Jimmy Summers performed some of the body work on this great early customized truck.
The later version had "regular" headlights instead of the hidden version used when the car was first built. Jimmy ...more

did those headlights and is by some also credited for the rest of the body work.

The Rodders Journal issue #36 has an excelent story on the truck by Pat Ganahl.

www.roddersjournal.com

This '38 Buick was started and completed between late 1940-early 1942 in the Los Angeles area. The car's original owner - Richard Meade - who attended the fine arts college seen in the background of ...more

the photographs. Note the beautiful full fadeaways, chopped top, '41 Buick taillights, '42 Buick bumpers, etc. The car was blue-black lacquer. Richard remembers the car being built by both Jimmy Summers and Coachcraft. The car apppears in the ealiest edition (1944) of the Custom and Restyle book by Dan Post.

Car Classics magazine claims this early 40's custom is a Jimmy Summers creation. The body is chopped, and the front and rear fenders where raised and full fadeaway fenders created. The fade away ...more

fenders are all hand made and bolted to the body. They where not molded in like we have seen on customs from the late 40's early 50's. Headlights are 1939 Ford units. Bumpers are from a 1941 Ford. The black and white photo's where taken in 1945.
The car was bought of a Californian car lot in 1951 by a marine who just got back from Korea. The car was painted a dark brown color then. He drove it to Ohio where he lived. He drove the car as daily transports for a few years. Then sold it. The new owner used it till 1957 and during that time did some work on it and primed the body. When the engine broke, and he parked it. The hood, hood sides, grille, bumpers and fender skirts where stolen of the car in the years after that.
In 1972 the present owner asked a local body shop to repair it but they said it could not be done and laughed at him. The car sat mostly outside since then. A few years in a barn, but that collapsed so it was moved outside again. The car has been rediscovered in Ohio May 2009 when a friend of the guy who stored the car for its present owner posted the photos on the HAMB. The front fenders are stored inside the car. The present owner is at this point not intersted in selling the car... we can only wonder why not???!!!
All efforts are taken to save this car right now. So hopefully in the near future we will be able to see this amazing car back on the road.