1940s

In the spring of 1940 a leftover crew from Howard Darrin established the Coachcraft Ltd. custom body shop in Melrose, Los Angeles.

Tommy Jamieson's 1936 Ford 5-Window Coupe was restyled by Howard Fall in 1940.

Norm Milne's 1938 Ford convertible sedan of Sacramento, California. About 1940 Norm drove the Ford to Los Angeles to have Carson Top Shop chop the top and make a padded top. The rest of the car was restyled by Harry Westergard.

Dick Noble's 1932 Ford Roadster of Burbank, California. Dick bought the car as a coupe in 1938. He wanted a roadster and ended up trading the coupe body for a roadster body. A padded top with side curtains was added in 1941 along with a shiny black paint job. Dick was a meticulous builder, and the roadster ended up as one of Burbank's finest.

Jimmy Summers' 1932 Ford Roadster was built by Jimmy Summers of Hollywood, California in 1941.

Alex Xydias' 1934 Ford Cabriolet of Hollywood, California was restyled in 1941.

George Barris' 1936 Ford Coupe of Roseville, California. This was George's first real custom. He bought the car from money he had earned while doing some odd jobs for Harry Westergard at Brown's Body Shop. George worked at the car between the staggering amount of school work, and working with Westergard. The build was completed in 1941.

Neil Emory's 1937 Dodge Convertible of Burbank, California, was started in 1940 and completed in 1941. Built in his shop class at Burbank High, Neil kept the car for a couple of years before selling it in 1943.

Joe Stone's 1938 Ford Convertible Sedan of Downey, California. The car was mildly restyled sometime between 1938 and 1941, and it was dressed up with fenderskirts and Flipper hubcaps.

Richard Meade's 1938 Buick was restyled in 1941, featuring fadeaway fenders.

Sid Kayman's 1932 Ford Roadster of St. Louis, Missouri. Sid bought the car in 1944 or 1945, and it had already been channeled and hot rodded when he bought it.

Ed Park's 1936 Ford Convertible of Marshall, Missouri. Ed's '36 was originally restyled by Red Swanson of Portland, Oregon in 1944. R.I. Steere of Tacoma, Washington continued restyling it in the early 1950s. Ed bought the car in 1959. After buying it, he parked it in his parent's chicken house until 1977. In 1977 he started a restoration that he completed in 1983. Since then the car has gone through a couple of iterations. Ed still owned the car in 2020. He had thousands of miles on the car since the restoration, and he was still working on it.

Ray Russell's Gadabout of Detroit, Michigan. Built largely from aluminum and magnesium, Russell believed his car had post was possibilities. The build was completed in 1944.

Bill Burke's P-51 Belly Tank is known as the first Belly Tank Streamliner racer. Bill was racing on the dry lakes long before the war started. While stationed in the South Pacific during WWII he saw potential in using a Belly Tank as the body for a dry lakes car. Shortly after returning home from the war he built his first Belly Tank Streamliner. In 1946 he raced his brand new car. Burke was the first to run a belly tank in the "Streamliner" class and ran at both El Mirage and Harper Dry Lake. The first Bill Burke streamliner used a small 165-gallon steel wing tank from a P-51 Mustang. The car was a front engine design, and a bicycle seat was welded to the torque tube for driving. Photo from The Howard Gribble Collection.

Phil Remington's Modified was completed in 1946. At the time, Phil was a member of the Santa Monica Low Flyers.

James Stewart's 1931 Ford Model A Roadster of Long Beach, California. In 1946 James joined the Long Beach Dolphins car club with a few of his friends. He raced the roadster at El Mirage.

Sebastian Rubbo's 1936 Ford Roadster of Massachusetts. Sabie started working on the roadster at age 23, in 1945. He had just gotten out of the Navy, and was inspired by the cars he saw racing at the dry lakes near where he was stationed in Southern California. The build was completed in 1946, and Sabie drove it all over the country for the next 42 years.

A photo of Blackie and Amos Torosian with Blackie's roadster taken in Fresno, California in 1947. Clean Gene Sadoian was 14 years old the first time he saw Blackie in his cut down black hot rod in 1948. " The driver was a scary looking guy with cut off t-shirt sleeves. He looked at me and smiled. I saw gold leaf letters on the side of car—"Blackie". He did a burn out for me, I was forever hooked." Photo from The Clean Gene Sadoian Collection.

