Remington sitting in his old Merc and a young Anthony standing.



The White family found the Mercury in ’85 when Anthony was 11 years old. Can you imagine what that must have been for a kid who was to full of Custom Cars, to have an historic Custom Merc parked in the garage. After having enjoyed the Mercury for many years it was time for a rebuild in the early ’90’s.

In 1991 the car was sub-framed by Barry Mazza, and the 455 Olds (which came out of a straight axle ’37 Chevy) was removed and replaced with a small block. In 2002 -3 David Adamski (Slag Kustom) did a lot of work on the car. He makes and repairs the splash pan and does some painstaking structural repair in his free time. Bob Falco did patches on the door and quarters to fix some of the rot on the car.



This is how the Merc looks in 2016, wearing black primer… for now.

After moving to Florida, where he stayed for 6 years Anthony did not work much on the Mercury. The only work he was able to do during this time was on the engine bay and some bodywork on the nose. Anthony did all the body work on the engine bay, smoothed out all the panels and painted it the bay in Barcelona red. In 2010, Anthony was back in New Jersey, when Russ Montelbano dedicated himself to the car. Russ is owner of North Jersey Kustoms and he really came to the rescue. He want over everything mechanically, making sure it is road worthy before countless hours of bodywork and dealing with decades of previous owners mistakes. His work ethic and ability to make what was so hard for Anthony seem easy. The car is now in black primer and all back together, and perhaps more important, back on the road! Russ will be resuming work on the car before long, with finally a gloss color on the body again.

The photo collection

Over the years Anthony has searched for, and found many old photos of custom cars. He has his own collection of photos that he took from a very young age at the Custom Car shows he visited with his family. He also traded material with other collectors and friends. And the best of it all, he loves to share it. Anthony loves to share his passion for Custom Cars, his knowledge and he hopes to inspired others to do the same, and be inspired to create better looking Custom Cars. When we asked Anthony if he made notes on the photos he took and others that are part of his collection he said… “No, I memorized everything”. Amazing! 



This wonderful pic was introduced to me by one of the most knowledgeable Kustom Historians on the planet, Mr Ray Soff of Saddle Brook N.J. It was taken outside of Tony Bruskivage’s North Jersey shop in the early 60’s. The car is in South Florida now. I last saw it 8 years ago as an unfinished street machine with flared wheel wells, a few lifetimes from what you see here!



If it looks like Herb Gary and it smells like Herb Gary, it most likely be. But right now wer are not 100% sure. Anthony is still checking for more info on this beauty.

This is Anthony’s person favorite photo from all the photos shared with the world! He got it from the man you see pictured, Mr Bob Barkoff of New Jersey. Bob would chop the top not too long after this photo was taken. The car later known as “Bob’s Chopper” was the first chopped Merc Anthony would see in person! When he saw the car it was owned by Sammy DeJohn. Bob now has a candy magenta 51 and you can almost tell the same guy owned both, 55 years after the pic was taken!

This was my friend Harold Olsen moments before I met him when I was 11. After He heard that I knew that Vern Lacey, Joe Wilhelm and Rod Powell worked on his famous 54 Buick, I got introduced to Gene Winfield, Rod Powell, The Alexander Brothers and Les Pratt in the next hour!! What a day that was at the Lead sled Spectacular in 85. R.I.P. Harold!!! What a wonderful friend you became!

Anthony at age 9…



This 57 Olds was a wild old Kustom that I photographed at the 1990 James Dean run in Gas City Indiana in 1990. The car was owned by Chuck Reeves.

Anthony took this picture in Springfield Ohio in 1985 at age 11. He never saw the car again!

This wonderful old Kustom from Va. captured my heart in Gettysburg Pa in the late 80’s. The guys with the car didn’t have much information. Since then, I’ve seen it on the net in the Maryland or Pa area with a patina 53 DeSoto grille in it but have yet to talk to the owner in person.

This was a beautiful 50 Merc chopped by Terry Rielly and when this pic was taken, owned by Joel Scheipe, then of Elmont NY. It is being redone today by Lugwig Kustoms in Pa.

Anthony sees a lot of great Customs at the cars shows he visits, both for fun and for striping. He always takes plenty of photos of the cars at the shows and shares the most interesting with his friends on his Instagram and Facebook pages. It is one of his ways to share his passion for Kustom Cars, and share the style and details he enjoys best. He also loves to discuss every Custom Car in detail, and what was done to it, and what should have perhaps done to it. Anthony is a walking Custom Car dictionary. His knowledge of Custom Cars their history, who build them, what happened to them and where they are now is just beyond believe.

Anthony loves Bob Mishko’s 49 Ford 4-door with a coupe roof because it carries the short door coupe idea from 41-48 into a 49-51 model! He has seen this treatment done on Mercs and it didn’t work nearly as well. Bob came up with a successful phantom body-style that never existed!

This Merc, owned by Tommy Delv was clearly influenced by Larry Lorenzo’s famous chopped Merc convertible! Tommy is a Kustom nut who still has the little scooter I striped for him and his dad when he was 11. The chopped Merc on the right is Anthony’s Frank Maratta built ’49.

Anthony’s Artwork

At 15, Anthony began a mission to do the most tasteful technically perfect Pinstriping possible. He has done thousands of jobs in a style rooted in the early kustom scene but as organic and technical at the same time. His super straight extra thin lines are legendary.

According to Anthony he was really a Custom Car artist, he was an illustrator or at least he thought he was, then 15 years ago he was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis which changed everything. He only did two drawings out of his head in the past 6 years. He mentioned “Maybe it’s lack of practice because I’m in pretty good shape considering”.
We have seen several of Anthony’s drawing and they are really fantastic with lots of little restyling ideas, the Custom Car builders can find inspiration from for many years to come.



Pinstriping is my trade and it has driven me to the brink of insanity but Kustoms are my passion and my obsession

Anthony striping a Thunderbird trunk.

Anthony created this from memory, with no reference material 2 years ago.

Anthony designed this car for a friend… if she was a car in her past life!

My best memories are discussing builds by top guys and seeing cars influenced by our discussions





.

CCR 2016 PHOTO REPORT

The 100% Traditional Custom Car event, the Custom Car Revival in Indianapolis was held on June 11, 2016. We have gathered a selection of photos from this amazing event on the CCC-Forum.

As with most of the Custom Car events across the world we try to share as many photos from the Custom Cars attending to these events. In several threads on the CCC-Forum we highlight the best cars and share most of the cars, people and other interesting things we come across on the social media. People from all over the world also share the photos they took at the event and combined this gives a pretty great report for those who could not attend the event…

The Custom Car Revival show held is Indianapolis is known as the only 100% Traditional Custom Car Event. And this years show held on SJune 9-11, 2016 was another amazing event with only Custom Cars in attendance. We, here at the Custom Car Chronicle, are very thrilled to see that such an event is such a great success, and seems to draw an amazing amount of really great Custom Cars from many states, and visitors from all over the US, and even from outside the US.

I have created a Thread on the CCC-Forum where I have gathered as many interesting photos of the event as I could find, and others have and will add to it in the next couple of days. In this introduction article I have added a few sample photos, but be sure to click the link at the end to see all the photos on the CCC-Forum-Thread.



Thanks to all the photographers who took these great photos this year, and to all who have contributed.

Enjoy.

These were just a few of the many, many photos from the 2016 Custom Car Revival show. To see a huge amount of photos for the best experience of this great all Custom Car event, click the BUTTON below.

(this article is sponsored by)





.

JOHN D’AGOSTINO 58 PACKARD

John D’Agostino unveiled his latest Custom Car at the 2016 Fathers-day Concours on Rodeo in Beverly Hill’s California. Another Oz Welch & John D’Agostino Concept Custom.



John D’Agostino and Oz Welch have been creating some stunning Custom Cars and Concept Customs for many years. John’s latest is based on a very unusual base car, the ’58 Packard Hard-Top. Together with Oz he designed a Concept Custom two seater Roadster many years ago. While the car was in progress over the last 8 years, Oz has created many unique features on the car and has come up with many more design elements. John has been warming up the world wide audience for his latest Custom Creation for many month, sharing some small detail photos and making sure everybody knew about the cars Debut on Fathers day at the Rodeo Drive Concours in Beverly Hills California. John D’Agostino 58 Packard.



