Retro-Future Meets Kustom Meets Robot

I figured I’d post a view of the new tee’s I designed for Max over at Bio Kustumz (motto: “We Suck Less”)…

Max had requested something robotic, with an early-1950′s Cadillac, and machinery. I rolled with that, and came up with the artwork above, incorporating a robot customizer putting the finishing touches on his custom Caddy, while his sidekick offers up some potential ornamentation. Sadly for him, the little pooch is being waved-off on the fuzzy dice. I threw in some mixes of retro-future and fictional machinery, along with a ton of killer little details.

The shirts will be hitting soon, and this is the first in a planned series of “artist tees”, and will feature some big names like Max Grundy, Dwayne Vance, myself and others! …so get to Bio Kustumz’ site and snag a few!

... and hey-- if I may be of service to design YOUR next killer te, hit me up on my site at ProblemChildKustoms.com. Thanks!

East Coast Kustom Style...

Custom cars from the "right cost" here in America have always suffered from the stigma of being "un-cool", or at best, unattractive. There's always this opinion that seems to surface when talking cars (especially hot rods and customs from the "glory days" of the fifties and sixties) that East Coast customs and hot rods were "ugly" or lacked style. Granted, there are quite a few examples that support this claim, but, having grown up on the "right coast", I have always felt a need to defend that side of the hobby.

The magazines of the time chronicled what was immediately available to them, and that meant, for the most part, West Coast cars. The few East Coast cars that were seen seemed to have cemented a certain image in most car guys' heads... I'm not a fan of severely channeled coupes, but can appreciate the style and work that went into them, certainly. I'm also not a big fan of an overly-accessorized custom with giant skirts and a continental kit, but I do "get it". I think it's just got a lot to do with the times, the region, and the cultural differences. The East Coast has always been a bit grittier, relying on manufacturing, and with cooler weather, shorter summers and all, people just took a different approach to building, and making due with a smaller number of shops. Consider that there were much fewer shops, and that many skilled custom craftsmen went West (where the magazines and show coverage were), and you're left with but a few builders, and thus, less ability to really push the envelope.

I've been working on a project for some time, and recently kicked it into a higher gear... My goal is to document the East Coast style, and, at the same time, chronicle the builders and their cars, and hopefully, shed some light on the little-known history from the region. I am fortunate to have grown up with some of the people who were "there", and even call some friends. We have family friends that built customs and hot rods, raced in the region, and were, generally, part of the scene. As I compiled photos and stories, I was continually blown away by the variety of cars, the quality of the work, and the great stories that have been shared...

As it all comes together, I'll share more, but wanted to throw at least one quick look at what's going on in front of you.

Take a look at this home-built '50 Ford. This is the kind of stuff that gets me going... a family project, and definitely something we can all relate to:

Wayne's '50 Ford is a piece of Western New York custom history, and, in his words:

"Here are some shots of the car my Dad (William Carrig), my Mother (zelda), my four sisters and I built in his one-car garage in Kenmore, NY over a two year period beginning in 1964. This was my first car, bought it when I was 16 years old and my Dad who had a body shop at one point in his life fixed the body (it was a mess, rusted out floors, rocker panels, quarter panels, etc.).

We also customized it frenched headlights, shaved hood, truck, removed side chrome, sunken antenna, custom grille, hand built taillights.

Everything on this car was done on a strict budget as I had little money. Grille opening was formed from electrical conduit, sunken antenna and handbuilt taillights made from brass kitchen drain pipe, taillights were red truck clearance light lenses, upholstery including truck except for the back seal and convertible top were all done by my Mother, Dad and me. Front seats were from a 65 Mustang and my Dad fabricated floor mounts so they would fit. I used 57 Oldsmobile turn signals as they looked like Lucas lights and I sure as heck couldn't afford Lucas lights at the time! Grill was chromed metal mesh. It was flawless after many other hours of block sanding and my Dad put on many coats of Corvette Honduras Maroon Lacquer paint which looked a mile deep!! A true family project, my sisters helped and everyone in the family loved the car. Unfortunately I had to get rid of the car when I got drafted and joined the Air Force during the Vietnam era. I hated to do it but had no way to get the car from Buffalo, NY to San Antonio, TX. I did use the money from the sale of this car to purchase the Black 57 Chevy I purchased in TX and still have today. Even so....I still miss this car and would do about anything to have it back..."

It's just one of those stories that make our hobby's history so rich. There are a LOT of stories to be told yet, and I'm stoked to be compiling it all, and learning as I go.

