The Brad Masterson Collection

Captured through the lens of George Barris, this photo showcases what seems to be a beautifully restyled 1937 Chevrolet Tudor Sedan that features one of the defining elements of early custom styling: Fadeaway Fenders. In the 1940s, fadeaway fenders became a hallmark of the custom car movement. George Barris believed that adding fadeaway fenders instantly set a car apart, stamping it as a true kustom. The modification created a smooth, uninterrupted bodyline, eliminating the visual break between the front and rear fenders. Both Sam and George Barris were huge fans of this look, and it became one of their signature styling cues in the early years of Barris Kustoms. Beyond its striking fadeaways, this custom Chevy features several period-perfect touches: sunken and molded-in headlights, fender skirts with 1941 Buick trim, whitewall tires, and a set of flipper hubcaps. Photo by George Barris, courtesy of Brad Masterson.

Part custom, part hot rod, The Ala Kart was one of the few cars that survived when fourteen cars were lost in the tragic Barris fire on December 4, 1957. Luckily for owner Richard Peters, the car was parked in a separate room, and it was spared from the fire. The car made its debut at the National Roadster Show two months later, where it won its first America's Most Beautiful Roadster award. Photo by George Barris, courtesy of Brad Masterson.

Bill Hines shaving and molding a Chevrolet hood at Barris Kustoms in 1958. After arriving in California, Bill took the Bat to Barris Kustoms. At the time, George Barris was out of the shop, showing the Aztec and the Kopper Kart on a national tour. Bill talked to Gene Simmons, who was the manager at the time. He saw the Bat and asked Bill who did it? Bill told him that he had built it himself. This was a Wednesday, and Gene told Bill that he could use someone in the shop right now. Bill told Gene he could start on Monday, but Gene replied, "How about tomorrow?" Bill loaded his toolbox and started the next day. Photo by George Barris, courtesy of Brad Masterson.

The Bat was Bill Hines' daily driver and his first claim to fame. He started building it for a customer in his Southfield shop. The customer lost interest in the build, and Bill took it over. He completed the Bat in 1957, and it made its debut at the 1958 Detroit Autorama. Shortly after the show, Bill moved from Lincoln Park to California, and he brought the whole family in a house trailer that he pulled after the Bat. The scallops seen here were added in 1958 after Bill began working for George Barris. Photo by George Barris, courtesy of Brad Masterson.

An entry blank for the Burbank Autocade show. Run by George Barris, the show was held in September of 1958. Bill Hines entered the Bat in the Full Custom Class, and at the time he was living at 14038 Paramount Blvd, a trailer park in Paramount City. Photo courtesy of Brad Masterson.

A signed photo of Bill Hines with a torch from Brad's collection. Bill took Brad under his wings, teaching him leading, body, and custom work. Photo courtesy of Brad Masterson.

Andy Kassa's 1932 Ford 3-Window Coupe was a well known New Jersey hot rod in the 1950s and the 1960s. The car went through several modifications and paint jobs. Still, the most radical change happened around 1964-65, when Andy stopped by George Barris to have an asymmetrical single-headlight radiator grille shell made and installed. Before the car was painted in multiple tones of violet, purple, and lilac, a unique taillight assembly was also fabricated. This iteration of the coupe was named the "Cyclops Deuce," and it came with a Thunderbird that Barris gave a similar treatment. Photo by George Barris, courtesy of Brad Masterson.

George Barris the customizer, trendsetter, and innovator. When Bob Behme of Car Craft Magazine asked George about his predictions for 1962, George told Bob that 1962 customs, whether made from new or old cars, would tend to be asymmetrical, built with styling embodying off-set design. "Asymmetrical styling has been exhibited in the past, but such designs have been rare," George told Behme. "Asymmetrical styling will be the big design news in 1962. You will see floating headlights and off-set scoops coupled with the concept of off-balance, radical styling." This photo shows George behind his desk. Several of the concepts on the wall behind George features asymmetrical styling. Photo courtesy of Brad Masterson.

A photo of Mike and Larry Alexander of the Alexander Brothers custom shop of Detroit, Michigan. Photo courtesy of Brad Masterson.

