Never understood the time and effort that went into this type of thing.

[Oldcarfan27]

14 minutes ago, Ace-Garageguy said:

The Hirohata Merc is an icon of the Kustom Kar genre, but there are a couple others on that body I prefer, one of them being Jerry Quesnel's '50.

Then there's Louis Bettancourt's '49...clean, clean, clean, and the definition of "flows".

I still think the Metranga '40 Merc is about the top of the pile as far as old-school customs go though...

     

I completely agree! ?

And imagine how they stood out in the conservative 50s! Look at the buildings and things in the background for comparison. 

Edited July 9, 2018 by Oldcarfan27

[mikemodeler]

7 hours ago, Casey said:

Those who don't understand likely never will. That just makes those of us who do understand enjoy it a little bit more. 

Yup.

Example:

I am not a fan of low riders, don't see the point in hydraulics and "hopping".

 

But I do appreciate the work that goes into building what others might find "cool" but aren't my cup of tea as long as it shows talent and creativity.

[Jon Haigwood]

Yes I agree it is a generation thing. You have "Customs" and you have "Show Car Customs". "Show Cars are built to win trophies and gain recognition for their shops and increase their customer base. "Customs" are mostly built by your average Joe trying to impress his buddies and the Chicks.

I like the Show Cars to a point but some go over even my level of taste. But I still admire the work and effort that goes into them as I do most other categories of cars .

Except Rat Rods, The term Rat Rod is used somewhat loosely. Some are basically Old School Hot Rods but them when you get to the bottom of the spectrum with everything found in the junkyard is just welded on and you need a tetanus shot to go near them. Some folks like them and I can respect that. For me it takes zero talent to throw together a rolling scrap pile that will soon return to junkyard from whence it came. But it must be the "Generation" thing  

[OneTrickPony]

Those old custom were changed over years as the tastes and judging rules changed. One issue was the way points were given out in the contests. Each change from stock added points to the score. The top scorer won, many times at the cost of appearance. 

That is how the Kookie Kar went from an awesome T bucket to a god-awful mess.

Edited July 9, 2018 by OneTrickPony

[Jantrix]

I like subtle customs (or kustoms). One where you might not at first glance notice all the custom work beyond a chop top. 

One thing is a complete no go for me. When you reduce or utterly destroy the drivability of the car. A car is a method of conveyance first, always! Any change in that abilty reduces the vehicle to a 4000 pound paperweight. Regardless of how nice it might look. 

[iamsuperdan]

Meh.

I look at cars from the 50s or pre-war cars, and I think most are ugly and every one I've driven has been uncomfortable and bothersome to drive. Doesn't mean I don't understand why people would want to fix one up, customize, or own one.

But that's the beauty of the automotive world. There's so much choice out there, that all of us can enjoy something without having to complain about other peoples' tastes. Or so one would think.

 

 

[Greg Myers]

[Can-Con]

Here's something to ponder also.

Back in the '60s and IIRC, '70s a lot of the custom car contests would award points in accordance with the number of modifications done to the car. 

This would mean that a car what was bell balanced and tasteful  stylewise  would get additional modifications as it got a bit older in order to garner additional points at the contests in an effort to win the top prizes. 

So, a beautifully designed custom could become something that looks like a hot mess within a few months because the owner wouldn't stop when the car was about right and keep modifying it beyond all good taste in a quest for additional contest points.

[Oldcarfan27]

33 minutes ago, Can-Con said:

So, a beautifully designed custom could become something that looks like a hot mess within a few months because the owner wouldn't stop when the car was about right and keep modifying it beyond all good taste...

Kinda sounds like plastic surgery on some famous people we know.

[unclescott58]

23 hours ago, Deathgoblin said:

It's strange, but I like it.  I loved old show rods. 

X2

[Casey]

58 minutes ago, Can-Con said:

So, a beautifully designed custom could become something that looks like a hot mess within a few months because the owner wouldn't stop when the car was about right and keep modifying it beyond all good taste in a quest for additional contest points.

No idea what you're talking about. 

[Mike999]

2 hours ago, Jantrix said:

One thing is a complete no go for me. When you reduce or utterly destroy the drivability of the car. A car is a method of conveyance first, always! Any change in that abilty reduces the vehicle to a 4000 pound paperweight. Regardless of how nice it might look. 

I'm racking my brain trying to remember an old magazine article, where a guy drove a heavily customized '40 Ford for a few days.  It might even have been El Matador but I'm not sure about that. He said driving the thing was a nightmare.  It was so low that he always worried about speed bumps and potholes knocking parts off underneath. The radiator overheated constantly. So did the interior, where he was sitting nearly on the floor, thanks to the chopped top.  Wish I could find that article, it was an interesting story of fantasy versus reality.  

