Customs East Coast-West Coast-Like or Not???

Hey All,

I'm in New York working. I'm originally an east coaster, but I now live in SoCal. As far as Kustoms go, I'm finding myself more of a west coast kind of guy. A New York co-worker, had a heart attack when I showed her my Merc and its transformation, so she decided to show me what she thought was a beautiful kustom. Total east coast look. Now I love any Kustom and totally believe in the beauty of the Kustom is in the eye of the beholder, but there are styles(???) that are trully coast biased.
Anyway, just I figured I would pose the question of what you folks think of this Kustom? I'm wondering if we'll see a trully divided line of East and West Coast fans...

HRod

 

Since you asked, I'd just call that tacky with a hint of our favorite rodent

 

This has been going on for at least 60 years, & will continue as long as we modify our cars ... there's no answer.

 

ive seen that car a couple times at diffrent shows i like it ..i would change some things but ive seen worse.

 

that's ol'skool rodz style. you can't even get inside until you cuff your pants.

 

Being a west coast guy I actually like alot of the East Coast look. The East Coast guys seem to do it with less $$$'s and more creativity?

 

The car in the pictures is west coast and should bounce. and have a loud boom box. No east coaster would even look at that thing.

 

Lets see some pictures of your Merc for comparison.

 

I'm happy with the differences, completely boring if there were no differences...

 

East coast: Chachkies
West coast: Chingos

Either way ... 15 minutes with some basic tools and that car would be 100% improved.

 

kustom is spelled with a C , HA HA

 

Remember when Henry Ford said you can have any color you want as long as its black?I wonder how big the organizations SEMA , Goodguys the now defuct nsra and others that helped propel this hobby,sport social life along. The ones that have kept helped protect us from local state and federal gov. If ower cars all looked alike. I believe it would get pretty boring.

 

I grew up in Hartford, CT, well, actually was trapped until age 18. As soon as I could get out I did. It's hard to explain, but I am repulsed by what I call east coast schlock. When a trend starts in the west coast, the east coast then tries to out-do them, in other words be more Californian than California. In their zeal, it is just too much and just enough over the top, IMHO, to be tasteless. Its like the further away from the west coast an idea gets, the more it morphs into something else. There can be too much of a good thing.

Oh yeah, that car is actually one of the least offensive east coast offerings I have seen. Really, it is a diamond in the rough waiting to be rescued.

 

west coast all the way.
that thing looks goofy

 

When myself and my buddies were reading pocket car books in the 50s (late) and working on our first cars, we laughed at the east coast hot rods - some of the silliness coming out of there was unbelievable. I think instead of trying to out-California they were trying to NOT be California. 32 Ford coupes lowered in the rear, side pipes, handmade grilles, and headlights faired into the fenders? Not for me....

dj

 

West coast for sure. That car is alright but i would change a few things on it for sure. Maybe tone down the flames a bit.

 

It's beauty that killed the beast..

Every year, show cars on the circuit had to be modified in some way different than the previous years version, in order to continue showing the vehicle. Which led to a lot of ugly after-thought type shit! Which later becomes accepted by people looking in magazines for ideas. Assuming that everything in the magazine is acceptable, brings a lot of this on. Less is more, but you can't argue opinion.

Pee Yew! Stinks in here, now! Sorry 'bout that.. somebody please strike a match!

 

Hey, how about a courtesy flush over there?!

 

i always have to laugh when people talk west coast or east coast there are good looking cars that were built on both coasts and there were dogs most east coast cars were built to drive in all seasons and most west coast cars were in the sun on the east coast you had snow i never liked driveing a shoe box ford in the snow when it,s only 3" from the ground and with a 4" chop but when i went to sunny cali i saw alot of the same style cars and so others that were cool too and others that??? it just that when people talk about east coast and west coast they always look for the extreme

 

I live on the west coast, ive had east and west coast customs or kustoms to some. My chopped 50 olds the Black Widow came from the east coast. I enjoy seeing both, i figure if a man works his ass off to build some thing different that he likes thats all that matters. Being from the old school ways, im not big on bad mouthing a custom that some guy busted his ass on, as long as he likes thats good enough for me.
Barefoot

 

I think you need to qualify the question, Customs built "Back In The Day" or cars built in recent years.

 

I can back this one up, having been stuck South of Hartford for my youth. I never saw a kustom I liked on the East Coast. They always either looked like a cheap, second-rate copy of something from the West, or that the builder just did not get it.

West Coast is where it is at.

 

Haha.. I'll help light a candle with the match, but that's 'bout it!

 

I never have liked the taildragging "motorboat" look that is so popular on the East Coast. That 50 looks like the Seaweed from many years ago. I didn't like it then either.

 

Neither, Midwest that's where it's at!

 

Is John Travolta driving that thing?

 

Someone said it earlier, this debate has been around since the R&C little pages...they did an east/west coast custom comparison in the early '50s...given the location of R&C the article seemed pretty biased in favor of west coast customs, but noted that the motor boat look and bubble fender skirts were more popular on the east coast. In the end, as also noted earlier, there have been both great and ugly customs from both coasts.

 

how can you even compare your MERC with that car?

 

Im with ya brother, some of the best came and come from the midwest!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

i dont think comparing modern day built cars is a good comparison when looking at west coast and east coast cars. there's too many misconceptions of traditional custom cars being built these days.

that being said, cool customs were built all around the country, and still are today...