John D’Agostino stands proudly with his just debuted ’58 Packard Concept Roadster Custom which he named “Rita” after movie star Rita Hayworth.

John is known to name his Coachbuilt Concept customs after the most famous movie stars. The ’58 Packard was named “Rita” after famous Holliwood actress Rita Hayworth.

Completely reshaped and turned in to a 5″ chopped two seater roadster.

The Packard steering wheel was send off to Pearlcraft in Australia who did an amazing job of adding the white and lavender pearl.

The front end was reshaped and a new grille created from drilled stainless with 150 custom made bullets.

Oz Welch was responsible for all the body work, design elements and the multi hued House of Kolor pearl lavender paint job.

Rear fenders were completely reshaped and side trim modified. The Chrome wire wheels and Coker tires are John’s trademark combination.

Bob Devine did the interior over ’62 Cadillac seats and custom door panels and console in pearl white and lavender. Bob used a combination of button tufted and tuck & roll styles to create the unique high end concept car look. The carpets were imported from New Zealand and are 100% lambswool. Notice that the door top are completely smooth… a real roadster.

Glamour… 

How Rita was created

John’s ’58 Packard was constructed by Oz Welch in his shop in Orville Ca. The car is based on a two door Packard and reshaped in every way possible. The idea behind the car was to create a one off Sport Two Seater Concept custom. Perhaps something that Packard could have been built to help promote the ’58 Packards back in late 1957.





The cars front fenders with quad headlights was replaced with ’55 Oldsmobile units with single headlights. The grille opening was completely reshaped and a new grille was made from chrome plated extruded metal and 150 custom made bullets. The Packard bumper was reshaped to work better with the new grill opening. John wanted to have an extra long nose on the car which would suit the two seater style much better. Oz placed an ’55 Chevy dash board 8 inches back from the original dash position. He chopped the windshield a massive 5 inches and moved it back 8 inches to meet the new dash location. The 8 inch cowl cap was filled in.



Early progress photos shows the car at Oz Welch’s shop in Orville Ca.

The front section of the Packard front fenders has been cut off and replaced with ’55 Oldsmobile units. The hood and grille opening are reshped with round rod and sheet metal.

The rear portion of the body from the trunk forward towards the back of the front seats was filled in to create a sports two seater. Hand shaped bulges will help incorporate the shape of the seats into the desing.



’62 Cadillac bucket seats were placed into the perfect position and the rear of the interior was filled in from the seat backs to the trunk to create the unique two seater effect. Oz added two bulges behind the seats that matched the ’55 Chevy dash pods. The door tops were reshaped and rolled at the top and new panels formed on the inside the made the dash flow into the door tops all the way to the backs around the seats and back to the dash on the other side.

The rear fenders were completely reshaped and extended at the back to house a set of ’56 Packard taillights in hand shaped openings. With all the major body work done Oz added modified side trim pieced that gave the car a really great sweep. The stainless for the Windshield had to be reshaped after the chop teardrop shaped details were added to the bulges behind the seats. The Packard rear bumper was cleaned and replated just as all the other components by  Sherm’s Plating in Sacramento. Oz modified the suspension, added airbags and installed a set of chrome wire wheels wrapped with Coker white wall tires.

The windshield was cut down 5 inches and moved back 8 inches to create a longer looking front end and the meet the moved back ’55 Chevy dash board. The cowl was extended and the doors reshaped to make this all happen. 

The car was converted to a roadster and the door tops reshaped using shaped tubular sections. The door top sections were hand shaped and are flowing fromt the dash all away around the seat backs. 

Close up look of the ‘Olds headlights, ned grille opening shape and the ’56 Packard taillights in the reshaped and extended rear fenders.

With the most of the major body work out of the way and the body in primer Oz can pay some attention to the details. He hand shaped some stylish element to decorate the bulges behind the seats.

Oz prepped the body and added the multi hue lavender House of Kolor lavender paint. When the car was nearly done John took it to Bob Divine for an unique interior done in pearl white and pearl lavender. John wanted something special, something concept car like from 1958. So a combination was made with Button tufted and tuck & roll panels. Bob had to do a rush job to meet the deadline on Father’s Day 2016.

With most of the work done on the Car John D’Agostino started to tease the world with sharing some black and white detail photos… building up to the Big 2016 Fathers Day debut of “Rita”.

(this article is sponsored by)







.

THE STOUSTRUP LINCOLN

Poul Haakan Stoustrup wanted a 1939 Lincoln Convertible so bad, that he had a 4-door sedan rebuilt into a convertible by a Danish Coachbuilder.

When Palle Johansen from Denmark was a 12 year young kid, he spend his evening and weekends working at a local paint shop. Because he loved cars, loved to work on them, and of course to have some extra money in his pocket. It was 1978 when a local brick factory owner brought in a ’39 Lincoln convertible for a new paint job. The owner of the car had started a car museum earlier in the ’70’s and had bought the Lincoln from the original owner’s family in ’72.

Palle fell deeply in love with this amazing automobile. He remembers sanding the wonderful curved body shaped and fenders, and day-dreamed about owning this car one day. The car was painted and the new super glossy paint-job made the car look even better.

Years later Palle remembered the car from his childhood and was wondering what ever happened to it and got back in touch with the owner Thorvald..and his son Jorgen. He then found out that the car was not an original convertible but built from and coupe and converted to a convertible by a local body shop. The body shop also had chopped the windshield a bit, created new vent windows and a two piece removable soft top. The owner told Palle that the car was in fact one of the very first Custom Car being built in Denmark, but there were no details available back then.

Over the years Palle has always kept in contact with the owner, and the owner knew Palle really wanted to own this car one day. In March 2016 the owner gives Palle a call to let him know he is ready to let go of the Lincoln. On April 24, 2016 the deal is made and Palle can pick up his new original Danish Custom Lincoln Convertible. As soon as he has the car in his garage he starts to look into the history of the car and finds out that the car never started life as a coupe as he always thought, but that it was in fact created out of a 4-door Sedan. The really well done work was done by the Dansk Karosseri Fabrik, a Danish body shop in Copenhagen.



It all started with a ’39 Lincoln Zephyr 4-door sedan which was taken to the Dansk Karosseri Fabrik.

So far this is the only old photo of the car Palle has been able to find. Most likely taken in the early 1950’s Very much faded, but if you look hard you can see that the front portion of the top is rolled up and attached to the back portion of the top. This is how the car was mostly diven.

The History as we know it so far.

The original owner of the Lincoln Poul Haakan Stoustrup, wanted a ’39 Lincoln Convertible really bad, but only 640 of those were built. Poul Lived in Denmark and WWII had just started, so there was no way Poul could get his hands on an original converible. Instead he was able to get a 4-door sedan which he took to the Dansk Karosseri Fabrik with the question if they could turn it in a two door convertible with two part soft top. They sure could, and work on the car started right away. In the process of turning the 4-door sedan into a two door convertible the windshield was chopped a little to make it look more in proportion with the rest of the car.

The shop much have had a lot of work on the body reshaping the trunk section and doors. Since the car was build during the early stages of WWII it is assumed that no other body parts, as in longer doors and trunk were used on the car. Everything was hand shaped. The shop also created a two part soft top to fit the lower windshield around 1,5 inches. The car was finished in early 1940, but as far as Palle has found out the car was not on the road until after the war in 1946. The first Danisco Customs stamp on the paperwork shows that the car was built from a 4-door, and coachbuilt into a two door convertible and registered as such in April 1946.



The Dasnk Karosseri Fabrik in Copenhagen Denmark created this very first custom car in Denmark in late 1939′ early 1940. The nice etched brass tag is still mounted on the fire wall. 

A couple of years ago Palle was able to take a good look at the car again when the owner came over during a nice summer drive.



