Valley Custom Forged the Path for Many a Rod and Custom

It must go with the territory … as one gains experience, one realizes just how much one doesn’t know.

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I have spent the better part of 50 years talking, writing, and photographing all things hot rod and I have experienced my fair share of attempted builds, some cleaning, and lots of driving. I am never surprised by how much I don’t know. (Although I’ve been told this is a reoccurring theme throughout my life.)

For starters, as I have confessed before on this very page, custom cars were my initial draw into the world of hot rodding. While it’s true I have a passion for a Model A roadster sitting on a pair of Deuce ’rails, the fact remains I always look at customs—spelled with or without the letter “k.” My shortcoming is I haven’t spent enough time really learning about the early customizers and, therefore, haven’t fully appreciated their efforts. Hot rods of today are phenomenal and while there’s a distinct styling and performance difference between a hot rod and a custom, the fact is nowadays customs and hot rods alike are built from bumper to bumper and from floorpan to roof, expressing a max effort of imagination, ingenuity, and craftsmanship to fully explore every facet the car has to offer.