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25-416: (Redirected from Kustoms ) Kustom can refer to: Kustom (cars) , a particular style of custom car, popularised in the 1950s Kustom Amplification , a manufacturer of guitar equipment Kustom (footwear) , a brand of Billabong Kustom Kulture Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with

50-634: A DeSoto grill in a '50 Mercury , or a LaSalle ( Cadillac ) grill in a '36 Ford , two of the most recognized and classic combinations of all time. "Flipper" style hubcaps are popular on Kustoms, such as '57 Dodge Lancer (4 bars), '56 Oldsmobile Fiesta (3 bars), '59 Dodge lancer or "Crabs" as they are said to resemble a crab, Other such as '57 and '49 Cadillac hubcaps are also acceptable and referred to as "Sombreros", '57 Plymouth "cones", etc. There were also other popular styles that were purely after-market and never came factory stock on another car, like "Hollywood" flippers, or "Crossbars" for example. It

75-409: A car that has been severely altered from every aspect possible almost every exterior panel is re-shaped, interiors, dash, engine bay, suspension, heavily chromed mechanical components, etc. There is also a third version of a true Kustom, the "Bomb". These were the original Lowriders , which developed back in the 1940s through the 1960s alongside the other types of Kustoms. These usually were similar to

100-639: A clean appearance these were considered the premium tire; since the black tires first became available they were commonly fitted to many luxury cars through the 1930s. During the late-1920s gleaming whitewalls contrasted against darker surroundings were considered a stylish, but high-maintenance feature. The popularity of whitewalls as an option increased during the 1930s. On 6 April 1934, Ford introduced whitewall tires as an $ 11.25 (equivalent to $ 256 in 2023) option on all its new cars. But automobile designs incorporating streamlining directed visual interest away from tire walls. The availability of whitewall tires

125-583: A factory option on modern automobiles, they are still manufactured in original bias-ply or radial form by specialty outlets such as Coker Tire and Vogue Tyre. The last car available in the United Kingdom with whitewall tires was the Kia Pride . Some companies manufacture wide whitewall inserts - the so-called "Portawall" inserts are usually sold through Volkswagen Beetle restoration companies. Another modern incarnation has been tire decals , which can be applied to

150-423: A free pass due to the difficulty and/or expense of finding and fitting true hydraulic components. These cars can also be referred to as custom cars , lead sleds or sleds. The term Kustom is generally used as a signifier that the car's styling harks back to the '50s or early '60s, as opposed to later, more modern styles. Whitewall tire Whitewall tires or white sidewall (WSW) tires are tires having

175-401: A narrow whitewall with a thin gold stripe line toward the edge of the tire. They were most often fitted to luxury cars. Full-fledged wide whitewalls have made a return within modified car culture. The resurgence of traditional hot rods, customs, retro, lowriders and resto-cal cars have also contributed to the resurgence in whitewall tires. Although wide whitewalls are virtually nonexistent as

200-448: A normal tire to give the whitewall look. Modern trends toward more minimal styling, and large wheels favoring very low-profile tires leave little room for a whitewall. The Lincoln Town Car continued to be offered with a factory whitewall option—a narrow white stripe—until its discontinuation in 2010. It is not currently offered as a factory option by any car manufacturer, but it is possible to order whitewalls for motorcycles (for example,

225-443: A somewhat thin, black colored layer of rubber. Should a black sidewall tire have been severely scuffed against a curb, the underlying white rubber would be revealed; it is in a similar manner that raised white letter (RWL) tires are made. The status of whitewall tires versus blackwall tires was originally the reverse of what it later became, with fully black tires requiring a greater amount of carbon black and less effort to maintain

250-468: A stripe or entire sidewall of white rubber . These tires were most commonly used from the early 1900s to around the mid 1980s. The use of whitewall rubber for tire has been traced to a small tire company in Chicago called Vogue Tyre and Rubber Co that made them for their horse and chauffeur drawn carriages in 1914. Early automobile tires were made of pure natural rubber with various chemicals mixed into

275-535: A true Kustom "Lead Sled", a term that gained traction in the 1950s to imply a large, heavy lead-filled car. The term was generally considered negative, as it implied that the car was not very fast, though this was sometimes not the case as certain Kustoms were considered very quick. Today, the term "Lead Sled" is generally considered a compliment. Grills are often changed on lead sleds as well. Some owners use pieces of other grills to Kustomize their own. For example, using

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300-442: Is cut from the body, a "box" in the shape of the item is fabricated and welded into the original hole. The part is then installed back into the "Frenching Pocket" giving it a look of being recessed into the body. Traditionally, "Lead", (a mixture of 70% lead and 30% tin ) is used in bodywork of the area instead of modern polyester fillers or fiberglass , after the metal shaping is done to prepare for paint . "Leading" connotes

