Bailon Custom Shop

Joe's first custom shop in Oakland, California in 1950. Joe is standing in front of Miss Elegance in primer.

A photo of Joe Bailon's shop taken late in 1952 or early in 1953. When Dick Falk started working with Bailon, Bailon was doing work out of a small garage at Alice Street in Hayward; “It had cement on the floors, but there was a lot of dirt also,” Falk told Sondre Kvipt of Kustomrama in 2019. “It was an old garage. A one-car garage” One day as Dick was coming over, Joe was rubbing out a black 1940 Chevrolet two-door sedan. “It wasn’t customized much as I can remember. He was buffing it all out and went over with cornstarch. When he got done he said ‘OK. Let’s sweep up a little bit. Clean up, and let’s get the Chevy out so you can bring that convertible in, and let’s start sectioning it!’” This photo shows Dick’s 47 in front of Bailon’s new extended shop. “The shop was kind of new when this photo was taken. I can’t remember who the channeled roadster belonged to, but the 32 coupe belonged to Hank Vincent. It was there getting the back fenders bobbed.” Miss Elegance can be spotted inside Bailon’s spray booth. Photo from The Dick Falk Photo Collection.

Bailon Custom Auto Designing & Building - Home of the Candy Apple Red Paint - Seven out of eleven times national award winner. When Dick Falk worked with Bailon in the early 1950s, the Alice Street shop was a small one-car garage with cement and dirt on the floors. Photo from The Kustomrama Business Card Collection.

An ad for Bailon's Hayward shop.

Joe's Hollywood shop.

Joe Bailon's 1941 Chevrolet - Miss Elegance

Joe painted the first version of the Mura Brothers' 1941 Willys

Eddy Dameral's 1949 Chevrolet

The Caribbean version of Frank Livingston's 1949 Chevrolet Fleetline was restyled by Bailon in 1956.

Horace Davi's 1949 Ford Pickup

Dave Murdock's 1950 Chevrolet

Stan Medeiros' 1950 Chevrolet

Dick Del Curto's 1950 Ford

Elton Kantor's 1950 Ford Hardtop

Pete Millino's 1950 Ford Convertible

Hank Barnum's 1950 Mercury, was restyled by Bailon Custom Shop

Sonny Morris' 1950 Mercury - The Blue Mirage

Jerry Sahagon's 1951 Chevrolet

Joe Tocchini's 1951 Ford Victoria - The Mystery

Joe Bailon made the grille and scoops for Steve Lininger's 1951 Ford Convertible. The grille is similar to the one he made on Elton Kantor's 1950 Ford several years earlier.

Bob and Dick Polhamus' 1951 Mercury Convertible, of Palo Alto, California was restyled by Bailon's Custom Shop.

Robert Johnson's 1951 Oldsmobile 98

Ed Russell's 1952 Mercury

Jim Doyle's 1952 Mercury Convertible

Freddy Martin's 1952 Muntz Road Jet

Ronnie Leal's 1953 Chevrolet Bel Air

Erv Castro's 1953 Ford Convertible

Don Chaves' 1953 Mercury

Bob Merry's 1954 Oldsmobile, was restyled by Joe Bailon of Bailon Custom Shop.

Marge Bailon's 1955 Chevrolet Nomad

Wally Ruby's 1955 Chevrolet

Joe Castro's 1955 Ford Thunderbird of Hayward, California. Known as "The CandyBird," Castro's Thunderbird was restyled by Joe Bailon at Bailon's Custom Shop in 1957.

Joe Cirimele's 1955 Ford of the Satan's Angels in Oakland, California was restyled by Bailon Custom Shop.

R. E. Miller's 1955 Ford Pickup

Helen Avila's 1956 Chevrolet - She Devil

Joe Boliba's 1956 Chevrolet Convertible - The Golden Corona

Bob Palladino's 1957 Buick Century - The Candy Wagon

Doug Osterman's 1957 DeSoto of San Jose, California. Doug's Desoto was first restyled by Flyer Tabata at Flyers Body Shop in 1959. In 1960 it was taken to Joe Bailon of Bailon Custom Shop for a makeover. This version received one of Bailon's signature Candy Apple Red paint jobs.

Richard Lee Tiago's 1957 Ford Ranchero

Ron Price's 1933 Ford 3-Window Coupe of San Jose, California. Built by Bailon in the early 1960s, the car made its debut in 1961, at the Grand National Roadster Show.

Ron Samuels' 1970 Mercury Cougar XR7. Ron commissioned Bailon to restyle the car in 1970.

Joe built Chris Miller's Tall Candy T in the garage behind his house in 1974. The exaggerated body was made out of conduit and sheet metal.

Bailon Custom Shop was a custom auto designing and building shop operated by Joe Bailon in Hayward, California. The shop was located at 22756 Alice Street in Hayward.

Employees

Chuck Rogers
Joe Bailon

Cars Restyled by Bailon Custom Shop

Chris Miller's Tall Candy T
Ron Price's 1933 Ford 3-Window Coupe
Joe Bailon's 1941 Chevrolet - Miss Elegance
Mura Brothers' 1941 Willys
Al Slonaker's Tucker 48
Joe Bailon's 1949 Ford
Eddy Dameral's 1949 Chevrolet
Frank Livingston's 1949 Chevrolet Fleetline - The Caribbean
Horace Davi's 1949 Ford Pickup
Dave Murdock's 1950 Chevrolet
Dick McArdle's 1950 Chevrolet Coupe
Stan Medeiros' 1950 Chevrolet
Dick Del Curto's 1950 Ford
Elton Kantor's 1950 Ford Hardtop
Frank Marini's 1950 Mercury
Hank Barnum's 1950 Mercury
Sonny Morris' 1950 Mercury - The Blue Mirage
Jerry Sahagon's 1951 Chevrolet
Joe Tocchini's 1951 Ford Victoria - The Mystery
Steve Lininger's 1951 Ford Convertible
Bob and Dick Palhamus' 1951 Mercury Convertible
Robert Johnson's 1951 Oldsmobile 98
Ed Russell's 1952 Mercury
Jim Doyle's 1952 Mercury Convertible
Freddy Martin's 1952 Muntz Road Jet
Ronnie Leal's 1953 Chevrolet Bel Air
Erv Castro's 1953 Ford Convertible
Don Chaves' 1953 Mercury
Mario Rizzoto's 1953 Oldsmobile 88
Bob Merry's 1954 Oldsmobile
Marge Bailon's 1955 Chevrolet Nomad
Tom Sargis' 1955 Chevrolet Pickup
Wally Ruby's 1955 Chevrolet
Joe Castro's 1955 Ford Thunderbird - The CandyBird
Joe Cirimele's 1955 Ford
R. E. Miller's 1955 Ford Truck
Dave Bennion's 1955 Pontiac
Helen Avila's 1956 Chevrolet - She Devil
Joe Boliba's 1956 Chevrolet Convertible - The Golden Corona
Don Williamson's 1956 Lincoln
Jess Bettencourt's 1956 Mercury
Bob Palladino's 1957 Buick Century - The Candy Wagon
Doug Osterman's 1957 DeSoto
Richard Lee Tiago's 1957 Ford Ranchero
Don Lorero's 1964 Ford Thunderbird
Ron Samuels' 1970 Mercury Cougar XR7