WWII

Dick Owens of Redondo Beach, California, had this 1940 Mercury convertible restyled by Barris Kustoms after returning from WWII. A veteran of the Battle of Guadalcanal, Dick came home, married his girlfriend Betty, and got right into the booming custom car scene. According to Betty’s brother, Harold Johnson, Dick already had the Mercury in 1945, and it was in grey primer at the time. Sam Barris handled the chop, sometime between 1945 and 1947, giving the car a sleek, lowered profile. The running boards were removed and replaced with filler panels, the license plate was recessed into the trunk, and a padded Carson Top was added by Glen Houser. The car also featured fender skirts, and Hollywood Flipper hubcaps wrapped in blackwall tires. Photo courtesy of Tina Bergeson.

After returning from WWII, Glen Wall settled in Whittier, California, and found himself drawn to the booming post-war custom car scene. In the mid-1940s, while working at a car lot, he bought this 1939 Ford convertible, already chopped and fitted with a Carson Top. The car’s sleek, low stance turned heads everywhere he went, and before long, people started offering to buy it. That’s when Glen realized he could turn customizing into a business. He began sourcing 1939 Ford convertibles, chopping the tops himself, welding the posts, and having them leaded and primed before taking them to Glen Houser at Carson Top Shop for a padded top. Black was the best-selling color, and his cars featured fender skirts, Appleton spotlights, Buick trim details, sunken license plates, and dual exhaust. Looking back, Glen told Sondre Kvipt of Kustomrama in 2016 that he estimated building and selling around 20-25 custom cars before chuckling, "But that’s a conservative number." This 1939 Ford was the first, and the one that started it all. Photo from The Glen and Forey Wall Collection.