Archive for category Shops
eBay Find of the Day: Hydrogen-powered 1972 AMC Gremlin by George Barris
Posted by rariccardi in Kustoms, Shops on May 28, 2010
As the story goes, back in the early 1970s, 64 university teams built cars to compete in the Urban Vehicle Design Challenge, with this machine coming out of the labs at the University of California – Los Angeles. The Gremlin was donated to UCLA by American Motors and Ford provided a 351 Cleveland V8. The UCLA team worked with suppliers such as Hooker, Edelbrock, Union Carbide and none other than Kustom Kar King George Barris to get the supplies needed to convert the V8 to run on hydrogen and get the car competition ready. The Impco-provided hydrogen tanks in the back only gave the Gremlin a 68-mile range, but considering the lack of fuel injection and sophisticated electronics, that’s not bad.
via Autoblog — We Obsessively Cover The Auto Industry.
Diorama Constructed by Michael Paul Smith
Posted by rariccardi in Car Shows, Shops on February 26, 2010
diorama Michael Paul Smith
Look at the photo above very closely. It is NOT real; it is a 1/24 scale diorama constructed by Michael Paul Smith. I am absolutely blown away by the craftsman ship of his work. This is real art and talent. To see a complete slide show of his work click the link below.
This is just some incredible work. Take some time and head over to Michael Paul Smith’s flickr site to take a look. Here is a direct link to a really awesome slide show form some of his photos.
RETROSPECTIVE THE CUSTOMS OF SAM BARRIS
Posted by rariccardi in Kustoms, Shops on February 26, 2010
Sam Barris
If you hear the name “Barris” , you’ll likely picture the wild Hollywood customs built by George Barris – cars like the original Batmobile, and Drag-u-la from the Munsters TV show. Although not as well known as his younger brother, Sam Barris made perhaps an even bigger contribution to the history of custom car building, pioneering the art of the chop top, among other things.
Barris Kustom Shop
Sam shared his brother’s love for building cars, but was a bit more of the quiet type in comparison to George’s bold nature. Before the second world war, the two brothers customized a hand-me-down ’25 Buick that turned out to be the first of many Barris customs. After the war the Barris brothers reunited and came up with the idea of opening a a shop in Los Angeles. The Barris Kustom Shop was born.
1940 Mercury
One of Sam’s first personal projects was this 1940 Mercury that he built in the late ’40s. The car was shaved, chopped, and featured a removable Carson top.
removable Carson top
While by today’s standards the car looks like a lot of traditional customs, you have to remember all this was done in the late 1940′s. I imagine was quite a sight to see the car on the streets of Los Angeles back then, as Sam used it as a daily driver.
1949 Merc
After selling the ’40, Sam went and bought a brand new 1949 Mercury with the idea of making into a chopped custom. Chopping was a new thing at this time, so it took a lot of planning before the car was cut up. When completed, the car would be one of, if not the world’s first chopped Merc. With four inches removed from the top, the seats had to be bolted to the floor in order to give enough head room.
fadeaway rear fender
Besides the groundbreaking roof chop, the ’49 also had fadeaway rear fenders, molded front fenders, a custom front grill, one-off taillights, and side trim from a ’48 Buick. The car was coated in dark green, with a green and white interior.
last year's Grand National Roadster Show in Pomona
After exchanging owners a few times, the Merc would eventually be fully restored to its original condition. It’s seen here at last year’s Grand National Roadster Show in Pomona.
Mercury, Bob Hirohata
After seeing Sam’s Mercury, Bob Hirohata was inspired to have a chopped Merc of his own. Sam did the chop on Hirohata’s ’51 hardtop, and both it and Sam’s ’49 helped make the ’49-’51 Mercury the quintessential custom.
1950 Buick
Sam’s next project would be a 1950 Buick that took him nearly two years to finish. To give the fastback Buick a proper look, Sam sectioned the body to match the chop, and extended the rear fenders by four inches.
exotic production vehicle
With all the work put into the car, it looked more like an exotic production vehicle rather than a garage-built custom. In fact, a lot of these customs would get more attention than the factory concept cars of the day.
52 Ford convertible
One of Sam’s later projects was this ’52 Ford convertible that he used as a family car. Like his past cars, it featured lots of shaving, frenching, and a handmade front grill. In keeping with the “family” theme, the car also included a baby bottle warmer and diaper storage…
55 Chevy
Following the Ford was another convertible, this one a ’55 Chevy. The ’55 was never known as a big custom platform, but if anyone could make it work, it was Sam Barris.
Sam would eventually grow tired of the fast-paced LA life. In the late ’50s he moved back to Northern California, where he worked out of his own shop. The last collaboration between and George and Sam was the “El Capitola” ’57 Chevy, which debuted at the 1960 Sacramento Autorama.
Sam Barris would go on to work as fire commisioner in Northern California before he sadly passed away from cancer in 1967. Sam’s career as a customizer may have been short, his impact was as big as anyone.
It’ll be hard not to think about him the next time I see a chopped Merc at a car show…
-Mike Garrett
Car of the Week: 1954 Hudson Hornet
Posted by rariccardi in Featured, Pinups, Shops, TV Cars on April 26, 2009
April 15, 2009
From the great folks at Old Cars Weekly
The last of the Step-Down design Hudson Hornets — the 1954 model — upheld the winning record established by the 1951-53 models on the nation’s stock-car ovals, but it eventually lost the bigger battle, which was to remain in production.
