Bill DeCarr

The boys ready to lift the top off Larry Robins' 1948 Mercury. From left to right: Gene Simmons, Bill DeCarr, Hector Ruble, George Barris and Bob Ruble

Bill DeCarr's 1941 Mercury

Tom Kosulandich's 1955 Ford Thunderbird of San Pedro, California. Built with the help of his brother Mike and Greg Sharp, the Thunderbird underwent extensive customization under the skilled hands of Bill Ortega, Bill Hines, Eddie Martinez and Joe Perez. Featuring a Candy Red paint job by Hines and a custom interior by Martinez, the car debuted in its full glory at the 1963 Tridents Rod Custom Autorama, winning the Sports Car Sweepstakes. This early iteration of Mike's Thunderbird became a standout icon in the Southern California custom car scene and was later featured in Rod & Custom magazine May 1964.

An "Estimate of Repairs" from Bill's Body Shop dated 3-26-62. Bill Ortega did the first dechroming work on Tom's Thunderbird in 1962 before it underwent extensive customization under the skilled hands of Bill Hines. Scan courtesy of Mike Kosulandich.

Bill Ortega of Bellflower, California was a bodyman working for Barris Kustoms in the 1940s and 1950s. Dick Jackson, who started working for Barris Kustoms at age 14 in 1949 remembers that Bill was working there when he started. While working for Barris Kustoms, Bill did most of the work on Bill Carr's 1955 Chevrolet convertible that was restyled between 1955 and 1957. A wild show custom best known as The Aztec. During the build Bill changed his lastname from Ortega to DeCarr. Bill changed his name because he didn't want his kids to have a hard time because of their last name. After working for Barris Kustoms for a while, Bill opened up his own shop in Ortega's Custom Shop.

Bill DeCarr's Cars

Bill DeCarr's 1941 Mercury

Cars Restyled by Bill DeCarr

Click here to see cars restyled by Bill DeCarr at Ortega's Custom Shop