The  work on the car by the Dansk Karosseri Fabrik cost the owner 16,000 Danish Kronor in 1940. Translated to current amounts would be around $95,000.-, which sure was a lot of money back then. Poul Haakan Stoustrup used the car

Several years ago, when Thorvald owned the car and had it displayed in his car museum a guy came to see the cars in the museum. He was shocked to find the Lincoln to be part of the collection. He told the owner of the museum that he used to be the private chauffeur for Poul Haakan Stoustrup and he used to drive around in the Lincoln. The guy told Thorvald how the owner always liked to drive with the front portion of the top down. And that is it was a rainy day he should just call in a cab to drive him to work. He did not like the front portion of the top to be in place. When Thorvald bought the car in ’72, it had 77.000 km on the meter (around 47.840 miles) Since then the car has not driven more than 5,000 km (around 3,100 miles).

Palle has checked out the car really well and the workmanship on the car is really stunning. The way all the body work was done is just incredible with some very subtile restyling on the door tops, windshield and vent windows to make it different from a factory convertible. The work that was done on the top, with the separate front section and how everything locks into place is really amazing as well.

The two part top on the car as it was originally designed and made in late 1939. The color difference shows that the car drove around with the front section rolled up most of the time. The two part rear window is a really nice detail.

A look inside the rear portion of the top.

This is how the Lincoln sits now. Palle has already lowered the rear a little to give it a slightly better stance. But the proportions are still off and the car needs to come down a few inches more to look just right.

The windshield was chopped about and inch and a half and a new header was created to support the new soft top.

The vent windows wer completely hand crafted and the work and design on them is incredible.

To suport the front section of the top there is an extra shaped metal bow that slips into a slot on the bar that goes from the windshield to the B-Pillar.



The front header and side bars for the top are all hand made by the Dansk Karosseri Fabrik. Notice the nice curve on the vent window, this gives away the car started out as a sedan body. With the top bow removed this bar can now be removed.

To make the top a two part unit, the front section used a bar on each side of the car running from the front header to the specially made B-pillar. A well crafted mechanism was designed and made that still works flawless today.

The bar connects to the Special made, and removable B-Pillar.

Interior is done in red leather.

The completely restored V-12 engine looks and runs amazing.

Future plans for the Lincoln

The car still has the paint on it that Palle helped sand as a 12 year old kid back in 1978. Palle has some plans for the car to make it a little more Custom, but nothing on the body will be changed. The car will be lowered, Palle has already found a new Lincoln front axle and had it dropped 2.5 inches. He will also ad a reverse sprint to drop it another inch. The rear will need a little more work since the frame needs to be c-ed to allow the rear axle to drop down to create the perfect ride height. The two part top is worn, and needs to be replaced. The plan right now is to keep the original top as it is and create a new Carson Style Padded Top to replace it. we have created some Photoshopped samples to get a good idea how it is going to look. Palle is still debating on white wall tires or black walls for an earlier, bit more sinister look.



The 2.5 inch dropped front axle just came in ready to be installed to lower the front. 

This is how the car looked shorty after Palle had picked it up in April 2016.

Digital Restyling gives the car a proper stance, single bar flipper hubcaps, new white padded top and reshaped side window openings to make it all flow nicer.

Same as above, but now with a tan padded top.

White padded top, and black wall tires for that early 1940’s look.

Same as above, but now with a black padded top… sinister.

We plan to keep you posted about the progress Palle will make on the Lincoln. When he gets to work on it, hopefully after the summer, we will start a thread on the CCC-Forum to follow the work. 

(this article is sponsored by)





.

1941 CADILLAC CONVERTIBLE

In 2012 I came across 3 photos of a very nicely styled 1941 Cadillac convertible Custom. These very interesting in 1946 taken photos show a car that is a wonderful stylish early Custom example



I originally wrote this article back in 2013 when we had just started the Custom Car Chronicle. At first I did not know anything about these three photo’s, or actually negatives. The only thing I was able to find out was that the license plate was from 1946, so the photos were taken either in late 1945 or somewhere in 1946. But at the time I had no idea about where the photos were taken, who owned the car or who build the car. After the article was put on-line Wayne Hadfield came to the rescue  with the identification of the location.

• In July, 2013 Wayne Wayne Hadfield identified the location where two, or possibly all three photos were taken. Using Google street view he identified the location as 2592 Telegraph Road, Berkeley, CA. Some of the buildings in the photos are gone now, but others are still there. An image of the location can be seen at the end of the article.
  


The unknown photographer must have not been very skilled at taking photos. He knew that the car he saw was something special, but the way he cropped the car, the fact that the horizon is not level and the subject is slightly out of focus indicate these were not taken by a professional photographer back in the mid 1940’s.

• On December 12, 2013 Kurt mcCormick told us that the car was still around today.

• On July 03, 2016 Kurt McKormick let us know that the ’41 Cadillac is now restored and FOR SALE.

The 1941 Cadillac Convertible

This 1941 Cadillac is a good sample of some Coachbuilding influences. The Coachbuilding styles and techniques were copied by the young guys who started to modify their cheaper model cars in the late 1930’s and 40’s and this phenomenon would eventually be known as Customizing. The style of modifications done to this Cadillac reminds me of the Coachbuilt cars by the Coachcraft shop. Or the designs and work done by famous coachbuilders Bohman & Schwartz. The car features a chopped windshield and a very nicely shaped padded top.





Even the chrome outboard trunk hinges were replaced by inboard units to further clean up the rear of the car. The door handles were shaved as well as the hood side trim and the front fender trim. The rubber rock shield on the rear fender made place for a more in style polished stainless accessory unit. At the front the parking lights and hood letter were removed and the body smoothed. New parking/fog lights were added to the front bumper. All typical Custom touches. The car was lowered, but just a little bit, and is using the stock 1941 Cadillac hubcaps, which is again typical Coachbuilding style. These three photos taken just after WWII show wonderful mix of styles on this classic looking 1941 Cadillac Convertible.



This padded top is unlike most we know coming from Carson, Hall, Chavez or a few others, not covered with white canvas. But rather with a dark almost leatherette kind of material. Something similar to what was used by the Coachbuilders to cover metal tops on sedans or coupes for a more exclusive look. But clearly the top on this Cadillac is a lift off unit. It could also be possible that a dark canvas was used which was covered with a special coating to make it look like leather. An other technique sometimes used on coachbuilt cars. The rear fenders were modeled to the body, a typical Custom touch, and at first glance it looks like there are no taillights. The stock units were removed along with the fender trim. Below the bumper a set of hidden taillights are just visible.



The back of this 1941 Cadillac is extremely clean. A lot of efforts were taken to get the desired look. The taillights were removed and custom taillight units mounted below the bumper just outside of the bumper guards. The rear fenders were molded to the main body. The trunk lid was shaved of the trim, handles and hinges and received a set in license plate. This all leads to an ultra smooth wonderfully shaped rear. The photo shows the mid 1940’s gas station and streets of an unknown California place. 

This padded top is unlike most we know coming from Carson, Hall, Chavez or a few others, not covered with white canvas. But rather with a dark almost leatherette kind of material. Something similar to what was used by the Coachbuilders to cover metal tops on sedans or coupes for a more exclusive look. But clearly the top on this Cadillac is a lift off unit. It could also be possible that a dark canvas was used which was covered with a special coating to make it look like leather. An other technique sometimes used on coachbuilt cars. The rear fenders were modeled to the body, a typical Custom touch, and at first glance it looks like there are no taillights. The stock units were removed along with the fender trim. Below the bumper a set of hidden taillights are just visible.



Location identified
Wayne Hadfield identified the location two, or possibly all these photos were taken. Using Google Street View he was able to identified the location as 2592 Telegraph Road, Berkeley, CA. Thanks Wayne. The houses in the photo appeared to him as typical NorCal houses, and that where he started his search. Pretty amazing he was able to find it.

Google Street View image.


The car as it looks now July 2016



In 2016 the Cadillac is mostly restored. The body is completely restored and the car is running and driving. However it still needs a top, complete upholstery and glass. The Cadillac still looks mostly the same as is does in the three old photos shown in this article.

(This article is made possible by)





.

2016 CUSTOMS and KUSTOMS meet

In early July 2016 the first Customs and Kustoms weekend meet was held in Ellos, Sweden. The weekend started rainy, but soon the sun came out and everybody had a great time.