The Speed Shop was an automotive performance parts store in Flint, Michigan, that played a crucial role in the development of the hot rodding scene in the Midwest during the mid-20th century. Opened in 1948 by hot rodding pioneer Bill Waddill, The Speed Shop became a popular destination for car enthusiasts and a vital resource for specialized automotive parts. Photo from The Fred Thomas Photo Collection.

The Bob Berkshire Roadster of Tarzana, California. Bob built the roadster after returning from WWII, and the first photos of the car started appearing in 1947. Back then he was a member of the Idlers car club. Sometime between 1947 and 1950 Bob moved to Dallas, Texas fo engineering school, bringing the roadster along.

Hot Rod Empire by Matt Stone details Robert E. Petersen's creation of Hot Rod Magazine in the 1940s and the Petersen Publishing empire that grew to the mainstream juggernaut we know today. Click here to order the book from Amazon.com.

Jim Papworth's 1932 Ford Roadster of Culver City, California. Jim was a member of the Culver City Screwdrivers, and the roadster, that he bought in 1947, was his first car.

Joe B. Sheppard's 1932 Ford Roadster of Tampa, Florida. Sheppard's journey into the world of racing began in Tampa, where his family operated Sheppard Import Motors on Howard Avenue. The business, which specialized in import cars, provided a nurturing ground for his burgeoning interest in automobiles. Joe's racing career was sparked by a pivotal road trip in the roadster which he undertook with a high school classmate in 1947. This trip, which stretched from Tampa to California and back, included memorable stops in Southern California, San Francisco, and the Bonneville Salt Flats. Known for its Ardun conversion and two-speed Zephyr rear, this vehicle not only fueled his passion for racing but also marked the beginning of his journey as the "Tampa Hot Shoe."

Frank Sandoval's 1936 Ford 3-Window Coupe of Wilmington, California was restyled in the 1940s. Frank bought the car after he returned from Army service around 1946 - 1947.

A radically restyled custom photographed at a used car lot located at 4875 El Cajon Blvd. in San Diego, California. Running 1947 license plates, the car seems to have started out as a 1940 Mercury Convertible. Modifications include a sectioned body, removed running boards, a chopped and padded top, a custom made grille and front end, molded body seams, fenderskirts, blackwall tires, and flipper hubcaps. Please get in touch with us if you have more info or photos to share of this mystery custom. Photo from The Robert Genat Photo Collection.

Charlie Grantham's 1935 Ford Pick Up of San Bernardino, California. Charlie was a member of the SCTA Road Runner car club, and he restyled the truck himself in the late 1940s and the early 1950s. This photo shows the truck as it appeared in 1948.

The 1947 Kurtis-Omohundro Comet, designed by Frank Kurtis and built on a 1940 Ford chassis, was a pioneering postwar American sports car. Featuring a lightweight aluminum body it represented an innovative blend of American engineering and European-inspired design, standing out as a significant yet rare piece in automotive history.

Kustomrama 1948 - A homage to the traditional custom. Available in many colors. Click here to order yours now.

Bruce Brown's 1936 Ford of San Mateo, California. Bruce's Ford was restyled in the 1940s, sometime prior to 1948.

Robert Fulton's 1936 Ford sedan convertible of Hollywood, California. Robert owned the car from 1947 to around 1949.

George Barris' Track Roadster. George built the channeled roadster, that sported one of his first flame paint jobs, in 1948.

Bob Estes' 1927 Ford Model T Roadster as it appeared in 1948.

Pat McNamara's 1928 Ford Model A Pick-Up of Bakersfield, California. Built in the late 1940s and the early 1950s, McManara started the build while working for Lee Chapel at Tornado Speed Equipment.

Willie Kendig's 1932 Ford Roadster of Yettem, California was built after Willie came out of the service in 1948.

Ray Giovannoni's 1936 Ford Roadster of Washington, D.C. Ray's roadster was restyled by Bud Unger, and the build was completed around 1947/1948.

Fran Bannister's 1932 Ford Roadster. Completed in 1949, Fran's roadster was one of the first hot rods of New England.

