Custom car

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One of the famous custom cars in the classic American custom style, the Hirohata Merc NHRA Museum.jpg
One of the famous custom cars in the classic American custom style, the Hirohata Merc

A custom car is a passenger vehicle that has been altered to either improve its performance, change its aesthetics, or a combination of both. Some automotive enthusiasts in the United States want to push "styling and performance a step beyond the showroom floor - to truly craft an automobile of one's own." [2] A custom car in British according to Collins English Dictionary is built to the buyer's own specifications. [3]

Contents

Custom cars are not to be confused with coachbuilt automobiles, historically rolling chassis fitted with luxury bodywork by specialty auto body builders.

History

1916 Ford Model T modified into a speedster, an early form of customized car 1916 Ford Model T Speedster, March 26, 1916, California (5643782311).jpg
1916 Ford Model T modified into a speedster, an early form of customized car
A 1923 Ford T-bucket in the traditional hot rod style T Bucket 001.JPG
A 1923 Ford T-bucket in the traditional hot rod style

Some of the earliest examples of modified cars were cars modified for racing or off-roading. Additionally, the coachbuilding industry is considered part of custom car history, as companies and individuals building custom bodies to be fitted to early cars and inspired later customizers. [4]

Hot rods were an early type of custom car first popularized in the United States, considered to be one of the earliest defined car customization movements. The origins of the first hot rods are typically considered to be early race cars built to race on dirt tracks and dry lake beds, often stripped down Ford Model Ts, Model As, and other pre-World War II cars made into speedsters and "gow jobs". [5] The "gow job" morphed into the hot rod in the 1940s to 1950s. [6] [7] The modified cars used in the Prohibition era by bootleggers to evade revenue agents and other law enforcement are also considered a predecessor to the hot rod. [8] Hot rods gained popularity after World War II, particularly in California, because many returning soldiers had received technical training. [9] [10] Many cars were "hopped up" with engine modifications such as adding additional carburetors, high compression heads, and dual exhausts. The suspension was often altered, and engine swaps were to install the most powerful engine in the lightest possible frame and body combination. [11] [12]

Another example of early automobile customization were the first off-road vehicles. Some of the earliest dedicated offroad vehicles were made using the Kégresse track system, starting in the late 1910s, which affixed tracks to an ordinary car in place of the rear wheels for improved off-road traction. [13] After World War II, the surplus of army Jeeps led to a growth in the popularity of off-roading as a hobby.

Starting in the early 1940s, some US car customizers began to modify cars with a stronger emphasis on looks and self-expression. This led to styles of modification such as lowriders, kustoms and lead sleds emerging and growing. [14] 1950s kustom car builders would often swap trim and panels from other cars, as well as frenching and tunneling head- and tail-lights. The bodies of the cars were changed by cutting through the sheet metal, removing bits to make the car lower, welding it back together, and adding lead to make the resulting form smooth. They would also chop the roof to make it lower, [15] section [16] the body to make it thinner from top to bottom, and channel [17] the body by cutting notches in the floorpan where the body touches the frame to lower the whole body.

The first drag strip in the United States opened in 1950 on an airfield in Southern California, and a year later, in 1951 the National Hot Rod Association was formed. [18] In the following years, more drag strips were built across the country, leading to a rise in the popularity of drag racing among both amateurs and professionals.

In the post-World War II era, Japan's automotive industry grew, eventually leading to the country becoming the world's largest vehicle producer. This led to a unique car customization culture within the nation. Some of the early custom cars in Japan, starting in the late 1970s through the 1980s, included Kaido Racers, Japanese cars modified with homemade parts to look like racecars of the time; imported and modified American and European cars; cars modified for top-speed and highway racing; and Dekotora decorated trucks. [19] [20] The 1990s saw the rise of cars modified for drifting, VIP style luxury sedans, and the continued popularity of highway racing. Japan also embraced American customization styles, importing and building their muscle cars, lowriders, minitrucks, and more.