A photo of Teddy Zgrzemski's 1954 Ford taken at an indoor car show. Teddy is Bill Hines nephew, and Bill helped Teddy customize the car into the radically restyled "X-Tremist". When Joey Ukrop interviewed Teddy about the car for the book Hot Rod Detroit, Teddy said that he only wanted frenched headlights, rounded hood corners, a bar grille and maybe split bumpers; " But I came home from school one day and went to the shop and he had the whole front end cut up with welding rod and tubing." Bill told Teddy he would front clip if Teddy tackled the rear. "I always thought the front end was ugly, and he always thought my back end was ugly." Photo by George Barris, courtesy of Brad Masterson.

Two 1959 Chevrolet lower pans were butted together in order to create a floating grille on Teddy Zgrzemski's 1954 Ford. The front fender flares were extended and the stock headlights replaced by canted quad headlights from a 1959 Chevrolet. The build was completed in the summer of 1960. Shortly after completion, the car was shown at the Detroit Artillery Armory in Oak Park. "I was completely broke. I didn't have any money to buy headlights or taillights." He scoured his uncle's shop for burnt out bulbs to fill the voids. It wasn't a big problem Teddy told Joey Ukrop, he was perfectly satisfied being a 16-year old with a car in a car show. Photo by George Barris, courtesy of Brad Masterson.

The original taillight housings on Teddy Zgrzemski's 1954 Ford were capped over and molded to the fender creating two bullet-like projections on each side. Tunneled 1959 Cadillac taillights were fit inside the housings. Photo by George Barris, courtesy of Brad Masterson.

The rear sections of some 1958 or 1959 Chevrolet Bel Air side trim strips were used as side trim on Teddy Zgrzemski's 1954 Ford. Twin stacked lakers were bracketed to the rocker panel and emerged from molded rocker panel sheath. The molded lake pipes were done by Bill Hines. Photo by George Barris, courtesy of Brad Masterson.

Bill Hines installed Thunderbird seats mounted on special mountings in Teddy Zgrzemski's 1954 Ford. The upholstery design was executed by Ray Kulakowski. "I prepped it and Bill painted it," Teddy told Sondre Kvipt. "I borrowed 300.00 from my buddy to pay for the interior." A couple of months after the build was completed, Teddy drove the car to California with his uncle Bill. He got a job at Barris and sent 300 dollars back to his buddy for the upholstery money he had borrowed. Photo by George Barris, courtesy of Brad Masterson.

Dan Landon's 1949 Chevrolet Club Coupe. Completed around 1952/1953, the car was restyled by Barris Kustoms. Photo by George Barris, courtesy of Brad Masterson.

Leroy Kemmerer's 1956 Mercury two-door hardtop of Castro Valley, California. Known as the "Jade Idol," Leroy's Mercury was restyled by Gene Winfield at Winfield's Custom Shop. Completed in 1959, The Jade Idol was Gene's claim to fame, and it was the car that helped him gain national recognition as a custom car builder. The car was first shown on the West Coast. After that it was sent to the East for shows there. On the way back to California after a show in Missouri, the trailer that hauled the car flipped and the car landed on its roof. This photo from the Brad Masterson collection shows the car as it appeared after the accident. Photo courtesy of Brad Masterson.

The second iteration of the Golden Sahara at an indoor car show. Photo by George Barris, courtesy of Brad Masterson.

Jerry Halak's 1958 Ford Convertible set up at an indoor car show. Restyled in 1958, it only took 42 days and $500 to transform Jerry's convertible into a nice custom. Jerry was from Toledo, Ohio, and he was a founding member of the Pharaohs of Toledo car club. Photo by George Barris, courtesy of Brad Masterson.

Photo by George Barris, courtesy of Brad Masterson.

Photo by George Barris, courtesy of Brad Masterson.

Photo by George Barris, courtesy of Brad Masterson.

Photo by George Barris, courtesy of Brad Masterson.

Photo by George Barris, courtesy of Brad Masterson.

Photo by George Barris, courtesy of Brad Masterson.

Photo by George Barris, courtesy of Brad Masterson.

Photo by George Barris, courtesy of Brad Masterson.

Photo by George Barris, courtesy of Brad Masterson.

Photo by George Barris, courtesy of Brad Masterson.

Photo by George Barris, courtesy of Brad Masterson.

Photo by George Barris, courtesy of Brad Masterson.

Photo by George Barris, courtesy of Brad Masterson.

Photo by George Barris, courtesy of Brad Masterson.

Photo by George Barris, courtesy of Brad Masterson.

Photo by George Barris, courtesy of Brad Masterson.