Mac Schutt's 1932 Ford Roadster, of Bel Air, Los Angeles, California. The build took two years, and it was completed in 1949.

Paul Schiefer's 1925 Ford Model T Roadster

Honest Charley's 1934 Ford Sedan

Tom Hunt's 1934 Ford roadster of Chattanooga, Tennessee. Tom was a friend of Honest Charley, and he worked for him after-school, helping him fill mail orders. The build was started in 1948 and completed in 1949. Total build time was 15 months.

The Throttle Benders car club was established in 1949. Joe "Bud" Simmons was a founding member of the club, and according to his grandson, Brian Burnham, it wasn't a big club, "just a bunch of farm kids from the California Central Valley." The members of the club were from the town of Chowchilla, California. Photo courtesy of Brian Burnham.

Joe "Bud" Simmons' 1936 Ford 3-Window Coupe of Chowchilla, California. Bud was a founding member of the Throttle Benders car club, and photos taken in 1949 shows the car running a filled roof, solid hood sides, dual spotlights, and flipper caps.

Vern Simons' 1936 Ford Roadster

Richard Emert's 1937 Ford Convertible

Leroy Semas' 1937 Chevrolet Coupe

Al Twitchell's 1937 Ford Sedan

John Sal Cocciola's 1938 Chevrolet Convertible was restyled by Harry Westergard in late 1946

George Bistagne's 1938 Ford DeLuxe Convertible Sedan was restyled in 1940.

Harold Johnson's 1938 Ford Tudor as it appeared in 1949

C. E. Johnson's 1939 Ford, of California was restyled in the late 1940s.

Emil Dietrich's 1939 Ford convertible of South Gate, California. Emil bought the car from Jack Runyan in the mid 1940s. Jack used to hang out at State and Hope Street near Huntington Park. He bought the car brand new at a Ford dealer in South Gate. The car was already customized when Emil bought it.

G. L. Harlander's 1939 Ford V-8 convertible sedan of Oakland, California was restyled in the 1940s. This is how it appeared in 1949 when it was featured in Motor Trend October 1949.

Harry Keiichi Nishiyama's 1939 Ford convertible of Hilo, Hawaii. Harry's chopped and channeled Ford was built in 1949.

Kenny Controtto's 1939 Ford Convertible of South Gate, California was restyled in the 1940s.

Mel Falconer's 1939 Ford, of Sacramento, California was restyled by Harry Westergard and completed in 1945.

Bill Henderson's 1939 Mercury Convertible of Los Angeles, California. Bill bought the Merc when he was 14 years old. In the mid to late 1940s he worked for Barris Kustoms, and they taught him how to customize cars, while he was working on the Merc. This photo of the Merc was taken around 1947.

Mickey Chiachi's 1939 Ford

Arthur Lellis' 1939 Ford Convertible of Los Angeles, California. Restyled by Art at Art & Jerry Custom Shop, the build was completed in 1946.

Jerry Moffatt's 1939 Ford Convertible of Los Angeles, California. Restyled by Jerry at Olive Hill Garage, the build was completed in 1946.

Bill Spurgeon's 1939 Mercury Coupe

Jim Kierstead's 1939 Mercury Coupe of Inglewood, California. Jim's Mercury was restyled by Barris Kustoms, and it is rumored to be the first 1939 - 1940 Mercury coupe that the Barris Brothers chopped. The build was started in 1945 and completed in 1947.

Bob Creasman's 1940 Ford coupe of Los Angeles, California. Bob began restyling the car late in 1943, making it the first 1940 Ford coupe to be channeled, and the second to be chopped in the Los Angeles area. The work was done in conjunction with the Brand Brothers Body Shop in Los Angeles.

Fred Larsen's 1929 Ford Model A Roadster of Culver City, California. Built in 1948, the car was driven on the streets in addition to being raced on the dry lakes and drag strips. After building the car, Fred became a member of the Culver City Screwdrivers.

George Barris' 1941 Buick Convertible. Completed late in 1947, this was the car that established George as a builder. It was shown at the first Hot Rod Exposition in January of 1948, where it won top honors. Winning that show put Barris Kustoms on the map, and they consequently moved their operation to larger premises at 7674 Compton Avenue.

