Story and illustrations by Richard Thornton

Cars come in different makes ‘n’ styles, but there are two types that are straight from ‘Wildsville’.

Hot Rods are ‘out there’… stripped down early tin, powered by rumpity V8s to get ’em percolating. Shake, rattle ‘n’ roll.
Wherever you find Hot Rods there will be Sleds too. Customs or Kustoms, doesn’t matter how you spell it! Is there anything in all the world of cars so soothin’ on the ol’ eye balls as a slick restyled 50’s Ford, Merc, GM or Mopar?

Don’t yah luv massive chromed weed-wackin’ bumpers? Rising up from the bumper, the grill is the feature that creates the attitude of the Custom. Desoto or ‘Vette teeth are like wild carnivorous fangs ready to eat unsuspecting VWs for lunch. A quieter sedate look can be done with horizontal tubes dipped in mile deep chrome. Shave the factory gargoyles off, radius the hood corners and French the head lights… oh yeah! Three inch louvers break the smooth lines of the hood…sort of like a giant cheese grater. The front wheel arches swallow Remington whites… Hollywood flippers mirror back at my dopey grin. Smooth lines of the chopped top slip over the laid down rear glass and gracefully cascades on to the deck. Liquid stell man! Wind cheating bubble skirts rap the rear wheels…(has this baby really got wheels under there?) an’ sweep all the way to the sculptured blue chrome bumper. Caddy lenses peep out of Frenched openings. Oh so cooool or is it kooool…? Lakes scrape the tar, white tuck’n’roll trim fills the insides, black, paint buried deep below the shimmering violet candy pear surface-skinky…slippery…sweet. (I think I’m in luv)

You know Customs are really just old factory tin that has been ‘born again’. They’re changed into unique rides, stylized inside ‘n’ out reflecting the personal creative expressiong of the customizer. ‘Born again’ Christians are like Customs. How do I come to that conclusion? Well we are just normal people whol have had our lives restyled/recreated/Kustomized, not by Barris or Winfield but by the One and Only Creator of all things – GOD! S’pose you find that hard to swallow huh? Well I understand that because I was an unbeliever once… that Jesus stuff was ok for others but not for me man! To cut a long story short, I was 27 when my thoughts started rotating around life’s big question: what’s the purpose/meaning of my life? After heaps of searching I came to understand that to find the big answers I needed a big answer book. I discovered the Bible has the answers. Jesus Christ opened my mind to see things in a new way when I asked Him to come into my life. I challenge you to look in the Gospels for yourself. You will see how Jesus Christ will secure a Kustomized new life for all who believe in Him.

You will not find lasting fulfilment or real meaning to your life without Jesus in it.

Want a Kustom job done on your life? Talk with a Rod Squad member today. We will rap about Rods, Customs and Jesus in any order you like.

Happy Cruisin’