Wikipedia

Custom car

"Modified car" redirects here. For the American oval track automobile series, seemodified racing.

Acustom caris a passengervehiclethat has been altered toimprove its performance,change its aesthetics, or combine both. Some automotive enthusiasts in the United States want to push "styling and performance a step beyond the showroom floor - to truly craft an automobile of one's own."[2]A custom car in British usage, according toCollins English Dictionary,is built to the buyer's own specifications.[3]

One of the famous custom cars in the classic American custom style, theHirohata Merc[1]

Custom cars are not to be confused withcoachbuiltautomobiles, historicallyrolling chassisfitted with luxury bodywork by specialty auto body builders.

History

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1916Ford Model Tmodified into aspeedster,an early form of customized car
A 1923 FordT-bucketin the traditional hot rod style

Some of the earliest examples of modified cars were cars modified forracingoroff-roading.Thecoachbuildingindustry is considered part of custom car history, as companies and individuals built custom bodies to be fitted to early cars and inspired later customizers.[4]

Hot rodswere an early type of custom car first popularized in the United States, considered to be one of the earliest defined car customization movements. The origins of the first hot rods are typically considered to be early race cars built to race on dirt tracks and dry lake beds, often stripped downFord Model Ts,Model As,and other pre-World War IIcars made intospeedstersand "gow jobs".[5]The "gow job" morphed into the hot rod in the 1940s to 1950s.[6][7]The modified cars used in theProhibition erabybootleggersto evaderevenue agentsand other law enforcement are also considered a predecessor to the hot rod.[8]Hot rods gained popularity afterWorld War II,particularly in California, because many returning soldiers had received technical training.[9][10]Many cars were "hopped up" with engine modifications such as adding additional carburetors, high compression heads, and dual exhausts. The suspension was often altered, andengine swapswere to install the most powerful engine in the lightest possible frame and body combination.[11][12]

Another example of early automobile customization were the firstoff-road vehicles.Some of the earliest dedicated offroad vehicles were made using theKégresse tracksystem, starting in the late 1910s, which affixed tracks to an ordinary car in place of the rear wheels for improved off-road traction.[13]AfterWorld War II,the surplus of army Jeeps led to a growth in the popularity of off-roading as a hobby.

Starting in the early 1940s, some US car customizers began to modify cars with a stronger emphasis on looks and self-expression. This led to styles of modification such aslowriders,kustomsandlead sledsemerging and growing.[14]1950s kustom car builders would often swap trim and panels from other cars, cut through the sheet metal and remove bits to make the car lower, weld it back together, and addleadto make the resulting form smooth. They would alsochopthe roof to make it lower,[15]section[16]the body to make it thinner from top to bottom, andchannel[17]the body by cutting notches in the floorpan where the body touches the frame to lower the whole body.

The first drag strip in the United States opened in 1950 on an airfield in Southern California, and a year later, in 1951 theNational Hot Rod Associationwas formed.[18]In the following years, more drag strips were built across the country, leading to a rise in the popularity ofdrag racingamong both amateurs and professionals.

In the post-World War IIera, Japan's automotive industry grew, eventually leading to the country becoming the world's largest vehicle producer. This led to a unique car customization culture within the nation. Some of the early custom cars in Japan, starting in the late 1970s through the 1980s, included Kaido Racers, Japanese cars modified with homemade parts to look like racecars of the time; imported and modified American and European cars; cars modified for top-speed and highway racing; andDekotoradecorated trucks.[19][20]The 1990s saw the rise of cars modified fordrifting,VIP styleluxury sedans, and the continued popularity of highway racing. Japan also embraced American customization styles, importing and building their muscle cars, lowriders, minitrucks, and more.

Styles of modification

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1959Chevrolet ImpalaArt car
Ford Escortmodified fordrag racing
Nissan Skyline C210modified in the Japanese Kaido Racer style
An example of arat rod

Modified cars can be significantly different from their stock counterparts. A common factor among owners/modifiers is to emulate the visual and/or performance characteristics of established styles and design principles. These similarities may be unintentional. Some of the many different styles and visual influences to car modification are:

