Featured History Transitioning from Customs to Low Riders

1966 Impala known as the Garden of Eden with custom paint job, shaved, lowered on Cragar S/S wheels and pinner whites.

 

1957 Chevy Nomad with Buick Skylark wire wheels with duo wing knock offs, thin whites and custom paint job with panels and flames.

 

Not sure I am understanding the concept of transition.

Both still exist. Both existed. One did not turn into the other.

Over time there were shared attributes.

 

the majority of lowriders I see are restored cars with bags or lifts. wide whites and stock hubcaps are being traded for wires and pinner whites. I'd rather not see the deep dish 13" wires, but nobody asked me.

 

Growing up in San Diego in the 50's, there were low riders and customs. Never observed a "transition" from one to the other. Just spent a week in New Mexico and almost as many low riders there as in Southern California. There were more than a few shops specializing in building low riders in SoCal that expanded their customer base to include traditional customs. I knew several custom car owners that took their cars to low rider shops for paint.

 

I understand that looking back it seems to be a smooth flow from one to the other, but I also think it was a new fad splitting away from the early style. Just as music changed from one genre to something different, it can have elements shared, but became it's own thing.
https://musicmap.info/
The person wearing 501s and the other wearing bell bottoms are both in jeans, but they aren't projecting the same fashion.

 

I have always liked lowriders, and I’m interested in the early history of them. There’s guy on Instagram that has a pretty good page posting the history and stuff. I can’t remember the name off my head. It’s 64 something. I’ll think of it

 

“46-64 history” is what he goes by.
Great guy and has a ton of knowledge, I’ve talked with him several times

 

Yeah I dont get it either. Lowriders started in the 40's alongside hot rods and customs. They didn't evolve from customs. And they certainly were around way before the 60's.

 

Yep. Stupid low cars been around way before the term “lowrider” became a type of custom

I just kinda took the question as the cars that came just before that common term

 

1958 Pontiac that has been shaved, given a very wild paint job, the California rake, lake pipes, Lancer wheel covers, bullet tail light lenses

 

1959 Pontiac with a 1960 Mercury Monterey grill and headlights, reworked hood peak, fade job paint work, dual molded side pipes, shaved deep dish wheels with thin whites.

 

The HAMB is a rod and custom website, low riders don't belong here

 

1954 Mercury that has been chopped, heavily lowered, elaborate paint job, frenched, shaved, Astro Supremes with thin whites.

 

Drop dead perfection!

 

This one is hard on the eyes, and I don't know why. Too much going on?

 

I’d drive it

 

I agree. It was my old friends Mike Brown and then my other friend Baby Ray acquired it. I love cruising in that car...

 

Man, that is awesome. Is it yours?

 

1958 Cadillac slammed, nosed, decked, nice pearlescent paint with subtle pinstriping, Caddy wires and thin whites.

 

1958 Pontiac with a chop top, highly modified and molded front and rear, heavily shaved, triple outlet lake pipes, Astro Supremes with thin whites, blended and webbed paint job.

 

The Five Line 1959 Chevy with a ton of modifications... Molded front and rear end with frenched headlights along with tail lights, custom bullet grill, shaved, extremely deep dish Cragar S/S wheels, molded side pipes and of course angel hair under the hood, trunk lid and in the cabin...

 

1962 Chevy Impala, with Cragar S/S wheels, thin whites, shaved and scallops.

 

1955 Pontiac Safari with a custom paint job, Astro Supreme wheels with pinner whites, shaved and lowered stance.

 

1951 - 1952 Buick convertible with a chopped top, satin paint job, Skylark wire wheels with thin whites, shaved, possibly upside down Nash taillights, and non Buick bumper.

 

1955 - 1956 Mercury Hard top that has been chopped, shaved, nosed, decked, Buick portholes set into the hood, lake pipes, wire wheels and pinner whites.