Bubbletop Kustom Car - Radical Custom Creation! (Click to see full size) Back at the 2012 LA Roadster Show, I'm doing my best to take my favorite pictures and show them to you, just in case you're outta state, country, or worse... you were one of the vendors I talked to that never get to leave your booth! What you see here is a 1955 Ford. Yep. That's what it started as, but according to Gary "Chopit" Fioto, all that's left is the decklid and hood. Gary, and his sons Nick and Fabian of Chopit Kustom in Stanton, CA built this truly radical creation, completely out of steel In a 3 year build, Beatnik made it's debut at the 2005 Fresno Autorama. So, this car's been on the road for a long time! Gary drove the car in as well complimenting the air conditioning that keep him from suffocating underneath that huge bubbletop. Every other detail of this car's been covered. One of the best places to learn the history of the car and Chopit Kustom is by reading the RM Auction page where it sold for $396,000 back in 2006.  RM's...

1931 Model A Hot Rod with Something More Hot rod builds start all kinds of ways... some with an engine taking up space in the corner of your garage, some with pop's left over parts or a great swap meet find. This one started with a can of flat green paint. Voodoo Larry's a well know name in hot rods and custom cars. For some 30 years, Larry's been building custom cars and worth noting including the "Voodoo Idol" shown hear with the lovely, November 2012 Pinup of the Month Monica Renee. Larry runs Voodoo Larry Kustoms out of Elk Grove Village, IL where in his words, "The shop is not state of the art, but VooDoo Larry puts his heart and soul into every build and modification." For Larry's latest creation, "Voodoo Psychosis" the first thing you might notice is the wheels. (if you're not currently looking at Ms. Renee!) These are 1939 Dodge "high clearance" wheels, not to be mistaken for "Milk truck" wheels. The fronts are 20's and out back 18's wear  7.50-18 Firestones. Larry waited 10 years to find a set, then made a deal...

Timeless 1951 Ford Victoria Ford or Chevy? The oldest rivalry in American car history and one most can easily tell you which side of the line they stand on. For Ameth Gonzales it was on the bow tie’s sidelines until he laid eyes on the 1951 Ford Victoria Hardtop. Ameth picked up the Vicky in Arcadia, CA back in 2002 and despite it being just over 50 years old at the time, it only had two previous owners. Better yet, the body was straight with no signs of any major accidents or rust which made it a perfect platform for a full restoration. Several features of the 51 drew Ameth to the 1951 Ford Victoria. For starters, 1951 was the first year Ford produced a hardtop and the three-piece window in the rear adds a graceful accent to the simple yet flowing bodylines. Then, the single chrome spear running the length of the body has always been a revered styling cue of the early 50’s Ford Shoebox. Once Ameth got the Vicky back to Fresno the restoration was quickly underway. However, with three coats of paint standing between him...

1954 Chevy Pickup -Chopped and Dropped Author and Photographer: Mike Harrington Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue. A truck is a truck, right? It’s meant for only one thing, to be beat to death on the local farm or sentenced to a life of hard labor. If only the designers of the ’54 Chevrolet truck could see how this one fared the test of time. They just might pass a peach pit. There’s a nifty little story attached to this former hay hauler and it all began south of the border and we’re not referring to the Mason Dixon line. Decades ago Mateo San Martin, living in Mexico, pieced this truck together one part at a time. Almost like that Johnny Cash song and just like the hot rodders here in the USA - a scrounged part here and there over a span of time had the truck all back and working again. Only this truck wasn’t built for any aesthetic reasons, it was built to handle life’s daily chores and experience more hard labor. But things don’t always work out the way they were intended... sometimes...

Flat Black 51 Chevy Deluxe Cruiser Author and Photographer: Mike Harrington We have all heard the expression. “I'm going to beat you till your black and blue”. I don’t know about you, but anyone I’ve ever seen with a black eye or a serious bruise, the bruise looks more black and green. Kind of like this here ‘51 Deluxe custom owned by Dead Sleds member Crow and his wife Adrianna. Now before you splatter your drawers thinking “not another black primered car!” Throttle back for moment and take our word for it... This suede sleds body work is smoother than a velvet Elvis under a black light while puffing a cigarette packed with Mexican hay. Many times a black sled will be bathed in apocalyptic black to hide the flawed body work. However, during the construction process of Crows blacktop bruiser he and club member Cepe spent a year massaging the metal on the ’51 Chevy bringing her back to life. That massaging came in the form of shaving all the prickly protrusions from the body of the Chevy. Some prefer to call them emblems and door handles, we’ll...

1933 Ford Hot Rod Pickup Author and Photographer: Mike Harrington No doubt about it, this little hot rod pickup has it in spades, unlike many of the flash in the pan gow jobs running the city streets. Gary Culmer’s ’33 pick-em-up was built with design, purpose, and reason. Purpose and reason: two themes that echoed through Culmer’s mind as he salvaged what was left of this leprous ’33 Ford cab. What was the purpose or reason of having a pickup truck that could haul nothing? It was his goal to have a functional truck that could haul engine blocks, axles, and other discarded Detroit iron. Starting with a discarded Model AA frame from a 1929 1 ½ ton truck would not be the first choice of most builders, however Culmer was undaunted. The AA frame was shortened 18-inches, and then Z’d 6-inches in the back while the front was given a 3-inch sweep and boxed. A one inch dropped Model A cross member was added to the front and finally a tow hitch was added to the rear bumper. The bed of this former hay hauler is actually from...

