Beer and Body Work

[LizardRunner]

Custom body work is for the wearer of the vehicle. IMHO. I could tell you some of the wild things I've made from the seventies to now but you guys would then think the Alien mobile was mild. I like the work on that, looks awesome for what it is, some one has some real metal skills there. There's a parade in Houston every year for art cars I understand. Yes that's the sort of thing that happens when people like me get really really bored and have nothing but time, and some money to spend.

[LizardRunner]

yep mark, the angled license plate was first done in Southern California at a shop close to Boyd Coddinton's shop. the rolled pan came along in the 50's with the original hotrodders. George barris and Ed Roth among others really started the "custom car craze in the mid fifties and it really took hold in the mid sixties to early seventies.

[xj4life2]

Yep sure was, Boyd was a good friend of mine I lived a few hundred yards form his shop. His son is still doing work but is now on the east coast. I believe it was Vinnie? at Color Me Custom that did the first one. But Santini still did the best paint !! My Bro worked for him as a painter for a while. If you ever heard of the mini truck/car club California Cruisers, I was Pres for four years , still have my Jacket. I then started Nu-Breed car club , we were a street,slalom,show car club. Good memories ..... thanks Mr Liz.

[LizardRunner]

Santini was genius

[LizardRunner]

Barry Swank was the guy that taught me to hammer weld and use lead. Frenching is just old school cool to me. lol I haven't been at car stuff for very long.

[xj4life2]

If you ever want to have a laugh call a body shop and tell them you want to have a car chopped and channeled and the tail lights frenched in . 98% of the time they have no clue what you just said.

[LizardRunner]

I know, I went to one and told them I wanted to french the antenna, shave the door handles, channel the body and chop the top, all on my old 63 chevy pick up. The owner of the shop came over after the guy I had talked to went to him and he said "I know what your wanting but even I have no idea how to do any of that". I told him "in that case, will you rent me a space and provide the materials? I'll provide the tools including the body solder". He just looked at me, scratched his head and said "Maybe I should just offer you a job if you know how to use body solder and do all that other stuff." I laughed and told him, "I'm pretty sure you can't afford me." So I went home in my old chevy truck and started the work at my garage/shop. I love to hammer weld, cause when people see the finished product, they can't believe you can do that. I just may put up a thread on the body work and how to do it, when I get ready to really get into da lizard. Instead of cutting flares, I think I'm going to do wheel well extensions by cutting and adding the flares by hammer welding the metal in so I don't need any body putty for smoothness.

[xj4life2]

I made a set yrs ago with sheet metal then glassed over them everybody said they break or crack, I hit several hay bales in slalom and never broke one. Its funny though to glass bend like that lol lol

[hookedonxjs]

that is to get people in their both at the shows...these cars never hit the pavement...I helped a friend do custom stereo systems for major car audio companies for CES and SEMA...I was always LMAO at every project we tackled...most of the systems are geared for bling factor...some were actually built very nice for a vehicle that will never be drove!!!

[LizardRunner]

yeah the new ones are not designed to be driven. In the old days they were driven, that casket mobile of grandpa on the munsters, would do low 10's on the drag strip, the munstermobile would also get down the quarter mile in under 11 seconds. back then we build cars that were show pieces, not show pieces that happen to be based on cars. I like to build cars that bend the mind as they cruise down the boulevard or highway but most of my stuff was and is based in racing for go fast and safety of the driver.