Customs Under the hood of customs

I generally try and avoid shows where everyone looks like they need a jump start. Hoods open as far as you can see. Just my personal opinion, but hoods should be closed. It breaks up the lines of a good custom.

With that said, a lot of guys spent a good deal of time detailing under the hoods.
Back in the heyday of customs, what did most guys do for accessories? Was is mainly chroming the original air cleaners, valve covers etc.? Or were guys swapping around the air cleaners from other brands etc. Pleated fender wells , what else?


Not much 1-800 stuff back then.

 

I agree an open hood breaks up the lines on a custom and they are more about style than performance.

 

For my '60 Sunliner, I'm going to emulate Bill Whetstone (the original owner of the Adonis '60 Ford) and never open the hood....

 

Open hoods at car shows reminds me of baby birds wanting to be fed.

 

many shows require that hood is kept open if you want ride judged for award

 

Meh......

 

Open hoods is better than parking on the rockers, but not by a whole bunch.

 

I prefer to have my engine parts sticking through the hood

 

I like a nicely detailed engine compartment in a custom. But, I also like the hood to be shut at shows. That is my plan for my Merc for the very few shows it will be at when done.

 

Of course you do.

 

Hard to really see in this pic, but Taboo had tri power and corvette valve covers. Top of the radiator was polished.



The reason the hood was pancaked in the 90s was to help keep the front ends looks while having the hood open during indoor shows where there is alot of points on the table for judging. As the ISCA rulebook even had some guidelines on how open everything needed to be. At the few weekend outdoor events we have take the car, usually 1 day hood open and the other days its closed.

Pre pancake


Today, does at least help keep the look of the nose a bit:


Then motor as of today:

 

I absolutely agree with you. My engine compartment looks decent, but the car only looks right with the panels closed.

 

I am planning on Mama's 55 to be sanitary, but not a lot to keep up. This one is being built to be driven a lot.

 

I like a clean engine compartment. I overdid the chrome and stuff on my 55 Olds, but usually kept the hood shut. People were surprised how nice the engine looked, and I didn't want to show it off. But that's a more modern (1982) build.
The Kopper Kart, had a very nice engine, swapped to a Vette 6 cylinder, with finned aluminum, and chrome. Even had a pinstriped firewall!

 

About open hoods,,,;
Mostly only when asked!
As total car nut in high school an before, with super low $'s,I had two cars* [ why 2 ,another story} I build both junkers,to what I thought ,show cars,,from Jr High< 57,58,59, an Sr High School<60 ,61, 62. One of my fav. things was doing the big indoor car shows we had in south Florida,about 4 times a year { most of the time then,they were 3 days=car had to be in show over night for at least 2 nights.
I would pick,putting my full custom "J" in,or my 28A roadster { My "J"done up a little better then my 28A,so it got in more shows.
As for open hood on "J",I had a little sign*" Like to see Old's Rocket 88 ,just ask"= I only opened the hood when asked! Yes,I had made it look as good as I could under the hood on my limited $,but had polished to high shin anything that could be. Plus at the show{ like most every one,add temporanily,a little Angle Hair under the hood to cover up anything I didn't want seen.
My 28A never* had a hood anyway,an still dose not. So hole other thing.

 

The reason mine is open is that it’s waiting on it to be fed more dollars!

 

THANK YOU! Nothing bothers me more about post WWII cars at shows than open hoods, looks like alligator feeding time at the Zoo.

 

Makes for great pics though.

 

The engine compartment in my '55 Cadillac-clean but not overly chromed...most kustoms (where I grew up anyway) in the 60s were drivers, Moriarity's '55 Chevy with the chrome inner fender panels was more a 'show' car than a daily...most compartments used bolt on chromed stuff and very few were cleaned within an inch of their being...
R-

 

Classic, I'm stealing this line.

 

Man I like seeing under the hoods of cars At a show. I guess it's just me.... Lol

 

Mox Miller's Impala in the 60's.

 

Cars with hoods open all the way up look like alligators ready to start eating.

 

Feel free. I steal most of mine.

 

My 51 Merc has some chrome and some white tuck and roll panel’s under the hood. If I have to open the hood its only ever open about a 1/4 of the way. Never fully open.

 

A pic of my mercs engine in the 50s.Chrome radiator, heater box,generator,oil filter,horns and voltage regulator.

 

Is that a WCFB 4 barrel?

 

https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/the-mag-wheel-thread.1279137/#post-14675549 mox miller’s 58 Impala


Hello,

Custom cars are built to showcase the ideas, the high end details, the home brew ideas and whatever fits into the category of custom show cars. So, whether the hood is open or closed, that is individual choice. If this cool 58 Impala was mine, it would have the hood open for all to see such a detailed 348 motor with ideas no one else has/had at the time or even now. It was one of the best custom cars of the time period in our cruising neighborhood of So Cal, specifically, Long Beach.

Even the interior had some touches that were not seen elsewhere. great design, great presentation, each time.



Yes, the smooth lines of the great looking paint and those outrageous custom wheels makes people want to see the completed custom in its “down the street” version. But, when we were invited over to Mox Miller’s house in Long Beach, we were told that it does not get a lot of miles on the whole car, street wise. So, there is that.

Jnaki

As the old saying goes, “it is all in the details…” This custom 1958 Impala has so many details that it is a rolling wonder for the time and even by today’s standard for a custom car. If you want a version to say… 1950s custom car, this is it.

My 58 black Impala, even in its custom car state, later in life was nice all around sedan that got plenty of street/highway/mountain/desert miles during its lifetime for me and earlier, for my brother and I at the weekly drags from 57 to 60. But,that 471 supercharged motor from Mox Miller’s Impala would have added a different look to my own black Impala. Mild custom, but, wild, for sure.


Ours was a drag race/street cruiser/daily driver to school and work. But, it was a different build compared to other 58 Impalas that were on the street in various communities. We all had our version of what we could afford and delve into racing or custom accessories. Like a C&O Stick Hydro and modified suspension, custom Buick Skylark Wire Wheel additions… Thanks for the great look, @themoose