If you're an East Coast hot rodder/custom car owner or fan, and would like to share some history with the project, hit me up! I'd be delighted to make your car or story a part of this project, and will work to ensure that all proper credit is given where due. hit me up (see site link below), and I'll get you the info you need to participate, and even throw a gift your way...

Thanks again to Wayne, and those who have shared already. I'll keep you updated as we progress...

More interesting Kustom Kulture for your brain on the site at www.problemchildkustoms.com .

Peeking behind the scenes...

...with two guys who made it possible.

Consider a new DVD release of a feature film, especially one loaded with extras... Whether it's commentary form the director or writer, offering you some insight to the big "why" questions, or a peek at the cast, it's just cool to be a part of the action. Prior to DVD's (and their subsequent "special features"), seeking out those behind-the-scenes features required a little more effort. There were magazines, certainly, and the occasional "featurette" on TV, but in the earliest days, looking into the meat and potatoes required some serious digging, if not inside connections. It was much the same for custom cars and hot rods in the early days. Before there was Powerblock TV and Overhaulin', getting that in-progress glimpse of a build was a rarity, and required a trek to a local shop, or that rare tech article.

Enter two gentlemen who had a profound impact on their respective industries, as well as on me: Forrest J Ackerman and George Barris. Buckle your belts 'cuz we're going to mix and mash two seemingly different things once again, and hopefully leave you with some fresh insight... and don't worry, this one will be quick and painless!

About the time that George Barris was born (in the mid-1920's), Forrest J Ackerman was reading his first sci-fi tale in a copy of Amazing Stories. While Forry's interests were writing fiction and celebrating the genre and its writers, George and his bother Sam were customizing cars. Forrest was hanging with friends the likes of Ray Bradbury and Henry Kuttner, starting magazines like Futuria Fantasia (which would be a killer name for a bubbletop custom, mind you), The Barris boys were learning tricks of the trade from masters like Dick Bertolucci, and bolting together a slick '36 Ford which was used as a calling card, attracting paying customers. (Keeping with our "parallels" theme, at around this same time, George founded a car club named "Kustoms Car Club", reportedly the first use of "kustoms" with that "K"... Meanwhile, Forry and his friend Myrtle R. Douglas attended the first-ever World Science Fiction Convention, dressed in space suits, setting of a chain-reaction of future comic and Trek convention costumed attendees. Trendsetters indeed!) Add to the parallel that all three were in Los Angeles in these times, and, well, it just couldn't be any cooler had it been written that way. (oddly enough, Sam Barris and Forry Ackerman were both enlisted in WWII.)

Throughout the '40's and into the '50's, Barris continued building custom cars, and making a huge name in the industry, guiding it, in fact. It was during these years that George saw the potential in magazines, and was instrumental in documenting literally thousands of cars, and in the process virtually invented the modern "tech article". His photo essays in the popular car magazines of the time chronicled trends and techniques for customizers living outside of the California hotbed of activity, and offered that all-important "behind-the-scenes" insight, probably providing countless would-be customizers with some inspiration. Barris is often credited with inspiring many modern day customizers to practice their craft, and his efforts with his unique brand of Public Relations certainly has been a driving force behind the continuation of this industry into the twenty-first century.

Meanwhile, Ackerman was acting as a literary agent, representing hundreds of writers, and serving as "agent of record" for many more, ensuring that their work would be published in numerous anthologies, preserving the science fiction genre's past in not only written form, but providing an entirely new facet for the then-growing motion picture industry. Consider that his magazine Famous Monsters of Filmland exposed many aspiring special effects artists and film makers alike to those "behind-the-scenes" looks, and the parallels just grow stronger. It was these close looks at the men behind the special effects techniques that inspired such talents as Tim Burton, John Landis and Rick Baker, as well as countless other amateur home directors. Forrest truly created an industry that continues strong today, not only from the standpoint of the behind-the-scenes documentary, but for collectors of film memorabilia. He was also one of those rare "hands-on", approachable figures, leading tours of the "Ackermansion", his personal home and museum, packed to the rafters with his collection of movie props and memorabilia.

In this same way, George is a common figure at car shows and events, as well as still working from his shop. It's this accessibility that makes it all even more fun; having that opportunity to mix and mingle with the folks who not only "were THERE", but helped to preserve our hobbies for future generations. While we unfortunately lost Forrest J Ackerman in 2008, the next time you load that movie into your DVD player and pop open the "Special Features" menu, give a quick "thanks" to the ultimate fanboy, and feel free to share your knowledge of where it all began. And while you're at it, why not give a tip of the hat to George next time you're browsing those back issues at the swap meet. After all, chances are, many of the photos in that issue are courtesy of the "King of the Kustomizers".

