The Gordy Brown Photo Collection

A 1963 Pontiac that Gordy restyled at House of Customs in the mid-1960s. The car featured shaved handles and removed emblems. The top and sides were done in Silver Metalflake overlaid with Diamond Dust, cut glass flake, and topped with Green Cobwebbing. The hood and trunk were done with Light Green Pearl with Candy Green Highlighting. The brake drums and hubs were painted Dark Candy Green. Hydraulic lifts front and rear set the car low. Photo courtesy of Gordy Brown.

Ron Lerdahl's 1952 Ford Victoria at an indoor car show circa 1960. Ron was a member of the Crusaders of Salt Lake City, and his Victoria was restyled by A-1 Auto Body. Photo courtesy of Gordy Brown.

A photo of Kent Lee's 1954 Mercury taken around 1960 - 1961. Kent was a custom body and paint guy, and the Merc showcased his skills. Ken's green Mercury, named "One Step Beyond," featured a gold panel paint job with a fogged effect. Kent was a friend of Gordy and was not a member of any of the Salt Lake City clubs. He was married and had a family when the photo was taken. Moving into the 1960s, most of the clubs were gone; only a few remained, and these were not the central focus for the members as it had been in the 1950s. Photo courtesy of Gordy Brown.

A photo of Gary Rasmussen's 1959 Chevrolet Impala taken around 1960 - 1961. Gary was an auto-upholsterer, running his own shop named "Gary Rasmussen." Gary was one of several top-quality upholsterers of Salt Lake City, and he did quite a few of the customs in town in the 1950s and 1960s. Gary had a 1959 Chevrolet Impala that he upholstered as a showcase for his business. Gary's specialty was the "Boot" or tarp over the back seat. He had some techniques to get them very tight without sagging. Photo courtesy of Gordy Brown.

Another photo of Gary Rasmussen's 1959 Chevrolet Impala. Photo courtesy of Gordy Brown.

Photo courtesy of Gordy Brown.

Photo courtesy of Gordy Brown.

Photo courtesy of Gordy Brown.

Photo courtesy of Gordy Brown.

A 1964 or 1965 Chevrolet Chevelle that Gordy gave a custom paint job after he had moved back to Salt Lake City in the early 1970s. This kind of paint style was pretty new to Salt Lake City at the time. Photo courtesy of Gordy Brown.

Gordy Brown was a member of the Crusaders of Salt Lake City for a while. This photo shows a lineup of Crusaders cars at Liberty Park in Salt Lake City, Utah around 1959-60. Photo courtesy of Gordy Brown.

Another photo of the same Crusaders of Salt Lake City line up. Gordy Brown's First 1954 Ford Skyliner can be spotted in the line. Photo courtesy of Gordy Brown.

Gordy Brown's Second 1954 Ford Skyliner at an outdoor car show. After chopping his first Skyliner, Gordy decided to buy another one he could restyle instead of repainting the first one. Photo from the Gordy Brown collection.

Gordy Brown's Second 1954 Ford Skyliner at an indoor car show. Photo from the Gordy Brown collection.

A photo of Ron Lerdahl's dad Ralph with Ron's Victoria and convertible dated April 1957. This was right after Ron had bought the 1952 Ford Victoria. Photo courtesy of Gordy Brown.

Another early photo of Ron Lerdahl's 1952 Ford Victoria taken about 1957. By now the car has been lowered radically and fit with Oldsmobile Fiesta style hubcaps, pinstriping and dual spotlights. Ron had put a tarp over the back seat, and the door handles havd not been shaved yet. The taillights were also stock. Photo courtesy of Gordy Brown.

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A more restyled version of Ron Lerdahl's 1952 Ford Victoria at an indoor car show. Photo courtesy of Gordy Brown.

Linda Free, Ron Conley, Jerry Jensen, Gordy Brown, Lynn Higgs, Jerry Conway and Ron Lerdahl next to Ron Lerdahl's 1952 Ford Victoria. Photo courtesy of Gordy Brown.

A photo of Ron Lerdahl's 1952 Ford Convertible in primer around 1958. Photo courtesy of Gordy Brown.

Another photo of Ron Lerdahl's 1952 Ford Convertible. Ron was a fellow Saints of Salt Lake City member. Photo courtesy of Gordy Brown.

A third photo of Ron Lerdahl's 1952 Ford Convertible taken the same say as the two above. Photo courtesy of Gordy Brown.

Fellow Crusaders of Salt Lake City member Ron Lerdahl's 1956 Lincoln as it appeared before Vern at A-1 Auto Body restyled it. Photo courtesy of Gordy Brown.

Ron Lerdahl's 1960 Cadillac Eldorado of Salt Lake City, Utah. Ron was a fellow member of the Crusaders of Salt Lake City, and his Cadillac rolled of the assembly line featuring a white paint job. Gordy Brown painted it Candy Apple Red for Ron. The car had factory Air Ride suspension, and Ron drove it most of the time with the air out and the car sitting very low. Photo courtesy of Gordy Brown.

A photo of Ron Lerdahl's 1960 Cadillac with its factory white paint job. Dual spotlights had been installed when this photo was taken. Photo courtesy of Gordy Brown.

A photo of Don Brock's 1955 Chevrolet, of Salt Lake City, Utah, dated March 1961. The photo was taken around 1960-1961 in what seems to be Liberty Park. Don was a fellow member of the Crusaders of Salt Lake City car club. Photo by Gordy Brown.

Dick and Doris Vanadrigham's 1954 Chevrolet Hardtop. Gordy restyled the Chevrolet in the early 1960s, before he moved to California and opened up House of Customs. Photo courtesy of Gordy Brown.

Dick and Doris Vanadrigham's 1954 Chevrolet at an outdoor car show. Photo courtesy of Gordy Brown.

Gordy Brown's Second 1954 Ford Skyliner in California. This photo was taken after Gordy moved to California. Photo from the Gordy Brown collection.

David Sgambellone's 1952 Chevrolet outside Gordy Brown's San Fernando shop in the mid 1960s. In this photo they were getting the car ready for a Los Angeles area car show. The 1963 Ford Thunderbird in the background was Gordy's personal ride. The chopped truck with the drop shaded pearl paint belonged to another customer. Photo courtesy of Gordy Brown.

David Sgambellone's 1952 Chevrolet. Photo courtesy of Gordy Brown.

David Sgambellone's 1952 Chevrolet. Photo courtesy of Gordy Brown.

David Sgambellone's 1952 Chevrolet. Photo courtesy of Gordy Brown.

Bob Stepanion's 1966 Chevrolet El Camino. Gordy restyled Bob's El Camino at his shop House of Customs in 1966. Bob was a member of the San Fernando Valley Illusions. Photo courtesy of Gordy Brown.

Kustomrama Photo Archive

Gordy Brown of Salt Lake City, Utah has been into hot rods and customs for most of his life. He started at age 14 in the mid 1950s restyling a 1947 Ford Tudor. After building a couple of customized 1954 Ford Skyliners in Salt Lake City, Gordy packed his bags and moved to Southern California in the early 1960s. He settled down in San Fernando, where he opened his own shop House of Customs. Gordy has had his hands on hundreds of cars since then and is currently busy customizing a handful of new cars for himself. Throughout his long career, Gordy hasn't been so good at taking photos of the cars he has restyled. He took a few, though, and luckily for us, he has shared these with Kustomrama. We will regularly add new photos from Gordy's collection on this page.