325-401: Is not limited to, starting with a 2-door coupe and making changes such as: The head and tail lights of a true Kustom may or may not be the original ones manufactured with the car. For example, some popular swaps would be putting Oldsmobile or Buick headlights in another model. Headlights, tail lights, antenna (e) are also subject to what is referred to as "Frenching", where the object

350-411: Is tradition that Kustoms should have whitewall tires , most authentic being bias ply style tires . The width of the whitewall denotes the era that the particular car hearkens to. For example, a Kustom built in a 1940s style will typically have true "wide Whites" which are 3 inches or more in width, where the white rubber extends behind the rim of the wheel, this style is period correct for Kustoms up to

375-516: The bottom of the wheel opening lip to help reduce scraping the whitewall tire against curbs . By 1968, wide whitewall tires were no longer available on the Chevrolet Corvette ; replaced by F70x15 bias-ply nylon cord tires with thin stripes, either a narrow white or narrow red stripe. The single-sided whitewall remained a desirable option through the 1970s, becoming a hallmark of "traditional luxury". Radial tires made by Vogue Tyre featured

400-475: The mid 1950s. From the mid to late 1950s, a narrower (but still wide) extending to the rim of the wheel. In 1956, GM had a concept car called "Biscayne" (styling elements that were later used on Corvettes , '57 Chevrolets , and Corvairs ). This car featured some new high-tech looking tires that had only a very thin stripe of whitewall rubber. By 1958, Cadillac starts selling cars with these type of "Skinny Whites" or "Inch walls"; they were an instant hit and all

425-418: The mid-1960s variations on the striped whitewall began to appear; a red/white stripe combination was offered on Thunderbirds and other high-end Fords, and triple white stripe variations were offered on Cadillacs, Lincolns, and Imperials. Whitewall tires were a popular option on new cars during the 1950s and 1960s, as well as in the replacement market. In some cases, having whitewall tires were a "must have" to get

450-575: The mild Kustoms in that they emphasize keeping the car as original as possible, but using custom paint, chrome, and often covered with every type of bolt-on period correct accessory possible. Having more accessories is considered good, or even honorable. Bombs usually have heavily altered suspensions that incorporate traditional hydraulics setups, with the most authentic using discarded World War II aircraft hydraulic components, which were largely available after WWII. Many modern Kustoms use "Air Bags", which are not considered traditional, but are often given

475-542: The perceived height of the wheel/tire. During the decade, increasingly lower vehicle heights were in vogue. During the 1950s, Fender skirts also covered up white wall tires. Wide whitewalls generally fell out of favor in the US by the 1962 model year. They continued as an option on the Lincoln Continental for some time thereafter but most common were narrower 3 ⁄ 4 –1-inch (1.9–2.5 cm) stripe whitewalls. During

500-576: The rage with the Kustom Krowd. This style of thinner 1 in, 1.5 in, 1.3 in, 3/8 in, or 5/8 in whitewall continued to be popular into the 1960s and are still common on some newer cars today. "Lakes pipes" were another Kustom mainstay. These were long or short chrome pipes that run back from behind the front wheels wells. They have either one of three removable end plugs for running flat through with open exhaust. Side pipes are similar but do not include removable plugs, "Bellflower" tips are similar but run from

525-498: The rear wheel well back under the bumper, a style that emerged in the Bellflower, California area in the early 1960s. There are multiple differing schools of Kustomizing, ranging in the extent to which the cars are modified, visually and mechanically. The term "Mild Kustom" refers to a fairly conservative approach to Kustomizing, where the majority of the original beauty and identity of the car are retained. A "Full Kustom" refers to

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550-450: The right look on a car; and for those who could not afford the real deal, add-ons could be installed over the rim of the wheel that could leak if the pressure was too high. New tires were wrapped in paper for shipping, to keep the white stripe clean, and for preventing the black of other tires from rubbing on the whitewall side. Maintaining a clean sidewall was an issue. Some motorists added aftermarket " curb feelers " that were attached at

575-481: The title Kustom . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Kustom&oldid=592912372 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Kustom (cars) This style generally consists of, but

600-402: The tread compounds to make them wear better. The best of these was zinc oxide , a pure white substance that increased traction and also made the entire tire white. However, the white rubber did not offer sufficient endurance, so carbon black was added to the rubber to greatly increase tread life. Later, entirely black tires became available, the still extant white sidewalls being covered with

625-594: Was limited in the US during the supply shortages of raw materials during World War II and the Korean War . Wide whitewall tires reached their height in popularity by the early-1950s. The 1957 production version of the Cadillac Eldorado Brougham was fitted with whitewalls that were reduced to a 1" wide stripe floating on the tire sidewall with a black area between this stripe and the wheel rim. The whitewall stripe width began to diminish as an attempt to reduce

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