Innovation, guest appearances and simple math...

...all combined in my head over the past couple of days. I had been in the studio almost non-stop this past week, trying to keep up, and finishing up some bigger projects, and as usual, began to ponder mysteries of life.

One topic that often entertains my gray matter is that of innovation. I enjoy looking back on instances where one single event or idea made enough of a ripple to change something. Consider skateboarding (not much of that happening with a knee like mine lately)... A simple trick like the Ollie took it from slalom and simple "sidewalk surfing" into a whole new universe. Arials, tricks previously unimagined... Hell, almost all extreme (board) sports can trace some lineage back to this simple trick (consider how surfing was transformed by the arial). Car-wise, consider Sam Barris chopping the first Merc...

...or better yet, his fastback Buick!

Style moved in a whole new direction! Lower, cleaner designs poured from Detroit following this most basic (yet complex) custom idea.

It's all simple math, really. Add where you must, subtract what must be removed for the sake of style, and, if you do your math carefully, you have a winner! Consider that there are an almost infinite number of equations to arrive at a solid design, and it boggles the mind. It all falls on vision, and carrying elements to the right places.

Speaking of innovations, simple math, etc... I listen to a lot of music in the Studio, and I enjoy a broad range of styles. A recent spinning of some classic R & B really got the brain firing on all cylinders. I began to think about guest appearances, and the blending of occasionally different, and sometimes similar elements, and how they can affect the final product, be it music, cars, or even food. Canned Heat recorded an album with the legendary John Lee Hooker, entitled Hooker n' Heat, as the band was getting back to their blues roots.

The album is almost, in essence, a John Lee Hooker album, with the Heat playing backup... But it works. In fact, it's something beyond a simple listening experience... it takes on a life of its own (namely in Wilson's unbelievable harmonica playing-- sadly, also his last appearance). The meshing of Canned Heat's loose, funky, boogie style, with Hooker's down and dirty demeanor make this not only a great listen, but inspiration!

Consider how, in most cases, a guest appearance by anyone (be it TV, music, or anything) is often watered-down. In the case at hand, Hooker just stomps his way in front, and stays there... It's pure "attitude music" if ever such a thing existed.

How does this apply to cars? Like any good design, it's in choosing the right ingredients, and using them to the right level... pulling the most from their potential. It's not about just bringing in the hottest "at-the-moment" thing (remember composite headlamps being installed on EVERYTHING in the '80's? There's a warning.), it's choosing some elements that may be, on the surface, anyway, entirely different... and finding some common ground or theme for them to work from. Looking at the raw material, and then seeking out an element, a slice of character in either a part or a modification that just makes visual "sense". Consider the use of Buick trim on a Merc. Just looks "right" somehow. A good idea that spawned countless clones. I suppose that my point is simply to hone your ability to discern what makes for good design, and to absorb those things that look (or sound!) "right"... and make sense of the WHY (why they look right, why it flows). In short, don't be afraid to kick the tail of your board, invite a different co-host (or opinion), or throw a few new numbers into the equation.

After all, when it comes to innovation or imitation, there's really only one way I'd like to go...

Excessive...

...to excessively clean...

As I mentioned in the last entry, I was digging through some photos, looking for some shots to help illustrate a point in a future blog entry, and, well, the future is now, I guess..."Where are we going today?" you ask... Back to the 1980's! Woo-hoo!

I got to thinking about some cars that made a serious impression on me in my youth, more specifically, cars built in the '80's. Even MORE specifically, cars that defined opposite ends of the spectrum, be they in style, outlandishness, subtlety, whatever. Narrowing it further, the two cars needed to have something in common, beyond their build decade. Bear in mind, the '80's were a decade of HUGE influence on modern hot rodding. The garish show queens that pro-street became ushered in the rebellion we now call pro-touring. Clean street rods led to billet-encrusted trailer rods, and the to the rebellion that spawned a renewed interest in traditional hot rods (which, sadly, bred the "rat rod" whatever-the-hell-it-is hellspawn in the '90's... Ask me sometime how I feel about THAT.). A re-birth of customs, kustoms, and kustom culture. Aside from that whole Huey Lewis deal, not a bad decade.