  • Art car:Cars painted or decorated to be art pieces.
  • Cal look:A modified classic Volkswagen intended to evoke California through bright colours, trim, and accessories.
  • Drag car:Cars modified fordrag racing
  • Drift car:Cars modified fordrifting.
  • DubordonkorHi-Riser:Characterized by huge wheels with low-profile tires, often with upgraded speaker setups, and sometimes custom paint, interiors, and engine upgrades.
  • Euro style:Stanced with one-off paint and small wheels, with shaved features to define car body lines.
  • German look:A VolkswagenType 1,Type 3,orKarmann Ghialowered and fitted with late modelPorschemag wheels andtouring car-influenced styling. Heavily modified suspension and drivetrain with emphasis on handling and cornering.
  • Hot rod:Style primarily consisting of period-specific vehicles, components, and finishes to reproduce characteristics of early drag cars from the 1930s and 1940s.
  • ImportorJDM:tuned Japanese vehicles.
  • Itasha:cars decorated with images of characters fromanime,manga,orvideo games
  • Kaido Racer:Japanese style of cars typically with lowered suspension, bright paint jobs, extreme body kits, and extended exhausts, sometimes inspired by JapaneseGroup 5"Super Silhouette" racecars. Commonly associated with theBōsōzoku.
  • Kustom:Style primarily consisting of American cars built from the 1930s to 1960s customized in the styles of that period.
  • Lowrider:Hydraulic or airbag suspension setups, custom paint, pinstriping, custom interior, and, typically, small diameter wire wheels. Others may look like straight restorations, aside from a low stance.
  • Military/service style:Cars designed to look like certain service vehicles.
  • Off-roader:Cars, SUVs, and trucks modified foroff-roading,such as overlanding, rock crawling, or desert racing.
    • Chopped(and stretched): typicallybody-on-frameSUV with the rear cargo area, body and/or row(s) of seats chopped off, leaving only the frame. Afull alloytrayandcanopyare then put into this space. Wheelbase maybe extended to allow more space for cargo and passengers.[21][22][23]
  • Outlaw:TypicallyPorsches 356,911 andKarmann Ghiasmodified with more powerful engines, brakes, and a more aggressive appearance. This movement took place in Southern California in the 1960s.
  • Race car:Cars built to compete inauto racing.
  • Rally car:Cars built to compete inrallies.
  • Rat rod:A style of hot rod and custom cars, imitating the "unfinished" appearance of some hot rods in the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s. "Rat style" also defines a car kept on the road despite visible heavy wear.
  • Restomod:Classic cars that combine original exterior styling with modern applied technologies (such as new suspension, wheels, transmission) or modern interior features (multimedia, etc.) for comfortable everyday use.
  • Siren kings:A New Zealand Pasifika subculture where cars or bicycles are modified withloudspeakersorpublic address systemsfor use in competitive battles.
  • South London look:Subtly modified 1950s-1970s British Fords that are lowered, with pastel paint and 13-inch Lotus Cortina steel wheels or RS, Minilite, or Revolution mag wheels. These cars often use a tunedFord KentorPinto engine.
  • Slab:Originated in theHoustonarea in the mid-1980s—usually, a full-size American luxury car fitted with custom "elbows", a type of extended wire wheels which protrude out from the fenders, loudspeaker setups, and neon signage inside the trunk panel. Other "slab" modifications include hydraulic-actuated trunk panels (a "pop trunk" ), candy paint, vertical stainless steel trim on the trunk panel (known as "belt buckles" ), aftermarket grille, and the use of a Cadillac front-end sheet metal conversion. The interiors of slabs are usually clad in beige or tan (in what is called a "peanut butter interior" ). Usually associated withHouston hip hopmusic.
  • Sleeper:High performance car that appears to be unmodified low performance car.
  • Stanced:This style is mainly associated with sports and passenger cars with lowered suspension setups. Custom wheels with low-profile tires play a prominent role in this style and often feature aggressive sizes, offsets, and camber.
  • VIP style:A Japanese style of customizing luxury cars.

Features

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The Reactor (show rod)byGene Winfieldwithpaint fadestyle blending from one color to another

Paint

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Custom paint jobs play an essential role in the culture around customized cars. Builders will often use special painting techniques to produce unique finishes, including the use of candy paint,metalflake,andcolor shiftingpaint. Additionally, builders will often create paint jobs with intricate designs or patterns by pinstriping, painting by hand,airbrushing,taping out patterns on the car and painting inside them, painting overlace,overlayinggold leaf,and more. Some customizers will also opt forvinyl wraps,vinyl decals, orplastidipin place of a traditional paint job. In addition to paint, individual parts of a car may also be chromed, gold plated, or engraved.

Transparent but wildly colored candy-apple paint, applied atop a metallic undercoat, andmetalflakepaint, with aluminum glitter within candy-apple paint, appeared in the 1960s. These took many coats to produce a brilliant effect – which tended to flake off in hot climates. This process and style of paint job were invented byJoe Bailon,a customizer from Northern California.

Painting has become such a part of the custom car scene that in many custom car competitions, awards for custom paint are as highly sought after as awards for the cars themselves.