Bob Creasman's 1940 Ford coupe of Los Angeles, California. In 1948 the car received fadeaway fenders.

Fred Cain's 1940 Ford coupe of Wilmington, Massachusetts. Fred's coupe was originally restyled in 1948.

Gene Garret's 1940 Ford of Sacramento, California. Gene was a member of the Thunderbolts auto club, and his custom featured a padded top by Carson Top Shop.

This photo shows a 1940 Hudson Converible that Bud Unger of Rockville, Maryland restyled for an unknown customer in the late 1940s. In 2012, when Kustomrama interviewed Bud about the car, he remembered that he hand made a set of fender skirts for the car, and that he fit it with his own version of a Carson Top. He admitted that the top was no way as good as "the California job". Another photo of the car, taken the same day, shows it wearing a set of New York 1948 license plates. Other modifications included a shaved hood, dual spotlights, a 1946 - 1948 Mercury grille and removed running boards. Ray Giovannoni's 1936 Ford Roadster can be seen across the street. Photo courtesy of Bud Unger.

Al Andril's 1940 Mercury Coupe of Maywood, California. Al's Merc was restyled by Barris Kustoms in 1948 at their Compton Avenue shop.

Butler Rugard's 1940 Mercury

Harold Ohanesian's 1940 Mercury Convertible Sedan as it appeared in 1948. This version was restyled by Harry Westergard and Less Crane sometime between 1945 and 1948.

Jimmy Summers' 1940 Mercury convertible of Hollywood, California. The build was completed in 1946.

Maximilian King's 1940 Mercury convertible of Morristown, New Jersey was first restyled by Meekers Body Shop in 1946. In 1959 Korky's Kustom Shop restyled the car further for current owner Ray Henyon.

Eldon Gibson's 1940 Oldsmobile was restyled by Modern Motors of Glendale, California in 1941.

Al Twitchell's 1940 Plymouth Four Door

Pierre Paul's 1941 Buick

Jesse Lopez' 1941 Ford Club Coupe was taken to Barris Kustoms for a restyling in 1948. The build took about a year to complete.

Custom Cars - Built Not Bought - Click here to order this shirt from Amazon.com.

Dean Batchelor's 1941 Pontiac was restyled in 1942.

A photo that George Barris took of a nice and subtle 1941 Pontiac with a Carson top in the 1940s. Photo by George Barris, from The Brad Masterson Photo Collection.

Marvin Lee's 1942 Chevrolet Fleetline

Dick Owens' 1940 Mercury convertible of Redondo Beach, California. Dick's Mercury was restyled by Barris Kustoms, and the work was sometime between 1945 and 1947.

Forey Wall Used Cars was located at 10792 Long Beach Boulevard in Lynwood, California. Started in 1946, the lot was run by Forey Wall and his partner Al Sulminoff. Forey had some custom cars for sale in the lot, but not that many. In 1955, Forey and his brother Glen would open up Wall Custom Cars in South Gate, a dealership specialized in selling and buying custom cars. Photo from The Glen and Forey Wall Photo Collection.

Paul Schiefer's 1925 Ford Model T Roadster of San Diego, California. Schiefer was a member of the San Diego Roadster Club. He started racing his roadster in 1947, and it became one of the few cars campaigned on the lakes and the strips that, within a decade, saw its first-year top speeds on the dry lakes exceeded by its later 1/4-mile ETs.

Raymond Jones' 1947 Studebaker Convertible was restyled around 1947.

Vincent E. Gardner's 1947 Studebaker Sportster. The car was designed and built by famed automobile designer Vincent E. Gardner of South Bend, Indiana while he was working under famous industrial designer Raymond Loewy. Known as the Gardner Special the build was completed in 1949. In 1950 it won the Most Magnificent Custom Roadster Award at the National Roadster Show featuring a removable Plexiglas top that could be stored inside the trunk compartment.

Robert McClure's Custom of Denver, Colorado. Built by Robert, the first version of the car was completed in 1947. It rode on a Buick chassis.

Art Tremaine's 1929 Ford Model A Roadster of Whittier, California. Art was a member of the Strokers of Whittier car club and his roadster was built in the late 1940s.

