Benny Furtado's 1948 Ford

Photo provided by Orvel "Speed" Reichert

1948 Ford restyled by Gene Winfield of Windy's Custom Shop for dairyman Benny Furtado. Benny bought his yellow 1948 Ford convertible off the showroom floor. He drove it around in stock condition for a year before he brought it to Windy's Custom Shop for a top chop. The car was one of the first cars Gene restyled for a "stranger" after opening up his own shop in an old chicken coop behind his mother's house. After working on his friends cars, Benny was one of the first customers to contact Gene about custom work. After the chop, the car was sent to Hall Upholstery in San Leandro for a padded Carson-style top. In order to lower the car as much as possible, Gene C'ed the rear section of the frame. The rear fenders were molded to the body. Up front, Gene molded off the top grille bar and he shortened the hood side moldings. The headlights were frenched, and Appleton 112 spotlights installed.

Gene would work on Benny's car for a while, then like most owners, Benny would drive it and then bring it back for more custom work. At one point the Ford was spot-primed as they did some of the work. Later on Benny brought his 1948 Ford back to Gene in order to replace the stock grille with a grille from a 1948 Cadillac. After that they primed the entire body. When Benny's car was finished, it was painted black.