1963 Ford Fairlane 60s Custom Author and Photographer: Mike Harrington Less IS More We Americans seem to have this “bigger is better” mindset. After all if a little is good then a lot is better right? We can biggie size our French fries, biggie size our body parts with pecker pills or bags of silicone. Big, big and bigger! We are obsessed with size. Don’t take me wrong, if someone wanted to put a 572 cubic inch big block in my classic ride, I surely wouldn't object, but is bigger always better? I guess it all depends on your perspective. (Editor's note: Maybe less isn't more with the lovely Cherry Doll! She's smokin hot...) I once heard a saying that has seared its self into my memory. “Less…is more”. This saying holds true to music, design and even meal time. It also holds very true in the case of this ’63 ½ Ford Fairlane. With all the subtlety of a serpent, Ford introduced the 260 cubic inch lightweight Windsor featuring 164 horsepower, that was the "Challenger" versions of Ford's mighty small block. At 12 inches shorter than a Galaxy...

1934 Ford Hot Rod at El Mirage Author and Photographer: Mike Harrington We first spotted this ’34 ford at the Antique Nationals. There she was sitting in the staging lanes waiting to race with the rest of the antique American iron. A picture was snapped at the Antique Nationals. One thing led to another, and there we were a few weeks later in the blistering heat on a dry lake bed doing a photo shoot. Ron Hammack owner of this ’34 5-window has an interesting story to tell. This machine is a genuine Northern California barn find and had been sitting since the early 1970’s until he recently acquired it. As to the history of the vehicle prior to Ron’s ownership, and where it was raced; it’s still shrouded in mystery. Suffice it to say that when it arrived on the trailer it still had the grill shell, body, hood and frame. Rats had long eaten away sections of the wood floor and left a dung heap the size of Rhode Island inside the cab. Brenda, Ron’s wife, insisted that it be taken to a car wash first and...

Custom 1947 Chrysler Royal Coupe With the world of customs dominated by GMs and Fords, it’s always a nice surprise to see a builder venture outside of the “norm” (yes I know – somewhat of an oxymoron in regards to customs) and build a car from a lesser known and recognized platform. Its even sweeter when the gamble pays off and comes out looking like Phil Bell’s 1947 Chrysler Royal Business Coupe. Back in 2005, Phil put the word out that he was in the market for a late 40’s model Mopar. A call soon came in from his friend and fellow Farm Boys C.C. member, Shane Taylor. Shane located a 47 Chrysler Royal Business Coupe in Burley, ID that he thought might foot the bill but it would take more than just a general restore – this one needed a resurrection. Phil took a look at the car and initially passed, but a year went by and nothing had captured his interest. So he went back in April of 2006 and $800 bucks later, was the proud new owner of a rusted out, windows busted, 47 Coupe that...

Custom 1960 Cadillac 1960 Cadillac Shot at the 2011 Goodguys in Scottsdale, AZ (Click on any pic to see full size) What's eight and a half Coors Light cans tall and a mile long? This 1960 Custom Cadillac built by Scott's Insane Chops in Lake Havasu City, AZ for owner David Hoekstra. It's got to be obvious by now, right? I shoot and publish stories about cars I like. You've probably seen I have an, arguably un-natural, hankerin' for wagons, but I also like what's more mainstream too... if you call 225 inches of laid out Caddy mainstream!   Need more evidence Sic Chops knows custom Caddillacs? Check out his latest, a chopped 1959 Cadillac Convertible. With 'bout 2300 cars packed into West World for the 2011 November Goodguys show, it takes a special bling to stop you in your tracks. This 60 Caddy did it so well the 'guys moved this car to front and center for all to see. Makes for great visibility and crappy photos with heads poking out all over the place. Still, the graceful elegance of the now 44 inch tall bad-to-the-bone Caddy woulda...

Wes Coleman's '49 Ford Shoebox America's fascination with aviation during World War II would bring about a paradigm shift in automotive styling that would produce some of the most iconic designs in history. Bold styling cues inspired by fighter planes such as the P51 Mustang and P40 Warhawk quickly found their way onto design boards and eventually onto the assembly lines of Detroit. No where were these brazen new styling cues more evident than on the redesigned 1949 Ford. Known throughout the kustom kulture as the "shoebox" Ford, the 49 - 51's were an instant favorite with early customizers and have remained arguably the most popular kustom since. The popularity of the shoebox Ford would eventually reach Wes Coleman of Arlington, TX in 2003. Always a fan of classics and custom cars, a meeting with his now good friend and fellow Lucky 13 car club member, John Bumpus ("Bump" to his friends), would solidify Wes's next project - a custom '49 Ford.  Soon after, Wes located an original owner '49 Ford Tudor Sedan with minimal rust that would serve as a canvas for the project. Bump introduced Wes to renowned customizer and member of the legendary Beatniks Car...

18,000 Mile 1955 Chevy Bel Air Classic To say Chevy's relaunch of the Bel Air in 1955 kick started an automotive revolution would be a understatement. As the first entry into what would become known throughout the world as the "shoebox Chevy", the 55 Bel Air became one of the most iconic Chevrolets in history, right up there with the Corvette and the Camaro. Highlights for the model year include the first year for a 12V electrical system and the timeless "eyebrows" over the front headlights. Designers extended the front fenders just over the headlights giving the remodeled Bel Airs what appears to be a raised eyebrow when viewed from the front. Features in films such as "Two-Lane Blacktop" and "American Graffiti" increased the mystique surrounding the 55 Bel Air ten-fold. And when Harrison Ford's character Bob Falfa staged his 55 Chevy against "The fastest  thing in the valley", Milner's coupe, you could easily argue the car helped launch his career. The 55 Bel Air's popularity stretches across the gamut of auto enthusiasts. Its sleek accents and generous use of chrome captured the attention of customizers just as the lightweight and easy acceptance of...