Customs and Kustoms is a meet for traditional custom cars only 1935 to 1964 that was held at the Folks-park in Ellös 1-2 July located on the west coast of Sweden . Ellös Park established in 1953 has long history of danceparty, old cars and sunny summer days but this weekend the weather was abit unstable, in spite of the weather and the fact it is a new started meet several enthusiasts with their custom cars from close by and far away showed up and made the meet to a celebration to the traditional custom cars . With the interest of traditional customs on the raise in Europe this type of meet is needed to collect the kustom art, lifestyle, cloths, model custom cars and music from the era, the 8 person team of Customs and Kustoms set out to create such meet and the result can be seen in the pictures !



The team behind the first Customs & Kustoms meet: (From the Left to right) Ulf Christiansson, Roger Nordhagen, Stefan Karlsson, Benny Klingede, Lars-Erik Pettersson, Klaus Gardan. Not in the picture but also C&K team-member Stefan Elebrink and Janne Andersson.

Some of the cars traveled 1000 plus miles from Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, Finland, Norway and  the United Kingdom. This photo shows the convoy from Belgium and the Netherlands.

The event started on Friday, which was very rainy, but later when Bert Gustafsson arrived with his Buick, it started to dry up a bit.

Two classic chopped Buick arriving at the event.

Timo Herzi 1958 Ford Ranchero from Finland.

Palle Johansen brought his new old custom 1939 Lincoln Convertible from Denmark and Clark Devey brought his period perfect 1936 Ford Coupe from the United Kingdom.

1940’s style taildraggers…

Ulf “Wolf” Christiansson checking out one of the early 1960’s inspired customs at the event.

Saturday the weather had improved, the sun was out.

On Saturday some of the guys took the time to go for some local cruising. Here is the Dutch, Belgium and Danish clan creating a nice Line-Up photo opportunity.

Part of the event was also an indoor model custom car show.

The Awards

The Customs & Kustoms, is not an traditional car show with a lot of trophies to win. It is an weekend gathering of people with Custom Cars from 1935 till 1964. Hanging out and enjoying the cars it the main goal. But the team did decide to hand out a best in class award picked by the organizing team. Three a clock Saturday afternoon the award ceremony was held, three prices for best customs in the three eras set up in the rules ahead of the meet: Early era customs 1935 – 1948, Mid era customs 1949 -1954 and Late era customs 1955 – 1964.

Clark Devey with wife and little boy took home to the UK, the award for Best Custom in the Early era Custom class with their ’36 Ford coupe.

Andreas Åberg won the mid era award with his New Panoramic Ford.

Timo Herzi 1958 Ford Ranchero won the late era award.



Winner of the early era was a family from England Clark Devey, who drove all the way with the youngest toddler in a lovely 1936 Ford 3window chopped top and all the era custom bits and bobs that belongs. The Mid era custom was whisked away by Andréas Åberg with his beautiful New Panoramic Ford that layed down the law when it comes to all the era trimmings . The late era custom was won by Timo Herzi 1958 Ford Ranchero , already an icon in the late era with its Watson style paintjob “to die for” and the pointy Edsel taillights that mached the design beautiful .



 Saturday evening Fireball Stevens and his Southern Rhythm Boys was on stage ripping off some of the Rockabilly classics in the dance room of Ellös Park!

Time to go home again after a successful weekend event. Beautiful restyled Cadillac Convertible.

Clark and family taking off on their long trip home to the UKin their beautiful ’36 Ford.

Despite the bad weather at the start of the event, which more than likely kept some of the cars and people home the event was everything the organizing team had hoped for. The location was great, with plenty of space to camp for the weekend, great facilities, and an amazing surrounding scenery for beautiful road trips during the weekend. Lets hope this first Customs & Kustoms event is the start of something that will last for a long time.



Want to see more photos from this event. Click below to visit the CCC-Forum Post about the event.






Photos used in this article by:
Ulf Christiansson, Palle Johansen, Harry Bakker, Per Webb, Bo Bertilsson
and Raven Eliza Hector Vandenabeele.



(This article is made possible by)

2016 CKOS LEAD SLED AWARD

Every year in the early summer the Customs Of Sweden (CKOS) organizes the Lead Parking show. At this event the best Swedish Custom is awarded with the prestigious Lead Sled of the year award.






The 2016 LeadParking event was held on July 9 in Skultuna, Sweden. The weather was great soon the event location was filled with beautiful custom Cars from all over Scandinavia. The event is well known in Scandinavia and the main award given at the event, the CKOS (Custom Kemps of Sweden) Lead  Sled of the year award is one of the most desirable Custom Car awards of Scandinavia. The awards consist of  a beautiful casted and polished to a high luster sculptured 1940 Ford coupe tail-dragging custom.



CKOS Lead Sled of the Year award.

Johan Törnqvist arriving at the CKOS LeadParking show in Skultuna, Sweden.



The 2016 CKOS Lead Sled Award went to Johan Törnqvist just finished beautiful Candy Red late 1940’s styled 1940 Mercury coupe. Inspired by the famous Barris built Nick Matranga, Johnny Zarro/Al Andril Mercury’s combined with the more recently created Kirkegaard 1939 Mercury by Sledge Kustoms.
Congratulations to John for winning the 2016 award.

Johan created his own version based on a decently restored 1940 Mercury coupe. that was chopped perfectly with a wonderful flow of the rear of the top into the turret panels with a sharp edge. Most of the ’39-40 Merc coupes have a molded in and smoothed top to turret shape, so the sharp edge on Johans’s Merc was nice and refreshing. The B-pillars were angled forward and the center section thinned down. The whole side window channels were reshaped and smoothed to fit the new side window opening perfectly. The windshield was chopped less than the rest of the top and the top of the windshield raised up into the top. The gave the car a perfectly balanced top after the chop, plus it creates a much better forward vision when you drive the car. And Johan sure plans to drive his Merc a lot.



Johan Törnqvist receiving the Custom Keps of Sweden Lead Sled of the year award with his just finished candy apple red 1940 Mercury coupe.

When the top was chopped the windshield was raised up into the top, to prevent the windshield becoming to narrow. Notice the perfect fitting trim and Appleton Spotlights.

The complete body was restored, bubble teardrop fender skirts created. At the back a separate hand shaped splash pan was created for the 1946 Ford rear bumper. The rear bumper uses Lincoln Zephyr over riders. At the front a complete 1941 Lincoln Zephyr bumper was used. To give the car a more 1940’s custom look most of the trim and door handles were kept on the car, but the trunk lid was shaved of the handle with a cleaner look. The stock headlights and taillights were used on the car.

Rear 3/4 view shows the beautiful flow of the chopped top with the sharp edge between the top and the turret panel. Stock Mercury taillights and Lincoln over-riders on 1946 Ford rear bumper. The non molded in splash pan was hand made.

Beautiful period perfect interior in white and black naugahyde. The rolls are done very nicely with am typical late 1940’s round shape The dash was beautifully restored and painted candy red with white plastic accents and a Lincoln Steering wheel.

The headliner was done in a matching white with black piping. Just as the seats. All window garnish moldings were smoothed and chrome pated. The B0Pillar was thinned down and slanted forward.

1940 Lincoln bumper was used up front. Notice how nicely balanced the windshield size is compared to the side window opening.

In Progress…

Johan built his 1940 Mercury over a period of several years. And everything was done till perfection. The whole body was brought back to bare metal and completely metal finished before the fine gold base could be added. Johan had decided to paint his Mercury a deep Candy Red color. Perhaps not totally period perfect with the style of the car, but the end result is absolutely stunning. And for sure if Candy Apple would have been available in the in the late 1940’s the famous Custom Shops sure would have used it.



The Mercury all put together before final body prep and an amazing Candy Red over gold paint-job

With all the body work and fit and finished handled, the body was painted fine metallic gold.

Followed by many layers of dark Candy Red.

Johan’s 1940 Merc is not only beautiful on the outside. The completely restored and rebuilt frame and Oldmobile ohv engine are just as beautiful.

(This article is made possible by)





.

ROTUNDA CUSTOMS 1955 SHOW

In 1955 and 1956 the Ford Motor Company hosted a small Custom Car and Hot Rod show in the beautiful Art-Deco Rotunda visitors center in Dearborn, Michigan.



