The Customizers

When Ralph Lee, a Richmond Va printer, drives his 1961 Chevy Monza to work every morning, he has to be careful not to leave the windows rolled up. "You see," says Lee, "I haven't got any door handles." A job for the local Chevy dealer? No, the local electrician. Lee is installing solenoid switch buttons that will open the doors electrically with a touch of the hand.

Lee compensates for the lack of door handles by having a custom grille, milk-glass headlights, dual spotlights, hand-formed taillights, rolled and pleated in-tenor with a cocktail bar, tape recorder I usually play rock 'n' roll") and a white imitation angora rabbit fur rug The fur was my wife's idea," says Lee Betty has taken a right lot of interest m this car." The chromium-plated engine is treated as well as the passengers The engine compartment is lined with red imitation rabbit fur.

Craftsmen like Ralph Lee are called custom-car buffs, and his personalized Chevy was on display last week in the seventh annual Rod and Custom Auto Show of Washington, D.C.--the grand finale of 22 such shows around the country, at which automotive do-it-yourselfers compete like beauty queens

Exhaust Pipes & Nail Polish. Entries are divided into twelve classes: Custom Rod Motorcycle, Sports Car, Antique,' Hand Emit, Classic, Restored, Drag Boat. Pick Up. Go Kart and Minnie Bike. The best in each class compete tor two championship trophies: Best Rod and Best Custom. In addition, spectators may vote for "the most popular car of the show"; the car with the most votes in all shows on the circuit wins a 1964 500-XL Ford.

The clear winner, over 100 points ahead going into the Washington show Frank Farris' fast-iron "Tempted Frank's father, Orlie Farris runs a garage in Whiting, Ind. Two years ago, they bought a 1931 Model A Ford for $150. Now, $10,000 and countless man-hours later, they have an "altered street rod" par excellence, which has never been beaten in show competition The body has been chopped and channeled and has white Naugahyde bucket seats and fur-covered pedals. It is painted with 30 coats of candy-apple cherry, and is powered with a huge 301 Corvette engine with 4-four barrel carbs and a jMC 671 supercharger. The engine is also equipped with clear plastic valve covers, "so that the judges can see its guts," as one hot-rodder put it.

Most of the cars in the show are crossbreeds. George Snyder's 1961 Lhevy, "Family Jewel," has a 1958 Chevy front, a 1960 Olds grille, 1953 Chevy parking lights, 1956 Olds headlights, a 1950 Olds windshield, and 1956 Chevy side fins. The engine comes from a 1950 Oldsmobile and supports three Stromberg carbs.

Farthest-out are the "show cars " Jilt by pros and toured as an inspiration to the amateur hobbyists These include "Car Craft Dream Rod," with a Volkswagen front end, a Ford engine Pontiac door and fender panels, a Studebaker top, and other parts from various foreign sports cars--all assembled in the latest custom wrinkle, called asymmetrical styling (both headlights, for instance are on the left side).

An acknowledged masterpiece was Mysterion," built by Ed ("Big Daddy ) Roth, who owns a shirt factory m May wood, Calif. One of the most revered fast-iron designers in the US Roth spent $12,000 putting together this machine monster. It has built-in hi-fi and television, huge maximum-traction tires behind and narrow motorcycle tires up front. Its two Ford Thunderbird engines develop 1,000 h p and every cylinder is wrapped in bright chrome.

Also widely admired was "Wild Dream," designed by Joe Wilhelm of San Jose Calif. With an aluminum body and chassis of rectangular tubing, 'it has a Corvette engine, the popular "California tilt" (front end lower than rear), and is finished in purple metal-flake acrylic paint.

Toothbrush Buffs. "Most of the guys who build these jobs are members of ub of some kind," says Pro Designer George Barris, who tours the circuit as part of a Ford team that exhibits its "dream" cars. "They're not teen-agers--they're mostly guys 20 to 30 years old--some own service stations, some are shipping clerks, some do body and fender repairs, some are hairdressers. Out in California, where I come from, a lot of the car buffs have all-chrome undercarriages At a show, they'll be underneath the car with a toothbrush."

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