Fred Thomas' 1947 Chevrolet

The Price Was Right! A photo of Fred with his 1947 Chevrolet custom. A real California custom that Fred bought from a graduate from San Bernardino. He spotted it in the fall of 1959 "From a distance I immediately recognized that the front end had been refashioned." Out of curiosity, Fred just had to take a look. "I couldn’t believe what I saw. The license plate showed it was, indeed, a California custom!" The front end on the Chevrolet had two hand-formed openings into which custom grill bars had been centered. Photo from The Fred Thomas Photo Collection.

The headlights on the chevy were frenched and also uniquely shaded. "All chrome had been removed; hood, trunk, door handles, and side trim. Only the rocker panel trim remained." Was it for sale? Fred never stopped to consider how much it might cost, if it were. "I left my name and phone number on a scrap of paper tucked under a windshield wiper blade." The next day Fred got a call. "The Cal owner was finishing graduate work and intended to drive back to San Bernardino. However, he was willing to consider selling the Chevy. I worked up the courage to ask the price. When he said, "Two hundred sixty dollars", I didn’t believe what I heard. I asked him to repeat the price, and the answer was the same, "Two hundred sixty dollars". I assured him I would take it. We arranged a time for me to pick it up in two days." Photo from The Fred Thomas Photo Collection.

Shaded 1950 Buick taillight lenses replaced the stock units on Fred's Chevrolet. The rear fenders had been molded-in, and single-blade chrome wheel covers enhanced the four-door’s design. Photo from The Fred Thomas Photo Collection.

The interior of the Chevrolet was upholstered in black and white vinyl, and all interior window moldings were chrome plated. The stock shift lever had been converted over to function on the left-hand side. Photo from The Fred Thomas Photo Collection.

Fred enjoyed the Chevy until May of 1960, when he went into the Army. "Selling the modified automobile was not as easy as you might think. I tried in vain to get $550. our or five youths wanted it, but couldn’t come up with the bucks. In desperation it went to a good friend for $300. He put $100 down and promised to send me $25 a month until it was paid for." Photo from The Fred Thomas Photo Collection.

In 1998 Fred undertook a multi-year research project to record the names and locations of hot rod and custom car clubs that existed prior to 1970. He documented over 9,000 of them. During his research, he had the opportunity to solicit personal stories from a number of former club members across the U.S. In 2008, after ten years of hard work, Fred finally published the book Car Club Memories: Personal stories from three dynamic decades of Cruisin’ Competition and Cool Cars. Fred's book is a trip back down memory lane to the earlier days of hot rodding. Car Club Memories shares personal stories of young men and their car-related adventures. The anecdotes and snapshots make up Fred's book. Using the photos and stories he had collected, he was able to write biographical sketches and had them approved by the respective donors prior to the book’s publication. He also included some of his own experiences. The book has 116 pages and it contains 165 vintage black and white photos. It has become hard to come by, but it is a good read, and we recommend you all to check it out. Click here to check price and availability on Amazon.com.

1947 Chevrolet Four-Door Custom owned by Fred Thomas of Ypsilanti, Michigan. Originally a California Custom, Fred bought the Chevy from a student from San Bernardino. "We purchased used parts from Diehl Wreckers in Ann Arbor. The job of picking them up often fell on my shoulders. After many trips back and forth I discovered a shortcut that took me through the North Campus of the University of Michigan. In the fall of 1959 during one such traversal I spotted a gray-primer ’47 Chevrolet four door. From a distance I immediately recognized that the front end had been refashioned." Out of curiosity, Fred just had to take a look. "I couldn’t believe what I saw. The license plate showed it was, indeed, a California custom!"

The front end on the Chevrolet had two hand-formed openings into which custom grill bars had been centered. "The headlights were frenched and also uniquely shaded. All chrome had been removed; hood, trunk, door handles, and side trim. Only the rocker panel trim remained. Shaded ’50 Buick taillight lenses replaced the stock units. The rear fenders had been molded-in. Single-blade chrome wheel covers enhanced the four door’s design. The interior was upholstered in black and white vinyl. All interior window moldings were chrome plated. The stock shift lever had been converted over to function on the left-hand side." Later, Fred was informed that in addition to all the interior and exterior changes, the motor had been hopped up as well. "It was bored .060 over. Jahns pistons, a Howard ¾ cam, and a Tattersfield dual carb intake manifold added horsepower to the standard six. The exhaust manifold had been split and dual pipes added."

Was it for sale? Fred never stopped to consider how much it might cost, if it were. "I left my name and phone number on a scrap of paper tucked under a windshield wiper blade."

The next day Fred got a call. "The Cal owner was finishing graduate work and intended to drive back to San Bernardino. However, he was willing to consider selling the Chevy. I worked up the courage to ask the price. When he said, "Two hundred sixty dollars", I didn’t believe what I heard. I asked him to repeat the price, and the answer was the same, "Two hundred sixty dollars". I assured him I would take it. We arranged a time for me to pick it up in two days."

Fred enjoyed the custom until May of 1960, when he went into the Army. "Selling the modified automobile was not as easy as you might think. I tried in vain to get $550. our or five youths wanted it, but couldn’t come up with the bucks. In desperation it went to a good friend for $300. He put $100 down and promised to send me $25 a month until it was paid for."