The Jerry Fassett Photo Collection

Gerald "Jerry" Francis Fassett (December 22, 1927 – June 26, 2024) was an American hot rod and custom car enthusiast, best known as one of the founding members of the Thunderbolts Capitol Auto Club in Sacramento, California. Formed in 1945 by Harry Westergard, Dick Bertolucci, and Norm Milne, the Thunderbolts is a historic Northern California car club that remains active to this day. Fassett's involvement in the custom car scene and his relationships with key figures like Westergard and Bertolucci positioned him as a notable figure in the early days of the movement. Photo by Sondre Kvipt - Kustomrama.

A photo of Jerry from 1945. He was 18 years old and still living at home with his parents when he bought his first car, a restyled 1934 Ford 5-Window Coupe. Photo courtesy of Jerry Fassett.

An early construction photo of Harold "Buddy" Ohanesian's 1940 Mercury Convertible Sedan. Buddy, a fellow Thunderbolts member, bought the Merc right after returning from the service in 1945 and handed it over to Harry Westergard and Less Crane for a full custom makeover. They chopped the top, cut down the decklid, extended the hood, and installed a 1946 Chevrolet grille reshaped into an oval. This rare photo shows the car in primer and fitted with its first padded top, believed to have been made by Hall Top in San Leandro. Photo courtesy of Jerry Fassett.

In 1948, after returning from the service, Jerry sold the ‘34 to buy a nearly new 1947 Chevrolet convertible. This photo shows the Chevy as it appeared when he first got it. "It came down from Oregon. It was just a straight convertible." The car was grey, and it didn’t have any mileage on it. "It was basically brand new. He was a serviceman, and he was going overseas, so I picked it up. I had just gotten home, out of the service, so I used the money I had from the service to buy the car." The back of this photo was dated April 20, 1948, and Jerry told Kustomrama that it was taken in front of his parent's house at 42nd and T Street. Photo courtesy of Jerry Fassett.

Jerry got the idea for the fadeaway fender extensions after seeing Butler Rugard's 1947 Chevrolet custom. Butler was also a member of the Thunderbolts. "He was killed," Jerry told Kustomrama. "They used to race down the river road. Two cars together. One night, he didn’t make it." Jerry wasn't there when it happened. He just knew about it. "My wife was a friend with some of the girls that lived down that way, and we used to go down there. I met him. I didn’t know him personally, but I met him when I saw his car down there. After that, I went back up to Harry." Harry had also restyled Butler's Chevrolet, so he ordered a set of fadeaway fender extensions from Jimmy Summers that he installed on Jerry's Chevrolet. Jerry's car, grey, with a chopped and padded top can be seen behind Rugard’s Chevrolet in the photo. Photo courtesy of Jerry Fassett.

A photo of Jerry’s Chevrolet taken in Harry Westergard's backyard. This photo was taken after Harry had installed the Jimmy Summers fender extension, and the back of the photo reads: "Here is a picture of the latest addition to the "Hot Rod" 47.Chev." Photo courtesy of Jerry Fassett.

Barris Kustoms was still finding its footing when George Barris' 1941 Buick won top honors at the first Hot Rod Exposition Show at the Los Angeles National Guard Armory in January 1948. That victory changed everything. Completed late in 1947, the Buick, with its chopped top, fadeaway fenders, Cadillac grille, and deep maroon paint, became a symbol of Barris’ craftsmanship and helped establish them as top customizers. Understanding the power of publicity, George started photographing his work, ensuring Barris Kustoms stayed in the spotlight. When Hot Rod Magazine launched in 1948, Robert E. Petersen reached out to George for photos, leading to features in magazines across the country. Soon, customers weren’t just coming from Los Angeles, they were bringing cars in from the Midwest and East Coast, eager to have a Barris-built custom of their own. Photo from The Jerry Fassett Collection.

A color photo of Jerry's Chevrolet. Jerry believes his car was the first car that Dick Bertolucci ever painted. "Best of my knowledge, my car was the first one Dick painted. 21 coats of custom mixed lacquer with gold flake running through it." Running 1955 Buick Roadmaster hubcaps, this photo was taken after Jerry had sold it to Jim Baradoni. Photo from The Jerry Fassett Collection.

Sondre and Olav Kvipt of Kustomrama with Jerry in March 2019. Jerry's family first reached out to Sondre in 2013. In 2019, he was finally able to sit down with Jerry in Sacramento to record his incredible story and scan his photos. Photo courtesy of Kustomrama.

Before he passed away in 2024, Gerald "Jerry" Francis Fassett shared his personal photo collection with Kustomrama so that we could help preserve and share his memories with the rest of the world. A lifelong hot rod and custom car enthusiast, Jerry was one of the original members of the Thunderbolts Capitol Auto Club in Sacramento, California, a club founded in 1945 by Harry Westergard, Dick Bertolucci, and Norm Milne.

Jerry’s photos are a window into those early postwar years when the custom car movement was just taking shape. Through his lens, we see a time when style, craftsmanship, and imagination came together in garages and backyards across Northern California. Many of his snapshots capture the very roots of what we today call Kustom Kulture. The people, the cars, and the moments that shaped it all.

Thanks to Jerry’s generosity and dedication to history, his photo treasure is now preserved here on Kustomrama. We are honored to share his memories and ensure that his stories and the pioneers he photographed will never be forgotten.

Story preserved by Kustomrama — Keeping History Alive.