Lloyd C. Hammond's 1949 Ford

A photo of Lloyd's Majestic Lady from The George Contaoi Photo Collection. Taken at an indoor car show, the photo was developed in June of 1958, and we believe it was taken at the 1958 Krankers Motor Revue. Photo from The George Contaoi Photo Collection.

Lloyd's Ford was featured in the "Car Corner" section of the "Teen Scene" in The San Bernardino County Sun Saturday, November 22, 1958. Lloyd's name was mis-spelled "Floyd Hammond" in the story.

In February of 1960, the Majestic Lady was shown in the "Full Custom Coupes" class at the National Roadster Show. A month later it was featured in the March 1960 issue of Custom Cars magazine. The story featured photos by Pat Brollier.

The top on Lloyd's Ford was chopped 3 inches, and it featured a 1953 Ford windshield. In fact, top sections from a 1953 Ford and a 1954 Mercury formed the new roofline on the chopped car. Photo by Pat Brollier.

In the rear, a set of 1951 or1952 Chrysler rear fenders were installed, giving extra length to the car. The fenders were reworked in order to house a set of 1955 Packard taillights and a shortened 1950 Cadillac bumper. Photo by Pat Brollier.

The trunk was upholstered by Mid-City Auto Trim in San Bernardino. It featured a nice compartment for the spare tire, tools, gear, and oil cans. Photo by Pat Brollier.

The front fenders were reworked and extended to accept frenched 1955 Chevrolet headlights rings. A floating bar grille was then constructed from four 1949 Ford grille pieces grafted together and housed within an oval grille frame constructed from two 1951 Ford grille shells. The front bumper was kept stock, but larger bumper guards were added, along with a 1949 Chevrolet license plate guard. Photo by Pat Brollier.

The car was lowered by channeling the body. However, Lloyd's car was not just a show car, it ran a hopped up chromed 1949 Ford flathead which was reworked by the use of Offenhauser heads, Edelbrock 3 carb manifold and a special cam. Photo by Pat Brollier.

Lloyd posing next to a second iteration of the "Majestic Lady." This version has been fitted with canted quad headlights. It also looks to be running finned bolt-on aluminum hubcaps, similar to the ones fellow Krankers member Ron Aguirre ran on his Corvette. Photo courtesy of Lorna Ward.

Photo courtesy of Lorna Ward.

Hilton Vail was a member of the San Bernardino Krankers from 1958 to 1961, and according to him, Lloyd's Ford received canted quad headlights in 1961, sometime after he left the club. The height of the grille had to be reduced, in order to have room for the canted quads. Photo courtesy of Lorna Ward.

Photo courtesy of Lorna Ward.

Photo courtesy of Lorna Ward.

Photo courtesy of Lorna Ward.

A close-up of Lloyd's display sign. Photo courtesy of Lorna Ward.

1949 Ford owned and restyled by San Bernardino Krankers car club member Lloyd C. Hammond of San Bernardino, California.

Known as the "Majestic Lady," Lloyd's radically restyled Ford was nosed, decked and shaved for door handles. Electrical solenoids were installed to operate the shaved doors. Up front, the fenders were reworked and extended to accept frenched 1955 Chevrolet headlights rings. A floating bar grille was then constructed from four 1949 Ford grille pieces grafted together and housed within an oval grille frame constructed from two 1951 Ford grille shells. The front bumper was kept stock, but larger bumper guards were added, along with a 1949 Chevrolet license plate guard.

Chopped and Channeled

The top was chopped 3 inches, and Lloyd used roof sections from a 1953 Ford and a 1954 Mercury to make the new roofline. The split original windshield was also replaced with a one-piece curved 1953 Ford windshield during the chop. Lowness was a keynote for the build, and the car was lowered an additional 4 inches by channeling the body over the frame.

Chrysler Rear Fenders

In the rear, Lloyd installed a set of 1951 or 1952 Chrysler rear fenders, giving extra length to the graceful car. According to a Custom Cars March 1960 featured story, the fenders were 1951 Chrysler, while Bert Leaverton of The San Bernardino County Sun claimed that they were from a 1952 Chrysler. Looking at photos of the car, the fenders look more like 1952 Chrysler fenders. The fenders were reworked to house a set of 1955 Packard taillights and a shortened 1950 Cadillac bumper. Fender skirts were added for extra lowness.

Mandarin Red with Gold Scallops

Lloyd installed side trim constructed from 1957 Mercury and 1954 Ford components on the car. While one trim piece sweeps down from the roofline the other one runs the bottom of the car. Once the bodywork was done, the car was painted Mandarin Red with Gold scallops. It was treated with ten coats of hand rubbed lacquer. Painted in a popular spear pattern, the scallops sweep from end to end.

Full Race Flathead Engine

Lloyd's Ford was not just a show car, it ran a hopped up and chromed 1949 Ford flathead which was reworked by the use of Offenhauser heads, Edelbrock 3 carb manifold and a special cam. The engine compartment was sprayed in a contrasting copper.

Mid-City Auto Trim

Inside it featured a 1953 Ford dashboard and a full custom upholstery. According to Bert Leaverton, the dash had gauges and switches for everything. The trunk was upholstered by Mid-City Auto Trim in San Bernardino, and it featured a nice compartment for the spare tire, tools, gear, and oil cans. The front of the car ran 1956 Oldsmobile hubcaps with accessory bullets.

The Majestic Lady

Once completed, Lloyd named the Ford "The Majestic Lady." The name was painted on the rear fenders. A photo from The George Contaoi Collection on Kustomrama shows the car at an indoor car show in 1958. The photo was developed in June of 1958. Later on the same year, "The Majestic Lady" was featured in the "Car Corner" section of the "Teen Scene" in The San Bernardino County Sun Saturday, November 22, 1958. Lloyd's name was misspelled "Floyd Hammond" in the story, but according to the story, the car was the result of $5,0000 and three years work.

Custom Cars Featured Story

In February of 1960, the Majestic Lady was shown in the "Full Custom Coupes" class at the National Roadster Show. A month later it was featured in the March 1960 issue of Custom Cars magazine.

Canted Quad Headlights

Hilton Vail was a member of the San Bernardino Krankers from 1958 to 1961, and according to him, Lloyd's Ford received canted quad headlights from a 1959 Chevrolet in 1961, sometime after he left the club. The height of the grille had to be reduced, in order to have room for the canted quads. Lloyd also scrapped the large bumper guards after he had reworked the front end.

Where is it Now?

In 2019 Lloyd's daughter Lorna Ward told Sondre Kvipt of Kustomrama that the family doesn't know for sure how long her dad owned the car, or what happened to it. She also added that it would have been fabulous to know it the car is still out there somewhere. If you have any additional information about the Majestic Lady, or you know what happened to it, please get in touch with Kustomrama at mail@kustomrama.com.

Magazine Features and Appearances

Custom Cars March 1960