[Rob Hall]

19 minutes ago, Mike999 said:

I'm racking my brain trying to remember an old magazine article, where a guy drove a heavily customized '40 Ford for a few days.  It might even have been El Matador but I'm not sure about that. He said driving the thing was a nightmare.  It was so low that he always worried about speed bumps and potholes knocking parts off underneath. The radiator overheated constantly. So did the interior, where he was sitting nearly on the floor, thanks to the chopped top.  Wish I could find that article, it was an interesting story of fantasy versus reality.  

Seems like a lot of those customs were 'all show, no go'... 

[Jon Haigwood]

My latest interest has been 50's/60's customs and this is my current and first build. As far as customs are concerned this is about as far as I want to go. In local contests to compete the car must have at least 20% modifications.

 

[PeeBee]

My taste in customs pretty much aligns with Bill Engwer's.  In that era customs had context.  Taking cars that were available and affordable and making them look sleeker; more modern (and, most of the time, knowing when to stop).  Just as hot rods of the '30s through the '50s looked the way they did mainly to improve their performance.  Except for a handful of rods from the early '60s (the Doyle Gammell Coupe comes to mind) and some retros from the '70s (California Kid, Jake's '34 3-window, etc.), I've always felt that hot rods had become irrelevant by the time the pony/muscle car era rolled around.

As far as customs from from the mid-'50s through the '60s go, I don't think I've seen one that can top what the Detroit factory stylists were up to in the day.  Not that all of their designs were tasteful or right-minded IMO, though; '58 Edsel, '59 Lincoln, the "Square Birds," certain early '60s Mopars are a few I can think of.

Well, I could go on all day about this subject, but back to work...

PB.

[Pete J.]

Kustom cars are art, plain and simple and art is in the eye of the beholder!  Whether you like it or not is irrelevant to the builder.  They are doing what they like and that is good.  In the art world, some like Jackson Pollock or Andy Warhol, others are more appreciative of Monet or Degas.  Oh wow, that is just like building models.  You don't have to understand the motivation or intents of the builder just appreciate the craftsmanship that goes into the art. 

Edited July 10, 2018 by Pete J.

[Greg Myers]

Yep ! 

[Miatatom]

2 hours ago, Greg Myers said:

Yep ! 

Some art, I find beautiful. Some I don't understand. As a friend that's owned a gallery said, "it doesn't speak to you".

[Jon Haigwood]

Why would someone customize a 48 Ford to look like a 48 Chevy ?

 

[ChrisBcritter]

^^^The idea was to make it look like a Buick, if you're referring to the fadeaway fenders.

[Ace-Garageguy]

28 minutes ago, Jon Haigwood said:

Why would someone customize a 48 Ford to look like a 48 Chevy ?

 

On the kit box shown above, the upper grille is Oldsmobile inspired. The larger photo is Cadillac inspired. Both significantly more expensive and desirable cars than Ford at the time, and part of the custom thing was to try to look like something more upmarket than what you started with.

   

Edited July 10, 2018 by Ace-Garageguy

[Miatatom]

They liked the styling but wanted reliability.

[Jon Haigwood]

46 minutes ago, Miatatom said:

They liked the styling but wanted reliability.

OUCH.

 

If they wanted a Olds or Caddy they should have started with one. 

[Ace-Garageguy]

24 minutes ago, Jon Haigwood said:

...If they wanted a Olds or Caddy they should have started with one. 

I guess you missed the memo. A LOT of the early customs were built by the owners, at least in part...owners who didn't have the bucks to buy an Olds or a Caddy, but DID have the desire to invest the time and effort into developing the skills to build something that looked more expensive than the used Ford they started with. Just like hot-rodding often made old junkers into faster machines than the expensive European imports and high-end US makes of the day. These cars were built prior to the days of checkbook rods and customs, before you could buy everything out of a catalog and hire someone to build it for you.

And while it's certainly true there were custom shops contracting out to do the heavy lifting in some cases, study the history and you'll find that owners often had small pieces of work done as they could afford it, driving the cars as daily transportation in the interim, or trading out unskilled labor for expertise. That's one of the reasons so many customs were seen in primer. It wasn't a me-too fashion statement like it is today. Guys actually SAVED their money to get cars painted, and had to drive in primer until the big day came. 

Things have certainly changed.

[Oldcarfan27]

46 minutes ago, Jon Haigwood said:

If they wanted a Olds or Caddy they should have started with one. 

That's not fair, the owner's of those custom cars were older teenagers and young guys fresh back from the war. New cars were a luxury in the late 40s and early 50s, until mass production made them cheap a few years later.

These guys only had access to cheap old Fords and run down pre-war cars. It's not like they could AFFORD a new Cadillac or expensive luxury car, they had to made the best with what they had and they did start out trying to make an old Ford look like a Caddy or Packard. Sometimes making them look better!

Imagine a young kid today trying to afford a Tesla or a Porsche. But instead starting with a 10 year old Subaru or Honda - same perspective. 

Edited July 10, 2018 by Oldcarfan27