Styles of modification

1959 Chevrolet Impala Art car Chevy Impala by Marc Northstar.jpg
1959 Chevrolet Impala Art car
Ford Escort modified for drag racing Pro ET - Ford Escort - Santa Pod 2010 (4663835515).jpg
Ford Escort modified for drag racing
Nissan Skyline C210 modified in the Japanese Kaido Racer style Osaka Auto Messe 2016 (221) - tuned Nissan SKYLINE (C210).jpg
Nissan Skyline C210 modified in the Japanese Kaido Racer style
An example of a rat rod Typical Rat Rod.jpg
An example of a rat rod

Modified cars can be significantly different from their stock counterparts. A common factor among owners/modifiers is to emulate the visual and/or performance characteristics of established styles and design principles. These similarities may be unintentional. Some of the many different styles and visual influences to car modification are:

Features

The Reactor (show rod) by Gene Winfield with paint fade style blending from one color to another Reactor by Gene Winfield.jpg
The Reactor (show rod) by Gene Winfield with paint fade style blending from one color to another

Paint

Custom paint jobs play an essential role in the culture around customized cars. Builders will often use special painting techniques to produce unique finishes, including the use of candy paint, metalflake, and color shifting paint. Additionally, builders will often create paint jobs with intricate designs or patterns by pinstriping, painting by hand, airbrushing, taping out patterns on the car and painting inside them, painting over lace, overlaying gold leaf, and more. Some customizers will also opt for vinyl wraps, vinyl decals, or plastidip in place of a traditional paint job. In addition to paint, individual parts of a car may also be chromed, gold plated, or engraved.

Transparent but wildly colored candy-apple paint, applied atop a metallic undercoat, and metalflake paint, with aluminum glitter within candy-apple paint, appeared in the 1960s. These took many coats to produce a brilliant effect – which tended to flake off in hot climates. This process and style of paint job were invented by Joe Bailon, a customizer from Northern California.

Painting has become such a part of the custom car scene that in many custom car competitions, awards for custom paint are as highly sought after as awards for the cars themselves.

Engine swaps

LS1 V8 engine swap in a Mazda RX-7 FD RickLS1FD.jpg
LS1 V8 engine swap in a Mazda RX-7 FD

Engine swaps are a common modification involving taking the engine from one car and putting it into another, often one that did not initially come with that engine. A few of the most common engines swaped into other vehicles include the BMW M54, Chevy small block, Chevy LS, Chrysler Hemi, Cummins B Series, Ford Barra, Ford Coyote, Ford flathead V8, Honda B, Honda K, Mazda 13B, Nissan RB, Nissan SR, Subaru EJ, Toyota JZ, Toyota UZ, Toyota S, and Volkswagen VR6. [21] [22] Completing an engine swap typically requires a high level of modification and fabrication to fit the engine and connect it to the host vehicle's body, transmission, and electrics. Many companies sell kits for common engine swaps that include adapter plates for the transmission, K member, engine mounts, front subframe, and more, depending on what ss required for the particular swap. Some engine swaps will use the vehicle's original transmission, while others opt for the transmission from the donor car, or a different transmission entirely.

Customizers

Examples of notable American customizers include George Barris, Vini Bergeman, Bill Cushenbery, the Alexander Brothers, Bo Huff, Gil Ayala, [23] Darryl Starbird, [24] Roy Brizio, Troy Trepanier (of Rad Rides by Troy), Boyd Coddington, Darryl Hollenbeck (working out of at Vintage Color Studios; winner of the 2016 America's Most Beautiful Roadster (AMBR) trophy with a custom Deuce) [6] Harry Westergaard, [25] Dave Stuckey, [24] Dean Jeffries, Barry Lobeck, Phil Cool (who won the 1978 AMBR trophy with a bright orange Deuce, cover car for the July 1978 issue of Hot Rod), [26] Troy Ladd of Hollywood Hot Rods, Doane Spencer (builder of a 1940s Deuce considered the template for the hiboy), [27] "Posie", [28] Ron Clark and Bob Kaiser (of Clarkaiser Customs), [29] Joe Bailon [24] (inventor of candy apple paint), [30] Gene Winfield, Rick Dore [31] Joe Wilhelm, "Magoo", [32] Chip Foose, [33] and Pete Chapouris.