Buddy Hinman's 1927 Chevrolet Roadster of Rome, New York. Having an urge for a radically lowered car, the Buddy and his brother took the springs off their OHV engined Chevrolet and U-bolted the axles to the frame in 1948.

Chuck Gibson's 1927 Ford Model T Roadster Pickup of San Diego, California. Known as "Hoot," Chuck was a member of the San Diego Prowlers car club. Hoot owned the car in the 1940s and the early 1950s, and he used to race at the dry lakes with it.

Dick Courtney's 1929 Ford Model A Roadster, of Fullerton, California, was built in 1948

Bill Kelly's 1932 Ford 3-Window Coupe of Warminster, Pennsylvania. The first version of the coupe was built in 1948.

This version of Bob McGee's 1932 Ford Roadster, of Huntington Park, California was completed in 1948

Eugene Wentworth's 1932 Ford Roadster of West Peabody, Massachusetts was built in 1948.

Monte Monroe's 1932 Ford 3-Window Coupe was built by Monte Monroe of Montebello, California. The first version of the car was completed in 1948, featuring a gorgeous purple color mixed by Gil Ayala of Gil's Auto Body Works.

Nelson Morris' 1932 Ford Roadster was built during the first ever Hot Rod Exposition held in 1948. The car was a giveaway car, and it was given to show visitor Nelson Morris of the Long Beach Dolphins car club.

Jack Calori's 1936 Ford 3-Window Coupe was completed in 1948

Leland Davis' 1936 Ford as it looked in 1948.

Dick Bair's 1939 Ford Convertible Sedan, of Akron, Ohio was completed in 1948.

Harry O. Lutz' 1939 Ford Convertible as it looked in 1948. Harry was from Ferguson, Missouri.

Ralph Jilek's 1940 Ford Convertible was restyled by Valley Custom Shop for Ralph Jilek of North Hollywood, California in 1948

Johnny Zaro's 1940 Mercury Coupe of Maywood, California. Johnny's Merc was restyled by Barris Kustoms in 1948 at their Compton Avenue shop.

Frank Kurtis' 1941 Buick, The Kurtis Buick Special, was built by Frank Kurtis between 1946 and 1948

Al Lauer's 1941 Cadillac Convertible was restyled by Harry Westergard for Al Lauer of Sacramento, California in 1948

The first version of George Janich's 1941 Ford Business Coupe, of Long Beach, California was restyled by Sam Barris of Barris Kustoms between 1946 and 1948.

John Vara's 1941 Ford Convertible was restyled by Barris Kustoms in 1948. John sold the car to Johnny Zaro of Maywood, California before the build was completed.

Harold Johnson's 1938 Ford Tudor of Inglewood, California. The tudor was Harold's first car, and the build was started in 1948. This photo shows the car as it appeared in 1949.

Johnny Williams' 1940 Ford Coupe as it looked in 1949.

Dick Carter's 1941 Ford Convertible, of Bell, California was brought to Barris Kustom for a restyling in 1948. The build took about a year to complete.

Charles Kemp's 1941 Plymouth Convertible was restyled by Al Twitchell in 1948

George Shugart's 1946 Chevrolet Convertible of Culver City, California was restyled in 1949.

The Rotzell 46 is sport custom built by Ed Rotzell of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The build took 3 months, and it was completed early in 1946.

Albrecht Goertz' 1948 Studebaker Business Coupe of New York. Albrecht's Studebaker was designed and restyled in 1948.

Buddy Hinman's 1931 Ford Model A Roadster of Rome, New York. The build was started in 1947 and completed in 1949 when Buddy was 13 years old.

Marcia Campbell's 1949 Chevrolet Convertible was restyled by Barris Kustoms in 1949.

Norman Timbs' Buick Special was designed and built by Norman Timbs in the 1940s. The build was completed around 1948/1949.

George McLaughlin's Roadster of Yakima, Washington. George's roadster was built in the 1940s. In the early 1950s George moved to Richland, bringing the roadster along.

SCTA News December 1944

Del Roy's Speed Parts was a speed shop in East Paterson, New Jersey. Photo courtesy of Matthew Lilienthal.

Valley Custom Shop was established by Neil Emory and his brother in law Clayton Jensen in Burbank, California in 1948.