The Rotunda visitors center was across the Ford World Headquarters. It was a circular Art Deco building ten stories high resembling a stack of internally-meshed gears, each decreasing in size towards the top where a geodesic dome rested. Two wings flanked out from the sides anchoring the steel-framed dome in place. The building acted as a visitor-center and exposition hall from 1934 till 1962 when it was destroyed in a fire.

The Rotunda building was originally designed and built in Chicago for the 1933 World Fair, “Century of Progress Exposition”. Architect, Albert Kahn – who was known for his functional yet elegant architectural designs in Detroit – designed the building for Henry Ford. The Ford Pavilion and the Ford Exposition Building, as it was called then, was 900 feet long with a 12-story glass rotunda at its center.



The original building at the 1933 World Fair in Chicago.

1933 promotional booklet the Ford Motor Company handed out at the World Fair shows a side view of the original building.



Nine thousand floodlights, hidden around the circular exterior, bathed the building in a rainbow of colors. From the center of the building, beams of light were projected into the sky that, on a clear night, could be seen for 20 miles.

1933 Postcard illustrates the unique light beams projecting into the sky at night.



During the two years the fair ran, the Ford Pavilion was visited by over 12 million visitors. After the fair ended, the Rotunda was disassembled and moved to Dearborn, Michigan, and erected directly across from Ford Motor Company’s Central Office Building to serve as a visitor center and starting point for the company’s popular Rouge Plant tours. The building was then renamed Ford Rotunda.



The rebuilding of the building in Dearborn Michigan nearing its completion. The inset aerial view shows how the building looked in 1933-34 at the Chicago World Fair. The large section on the left was not rebuild and the smaller section on the right was duplicated when the building was rebuilt in 1935.






The Rotunda immediately became a huge attraction, drawing not only common people but many movie stars, celebrities, business leaders, and heads of state who came to see the company’s latest cars and the elaborate shows Ford organized. The building was used to display state of the art Ford designs, and innovating automotive ideas. The round exposition space was very attractive, Art-Deco styled with a modern twist. The biggest draw was the annual Christmas displays during the holidays. New attractions were added each year. It was while preparing Ford Rotunda for the 1962 Christmas Display, a workman accidently overturned a firepot on the building’s highly inflammable tar roof setting the entire building on fire. In less than an hour, Ford Rotunda had burned to the ground. The company decided not to spend any more money, and razed the building’s remains instead. The ground where the Rotunda was stayed vacant for many years, until 2000 when the Michigan Technical Education Center was opened.





The 1955 Custom Car and Hot Rod show

In 1954 J.G. Mullaly, Ford Motor Company’s special events manager came up with the idea of paying some special attention to the youth with a display of FoMoCo based Custom Cars and Hot Rods at the Rotunda. In the last almost two decades Ford was still the most popular choice among the young and slowly getting older Custom Car and Hot Rod enthusiasts. But with the growing popularity of the GM overhead valve engines Ford realized it needed to pay some extra attention to keep the focus on Ford products here. It is really wonderful that the FoMoCo realized the Custom Car and Hot Rod were really important. They must have realized that if the young guys build their cars based on their own products, they more than likely would buy the same brand family car when they grew up and started a family in the years to follow. Ford of course had always been part of the hobby with Edsel creating some state of the art customized cars in the 1930’s and 40’s. But having an all Custom Car and Hot Rod display at the Rotunda was something special. This way these cars would be seen by a lot wider audience, then when a regular show would be organized at an more “common” facility.



The Custom Car Show was announced on the show sign close to the road in front of the Rotunda building.



Mullaly contacted the Michigan Hot Rod Association (MHRA) to help him organize this event that pas now planned to take place in the winter of 1955. The MHRA made a list of possible candidates based on the criteria given from Mullaly and the FoMoCo. In the weeks before the show would take place a gathering of Custom Cars and Hot Rods would gather for “audition day”. The Rotunda building was a relatively small building to organize an car show. Much smaller than the large hall’s, like armories and city exposition building. So the number of cars had to be limited to 13 Custom Cars and 5 Hot Rods. Mullaly wanted to personally pick the most suitable cars for the event, hence the outdoor audition was organized.

The cars picked to be in the event was a great mix of mildly restyled cars to full customs. All based on the more recent models Ford and mercury from 1950 and up. This would allow the visitors to see how “little” needed to be done to make your Ford looks different, better than all other cars in the street, or what needed to be done to go all the way for the full custom look. The Ford PR department did a lot of work to promote this special show and also made sure the professional photos used in this article were taken and shared with the magazines back in 1955.

The event was held in March 15-27, 1955 and 63,000 visitors would see the Custom Car and Hot Rod exhibit. 18 special cars were on display for 13 days. The cars were are detailed to perfection for this special exhibition. The audience would see these cars in this very special, inspiring building with other displays showing the state of the art Ford products. All in all the show was a very big success and a new show was already planned for the next year. More about that in part two of the Rotunda Custom Show.



Bill Pagett’s beautifully restyled 1950 Ford Coupe must have been really wonderful inside with its rich burgundy wine with metallic lilac paint. The turned around and modified 1955 Pontiac side trim separates the two colors and adds even more class to the car. The car has really great details as the split Dodge grille, frenched and hooded headlights, rounded corners, scooped skirts and custom bumpers. These photos show how well the wonderful Rotunda interior works with the Custom Cars. 

The famous Clarkaiser Custom Shop from Detroit restyled Ron Freshman’s 1952Ford Business Coupe. They chopped the top, fitted a 1949 Cadillac grille, molded in the stock headlights and restyled the rear quarter scoops before they painted the car in Matador Gold Metallic.

Ford invited Pete McDonald’s 1953 Ford Crestline Victoria to show the audience how great these cars looked with only a minimum amount of work. See how the Art Deco and modern styled building works perfect with these Custom Cars.

Oliver Hine’s 1933 Ford is an really wonderful restyled 5-window coupe with reshaped and fitted Brewser grille. It was displayed next to Ford’s FX-Atmos future experimental car they debuted at the 1954 Chicago Auto Show, and was now on display at the Rotunda.

Unidentified Canadian Ford grilled 1951 Ford convertible on the left, and Bill Hines restyled 1934 Ford for Mart Ribits, the last one was placed among the Hot Rods, but I feel its more a Custom Restyled Car than a Hot Rod.

Ken Kurant used an 1953 Canadian Ford Meteor grille in his subtile restyled 1952 Ford Club Coupe. The car used a set of Calvenar wire wheel hubcaps, a very popular aftermarket product back then, especially on the east coats. The Nello Tacconelli 1952 Mercury on the right has a reworked hood with working scoop, hooded headlights and another very popular product of the time, bubble fender skirts.

Jack Elders beautiful restyled 1951 Ford convertible sports a raked and chopped windshield, chopped folding convertible top, hood scoop, bubble skirts, reshaped rear fenders with frenched taillights and a 1953 Meteor grille to name just a few changes. Bill Hines worked o the car, but some sources also mention some of the work was done at the Clarkaiser shop.

Ron Sobran’s 1951 Mercury was a custom that had been around for a few years when it was displayed at the Rotunda in 1955. The car has some unique styling with the raked, but not chopped windshield and rear window that appears to be sunken, or perhaps reshaped in plexiglass? The stock grille was narrowed and the grille ends cut and brought in closer to make a floating type grille. The Merc also sported a set of popular bubble skirts and wire wheel hubcaps. I have never been able to find out who restyled the car, but if Bill Hines had a hand in it, I would not be surprised.

The rear quarter view taken at the audition day shows the skirts really well. It also shows the sunken or reshaped rear window, the extended rear fender using 1954 mercury rear fenders and taillights, and the addition of an 1951 Lincoln rear bumper.

Gordon Sutton from Detroit made the final cut with his great looking 1950 Ford convertible with chopped padded top and later model rear fenders and quarter panels crafted in.

Two project Shoebox Fords at the audition day that did not make the final cut.The sedan on the left sports an very interesting whale like grille, while the coupe on the right shows a really nice stance.

Two more customs that did not make it in the final cut. The first one, a 1952 Chevy fleetline for the obvious reason it was not a Ford-Mercury. The 1953 Ford on the right is a really nicely done mild custom with some nice subtile touches, but for unknown reasons it was not enough to make it inside.

