Check out this fully restored 1954 Mercury Monterey!
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One of the original objectives of car customizing was to make inexpensive vehicles look more like upscale models. So what's a custom enthusiast to do when he bases his project on the so-called Standard of the World-a Cadillac? If you're retired bodyman Ed Britz, you mix and match various elements of
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Some guys have their hearts set on a particular make or model of car they want to customize. Others are less picky-they're just looking for a vehicle with the right elements to mold into their vision of the ultimate personalized cruiser.
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Is there such a thing as a practical custom rod? If so, Lance Overholser's '64 Ford Custom 300 may qualify. With a fuel-injected V-8, overdrive transmission, and sensible suspension, this road-worthy mild custom is as easy to cruise as it is to look at.
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Despite the family-vehicle stigma they've carried for decades, once-lowly station wagons have been hot commodities recently. So when Derick Samson, of Marshall, Missouri, got his hands on a clean '62 Chevrolet wagon, he was excited by the possibilities. The old family hauler needed a little straight
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Go ahead, admit it: You were about ready to turn the page and dismiss Clayton Moorman's Bel Air sedan as just another stock-bodied, resto-rod, red '55 Chevy. We almost did the same thing when we first saw the car at the 2005 Goodguys Southeastern Nationals. Then we took a second look. So should you.
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It's pretty easy to change a vehicle's style. Do a little cutting and welding here, some parts swapping there, and you're bound to make any car look different. Making tasteful and purposeful changes is a bit more challenging, however; it requires talent and restraint to truly enhance a car's design.
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Not all '50s cars were born cool. Sure, some started looking good over the years and others earned their keep as alternatives to the mainstream. A few even endeared themselves as loveable ugly ducklings. Then there's the Kaiser sedan.
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Ronnie Staples Reunites His '50 Ford With Its Original Builder
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How A Kid From The Wrong Place With The Wrong Car Shows Us What's Right
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So-called "contemporary" customs have gone through many phases in the past two decades, from the "dipped" monochromatic look to the pastel-painted, tweed-interior fad to recent styles with big-inch billet wheels and airbag suspensions. While aspects of each trend linger, we're seeing more traditiona
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It's pretty easy to change a vehicle's style. Do a little cutting and welding here, some parts swapping there, and you're bound to make any car look different. Making tasteful and purposeful changes is a bit more challenging, however; it requires talent and restraint to truly enhance a car's design.
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Richard Zocchi Takes Bold '59 Buick Styling A Step Further
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Custom Rodder has profiled many significant car builders and vehicles in this column the past several years. For our finale issue, however, it's only fitting to share the history of the man behind the National Rod & Custom Car Hall of Fame Museum, Darryl Starbird.
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Wonder Wagon"I am not a famous guy, but I thought you would be interested in one of my rare rides," writes Stuart Clark, of Chehalis, Washington. Rare, indeed-Chevrolet didn't build a two-door Impala station wagon in 1959, though Stuart's longroof has been decked out in Impala attire. It also wears
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'49 Chevy FleetlineLet's get this "Stylines" sendoff started in style with a classy Chevy. The Fleetline has such a nice profile that I left the roof unchopped, though I deleted all the trim except for the top-accentuating beltline brightwork. Up front I inserted a floating '54 Chevy grille flanked
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When it comes to choosing a custom car project, it's hard to go wrong with a 1959 model anything. American auto design reached a zenith of bizarre styling that year, fueled by heated competition, aeronautical influences, and the nation's race to space. Fins grew bigger, bodies longer and wider, and
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Like many young lads in the 1950s, Bill Layman fell under the spell of the burgeoning hot rod and custom movement. He may have been hooked harder than most considering his dad's Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, body shop specialized in customs and hot rods. From the time he turned 12 in 1953, Bill spent mu
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My oldest brother, Don, had a '57 Ford when he got out of the Navy in 1957. I was only about 7 years old at the time, but it was my first realization that some cars were really cool. He immediately had it customized with a Continental kit, skirts, lakes pipes, and shaved emblems.
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Though it would be hard to prove, we're willing to wager that there are more chopped '49-51 Mercurys today than there ever were in the '50s. In fact, we're pretty sure chopped versions now outnumber those with stock lids, and sometimes wonder if any original e
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Steve Frediani's Classically Modern '51 Ford
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A Low-Profile '53 Chevy From Chopit Kustom
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You might think someone who buys and sells cars for a living would view all vehicles as mere commodities-merchandise on which to make a profit. We're sure that's the case for some car dealers, but we've also met quite a few who are true enthusiasts and keep handfuls (sometimes fleets) of cool person
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You might think someone who buys and sells cars for a living would view all vehicles as mere commodities-merchandise on which to make a profit. We're sure that's the case for some car dealers, but we've also met quite a few who are true enthusiasts and keep handfuls (sometimes fleets) of cool person
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If you've been inducted into a fraternity like the National Rod and Custom Car Hall of Fame, it means you've accomplished something. Most folks don't make it into even one Hall of Fame, so what about someone who has gained admission into five? You might think you'd never know someone with those kind
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