A Jimmy Summers Fender Extensions ad from 1948.

Joe Wolf's Hollywood Speed Shop of Reading, Pennsylvania was started by Joe Wolf in the 1940s.

A Burns ad from 1948.

A Sharp Speed Equipment ad from Hot Rod Magazine November 1948.

A So-Cal Speed Shop ad from 1948.

The Hinsværk Special was built in full publicity at Fram Motor Kompani in Oslo. The foreman of the shop, Asbjørn Langnes, had a past as a racecar driver, winning the race at Leangenbanen in 1935, and he and the management were very involved and interested in the build. As April became May, seven or eight men worked around the clock at Fram Motor Kompani, rushing to get the car ready for the 1948 racing season. Photo from The Greger Strøm Photo Collection.

A Tucker Campini Gas Turbine Car design proposal dated March 3, 1948.

In 1949, a wealthy client in Sicily commissioned Italian car design firm and coachbuilder Pininfarina to design a one-off sports car. Known as the Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 SS, the elegant coupe is believed to be the first automobile that adopted dual headlights. Photo by Ronnie Krabberød - Right On Magazine.

A 1940 Ford hot rod, captured mid-transformation at Chuck's Top Shop in Los Angeles, California. Notice the louvered hood and the faux whitewall tires—creative touches that blend speed and style. Photo from The Robert Genat Collection.

<-- 1930s - 1940 - 1941 - 1942 - 1943 - 1944 - 1945 - 1946 - 1947 - 1948 - 1949 - 1950s -->

The 1940s marked a period of economic growth and booming consumer spending, particularly after World War II. The revival of the economy allowed people to focus on more than just basic necessities, fueling a surge in recreational activities such as auto racing and customization. In Southern California, track roadster racing and hot rodding gained immense popularity, with new venues and innovations reshaping the post-war automotive culture.^[1]

Custom Cars

There was a shortage of new cars during and after WWII. Production had ceased during the war, so used cars could demand good prices. By 1950, the supply was catching up with demand, and prices quickly began to fall. According to Albert Drake, a complete Model A could be had for as little as $5-20 in the late 1940s, "although the average price was somewhere around $75."^[2]

Fadeaway Fenders

Fadeaway fenders were popular on custom cars in the 1940s. George Barris meant that giving a car fadeaway fenders sat it apart and stamped it as a Kustom. It gave the car a new look with a smooth, rounded bodyline. Both Sam and George Barris liked fadeaway fenders, and the fadeaway fender became one of their trademarks. The Ayalas were also into fadeaway fenders in the forties. One of the first known fadeaway gendered custom cars is Butler Rugard's 1940 Mercury. The car was restyled by Harry Westergard in 1940. Harry did also fabricate the fadeaway fenders. Where Butler and Harry got the idea of fadeaway fenders from is unknown. The first production cars to feature fadeaway fenders were the 1942 Buick Roadmasters and Supers. One year earlier, in 1941, the 1941 Chrysler Newport Concept Car was shown to the public. The Newport was fitted with fadeaway fenders.

In 1946 Jimmy Summers started offering fadeaway fender kits for 1946-1948 Chevrolet's, Pontiacs and junior Buicks. Spencer Murray bought a set from Jimmy to put on his 1946 Chevrolet fastback, and he remembers that Jimmy had dies made to stamp the parts and a sheet metal shop to do the stamping.^[3]

Metallic Enamels

Metallic enamels became available in 1935. That was, according to George Barris, the medium used in most of the early customs. The colors were simple. Maroon was the most popular, but green and blue were also used.^[4]

Bill Burke and the First Belly Tank Streamliner

Bill Burke's P-51 Belly Tank is known as the first Belly Tank Streamliner racer. Bill was racing on the dry lakes long before the war started. While stationed in the South Pacific during WWII he saw potential in using a belly tank as the body for a dry lakes car. Shortly after returning home from the war he built his first Belly Tank Streamliner. In 1946 he raced his brand new car. Burke was the first to run a belly tank in the "Streamliner" class and ran at both El Mirage and Harper Dry Lake. The first Bill Burke streamliner used a small 165-gallon steel wing tank from a P-51 Mustang. The car was a front engine design, and a bicycle seat was welded to the torque tube for driving.^[5]