Engine swaps

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LS1V8 engine swap in aMazda RX-7 FD
Main article:Engine swap
See also:Car tuning

Engine swaps are a common modification involving taking the engine from one car and putting it into another, often one that did not initially come with that engine. A few of the most common engines swapped into other vehicles include theBMW M54,Chevy small block,Chevy LS,Chrysler Hemi,Cummins B Series,Ford Barra,Ford Coyote,Ford flathead V8,Honda B,Honda K,Mazda 13B,Nissan RB,Nissan SR,Subaru EJ,Toyota JZ,Toyota UZ,Toyota S,andVolkswagen VR6.[24][25]Completing an engine swap typically requires a high level of modification and fabrication to fit the engine and connect it to the host vehicle's body, transmission, and electrics. Many companies sell kits for common engine swaps that include adapter plates for the transmission, K member, engine mounts, front subframe, and more, depending on what ss required for the particular swap. Some engine swaps will use the vehicle's original transmission, while others opt for the transmission from the donor car, or a different transmission entirely.

Suspension

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See also:Suspension liftandAxle truss

Solid axle swap (SAS): replacing independent front suspension (IFS) withsolid axle.[26][27][28]

Customizers

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Examples of notable American customizers includeGeorge Barris,Vini Bergeman,Bill Cushenbery,theAlexander Brothers,Bo Huff,Gil Ayala,[29]Darryl Starbird,[30]Roy Brizio,Troy Trepanier(ofRad Rides by Troy),Boyd Coddington,Darryl Hollenbeck(working out of at Vintage Color Studios; winner of the 2016America's Most Beautiful Roadster(AMBR) trophy with a custom Deuce)[6]Harry Westergaard,[31]Dave Stuckey,[30]Dean Jeffries,Barry Lobeck,Phil Cool (who won the 1978 AMBR trophy with a bright orange Deuce, cover car for the July 1978 issue ofHot Rod),[32]Troy LaddofHollywood Hot Rods,Doane Spencer(builder of a 1940s Deuce considered the template for the hiboy),[33]"Posie",[34]Ron ClarkandBob Kaiser(ofClarkaiser Customs),[35]Joe Bailon[30](inventor of candy apple paint),[36]Gene Winfield,Rick Dore[37]Joe Wilhelm,"Magoo",[38]Chip Foose,[39]Pete Chapourisand notable custom car designer [40]Keith Kaucher.

Others, such asVon Dutch,are best known as custom painters. Several customizers have become famous beyond the automobile community, including Barris, Jeffries, and Coddington, thanks to their proximity toHollywood;Barris designed TV'sBatmobile,while Chapouris built theflamed '34 three-window coupéin the eponymoustelefilmThe California Kid.Another Barris creation,Ala Kart(a '29Ford Model Aroadster pickup), made numerous appearances in film after taking two AMBR wins in a row.

Awards

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One of the most coveted awards for American customizers is the AMBR (America's Most Beautiful Roadster) trophy, presented annually at the Grand National Roadster Show since 1948 (also known within the customizer community as the Oakland Roadster Show until it was moved to Southern California in 2003). This competition has produced famous and radical customs.

Another is theRidler Award,presented at theDetroit Autoramasince 1964 in honor of show promoter Don Ridler. With one of the most unusual car show entry requirements, the Ridler Award winners are selected as the most outstanding among cars being shown for the first time. This prompts builders of many high-end roadsters to enter Autorama first and then the Grand National show to have the chance to win top honors at both shows. Few cars and owners can claim this achievement.

Notable customs

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TheMonkeemobilefrom the"Munsters"

Some customs gained attention for winning awards at shows or for their outlandish styling. Some examples includeSilhouetteandEd Roth'sMysterion.Some notable custom cars have been turned intoHot Wheelscars or other scale models, such asThe Red Baron.

Other custom cars became notable for appearances in film (such asAla Kart{1958},[40]The California Kidthree-window {1973},[41]the yellow deuce from "American Graffiti"{1973}, theBatmobilesfrom Batman, thePursuit SpecialfromMad Max,and more) or television (such asTheMonkeemobilefrom the"Munsters",andKITTfromKnight Rider).

