Metal finished joints! Perfectionist personified. I read many years ago that Dick would get frustrated that Harry wanted to metal finish EVERYTHING. He very much propagated the idea of not ADDING things to a car to customize it... but rather, to REMOVE most of the original trim and to "allow the lines of the car to speak for themselves."
My dad (Ralph Day) ran away from his home in Milwaukee Wisconsin with his brother Mal. Dad was 12 and Mal was 14. After hitchhiking across the country they ended up in the Sacramento area. His brother Mal was big for his age and looked older than 14. Mal lied about his age and got a job to support them both. They got an apartment and lived on their own. My dad spent most of his teenage years in Sacramento and he saw Harry Westergard and the Barris Brothers custom cars first hand. They made a big impression on him. When he moved to Iowa he bought a 1936 Ford Cabriolet in 1957 and he started to build his own California style custom like what he saw as a teenager. As you can see by the photos, he was heavily influenced by Harry, George and Sam.
Yes, the transition of Coachbuilt into Custom was best represented by Westergard. His cars all have that unmistakable look. I call it Refined Elegance.
The Jalopy Journal