This year the big cars were restyled to look more like the compact Jet introduced the year before. The grille had a heavy, bowed molding tracing the upper radiator opening. There was a full-width, flat horizontal loop surrounding the wedge-shaped parking lights at each end. The main bar (top of the loop) was ribbed towards the middle and held a triangular Hudson medallion in a finned housing at its center. Behind this bar was an angled plate with four additional, wide-spaced ribs. Block letters spelled out the Hudson name below the scoop on the nose of the hood.
Despite a new one-piece curved windshield, new sheet metal from the belt line down, a modernized interior and the most powerful flathead sixes ever installed in a passenger car up to that time, the public and the critics voted that the Hudson was outdated and sales were dismal.
Hornets had most Super Wasp equipment plus the following additions or changes: crank-type front ventipanes on all models; cast aluminum ‘high-compression’ head; electric clock; foam rubber rear seat cushions; Custom wheel discs; hydraulic window lifts (in convertibles); and special trims. Sedans and Club Coupes were upholstered in 15 percent nylon worsted Bedford cloth with broadcloth bolsters and Plasti-hide trim in different shades of the same colors: brown, blue or green. The Hornet Hollywood had similarly toned, snowflake design nylon cord seats with Plasti-hide bolsters. The convertible was done in blue, maroon or green genuine leather (with Plasti-hide side trim). Convertible tops were available in maroon, black or tan. Specific combinations of top colors with car finishes were recommended, but not considered mandatory. Also, the Hollywood hardtop could be had with tri-colored seat and headlining combinations of antique white Plasti-hide and red, blue and green bolsters, at no extra cost. The last models introduced by Hudson, in Detroit, were the Hornet Specials. They appeared March 19, 1954, at prices $115 to $140 lower than comparable Hornets. They had Hornet Special front fender script, Hornet engine and a subdued level of exterior brightwork.
After long talks, Hudson and Nash-Kelvinator merged on May 1, 1954, to form American Motors Corporation. Nash was the strong partner, relatively speaking, and it was decided that current Hudson production would end in October, with the name being transferred to a variation of the Nash.
Even with the midyear introduction of the low-priced Hornet Special series, sales did not pick up. In all, 24,833 Hornets were made. Only 11,603 of the smaller Wasps were put together.
The base Hornet engine, still at 308 cubic inches, was rated at 160 hp and the Twin-H option brought that figure to 170 hp for $86 more. However, the stock-car racers used the specially built 7-X engine, which was available through the company’s parts operation for $385. This high-performance engine reportedly produced 210 hp.
Hudson won 17 out of 36 NASCAR Grand Nationals, again more than any other make, and driver Marshall Teague wrapped up another AAA title with five wins.
Other Hudson drivers took three more victories to account for half the AAA events that season. Ironically, Teague’s last win came September 12, at Milwaukee, Wisconsin, not far from where the 1955 Hornets would be constructed in Kenosha.
Hornet prices in 1954 ranged from the Hornet Special Club Sedan at $2,571 to the convertible Brougham at $3,288
HORNET ‘BIG’ SIX: Inline six. L-head. Chrome alloy block. Displacement: 308 cid. Bore and stroke; 3-15/16 � 4-1/2 inches. Compression ratio: 7.5:1. Brake hp: 160 at 3800 rpm. Four main bearings. Solid valve lifters. Carburetor: Carter two-barrel type WGD Model 2115S.
CHASSIS FEATURES
Wheelbase124 inches; Overall length: 268 7/8 inches. Front tread: 58.5 inches. Rear tread: 55.5 inches.
HISTORICAL FOOTNOTES
On Jan. 14, 1954, Hudson directors approved a merger with Nash-Kelvinator. On March 24,1954, Hudson stockholders approved the merger. On April 12,1954, the Jet Family Club Sedan was added to the line. On May 1,1954, Hudson officially became part of American Motors Corp. Twenty-six days later, Hudson employees were notified that production was being switched to the Nash automobile factory in Kenosha, Wis. On Oct. 30, 1954, the 1954 Hudson model run ended in Detroit. Eleven days later the first Hornet/Rambler departed the Kenosha plant. On Dec. 28, 1954, the first 1955 Hudson Hornet V-8 was built at Kenosha. An era in Hudson’s history had ended.
Collector Values
1954 Hornet Special Series 6D
2d Club Coupe
No. 1 condition $20,000
No. 2 $14,000
No. 3 $9,000
No. 4 $4,000
2d Club Sedann
No. 1 condition $18,100
No. 2 $12,670
No. 3 $8,150
No. 4 $3,620
4d Sedan
No. 1 $18,400
No. 2 $12,880
No. 3 $8,280
No. 4 $3,680
1954 Hornet Series 7D
2d Club Coupe
No. 1 $21,000
No. 2 $14,700
No. 3 $9,450
No. 4 $4,200
2d Hollywood Hardtop
No. 1 $23,000
No. 2 $16,100
No. 3 $10,350
No. 4 $4,600
2d Brougham Convertible
No. 1 $55,000
No. 2 $38,500
No. 3 $24,750
No. 4 $11,000
4d Sedan
No. 1 $18,600
No. 2 $13,020
No. 3 $8,370
Old Cars Weekly -
George Snyder from the 3M Company
Posted by RARiccardi in Shops on July 9, 2008
George Snyder and the 3M Company were very important parts of the restoration of the original Monkeemobile. these folks provide everthing from glues, papers and tape to body fillers that are such an important part of a high quailty restoration. Just like the one Mike Grey at Advanced Restoration did for Barris Kustom Industries on the Monkeemobile. George Barris was on hand to say thanks.
SoCal Machine Shop Part 1
Posted by RARiccardi in Shops on July 6, 2008
George Barris takes a quick tour of one the shop areas at the famous SoCal Speed Shop. He compares modern tools with those used in the early days of customizing.