The August 1955 issue of Rod & Custom Magazine spend four pages to the Rotunda Custom Car and Hot Rod show, using the images from the FoMoCo publicity department.



Custom Cars Exhibited at the 1955 Rotunda Custom Car Show

• Oliver Hine 1933 Ford 5-Window Coupe
• Marty Ribits 1934 Ford
• Bill Pagett 1950 Ford Coupe
• Gordon Sutton 1950 Ford Convertible
• Jack Elders 1951 Ford Convertible
• Ron Sobran 1951 Mercury
• Ron Freshman 1952 Ford
• Ken Kurant 1952 Ford Club Coupe
• Nello Tacconelli 1952 Mercury Hard-Top
• Ron Deneau 1953 Ford Customline
• Dick Jackson 1953 Ford Crestline Victoria
• Pete McDonald 1953 Ford Crestliner
• Frank and Charles Gilardone 1953 Ford Victoria

It must have been very special for the car owners to be part of this unique event. First to be invited by one of the big auto manufactures, and secondly to have your car displayed at and 13 day long event at the very famous and wonderful designed Rotunda building. In part two we will take a look at the car on display at the 1956 Rotunda show, the second and last custom car show at the Rotunda building.



(this article is sponsored by)





.

ROTUNDA CUSTOMS 1956 SHOW

In February 1956 the FoMoCo organized the second Custom Car Show in the Ford Rotunda building. Sadly this would also be the last time this prestigious event was held.

The second, and last Rotunda Custom Car Show was held in February 1956. The first show was a good success, but for unknown reason this years event only had 9 Custom Cars and Hot Rods in attendance. A much to small number of cars for the car guys to make a special trip to this event. No matter how special the building was, and no matter how special the selected cars in the exhibit was. The main-stream Custom Car and Hot Rod shows around the country, also in the Detroit  area had perhaps hundred or more car in those events. Still the 1956 Rotunda show was a nice one, and all 9 cars in attendance were displayed on fake grass with small bushes surrounding the cars giving it a very elegant feel. Very much like the Petersen Motorama shows held in the Pan Pacific Auditorium in Los Angeles. The well done displays looked wonderful in the Rotunda building, and combined with the well selected cars this gave the event a very high end feel. It was clearly that the Rotunda was about quality, not quantity.



Mid 1950’s Rotunda postcard.






This year the cars at the event were not all local cars. Two cars came all the way from California, magazine featured cars that most likely were invited to draw a crowd. The heavily restyled and Eauropean Sports Car inspired 1933 Ford Roadster from Henry Rootlieb was the Custom entry from the sunny state, and Ray Cortopassi brought his wonderful streamlined dragster “The Glass Slipper” to Dearborn.



For the 1956 Rotunda show Henry Rootlieb came all the way from California to the Rotunda with his heavily restyled 1933 Ford Roadster. The car was based on an 1941 Ford frame, with an body created from 33 Roadster and Tudor body sections, hand made hood and chrome plated reshaped 1935 Ford truck grille and 1955 Ford hubcaps.

The car had a really nice European Sports Car feel to it.

Unknown 1942-48 Lincoln Contintal has some really interesting restyling going. The whole front was reshaped with a new custom shaped grille, Cadillac Bumperette’s and Cadillac headlights with molded in parking lights. The rear fenders were modified with 1952 Lincoln taillights and custom rock shield. These two photos taken at the 1956 Rotunda show are the only I have seen of this car as far as I can remember. Interesting car.

Birds eye view shows the Lincoln Continental with the black top (possibly a padded top), and here we can see the 52 Lincoln taillights in the reshaped rear fenders. In the center of the photo we can see the 1940 Mercury of Jerry Yatch restyled by Bill Hines, Bob Palmer’s 1955 T-Bird restyled by Clarkaiser, and Ray Cortopassi streamliner dragster.

Jerry Yatch’s 1940 Mercury restyled by Bill Hines with molded fenders, molded in trunk, 49 Packard taillight, chopped windshield and a panoramic rear window padded top.

Clarkaiser sectioned, chopped and added full fade away fenders to Les and Adle Volpe’s 1948 Mercury. A beautiful early style Custom inspired by the SoCal styled customs from the Ayala’s and Barrisses. The sectioned body and hood made this coupe look extremely long and low.

The Ford Motor Company had a couple of nice color photos made of the event. At least two of them have been shared, including this nice one showing the Volpe 1948 Mercury in the foreground, and the Frank and Charles Gilardone 1953 Ford Victoria in the background. Both cars were restyled by Clarkaiser. In contrast with the previous show, all the cars were now put on nicely created displays with fake grass and small bushes.

The two known color slides of the event together. On the left is Frank and Charles Gilardone 1953 Ford Victoria and on the right the Volpe’s 48 Mercury. It must have made the Clarkaiser shop very proud to have several of their cars at this event.

The styling on the Frank and Charles Gilardone 1953 Ford Victoria was done extremely well balanced. Unique shaped head and taillights with a perfectly proportiond chopped top.

Clarkaiser had a total of three of their restyled cars on display. The third one is Bop Palmer’s 1955 Thunderbird the ‘Golden Bird” created when the car was near new. The car has extended rear fenders with ’55 Ford taillight and modified 1951 Merc fender skirts, the front was reshaped with a new grille opening with grille created from 1955 Buick bumper components with peaked dagmars. The hood scoop was reshaped, it has molded in headlights, a general shave and a wonderful golden pearl white paint job.

Snapshot taken of Bob Palmer’s Golden Bird at the event.

This is the same photo as shown above, only this time it shows a bit more of the Rotunda interior.

The Rotunda Custom Car Show Feb 1956 award won by the 1955 Thunderbird “Golden Bird” owned by Bob Palmer.

I have not been able to find any documentation on actual awards given out at this event. Not for the first year, or the second year. But apparently there must have been some kind of competition going. Bob Palmer’s 1955 Ford Thunderbird is now completely restored and there is still an original 1956 Rotunda trophy that goes with the car where ever it goes. As far as I know the 1956 was never published as well as the previous show was. And perhaps the lack of publicity and the lack of visitors made the people at Ford decide to not run the event again after 1956.









Custom Cars exhibited at the 1956 Rotunda Custom Car Show

• Henry Rootlieb 1933 Ford Roadster
• Jerry Yatch 1940 Mercury
• Unknown 1942-48 Lincoln Continental Convertible
• Les and Adle Volpe 1948 Mercury
• Frank and Charles Gilardone 1953 Ford Victoria
• Bob Palmer 1955 Thunderbird
  

(this article is sponsored by)





.

VOODOO SAHARA DEBUTS

VooDoo Larry did it.. he made it in time to debut the car at the 2016 Salina KKOA Lead Slead Spectacular. And the car is stunning!

This is how Larry announced the VooDoo Sahara on his facebook page early on Thursday July 28, 2016:

Larry and a crew of craftsman have been working around the clock to make it to the the 2016 Salena Kansas KKOA Lead Sled Spectacular for the cars GREAT DEBUT. Larry has shared a few photos, and we will add some more detail photos when we get them from Larry and others.
Enjoy these first photos of the VooDoo Larry version of the Golden Sahara I created by Barris and the Golden Sahara II created by Jim Skonzakes.
Larry combined what he thought were the best elements of each version, and added a little twist of his own to the concept.

With the top panels closed.

The VooDoo Sahara with the Jack Walker/Doug Thompson Hirohata Mercury recreation.

Jack Walker owner of the Hirohata Mercury recreation on the left and VooDoo Larry the builder of the VooDoo Sahara on the right.

Collette Marie, Larry’s wife posing with the Sahara for a photo shoot. (photos by Brian Franse)

(this article is sponsored by)





.

NEFERTERI part One

A Forrest Gump run through the Art Deco scene of the Streamline machine.



Larry Pointer found himself a survivor of Y2K, retired, a widower, and a more or less empty nester.  He needed a project.  In this series, he shares his passion for all things “Streamline Moderne”, and how it all turned into a 13-year labor of love, to create “Neferteri“, his custom Diamond T truck.



