Early Barris chopped '41 club coupe. Rear quarter windows filled and full fade away fenders created. '47 Olds bumpers, '47 Caddy grille. Built for Var Martin, it was chopped 3,5 inches in front and 5

Chopped 5-1/5 inches with the rear window leaned forward and also cut to give better proportions. The flow of the roof is absolutly perfect and is accentuated by the absence of the driprail and rounded door corners. The fenders where all molded to the body and the taillights shaved for a very elegant back end. '46 Chevy taillights where fitted to the '47 Buick front fender. The runningboards where removed and the doora have been extended on the botom so the wrap around section is now part of the door. At the front the headlights where modled in but not extended. The hood was smoothed and the grille opening reshaped to fit the '49 Oldsmobile grille. The side trim was shortened on the hood and a '49 Oldsmobile bumper was installed at the front. Dodge hubcaps and Appleton spotlights where used as finishing touch.

'47 Studebaker four door, which was sectioned 5 inch and chopped 4 inch. Channeled body and nearly every body panel was reworked. Grille opening was made using 2 '49 Mercury grille openings and a lot of sheet metal. The grille was made using two '51 Lincoln grilles and other parts as well. The headlights where extended and frenshed and had special aiscoops with small teeth added on top of them. A new hood was made from left over body parts and a scoop was created at the front with 9 small teeth added. The front bumper was created using 52 Olds grille bar and Lincoln bumpper ends. At the rear '51 Mercury fenders where crafted to the body and a scoop was created at theire leading edge. The trunk was also panckaked in a similar way as the hood. DeSoto taillights where frenched using round rod. Bumper ends where cut of from the rear bumper and used as bumperette with vertical placed exhaust openings. The center piece was seperately flowing in the center. A Kaiser guard was added. The car was finished in '52 in lime-gold green lacquer. The interior was handled by the Carson top shop done in white leather and green velvet.

Fitted with that georgious Canedian Ford grille. A simple modification but with just the right effect. Stance and style are just perfect on this custom.

This extremely wel proportioned 48 Ford with very nice forward angled B pillar line on the Padded top. The owner and builder are unknown. However in two of the photo's it shows the car in front of the Barris shop. The "unfinished" car without the fender skirts in front of the Barris shop indicates it was built or at least painted at Barris.

This Buick was built for Jim Skonzakis (Jim Street) by Sam Barris and mr Getz. The car still excits today.

Al Andril and Johnny Zaro decided to have a 40 Mercury Custom and that Barris should do the work. Al's Blue coupe was finished first and is shown on the left in the photo's showing the Andril and Zaro merc next to each other in the late 40's.

' 48 Caddy Fleetwood rear fenders moved in two inches and modifiede to fit the fadeaway's. Hand formed skirts. '48 Caddy Grille Frenched headlights nosed hood. Later the car was chopped 2,5 inch and got a gorgious Gaylord top.

The Barris Version of the Bettancourt Mercury.

In late ’52 or early 53 Louie wanted to update his custom Merc and brought it to Barris. The second version of the Bettancourt Merc is one of the few second version that is as good and perhaps even in improvement over the original version. Ussual second versions get overdone and are just to get ahead of the changes in the scene, but not so with the Barris version of the Bettancourt Mercury. The modifications done by Barris to Ayala’s original custom work where subtile, stylish and with respect for its original look. The original car had the feel of a 40’s custom with its all shaved body. Barris must have realized a bit more sparkling and lines/directions (side trim) where needed to make this custom flow just a bit better.

Al the wonderful Ayala bodywork was left alone, that was perfect already. A ’49 Cadillac side trim was added to the side, mounted lower than the stock Merc position and actually covering the top of the wheel opening, thus visual lowering the car.
A extremely beautifull grille was fabricated (arguably one of Barris best grilles) using several ‘52 grilles for the horizontal part and 51 Ford grille end tips. The teeth inside came from a 52 Mercury.

The stock Mercury bumpers where replaced with ’53 Pontiac Deluxe items with those wonderful end extentions. The rear bumper was made from a narrowed and recontoured front bumper. Both front and rear where fitted with ’52 Kaiser guards. And at the rear the exhaust was routed thru the guard bullets. The rear end extentions of the bumper work absolutely wonderful with the frenched taillights Ayala did a few years earlyer.

The Caddy Sombrero hubcaps where replaced with ’53 Studebaker units with fake knockoff’s and fitted with Barris crest. (imho the one thing that was overdone on this version). Two Barris Crest where also added to the frontfenders just in front of the doors. Barris painted the Bettancourt Merc in a mile deep Tingia maroon. Glen Houser of the Carson Top Shop created a fantastic interior using an egg-white tuck & roll with wine colored fabric which was butten tuffed.

