Custom History Archives - Page 2 of 8 - Custom Car ChronicleCustom Car Chronicle

Rounded Corners on Customs

ROUNDED CORNERS ON CUSTOMS Molded body lines, fine tuned with rounded corners on the hood, doors and trunk make a Custom really smooth. When did this trend started? Rounded co...

by Rik Hoving

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Sam Barris Custom Stylist

SAM BARRIS CUSTOM STYLIST We have all read about how Sam Barris was the metal craftsman at the Barris Shop. But what was his roll when it came to the designs of the Barris Cus...

by Rik Hoving

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Front-end Swap on Early Customs

FRONT-END SWAPS on EARLY CUSTOMS In the 1940s and early 1950s quite a few older cars were Custom updated with more modern front-ends. To make them look more modern and above ...

by Rik Hoving

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Custom Car Black Wall Tires

CUSTOM CAR BLACK WALL TIRES During WWII rubber tires were rationed, and white wall tires were not produced at all. This all had huge effects on the looks of this era Custom Ca...

by Rik Hoving

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Custom Grilles Vertical

CUSTOM GRILLES VERTICAL Since the very early beginnings of Custom Restyling the grille has played a huge part in the overall design. Pioneer Customizers designed their own gri...

by Rik Hoving

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Custom Plastic Details Part 2

CUSTOM PLASTIC DETAILS Shortly after WWII Car builders and Customizers started to experiment with the new product Plastic, and see how it could be incorporated in Custom Resty...

by Rik Hoving

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Custom Plastic Details

CUSTOM PLASTIC DETAILS Around 1947 Jesse Lopez experimented with the use of clear green Lucite to Custom Restyle the interior of his 1941 Ford Coupe. The start of a new trend ...

by Rik Hoving

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The Carson Top Shop Part 2

CARSON TOP SHOP part 2 The Carson Top Shop changed the scene in the 1940’s with their Padded Top design. Towards the 1950’s and up they excelled in state of the ...

by Rik Hoving

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Bumper mounted taillights

BUMPER MOUNTED TAILLIGHTS Bumper mounted taillights developed in a time when the trend was to shave and mold car bodies into a smooth sculptured piece of Automotive Art. Re...

by Rik Hoving

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Inset License Plates

INSET LICENSE PLATES A necessary evil, the license plate requires deft placement in order not to distract from the lines of the restyled job. Recessing is one long-used method...

by Rik Hoving

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Inside a Barris Kustom

Inside a BARRIS KUSTOM A look inside the 1941 Snooky Janich Ford Barris Customs body-work that normally is hidden behind upholstery and other panels. We all have seen many pho...

by Rik Hoving

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1950 Oakland Roadster show

1950 OAKLAND ROADSTER SHOW In 1950 Al and Mary Slonaker organized the first Annual National Roadster Show. Mostly entered by Hot Rods, but the Custom entries in this show has always ...

by Rik Hoving

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Ayala Body Shop

AYALA BODY SHOP The Ayala Body Shop on East Olympic Ave opened in 1945. Gil Ayala would keep this shop open for around 40 year, at the same location, crating Custom Car Mag...

by Rik Hoving

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Gil Ayala on Restyling

GIL AYALA on RESTYLING The April 1950 issue of Motor Trend magazine shared an story on Custom restyling. Part of the article was an unique interview with Gil Ayala… In t...

by Rik Hoving

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Barris Bell Shop

BARRIS BELL SHOP After establishing a name in the Custom world in the Barris Compton Ave shop in Los Angeles, the shop was relocated in Bell for a short period. Very little is...

by Rik Hoving

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The Carson Top Shop Part 1

CARSON TOP SHOP part 1 The birth of the Traditional Custom Car in the late 1930s was influenced by one big event. The design of the Carson padded top by Glen Houser in 1935. T...

by Rik Hoving

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History of the Chopped Top part 1

CHOP TOP HISTORY part 1 The most transforming of all custom body changes, if not the most beautiful, is lowering of the top. Better known as the Chopped Top. One of the best k...

by Rik Hoving

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About CCC

Custom Car Chronicle: THE BEAUTY OF CUSTOMIZING

Custom Car Chronicle is a online magazine and forum, for custom car and hot rod people who are looking for inspiration, historical knowledge, and a place were their passion can be shared.

CCC is created by a small, international group of custom car, hot rod, model car, art, design-, photography-, and architecture enthusiasts.
Editor in chief is custom car historian- Rik Hoving.

For centuries people are inspired to built beautiful cars. CCC focuses on everything that ignites that special inspiration: design, history, technology, perfect proportions, the right feeling, and amazing personal stories.

Rounded Corners on Customs

Sam Barris Custom Stylist

Front-end Swap on Early Customs

Custom Car Black Wall Tires

Custom Grilles Vertical

Custom Plastic Details Part 2

Custom Plastic Details

The Carson Top Shop Part 2

Bumper mounted taillights

Inset License Plates

Inside a Barris Kustom

1950 Oakland Roadster show

Ayala Body Shop

Gil Ayala on Restyling

Barris Bell Shop

The Carson Top Shop Part 1

History of the Chopped Top part 1

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