Photo by George Barris, courtesy of Brad Masterson.

Photo by George Barris, courtesy of Brad Masterson.

Terry Browning's 1958 Ford Ranchero of Neptune City, New Jersey. Terry was a member of the Haulin' Gents car club, and his Ranchero is known as "The Ruby Ranch." Photo by George Barris, courtesy of Brad Masterson.

Mom's Dream Car! In the official program for the 1955 Motorama, Sam Barris' 1952 Ford convertible was listed as "Mom's Dream Car." It featured a full padded safety interior, 5 impact safety belts, a baby bottle warmer on the dash, and a diaper bag dispenser behind the front seat. Developed in 1975, this photo shows Sam's wife with the car in front of the Pan Pacific Auditorium. 15 years old David Target took the photo during his first trip to California. The Von Dutch painted Barris Kustoms' 1949 Ford Woody Wagon parts hauler can also be spotted in the photo. Photo by David Target, courtesy of Brad Masterson.

A letter that David Target sent George Barris in 1975. The photo above was enclosed with the letter. Scan courtesy of Brad Masterson.

A birds eye view of Sam Barris' 1952 Ford convertible. Sam built the car for his family's use, and it became known as the Practical Ford. Photo by George Barris, courtesy of Brad Masterson.

This is a clean looking 1938 Ford DeLuxe. From the photo, we can see that it has been shaved for side trim, hood ornament is gone, dual spotlights, reshaped hood, 1940 Ford headlights, fog lights, removed running boards, and smooth hubcaps. The photo is taken after 1947, the 1947 Ford bumpers reveals that. This is a great example of a sharp 1940s custom.

George Barris sent this photo to his brother Sam Barris which served in the Navy during WWII. As you can see, he's all dressed up in his 1936 Ford Convertible. The writing on the back of the photo says; Here is that rascal of a brother of yours. But God bless him for he is all right. Photo from the George Barris collection, courtesy of Brad Masterson - Masterson Kustoms.

This photo is taken at a parking lot about mid-1957. From left to right, you can see Buddy Alcorn's 1950 Mercury, Don Chapman's 1954 Studebaker, Lyle Lakes' 1952 Buick, Ronnie Dragoo's 1954 Mercury, Frank Monteleone's 1941 Ford, Louie Bettancourt's 1949 Mercury, Jesse Lopez' 1941 Ford and Chuck DeWitt's 1953 Ford. Photo by George Barris, courtesy of Brad Masterson - Masterson Kustoms.

A slightly different angle, showing, a nice mild 1951 Ford and Sal Mammano's 1954 Buick. Photo by George Barris, courtesy of Brad Masterson - Masterson Kustoms.

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

The order for Joe Barnett's s 1941 Ford Pickup. Joe bought the pick up truck from Jack Calori. After restyling the car he had Gene Winfield paint it in a custom-mixed candy bronze color. Before driving north to Gene's shop he stopped by Barris Kustoms, and had them modify the instrument panel in such way that the Stewart-Warner gauges sat at an angle similar to an Auburn dashboard. The instrument panel was chrome-plated in order to break up all the painted panels. Courtesy of Brad Masterson - Masterson Kustoms.

The order for Roy Hansen's 1950 Ford. Courtesy of Brad Masterson - Masterson Kustoms.

The order for Allen Bobys' 1953 Dodge Convertible. Allen came from Corpus Christi, Texas to have his Dodge restyled by Barris. The estimate from Barris Kustom Automobiles included a front end reparation, a custom grille shell, a custom grille, molded hood, deck, and side emblems. Courtesy of Brad Masterson - Masterson Kustoms.

The order for Albert Gogola's 1953 Ford. Albert was stationed aboard the USS Saint Paul when Barris restyled his Ford. Courtesy of Brad Masterson - Masterson Kustoms.

Kustomrama Photo Archive

Brad Masterson of Masterson Kustoms is the caretaker of the old Barris Kustoms premise at 11070 Atlantic Ave. When Brad first moved to Los Angeles from Sacramento in 2001, he went working for George Barris in North Hollywood. At that time, George did a major clean up, throwing out tons of material from his shop. Luckily for history's sake, Brad jumped in the dumpster, picking out what was worth saving. He lived in a small apartment at the time, and did not have space for all of it. Olav Kvipt of the Kustomrama Lynwood Division was for a while residing in his shop on Atlantic Ave. in Lynwood, and had access to all of his files.