Bert Kager's 1951 Ford

Bert's Ford as it appeared when he brought it to Dick Dean in 1992. Photo courtesy of John Tomorowitz.

Photo courtesy of John Tomorowitz.

Dick chopped the top on Bert's Victoria six inches. Photo courtesy of John Tomorowitz.

The rear of the car was modified to house 1965 Rambler taillights. Photo courtesy of John Tomorowitz.

The front received Oldsmobile headlight rings. Photo courtesy of John Tomorowitz.

Photo courtesy of John Tomorowitz.

Dick working on the new grille opening. Photo courtesy of John Tomorowitz.

The front modified and fitted with a 1955 DeSoto grille and a ripple bumper. Photo courtesy of John Tomorowitz.

New taillights installed. Photo courtesy of John Tomorowitz.

Bert planned to have a 1963 Ford Thunderbird interior installed. Photo courtesy of John Tomorowitz.

1951 Ford Victoria owned by Bert Kager of Santa Ana, California.

Restyled by Dick Dean

In 1992 Bert brought the car to Dick Dean to have it customized. Dean began the build by chopping the top six inches. When the top had been chopped he made a Carson type top for it. All corners were then rounded, and the car was nosed and decked before Dick modified it to house a 1955 DeSoto grille and Oldsmobile headlight rings. During the operation, the fenders were also peaked. In the rear of the car, Dick installed 1965 Rambler Ambassador taillights. It received ribbed bumpers, and the side spears were shaved and replaced with 1953 Buick sidetrim. An antenna was frenched as a music note, and it was dressed up with fenderskirts. Inside, it received a 1963 Ford Thunderbird interior and a Chrysler dash dome. Before the build was completed, Bert lost interest in the car and sold it to Bill Papke. Bill ran a little shop in Huntnington Beach that specialized in 1949 - 1951 Ford and Mercury's.

Where is it now?

John Tomorowitz, a buddy of Bert, is currently trying to trace the car. Please get in touch with Kustomrama at mail@kustomrama.com if you have any info about the car or knows what happened to it.