More Maze Madness!

When last we left off, we were discussing the ‘57 Ford aptly named “the Maze” (scroll down to read it, if you missed out on part one… we’ll wait up!). A little digging unearthed some cool stuff, and really fills in some of the voids. The shots I posted of the car lat entry were of the car in its ‘57-to-early-’59 guise, and the query made as to when the front end was changed-up to the split bumper/molded pan…

No answers yet on that… and apparently, this was not the end of the restyling of this radical ride… far from it, in fact! It seems that the car was wrecked sometime before early 1960, received a more radical body transformation, and, ironically, much more subtle paint. The front fenders saw the removal of ten inches from the front, effectively setting the upper headlamps deep in the body. A new grille shell and front pan houses more lights, and a pair of grille bars created from ribbed exhaust pipe (I built models like this as a kid!):

This round of custom work was done by Gene’s Body Shop in San Jose… anyone have info on them, or maybe any other notable customs? (how about Burns Upholstery while we’re asking? I swear, this thing is becoming an obsession! Any help is greatly appreciated.)

The car, in this version, has a style similar to the Trendero, built around ‘61 by Trend Automotive (in Lyons, IL!! See? Great mid-west customs from the early days!):

Anyway, the Maze, by this time, had gold paint, and no longer wore a rear bumper, utilizing a rolled pan and nerfs that shared theor shape with the sloping “beaks” off of the roof scoops and tail lights.

Sadly, it’s another of those great customs that have disappeared. While we may no longer have many of these greats from the age of excess (although, the Trendero lives!!), we have the archives to study them from. Of course, seeking out info on this one car has led me through some amazing territory, and truly whetted my appetite to pen some late fifties/early sixties show customs… anyone up for something truly unique? Drop me a line at the website: www.problemchildkustoms.com…