Other notable customs exemplified a trend. One of these is the 1951 Merc built by the Barris brothers for Bob Hirohata in 1953, known as theHirohata Merc.Even without an appearance in the film ( "Runnin' Wild" ), it is one of the most iconic 1950s customs.[42]The same year,Neil EmoryandClayton JensenofValley Custom ShopbuiltPolynesianfor Jack Stewart, starting with a 1950Holiday 88 sedan.[43]Polynesianmade the cover ofHot Rodin August, and saw 54 pages of construction details inMotor TrendCustom Car Annualin 1954.[44]

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See also

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References

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  1. ^Kress, Joe (2002).Lead Sleds.MotorBooks International. p. 10.ISBN9781610590631.Retrieved24 February2019.
  2. ^Ganahl, Pat (2001).The American custom car.MBI.ISBN9780760309506.Retrieved24 February2019.
  3. ^"Custom car definition and meaning: Collins English Dictionary".collinsdictionary.com.Retrieved24 February2019.
  4. ^Hoving, Ric (November 25, 2016)."Coachbuild origins of Custom Cars".customcarchronicle.com.RetrievedAugust 9,2024.
  5. ^Conwill, David (2020-01-23)."A Brief History of Hot Rodding".Hemmings.Archived fromthe originalon 2024-02-08.
  6. ^abShelton, Chris (March 2017). "Then, Now, and Forever".Hot Rod.p. 16.
  7. ^Shelton, C., page 18.
  8. ^"Hot Rod History".hopupmag.com.28 November 2015.Retrieved13 May2018.
  9. ^"Hot Rod History".hopupmag.com.28 November 2015.Retrieved13 May2018.
  10. ^"Hot Rod History".autoevolution.com.2009-07-23.Retrieved13 May2018.
  11. ^"The evolution of custom cars".Retrieved2016-10-11.
  12. ^Shelton, Chris. pages 18 and 20.
  13. ^"Stanislav Kiriletz".MIG-registeret(in Norwegian and English). Archived fromthe originalon 2008-12-31.
  14. ^Wanberg, John Joseph (2005).Understanding customization: A case study in car customization(Thesis).ProQuest305027217.[page needed]
  15. ^Rod Action,2/78, p. 64.
  16. ^Street Rodder,2/78, p. 15;Custom Rodder1/97, p. 29.
  17. ^Jezek, George. "The All Deuce Round-Up", inStreet Rodder,2/78, p. 58.
  18. ^"NHRA History".NHRA.Retrieved2024-02-13.
  19. ^"What is a Kaido Racer?".Kaido Racer.Retrieved2024-02-13.
  20. ^"The Golden Years of Japan's Car Culture: Showa Racing".sabukaru.2021-03-11.Retrieved2024-02-13.
  21. ^4X4 Australia (2022-02-23).Chopped and stretched Y62 Patrol | 4X4 Australia.Retrieved2024-08-05– via YouTube.{{cite AV media}}:CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  22. ^Ronny Dahl (2022-08-06).CHOPPED 200 series Landcruiser review, Modified Episode 104.Retrieved2024-08-05– via YouTube.
  23. ^4WD 24-7 (2022-03-02).CHOPPED Y62 PATROL CANOPY BUILD! Graham's one-of-a-kind DREAM 4WD!.Retrieved2024-08-05– via YouTube.{{cite AV media}}:CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  24. ^Bonk, Aaron."Popular Engine Swaps".
  25. ^Hevesy, Alex (2023-07-02)."5 Of The Most Popular Engines For Classic Car Engine Swaps".SlashGear.Retrieved2023-11-22.
  26. ^"SAS-style custom Holden Colorado review".WhichCar.2020-03-03.Retrieved2024-08-05.
  27. ^"Epic stretched SAS Ford Ranger!".WhichCar.2020-07-31.Retrieved2024-08-05.
  28. ^Niculescu, Aurel (2021-11-25)."Snow-Wheeling a Straight-Axle SEMA 2021 Ford Bronco on 40s Feels Winter Swapped".autoevolution.Retrieved2024-08-05.
  29. ^Rod & Custom,8/89, p. 60.
  30. ^abcStreet Rodder,1/85, p. 56.
  31. ^Rod & Custom,8/89, p. 55.
  32. ^Shelton, Chris. "Then, Now, and Forever" inHot Rod,March 2017, p. 23.
  33. ^Shelton, p. 29.
  34. ^Rod Action,2/85, p. 5.
  35. ^Fetherston, David, "Detroit Dreams", inRod & Custom,7/95, p. 58.
  36. ^Ganahl, Pat, "The Candy Man", inRod & Custom,7/95, p. 81.
  37. ^Gross, Ken (2012).Art of the Hot Rod.Motorbooks.ISBN9780760343005– via Google Books.
  38. ^Street Rodder,12/98, p. 206.
  39. ^Bishop, Mike, "The 45th Grand National Roadster Show", inAmerican Rodder,6/94, p. 27.
  40. ^Hot Rod,12/86, p. 29 sidebar.
  41. ^Hot Rod,12/86, p. 29.
  42. ^Rod & Custom,8/89, pp. 8 & 10.
  43. ^Custom Rodderonline[permanent dead link‍](retrieved 28 July 2018)
  44. ^Rod & Custom,8/89, p. 68.
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