Custom Craft: A Firsthand Look

The other day I got a magazine in the mail. It was a surprise; not one that I had ordered or knew anything about. To make things better, I can’t say I’ve ever even heard of the publication. The timeframe was right and the subject matter aligned with my interests, so naturally I cleared my desk and prepared to dig in. But right before I sliced through the scotch tape and freed the magazine of its clear plastic envelope, I asked myself something: When was the last time I got to read a car magazine completely new to me? By new, I mean not only content, but also publisher, editorial staff, layouts, photographs, advertisements, thoughts, opinions and everything else that comes along with it. I then answered my own question: not often. So rather than leafing through this one just for myself, I figured I’d try something different. I’ll be—in real time—going through the November/December issue of Custom Craft and recording my first impressions below.

NOV.—DEC.—1960—25 CENTS. The bi-annual Custom Craft chose a pretty wild one to round out the year. Good color. Nice crisp layout. Upon first glance, I assumed they were pulling off some sort of early photoshop work with their cover car, especially in the bottom left image with the quad headlights mirrored over the custom grille. The car appears to have started life as some type of Studebaker—judging by the distinctive bodylines on the door and what remains of the windshield—but I guess I’ll have to keep reading to find out. It looks like I’ll also learn more about “The Mild Customs,�? “A $13,000 Corvette�? and most importantly (exactly what this car needs) a lesson on “HOW TO PUT A SCOOP IN YOUR ROOF.�?

I open it up and I’m immediately hit with a few advertisements for Karting magazines. Harle Publications—they’re an Ohio based company based in Canton. I wonder how their office was on Camden Ave.? Maybe I’ll drop them a line. The contents page is simple; the masthead is simpler with five staffers and two publishers. This is marked as issue number five. Lots of features—looking like mostly Midwestern cars. Fifty-five pages are accounted for.

They start with the mild customs—Those Mild Customs—the mild customs they promised would be inside. It’s a ’57 Ford convert that’s been dropped a little, shaved a little and looking pretty good against a barren fall landscape. Oh, and there’s a ’56 Ford in there too—similar styling except this one’s next to a nearly frozen pond. The author quickly points out that these two drop tops display some “Yankee Ingenuity.�?

Next up, “Torchless Custom Grilles: a handful of front ends easy on the pocket.�? Some sort of barbequing reference? Cads, T-Birds and Canadian Fords all used on this group of machines. Radical chopped Merc with canted quads featured.

Then some show coverage of the “Custom Show Topper,�? which brings us to Kansa City, Missouri, to an event held in the midsummer by the Mission, Kansas-based Dragon Wheels Club. It’s difficult to identify what kind of venue the show was held in—it appears to be a mixture between a gymnasium and a bus garage. Model cars, early iron, lotsa trophies, tinfoil, fishing nets, undersea displays, 4-71 blowers, a girl on a go-kart and a ’32 Chevy with only 98 original miles—sounds like my kind of show. Let’s go back?

And then there’s the feature on the $13,000 Corvette. I’m not sure what I was expecting, but I’ll admit that I wasn’t expecting this. Dubbed the Southern Pearl, the car was built by the Greater Arts Custom Shop in Miami and had never been beaten at the drags. By the numbers: Four headlights, six grille holes, six carbs, two piecrust slicks and 119.84mph at 12.1 seconds. Best caption I’ve read so far: “How’d you like to get hit by this at 110mph?�?

The “Ebony Dip�? ’55 was known for its rake, ’Vette mill and black lacquer. Scallops look like they were done by Jeffries, but they were the handiwork of a local guy in New York. ’Lotsa louvers here.

Not long after the short article about the wonders of Plexiglas and dynamics of radical fins comes the story of a Buick-powered Deuce from Nebraska. Interesting to note that the car had its grille and top filled at Cushenberry’s in Monterey—which marks the first mention of California customizing in the whole issue.

Ever wanted to make a roof scoop? Well, no, not really. The process looks very involved and not for the faint of heart. But if you’re interested, check out this issue of Custom Craft. Theirs turned out very nicely if I do say so myself.

(Towards the back of the magazine there’s a chopped and channeled early Ford drag coupe from Nebraska called “Sweet Lemon.�? With any luck you’ll see more on this car some other time.)

Once I reached the end—making sure to note both the cartoon and the question and answer section—I was greeted by an ad about “A new magazine especially for the family bowler.�? It was over. Then a light came on. What about that ridiculous car from the cover? I leafed back through the issue twice. Nothing. I was lured hook, line and sinker by an early form of what I can best describe as click bait.

Regardless, reading this issue of Custom Craft gave an excellent insight into the lesser known cars, builders and shows from lesser-known areas that still flourished during our hobby’s golden age. Picking up one of these smaller issues is a refreshing way to spend an evening. I highly recommend you give it a try if you haven’t already.

—Joey Ukrop