In '56 Bettancourt sold his merc to Johnny Zupan and he had Barris made a third version of it. This time however all Barris did was just to much and I lost intrest in the car.

Much later the car was owned by Dean Jeffries and the car had undergone some more ugly modifications including quad headlights!!! The custom was stoledn of his property and never seen again. Although some believe it still ecits somewhere, nobody seams to really know where. I hope however thatone day this car will become in the hands of a tru custom car enthusiast and be turned into its first or second edition. This one is a true milestone custom that should be around for us to enjoy.

Photo's of its original Ayala version can be seen here:
http://public.fotki.com/Rikster/11_car_photos/beautiful_custom_cars/ayala_customs/louie_bettancourt/

'41 Mercury business coupe chopped 4 inches. Channeled 5 inches molded and ful fade away fenders created. The grille was replace by a '48 Oldsmobile grille and the headlights where frenched. At the back the taillightswhere removed and the rear smoothed. New bumper guard taillights where created. The car was painted dark maroon and later repainted green. Bill Ortega changed his name to Bill De Carr late. Later the car was sold to Dick Hansen of Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

4 inch Chopped Gaylord top with a three piece removable panoramic rear window. '50 Oldsmobile taillights in extended rear fenders, and Oldsmobile rear bumper. Purple lacquer with a purple and gray interior done by Gaylord. The body was channeled over the frame and a custom grille opening was shaped to fit the large diameter tubular floating griille bars.

'50 Mercury with 51 rear fenders, '54 Pontiac taillights and 51 Lincoln bumpers. Georgious.

Originally chopped and customized by the Ayala Brohers. The unfinished custom was taken to Barris who detailed and fine tuned it in '55.

This car has always had some “mistery” around it who actually built it. Was it Barris or Cerny’s Paint and Metal shop? I believe most of the body work was done at Barris for the then owner Allen Anderson. The top was chopped beautifully (arguably the best chop on a shoebox ford ever) from three inches in the front to 6 in the rear with a slight rake added to the windshield, and turned into a hard top. The top of the doors where welded to the top and a new graceful door line was made in the doors at the hight of the. The flow of this top is increadible and absolutely flawless from any angle. I must have been Sam who did this one for sure. The front fenders where extended 6 inches and the rear fenders 8 inches with modified and frenched stock taillights. Barris built an floating bar grille for the new oval grill surround. The fenderskirts where cut down '51 Mercury units.
Later the car was sold to Buster Litton who drove it around in the Barris version (not sure if it was all finished and painted though). After a while he brought it to George Cerny to do rest of the custom work. ‘51 Studebaker front fenders where installed and the front gravel pan molded and rolled into the new grille opening. A lip was added on the bottom of the hood using ’51 Mercury pieces. The new lip repeats the lip found on the front wheel opening and the fender skirts, which makes it a very nice overall design element.and the ’53 Chevy grille with ’51 Ford end bullets was mounted. At the rear George Cerny installed his trademark Olds elements in this case a complete 51 Olds rear quarter including taillights. The rear bumper was replaced with a ’53 Ford unit. ’53 Cadillac The ’48 Buick side trim ads even more length to the already lenghned and lowered custom. According the the ’53 Hop Up article the finish is an attention-rousing gleaming maroon bronze lacquer. Gaylord did the interior in a beautiful wide and long rolls & pleats in off white and orange Fabrilite. The car was also known as panoramic Ford.

The '49 Cadillac grile was v-cut, split and reshaped to fit the Chevy body. The front bumper was replaced by a '49 Buick unit, The hood was smoothed and the headlights where frenched. At the rear the rear fenders where raised and reshaped to folow the trunk shape much better than stock. '50 Chrysler taillights where placed low on the rear fenders. The rear bumper is a '49 Oldsmobile unit. The body has been channeled over the frame, and painted Chromatic Blue. The Padded top and blue and white interior where created by Gaylord.

The top was chopped 3 inches and the georgius padded top created by the Carson Top Shop. At the front a new grille opening was created using exhaust tubing which was molded to the surounding metal. The top bar was molded to the hood which was cut down to the grille opening. The grille was made up from '51 Henry J, '52 Kaiser and '53 mercury grille pieces. The parking lights are '50 Studebaker. Scoopes where formed in the lower rear quarters in fron tof the rear wheel opening. Two '53 Mercury teeth where used in the scoop and a cut down '51 Mercury fender skirt was fitted. All corners where rounded and front and rear gravel pans where molded in. At the rear a set of round '53 Pontiac taillights where set into reshaped windsplits. At the front a set of '53 Mercury headlights where molded into the front fenders which wher extended 2 inches. Front and rear '51 Ford bumpers where smoothed and shaved and fitted with '53 Kaiser bumper guards. At the rear the exhause was routed thru the bullets of the guards. The side trim was made up of '52 Buick Riviera Sweepspear and '53 Oldsmobile side trim pieces. The car was painted a deep fuchia-orchid metallic paint. Appleton spotlights, and some unusual wire wheel hubcaps finish this one up.

