custom car review

Customs are considered to be show cars. They don't need to be good at anything except for looking slick and sinister while getting your ass to the next car show, girlfriend or bar. But in the early days they most often were the only means of transport for their young owners. So, I decided to start some real world testing of my Chevy Coupe. I took it to the grocery store, went down town and hauled some bags of empty bottles to the local recycling center. It succeeded perfectly. Well you're right, that wasn't that tough. But there are some more challenges waiting in the future.

the "t & m schilter" workshop

Here we go again. The 1953 Chevy is the long term project of the two Schilter brothers. It's gonna be mild custom with some emblems shaved and a lowering job. The original six inline was swapped for a smallblock. They're gonna drive it hard and with the steep roads through the swiss alps, they need any extra torque available.


Besides the beer filled fridge, the workshop is professionally equipped.


A nice black Caddy sitting in front of the shop.


They use it a lot. It's the perfect party mobile.


The beautiful 1957 Buick Special of a customer.




Another Buick in the works: this 1950 sedan is gonna be lower, too.


The air filter was built using one of the car's old hubcaps. Check out the name and address the first owner engraved, in case the hubcap would fall off.


The nice interior will remain untouched.

1953 chevrolet

This weekend, I continued my "tour de garage" across central switzerland. I had a great time at the workshop of the Schilter brothers and checked out their nice new premises with a well equipped fridge full of Corona beer. More to come soon!

the photography of chris cooper vol. 2

I already told you that I'm a big fan of the photography of Chris Cooper. He recently moved his stuff to a new place on the interweb and I just keep being amazed of his work. Check out some pics he took at the Bright Rockabilly Festival.

support your local custom shop

Happy weekend everyone.

upcoming icon for sale

Don't you love this sight? You might enjoy it every day, if you want to, as the Rudy Rodriguez built 1940 Mercury currently is for sale on ebay.

momo goes tuck'n roll

When he isn't cruising his black '65 Impala, Momo usually is seen in this '39 kustom Ford convertible. Now there's no need for mexican blankets anymore as the swiss custom car pioneer got himself a brand new tuck' n roll style interior, done by Style Inside. Looking good! Check out the behind the scenes shots, too.

the golden submarine

A shot I took last summer. It's amazing to see what the sunlight does to some kinds of paint. The Caddy was built and painted by Caner Kayihan from Zurich, Switzerland.

out of hibernation

Good times in my garage: Thanks to some fresh oil, a new starter and some finishing touches, the 1949 is ready to hit the road again.

bubble top supreme

As seen on Butcherkustoms. And my car bucket list is getting longer.

almost there

Spring is on the doorstep. And I'm not ready yet as I still gotta work on my rides. So much for being a lazy ass during winter. Now I better get my tools out and fix what needs to be fixed. Happy weekend!

idaho ingenuity

There seems to be no shortage of cool, high quality videos lately. Here's another one, called Wrecked Metals from Josh Clason. Location, light and cars alone would make for several killer photo shoots. But seeing – and hearing – them in motion is pornography.

what it's all about

A great little video about Rancho Deluxe from Bandit Films. As seen on FUEL Magazine.

one in a million

A 49-51 Mercury needs to be chopped. It preferably sports a dark burgundy, blue or a black paintjob. And it shouldn't have more than two doors. At least, that's the impression one might get, when you wander around a custom car show or check out the feature cars in the magazines. There's nothing wrong with that. But it's so refreshing to see a Merc that's the complete opposite: stock roofline, four doors and no (visible) paint. And it's owned by a girl from Germany.


Gudrun bought her Merc in 2007 from Michael Perrech who had imported it from San Jose to Germany.


An airride was installed, the paint removed and the bare metal covered with clear coat.


The engine is still the original flathead. Right on!

plastic surgery

Does this shot look familiar to you? It probably does, as I already published it in this post a couple of days ago. Here we got the original photograph without using the "salt flats" photoshop filter.


It is based on the famous Revell/Monogram 1:8 scale 1932 roadster kit but its builder Fabian Koch added his own homemade three window coupe body.


He also did some fancy tricks to get that faux patina look.


Fabian also did this chopped five window body shell.


How cool is that?


Check out the heavily channelled "Hammered" coupe.


Impressive work from any angle.


Amazing details.


Here's a quick insight into the production process.


So, do you feel like sniffing some model kit glue? You can order the two different body styles directly from the builder Fabian Koch. You can choose either from a three window or a five window coupe, both in 1:8 scale. Each set consists of the body shell, the hood and a windshield. They perfectly fit the Revell/Monogram 1:8 scale roadster kit. Just shoot an e-mail to deuce-models@gmx.net to place your order or to ask any questions or visit their facebook page. (pics © Fabian Koch)

update: deadend magazine

The Deadend Magazine needs no introduction. Click here to check out the latest issue, a look back to 2010.