All text and pictures are stolen from my pal Sondre, the owner of this beautyful car.
Sondre and his brother Kjetil is running the well known Kustom/Hotrod website Kustomrama.
A must do, check out: WWW.KUSTOMRAMA.COM
This 1949 Chevrolet Business Coupe restyled by Barris Kustoms for Tom Carroll of Culver City, California. Barris Kustom Automobiles shaved the hood, and fit the car with a 1954 Pontiac grille bar. In the rear all of the ornamentation was removed from the deck lid, only the deck lid lock was kept. The door handles were shaved, and replaced by push-buttons and solenoids. Push-buttons were only installed inside the car, one on the passenger side, and two on the driver side. The job was done somewhere between 1953 and 1961 while Barris Kustoms were still located at their Lynwood, California shop. Before or after the car was restyled by Barris Kustoms the car was also fit with a 1950 Oldsmobile windshield and dual spotlights. The interior was upholstered in white vinyl. The seats were rolled and pleated, and the door and kicking panels were upholstered in plain white vinyl. The headliner and carpets were also custom upholstered. The window moldings and glove box compartment door were chrome plated.
In order to lower the car, 2.5 inch lowering blocks were installed in the rear. The stock 216 inline 6 engine was hopped up featuring a Offenhauser three carburetor manifold, Offenhauser valve cover, Mallory ignition, and Fenton headers. The carburetors were chrome plated.
When Sondre Kvipt bought the car in October 2009 he was told that the car was driven until 1959. In 1959 the engine blew up, and the car was put in storage. Around 2003 the car was pulled out of storage, and sold to a new owner. The car swapped hand a couple of times and ended up in Sweden in September 2009. By then the stock engine had been swapped for a bigger 235 inline 6 engine. The car had never been fully installed in the car, according to the owner Sondre bought the car from, the car hadn't been driven under own power since 1959. Before the car was put in storage, it was painted black. The paint job seems to have been done in a hurry, and paint chips are constantly falling of the car. The car is purple under the black paint. It is purple overspray on the relays connected to the solenoids for the doors, so the car must have been resprayed purple after it was shaved for door handles by Barris Kustoms.
Sondre is currently researching the story of this car, so if you know anything about its past, feel free to mail him at sondre@kustomrama.com