I narrowed it to the undisputed king of pro-street excess, that yellow and candy-color graphics doused, hyperbole on wheels, Rick Dobbertin's J-2000, and Billy Gibbons' oh-so-sweet, I-could-just-eat-this-thing-up Cadzzilla. As a certain yellow-hued guy might say, "Mmmmmm..... purple."
To say that each car impacted the future of our hobby/industry would be an understatement. And that little Pontiac was anything BUT understated. It was designed to BE excess. One blower is good? Two is better. And make 'em siamesed. Add a pair of turbos, too, why not? The whole car, from the incredible, fully-polished chasssis, to the plated or polished damn-near-everything was detail to the extreme... 

A flip front was trick, and, well, a flip-up body just had to be better, right? And how about that rear suspension, huh? Right on.... THERE WAS NONE! No room for pedestrian items like suspension out back... this thing needeed HUGE meats to complete the look.

It's everything that was "right" with the show car scene at the time, and a glaring example of what was seen as "wrong" with the pro-street movement. You have to admit, though, the car had amazing fabrication work, and a fit and finish that was unheard of before, and in some cases, since.

On the custom side of things, in my opinion, anyway, there is nothing sweeter than Larry Erickson's design opus, Cadzzilla... Take a moment, and drift back to that Hot Rod Magazine fold-out poster you no-doubt hung from your wall... Man, that car turned my world upside-down. It was so radical, yet easily identified as a Cadillac... it was classic, but, well, somehow... futuristic! It was a sled, but it hinted as a dry lakes or salt flats screamer... It was part luxo-barge, part touring car, part kustom... it was an automotive tour de force! Check. All it needed was a cool owner...oh, wait, Billy Gibbons. Checkmate.

In the later part of the 1990's, I snapped a quick shot of this gorgeous ride at the Oakland Museum of California:

...resting beside the Hirohata Merc, which had the windows soaped, as the interior was unfinished... A historic gathering! (and just around the corner? The Beatnik Bandit.) 

So what's all this boil down to? Consider how these two cars influenced the hobby... Sure, they may have ushered in an era of mega-buck show cars, but at the same time, they brought with them a new age of cars-as-personalities. Two very distinct, well-known cars, built with astronomical budgets, and quality that raised the bar sky high. Do I agree with what these cars stood for? Perhaps not entirely... As entertainment, yeah... As practical examples of how to build a car? Probably not. Taken, though, as symbols of the age of excess, well, hell yeah... 

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…

The Way to San Jose...

…apparently involved a maze.

Well, THE Maze, actually.
Recently, a conversation with a client (debating the merits of a few avenues we could travel with his ‘57 Ford) turned to one of my all-time favorite late-50’s customs, Jerry Devito’s “The Maze”.

The car is a great example of restyling at the time, employing seven scoops of Grande Brothers bodywork (not to mention shaved trim and handles, extended peaks over the tunneled head and tail lights) all covered in a green/gold, and finally, a topping of scallops in seven colors by Bob Hendricks. Outrageous? Certainly… Are we going to duplicate the car? Unlikely… but there are aspects of this car that are so “right”, it’s scary, and will make the final cut. (however, if anyone is up to creating a similar, maybe even a tribute car…. I’m ready for you!)

Dig on the stance for a bit… It’s awesome. The right amount of sidewall on the tires, the chrome reverse wheels are incredible, and the lack of a rear hubcap hints at performance potential. Devito’s ride utilized the original engine, with the addition of an Offy three deuce intake, Isky cam, and the ever-popular Magspark ignition — we may go likewise! Interesting to note is that the car had some chrome engine dress-up parts… This was the era when such underhood detail began to gain ground… As the cars became lower and more “custom” in appearance from the factory, the emphasis on body modifications (current example exempted!) began to wane, and it was in vogue to simply drop the ride height, and go wild on paint. Consider that this same car, if built a couple of years later, may have worn thin whitewalls (Royal Masters, perhaps?), no lakes pipes, and the body restyling would have been decidedly different… ‘59 was the tail end of wide whitewalls, and the beginning of a steady decline of the “golden age” of customs.

In any event, I thought it would be cool to share this car, as it had a profound effect on me so many years ago when I first saw it, thumbing through some “little pages” at a family friend’s shop (imagine a kid in the ’80’s discovering this car in his VERY early teens… “impressionable” begins to describe it!). Later in life, I’d stumble across a piece of art by VonFranco featuring this car. Wild! While I’m certain many folks knew of the car, it was awesome to see it immortalized by a modern master in that way.

Odd fact: The car appeared in print wearing the stock front bumper on at least one occasion (as seen here):

and then later in print, with an odd split bumper and molded pan…

Anyone know when this happened? If so, drop me a line! (www.problemchildkustoms.com)

There you have it… a quick trip through the maze, complete with some cool eye candy as your reward…