Chopped 6 inch in the front and 8 in the rear. Angled foreward and rounded B pillars. look carefully at that B-pillar that is one of the best looking pillars ever done on a 46-48 coupe body. The top corner is rounded with a very large radious and flows so perfect with the rear side window and is almost a miror image of the doors front corner. The headlights where molded in and a '48 Cadillac grille was installed in a reworked opening. All fenders where smoothly molded to the body and the running boards where rolled. The side trim was shortened at the front (another Barris trademark) and the hood nicely peaked and trunks smoothed. The interior used '42 Chevy seats which where 3 inches lower that stock Mercury units. This was needed to ad extra comfort after top was chopped. Cadillac Sombrero's on whide whited and appleton spotlights complete this perfect package. Color was deep brown and later the car was sold to John Logg who rear raised and fenderskirts removed... why?

Gil Ayala chopped the top on this coupe 5-1/2 inch, the windshield was leaned back and a chopped one piece Olsmobile winshield replaced the two piece original unit. The rear of the top was angled foreward and the complete top was sectioned to give it all new much better proportions. All door and trunk corners where rounded. With the top chopped the car went to Barris.
At the front a new grille opening was shaped from 2-1/2 inch round tubing. The top portion was welded and molded to the hood. The grille was made up of three '51 DeSotto grille teeth and Kaiser Fraiser horizontal bars. The headlights where extended and molded to the body. The rear fenders where extended 8 inches and a set of Kaiser taillights where perfectly fitted to it. The rear fender taillight combination is one of the best around. A Kaiser side trim was added to create some visual length. The bumper at the front is from a '49 Pontiac and at the rear from an Oldsmobile. The car was lowered using a kicked up rear of the frame and cut coils at the front. The body was painted solid metallic rusty bronze and outfitted with a set of 112-Appleton Spotlights. The interior was handled by the Carson Top shop in brown and antique white leatherete.

Mild custom with perfect speed boat stance. ' 48 Chevy bumpers dechromed body and tiallights set into the bumper guards for ultra clean rear end. Color is deep purple.

The top on Carter's '41 Ford convertible was chopped 5 1/2 inch and Gaylord made the georgious padded top and interior.The frame was C'd, floor chanelled, so the rear of the car was lowered 8 inch and the front 3 1/2 inch for the perfect speed boat look. The center grille was filled in with sheet metal and the hood was peaked and the side trim shortend. '48 Ford bumpers with the taillights set into the rar bumper guards. The trunk was ofcoars releaved of its chrome for ultra clean rear end.

Purple paint padded top by Carson

Customizing on this Buikc had started in 1949. The windshield was chopped and Hall made th padded top on frames grafted by Barris. The 1948 Cadillac rear fenders where sectioned three inches to fit the Buick Body, and where fitted with 1952 Cadillac taillights. The bumpers front and rear are also from a 1948 Cadillac. The cut down grille has the parking lights intergrated and comes also from the 1948 Cadillac. The hood had a lot of work done to it. The front lines where reshaped to end at teh center point just above the grille. And the latch mechanism was removed and replaced with units just behind the grille. Paint is a deep Purple mist lacquer. The interior was done by Gaylord in two tone leatherette. and the steering wheel and shift knob where made of clear acrylic plastic. A very unique feature back then. Appleton spots, Caddy Sombrero hubcaps anda aperfect stance make this one and all time favourite.
The car was later sold to Jim Collins of Gardena California.

Motor Trend November '52

41 Ford cabroilet with '50 Oldsmobile fenders (front and rear) '50 Mercury grille shell.

1950 Ford also known as the 7-tooth Ford. The grille opening was shaped using 2.5 inch exhaust tubing, which created a wonderful lip. The hood was extended downwards and the lip was made part of it. The hood and front gravel pan where nicely peaked. The grille was made using sheet metal folded to form the horizontal bar to which 7 die-cast teeth where added. The end spinners come from a 51 Ford grille in tubes of unknown origin.The front bumper is stock but smoothed of the bumper guards. At the rear a '49 Mercury rear bumper was modified to fit the Ford and the taillights where set into the bumper guards using red lucite. The rear fenders where peaked and the stock taillights and windflairs where completely removed..
The windshield was chopped 2 and ahalf inch and Glen Houser of the Carson Top Shop madea wonderful padded top for it. And they also where responsible for the red and white pleated upholstery. Paint was Fire Engine Maroon Metallic and hubcaps came from a Oldsmobile. Appleton spots where standard custom procedure.