Engineering:The California Kid (custom car)
The California Kid is a customized 1934 Ford three-window coupé built by Pete Chapouris.
The '34 was on the cover of Custom Rod in November 1973, along with a similar coupé built by Jim Jacobs.[lower-alpha 1] It attracted the attention of television producer Howie Horowitz,[lower-alpha 2] who wanted it for a TV movie, "The California Kid".[1]
Chapouris's selection of a classic customizing technique, contrary to the trend at the time, made it perfect for its role in the movie.
The movie earned Chapouris's '34 legendary status,[weasel words] and led to numerous copies being built in the following decades. Today, The California Kid refers more to the car than the film among rodders and customizers.
Construction
Chapouris, then a member of the Vintage Tin Hot Rod Club, customized a 1934 Ford three-window coupe in a style that, at the time, was at odds with most contemporary enthusiast thinking, and was generally considered "old-fashioned"; "resto-rodding" (a style sympathetic to the car's original design and specification) was in vogue.
The original '34 was completed in black, with a classic style of flame job, and 1960s-era Halibrand wheels. The film company added dummy sidepipes, a 'c' channel rear bumper, and replaced the Halibrands with period-correct steel wheels and Ford hubcaps.
Notes
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Steve Temple (December 1, 2000). "See Ya at So-Cal! - So-Cal Speed Shop in Pomona". http://www.hotrod.com/events/coverage/so-cal-speed-shop-pomona/. Retrieved 17 June 2015.
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