Others, such as Von Dutch, are best known as custom painters. Several customizers have become famous beyond the automobile community, including Barris, Jeffries, and Coddington, thanks to their proximity to Hollywood; Barris designed TV's Batmobile, while Chapouris built the flamed '34 three-window coupé in the eponymous telefilm "The California Kid". Another Barris creation, Ala Kart (a '29 Ford Model A roadster pickup), made numerous appearances in film (usually in the background of diner scenes) after taking two AMBR wins in a row. Some customizers have become well-known to be referred to by a given name alone. These include Boyd (Coddington), Pete (Chapouris), and Jake (Jim Jacobs).

Awards

One of the most coveted awards for American customizers is the AMBR (America's Most Beautiful Roadster) trophy, presented annually at the Grand National Roadster Show since 1948 (also known within the customizer community as the Oakland Roadster Show until it was moved to Southern California in 2003). This competition has produced famous and radical customs.

Another is the Ridler Award, presented at the Detroit Autorama since 1964 in honor of show promoter Don Ridler. With one of the most unusual car show entry requirements, the prestigious Ridler Award winners are selected as the most outstanding among cars being shown for the first time. This prompts builders of many high-end roadsters to enter Autorama first and then the Grand National show to have the chance to win top honors at both shows. Few cars and owners can claim this achievement.

Notable customs

The Monkeemobile from the "Munsters" Monkeemobile2.jpg
The Monkeemobile from the "Munsters"

Some customs gained attention for winning awards, such as the AMBR trophy, or for their outlandish styling. Notable among these is Silhouette and Ed Roth's Mysterion. Some notable custom cars have been turned into Hot Wheels cars, among them The Red Baron.

Other custom cars became notable for appearances in film (such as Ala Kart {1958}, [34] The California Kid three-window {1973}, [35] the yellow deuce from "American Graffiti" {1973}, the Batmobiles from Batman, the Pursuit Special from Mad Max, and more) or television (such as The Monkeemobile from the "Munsters", and KITT from Knight Rider).

Other notable customs exemplified a trend. One of these is the 1951 Merc built by the Barris brothers for Bob Hirohata in 1953, known as the Hirohata Merc. Even without an appearance in the film ("Runnin' Wild"), it is one of the most iconic 1950s customs. [36] The same year, Neil Emory and Clayton Jensen of Valley Custom Shop built Polynesian for Jack Stewart, starting with a 1950 Holiday 88 sedan. [37] Polynesian made the cover of Hot Rod in August, and saw 54 pages of construction details in Motor Trend Custom Car Annual in 1954. [38]


See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1932 Ford</span> Motor vehicle

The term 1932 Ford may refer to three models of automobile produced by Ford Motors between 1932 and 1934: the Model B, the Model 18, and the Model 40. These succeeded the Model A. The Model B had an updated four-cylinder engine and was available from 1932 to 1934. The V8 was available in the Model 18 in 1932, and in the Model 40 in 1933 & 1934. The 18 was the first Ford fitted with the flathead V-8. The company also replaced the Model AA truck with the Model BB, available with either the four- or eight-cylinder engine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hot rod</span> American car with a large engine modified for linear speed

Hot rods are typically American cars that might be old, classic, or modern and that have been rebuilt or modified with large engines optimized for speed and acceleration. One definition is: "a car that's been stripped down, souped up and made to go much faster." However, there is no definition of the term that is universally accepted and the term is attached to a wide range of vehicles. Most often they are individually designed and constructed using components from many makes of old or new cars, and are most prevalent in the United States and Canada. Many are intended for exhibition rather than for racing or everyday driving.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Barris (auto customizer)</span> American automobile customizer (1925–2015)