By Larry Pointer with Rik Hoving

“Run, Forrest, run!” Those urging words launched the hit film Forrest Gump and propelled actor Tom Hanks forward in his remarkable acting career. Growing up, this ski stick skinny kid in Wyoming had much in common with Hanks’ character, and why I came to dub myself the Forrest Gump of the Conquistadors Car Club of Sheridan. Somehow, like Forrest, I would wind up “there”, in momentous happenings and unforgettable places through my life’s journeys.

“Run like the wind!” As we turn our eyes to Rio and another World Olympics, I muse how we have strained against our mortal bonds, to run faster, slice through water, and soar higher than ever before. Always, our goals lie just beyond.

In our little neck of the woods, Wyoming’s coal deposits attracted peoples of all nationalities and ethnic backgrounds. This rich diversity was a gift for which I’ve always been grateful. I ran in track, but always behind Leroy Westika; pole vaulted, but always beneath Denton Buss; high jumped, but a barrel roll below Coco Madia. We did Wyoming well in the relays, but when I went to Iowa and walked into the locker room, I saw every one of their relay team was consistently running faster than the Wyoming individual record. A quick U-turn got me out of there.

When Roger Bannister broke the four-minute barrier in the running mile, at Oxford, England on May 6, 1954, I could only stare at the Life Magazine images. Maybe there were no limits?



Roger Bannister crossing the line.



Then in 1967, on a partly cloudy Spring day in Eugene, Oregon I saw three collegian milers cross the line under four minutes. In the infield, Dick Fosbury performed his revolutionary backbend Flop in the high jump. Bob Seagren sprung over the bar from a hand-stand in the pole vault, on his way to Olympic Gold. And Parry OI’Brien let fly a shot put nearly as far as I could throw a rock. Limits? What limits.



Dick Fosbury doing the flop and Bob Seagren polevbaulting.



In air, on land, and through water, this year in Rio, again the “agony of defeat and the ecstasy of victory” will play out in memorable human performance. There will be flashes of brilliance; records will fall. But still there will be that Above and Beyond. The human Spirit will deny limit, and Spirit will strive to reach beyond and above.

“Like the wind!” Mankind always has had envy for the flight of the bird, the fish that swims so effortlessly, the grace and speed of the running animal. Our Spirit seeks to soar in the wind; slice through the waves; run with grace and speed. “Why, oh why then, can’t I?” Innate in our Spirit is Innovation. Where the human body fails, the mind can imagine. And by Invention, and the magic carpet of the inventions we create, we can Fly, Sail, and Run.





Flight

Greek legend has it that Icarus and his son built wings, covered them with feathers, stuck them together with wax, and flew. Until, in soaring closer to the Sun, the wax melted and they came crashing down. Then, on December 17, 1903, over the sandy Atlantic beach at Kittyhawk, Orville and Wilbur Wright did fly. Somewhat. From that flimsy kite of sticks and sheets, we began, and through trial and error learned the lessons of Form Follows Function.



The Wright Brothers historic flight at Kittyhawk



My first father-in-law Carl Church was a pilot in WWI. Through that War to End All Wars, much was learned of flying machines. Afterwards many pilots, Carl Church among them, took their new skills to barnstorming across the country. Carl and his friend Dick Leferink took paying passengers for loop-de-loop thrills of a lifetime over the Great Salt Lake in Utah.

Then in 1920 came Prohibition. Wyoming proudly was last of the States to ratify what became the great experiment in legislating morality, the 18th Amendment to the US Constitution. Until its repeal with the 21st Amendment in December 1935, Prohibition brought opportunity to the enterprising. Leferink would pick up a load of the outlawed beverages across the border in Canada. By arrangement, Church would drive out to the prairie west of Sheridan’s veteran’s hospital, Fort McKenzie. In the dark, Church would light their makeshift runway with his car headlights. Leferink would land, transfer choice deliveries to Church, and Sheridan kept “wet” through “dry” times. Leferink in 1930 acquired a Stinson SM8-A, and launched Wyoming Air Service. He successfully bid on a US Mail contract in 1934 for Wyoming Montana and South Dakota, and expanded barnstorming, sight-seeing, and charter services to pioneer the coming passenger air industry. His Inland “narrow gauge” feeder airline later would merge into Western Airlines.



A bootlegger plane delivery, like that of Dick Leferink.  This at Grand Rapids, MI, from Milwaukee.



I don’t know what all this did for Carl Church. He did rise to exalted ruler of the Elks Club, and got into the beverage business: RC Cola and Nesbitt’s Orange.

I’d always hated History in school. But the living drama that acts out on the human stage makes a topic as dry as the 18th Amendment come to life. Vicariously, like Forrest Gump, I was “there”, through Leferink’s inimitable storytelling.



Lindbergh’s Spirit of St. Louis.



Flight’s limits were broken once more in this period, when Charles Lindbergh in his Spirit of St. Louis successfully crossed the Atlantic, May 21, 1927. Then, in an aircraft that epitomized Streamline Moderne, Amelia Earhart piloted her Lockheed Vega over the Atlantic on May 21, 1932, the first woman to accomplish that solo flight.



Amelia with the Lockheed Vega, after setting the solo Atlantic crossing and Amelia Earhart at the controls.

Form Follows Function. Dick Leferink’s Stinson; Amelia Earhart’s Vega and the “Winnie Mae” that would carry Will Rogers and Wiley Post to their demise in Alaska, April 15, 1935; the rotary engine WACO aircraft; the Travel Air Mystery Ship; the Beech Stagger Wing. Those airplanes were beautiful beyond words. The smooth, rounded cowl fairings, the sleek fusilages, the tapered wings, the wheel “pants”. Those planes Flew, just standing by on the tarmac. Streamline Moderne. Yes! To this kid, dragging golf bags along behind the city’s movers over the golf course, I could look across at the airport and upward to catch envious glimpses of those glorious creatures of Man’s imagination winging freely into the Wyoming sky. Even if the term hadn’t been invented yet, with those classic planes I was hooked on Streamline Moderne.



Will Rogers and Wiley Post in Alaska before their fatal crash, and the Winnie Mae in flight (Lockheed Vega).

Childhood impressions. I also have vivid recall of the drone of squadrons of B17’s high above, barely visible at day, ominous in the night, headed to the theaters of WWII. Unforgettable. Form and formation following function.

Squadrons of B17’s.

GeeBee in action…



There were extremes, and limitations, even in seeking the ultimate aerodynamics. The Granville brothers of Springfield, Massachusetts worked out their design of the Gee Bee racer with a wind tunnel. The result was a remarkable plane that Jimmy Doolittle raced to the 1932 Thompson Trophy. The Bee Gee was short, bulbous to the extreme, with stubby wings and a cockpit located back against the vertical stabilizer, for enhanced pilot view of pylon turns in the crowd thrilling short course races. Only the most skilled pilot could keep the plane from stalling and crashing. Its extreme shape was unforgiving. After pilot Russell Boardman was killed in the 1933 Bendix Race at Indianapolis, the concept was abandoned. Today, a replica exists in a Florida museum, and diehard enthusiasts are limited to scale models on the shelf.

The photos I’ve gathered give just a hint of the gorgeous saturated colors these airships were painted. Those imaginative contrasting speedlines, stripes, and scallops surely inspired early day hot rodders and custom car painting.






1932 Hall Springfield Bulldog with teardrop shaped body and wheel pants enhanced with black on red with white outline scallops… Hot Rod inspiration.

Streamline Moderne

Born out of Art Deco styling and design, by most accounts, through the 1925 Paris World Fair, “L’Exposition internationale des artes decoratifs et industriel moderne”. From the title in French, we make out what “Art Deco” is an abbreviation of, and there was that word “moderne”. From there, it just grew, until WWII set the brakes on such heady “artsy” stuff.



The Chrysler Building was designed by architect William Van Alen for a project of Walter P. Chrysler and completion on May 27, 1930.

Wurlitzer juke box and the interior of theatre in Fargo, ND.

Gas station designed by Walter Dorwin Teague (he also designed cars) and post-card of an art deco diner.



Looks like the term, Streamline Moderne, didn’t get coined until much later. Streamline style was used to define architecture, like the Chrysler Building in the Big Apple, even gas stations and diners. Items as mundane as the Coca Cola bottle, toasters, vacuum sweepers, and Wurlitzer juke boxes were given the moderne treatment. Anything to stimulate sales through those dark days of the Great Depression. The concepts of this style that had become all the rage had everything to do with aerodynamics, smooth curves, sleek forms, long horizontal lines, and flowing geometry. It implied movement and speed, efficient beauty in function; flowing movement through the air and skimming over the water.



Coca Cola bottle designed by Raymond Loewy (he also designed cars).

Streamline Moderne boats

Pirates of the Caribbean may have its Johnny Depp cult following, but it was the swashbuckling Erroll Flynn who rattled the sabre over the wooden decks under the skull and crossbones in the Saturday matinees (in Art Deco/Streamline Moderne theatres) back in the day. The Sea Hawk, or Captain Blood, perhaps the best pirate movie of all time.

Then in the news reels, we could almost taste the salt in the sea spray from coverage of yacht regattas, or the speedboat races. Those wooded boats just embodied the curvilinear form. From bow to stern, their hulls were pure nautical sculpture. Inboard engines were located mid-ship or aft for weight transfer. Gar Wood put all of this together in building speedboats. The Hornet II built for Henry J. Kaiser featured a Rolls Royce V-12.



Hornet II owned by Henry J. Kaiser.



Chris Craft offerings of Chris Smith featured stunning brightwork; the beautiful grain of mahogany hulls smartly set off with crisp white caulking and layers and layers of lovingly brushed varnish. From Detroit, the Hacker Craft came to define the sleek signature look of the speedboat moderne.





Getting to see the Miss Budweiser and the hydroplane races of Seattle’s Aquatennial celebrations was my Forrest Gump moment of the speedboat era. Now there was the true “speedboat stance”, the bow lifting upward through acceleration, the rising pitch of the powerful inboard engines, the geyser spray of rooster tails. Yes!



The true “speedboat stance”

Hydroplane races at the Seattle’s Aquatennial celebrations.

Then there were the trains

Nothing speaks to the Industrial Revolution’s power to change civilization better than the steam locomotive. Behemoth steam engines. Just standing by the station, hissing steam, they WERE power. The sights, the smells, the sounds. All the senses came to be indelibly etched in the imaginative mind of a young boy. I can still recall those cold, cold Wyoming nights, lying snug in my bed and hearing a locomotive come to life. Choo. Choo. The sound carried crisply through the cold air, reverberating off the surrounding hills. It would start slowly at first, as the freight train would pull away from the station. Then, as it got up steam for the grade, the cadence would pick up, more rapidly, more strongly. Those steam locomotives were the engines that COULD. The rhythm of a steam train once it got rolling clickety-clack over the track, was like no other.





Everywhere, there was a love affair with the railway train. Songs of every genre, every place, every time, have come to rest in the songbooks of the people. The halcyon days of steam powered trains may have gone into the history books, but the rhythm, that unmistakable rhythm of the train, infuses music everywhere to this day. Hear that lonesome whistle blow!

What a history they made! There was the Flying Scotsman, the turn of the last Century pride of the United Kingdom. In America, the engines of Budd, Hudson and Pullman. Locomotive power and speed, down the shiny twin tracks.



Hiawatha train, B17 bomber and the Flying Scotsman.

Commodore Vanderbilt, the first streamline shrouded locomotive.

Same train as above, re-shrouded by Henry Dreyfuss as 20th Century Limited.

My grandfather Frank Headley was a cocky engineer on the CB&Q line. In 1919, he attempted a speed record through Wyoming’s twisting Wind River Canyon. With a full head of steam from coal shoveled into the boiler, he pushed her to the limit going into the gorge. About two curves in, she shot off the rails and skidded on her side to a grinding, scalding halt among the canyon boulders. Head injuries and a broken pelvis notwithstanding, he had enough sense, and fear for what he’d done, that he crawled ½ mile down the track to trip the red warning signal. This from my family album was my own “Forrest Gump” connection to those giddy times.

To enhance the romance of locomotive power, the industry turned to the best industrial designers of the day. Here was the birth of the true Streamliners.



Hiawatha, example of Otto Kuhler design, original metal, not a re-shroud and the Broadway Limited, designed by Raymond Loewy (the car designer).



Henry Dreyfuss, Otto Kuhler, Raymond Loewy, these were the men with vision to carry us in style down the track to a glorious future. Here was the pioneer Spirit that would feed the car customizers, the George Barrises, Neil Emorys, Clay Jensens, even the Larry Watsons, on down the way. Ingenuously, the pioneer designers would re-shroud the crude, adapting those work-a-day locomotives with shaped metal to create a modern look of power-and-speed-in-motion. Just as the customizers of the automobile would adapt and reshape parts to individualize their rides.





It’s a fascinating study in human puzzles to see how often hard times brings out unexpected resilience and invention. The Prohibition era became the Roaring Twenties period. But it was a no-brainer puzzle, when you think of it, that speedboat development traces so often to the border waters with Canada. The G-men had real challenges intercepting booze deliveries over those waters. In turn, the Great Depression brought out the best of Streamlining in trains.

The re-shrouding of locomotives made economic sense. Rather than build those massive, expensive steam engines from scratch, when “scratch” was so hard to come by, the industry brought forth the best of industrial designers to create a marketable image of Progress. I believe the Depression did much to create the field of industrial design.

The economics of market competition also brought new fuels and materials to the scene. Diesel power would ring the death knell to steam locomotion. Stainless steel and Aluminum clad engines would bring down that heavy mass of inertia. The Choo Choo cadence of “steamliners” would come to be heard only in the downbeat of jazz rhythm.

The Pioneer Zephyr, in stainless steel, was the Burlington line’s statement of Progress. In 1934 this Budd-built flyer brought revolution down the tracks. Dubbed a “cruise ship on wheels”, it made a phenomenal “Dawn-to-Dusk” run from Denver to Chicago, set a record, and changed the game forever. That same year, the movie, “The Silver Streak” hyped the diesel powered Zephyr, and helped Depression-era movie goers find hope for a promised future. Ford Motor Company was quick to capitalize on the romance, with their Lincoln Zephyr offerings not long after.

In challenge for ridership, the Union Pacific came up with an aluminum clad engine, the M-10,000. Actually, its unveiling preceded that of the Zephyr by two months. It weighed much less than the conventional steam train, but its aluminum cladding didn’t hold up too well. Media wags didn’t help much either, labelling it “a great bulbous-headed caterpillar”.



Three General Motors electromotive diesels.

General Motors also jumped into the game with their Electro-Motive Engineering section. Their demonstrator in 1938 made inevitable the industry shift to diesel power. As I look back over the distinctive look of all the GM streamliners that would follow, it is fun to place an image of the 1948 through first series 1955 Chevrolet and GMC pickup truck next to, say, a Santa Fe or later Burlington engine out of the GM stable. The rounded forms are undeniably similar; a case study in the influence of the streamliner on future automobiles.



Santa Fe Streamlined train postcard.

GM demonstrator and the Orange Blossom Special.



The GM demonstrator came out with a livery of deep green accented by long, flowing horizontal stripes in yellow. They emanated from the front of the engine in a “bow wave”, a nod to the nautical influences of streamline design. Across the board, the industrial designers’ palettes brought us exciting, saturated hues spun off the color wheel. For each railway client, they would offer up a livery of distinction. Color combinations and streamline styling lines were as “moderne” as the smooth streamliners they so regally clothed. Everyone would know the Royal Blue of the Cincinnatian, the Green Diamond, Pennsylvania line’s Tuscan Red, the Orange Blossom Special, and the Santa Fe Warbonnet Express.



Jack Juratovic’s “The Race”.



A picture does speak a thousand words. In the November, 1935 issue of Car and Track, Jack Juratovic shared his artwork in The Race, pitting the 100-mile-an-hour Milwaukee Hiawatha against the best automotive offering, the Duesenberg. There, better than any words could explain, was Streamline Moderne.


In Part Two, I’ll share inspirations I have gotten from those coach-built cars of streamline design, as influences on my custom Diamond T truck, Neferteri. Stay tuned…









.