George Barris was an American designer and builder of Hollywood custom cars. Barris designed and built the Hirohata Merc. Barris's company, Barris Kustom Industries, designed and built the Munster Koach and DRAG-U-LA for The Munsters; and the 1966 Batmobile for the Batman TV series and film.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kustom Kulture</span> American subculture

Kustom Kulture is the artworks, vehicles, hairstyles, and fashions of those who have driven and built custom cars and motorcycles in the United States of America from the 1950s through today. It was born out of the hot rod culture of Southern California of the 1960s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rat rod</span> Style of vehicle customization

A rat rod, as usually known today, is a custom car with a deliberately worn-down, unfinished appearance, typically lacking paint, showing rust, and made from cheap or cast-off parts. These parts can include non-automotive items that have been repurposed, such as a rifle used as a gear shifter, wrenches as door handles, or hand saws as sun visors. Whether or not so appointed, the rat rod uniquely conveys its builder’s imagination.

DRAG-U-LA, along with the Munster Koach, was one of two cars on the television show The Munsters designed by prolific show car designer Tom Daniel while working for George Barris and Barris Kustom Industries.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kustom (cars)</span>

Kustoms are modified cars from the 1930s to the early 1960s, done in the customizing styles of that time period. The usage of a "K" for "Kustom" rather than a "C", is believed to have originated with George Barris.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Munster Koach</span> Car used in the TV series The Munsters

The Munster Koach is the family car that was used in the television series, The Munsters. The show's producers contracted George Barris to provide the Koach. Barris paid show car designer Tom Daniel $200 to design the car, and had it built at Barris Kustoms, first by Tex Smith, but finished by Dick Dean, his shop foreman at the time. The Munster Koach appeared in over twenty episodes throughout the series' two-year run, and was also seen in Munster, Go Home! using different wheels. Tom Daniel's original drawing of the Munster Koach had it supercharged with a hood scoop and thin, round disc lights. Barris chose the ten-carburetor setup with the ten air horns and lantern lights.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hirohata Merc</span> Motor vehicle

The Hirohata Merc is a 1950s lead sled custom car, often called "the most famous custom of the classic era". Setting a style and an attitude, it had a "momentous effect" on custom car builders, appeared in several magazines at the time and has reappeared numerous times since, earning an honorable mention on Rod & Custom's "Twenty Best of All Time" list in 1991. The impact may be measured by the fact that, after more than fifty years and numerous owners, it is still known as "the Hirohata Merc".

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Ala Kart is a custom car, a customized 1929 Ford Model A roadster pickup, built by George Barris, Richard Peters, and Mike "Blackie" Gejeian in 1957. Originally owned by Peters, it is a two-time winner of the Grand National Roadster Show "America's Most Beautiful Roadster" (AMBR) trophy and Hot Rod cover car in October 1958. Featured in hundreds of car shows, Ala Kart has won more than 200 trophies. It has also made numerous appearances in movies, usually in the background of drive-in shots, and dozens of magazine articles since. It is considered by many to be "one of the most iconic hot rods ever built."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blackie Gejeian</span>

Michael "Blackie" Gejeian was an American race car driver, race car builder, and hot rod enthusiast. Considered an "Industry Legend", Gejeian was the organizer of the Autorama, one of the largest custom car shows in North America, held annually in Fresno, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">America's Most Beautiful Roadster</span>

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Richard Megugorac, commonly known as Dick or by his nickname Magoo, was an American land speed racer and customizer.

Bill Cushenbery was an American car customizer, show car builder, and model kit designer. Cushenbery was a major influence on the look of custom cars and the customizing industry in general. In addition to building his own designs, he is noted for having helped George Barris create the Batmobile car featured in the 1966–1968 Batman television series.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bo Huff</span> American custom car fabricator and designer

Gerald Douglas "Bo" Huff was an American custom car designer and an influential figure in the American Kustom Kulture and hot rod movement. He was known as the "Rockabilly King" in the American custom car scene for his promotion of Kustom Kulture lifestyle, rat rods, and custom cars, and was identified as one of the top 20th and early 21st century American custom car designers.

References

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  2. ↑ Ganahl, Pat (2001). The American custom car . MBI. ISBN   9780760309506 . Retrieved 24 February 2019.
  3. ↑ "Custom car definition and meaning: Collins English Dictionary". collinsdictionary.com. Retrieved 24 February 2019.
  4. ↑ Hoving, Rik (2017-11-12). "History of the Early Custom Car". Custom Car Chronicle. Retrieved 2024-02-07.
  5. ↑ Conwill, David (2020-01-23). "A Brief History of Hot Rodding". Hemmings. Archived from the original on 2024-02-08.
  6. 1 2 Shelton, Chris. "Then, Now, and Forever" in Hot Rod, March 2017, p. 16.
  7. ↑ Shelton, Chris. "Then, Now, and Forever" in Hot Rod, March 2017, p. 18.
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  9. ↑ "Hot Rod History". hopupmag.com. 28 November 2015. Retrieved 13 May 2018.
  10. ↑ "Hot Rod History". autoevolution.com. 2009-07-23. Retrieved 13 May 2018.
  11. ↑ "The evolution of custom cars" . Retrieved 2016-10-11.
  12. ↑ Shelton, Chris. "Then, Now, and Forever" in Hot Rod, March 2017, pp. 18 and 20.
  13. ↑ "Stanislav Kiriletz". MIG-registeret (in Norwegian and English). Archived from the original on 2008-12-31.
  14. ↑ Wanberg, John Joseph (2005). Understanding customization: A case study in car customization (Thesis). ProQuest   305027217.[ page needed ]
  15. ↑ Rod Action, 2/78, p. 64.
  16. ↑ Street Rodder, 2/78, p. 15; Custom Rodder 1/97, p. 29.
  17. ↑ Jezek, George. "The All Deuce Round-Up", in Street Rodder, 2/78, p. 58.
  18. ↑ "NHRA History". NHRA. Retrieved 2024-02-13.
  19. ↑ "What is a Kaido Racer?". Kaido Racer. Retrieved 2024-02-13.
  20. ↑ "The Golden Years of Japan's Car Culture: Showa Racing". sabukaru. 2021-03-11. Retrieved 2024-02-13.
  21. ↑ Bonk, Aaron. "Popular Engine Swaps".
  22. ↑ Hevesy, Alex (2023-07-02). "5 Of The Most Popular Engines For Classic Car Engine Swaps". SlashGear. Retrieved 2023-11-22.
  23. ↑ Rod & Custom, 8/89, p. 60.
  24. 1 2 3 Street Rodder, 1/85, p. 56.
  25. ↑ Rod & Custom, 8/89, p. 55.
  26. ↑ Shelton, Chris. "Then, Now, and Forever" in Hot Rod, March 2017, p. 23.
  27. ↑ Shelton, p. 29.
  28. ↑ Rod Action, 2/85, p. 5.
  29. ↑ Fetherston, David, "Detroit Dreams", in Rod & Custom, 7/95, p. 58.
  30. ↑ Ganahl, Pat, "The Candy Man", in Rod & Custom, 7/95, p. 81.
  31. ↑ Gross, Ken (2012). Art of the Hot Rod. Motorbooks. ISBN   9780760343005 – via Google Books.
  32. ↑ Street Rodder, 12/98, p. 206.
  33. ↑ Bishop, Mike, "The 45th Grand National Roadster Show", in American Rodder, 6/94, p. 27.
  34. ↑ Hot Rod, 12/86, p. 29 sidebar.
  35. ↑ Hot Rod, 12/86, p. 29.
  36. ↑ Rod & Custom, 8/89, pp. 8 & 10.
  37. ↑ Custom Rodder online [ permanent dead link ] (retrieved 28 July 2018)
  38. ↑ Rod & Custom, 8/89, p. 68.
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