2007 Sacramento Autorama - Stylin' in Sacto

Lincoln Zephyrs are pretty swoopy to begin with. Scott and Diane Byrne made theirs more so by having Marty's Chop Shop slice the top slightly and move it back a couple inches, extend the rear fenders, and modify the front fenders to accept a '41 Lincoln hood and grille. The slick coupe gets smooth power from a 32-valve, 4.6-liter Lincoln V-8 cradled in a GM subframe.

You saw the front end of James Hetfield's '53 Buick Skylark in last month's Grand National Roadster Show coverage. Here's the aft end, which has been de-finned and fitted with Jimmy Smith-designed taillights and a custom bumper. The Art Himsl- sprayed pearl lavender paint just glows under the spotlight, and the pearl white upholstery by Lux Interiors earned the Outstanding Interior award in Sacramento.

Darrell Hayes' chopped '50 Merc was the second entry built and painted by Lucky 7 Customs. With the exception of the top chop, this one is relatively mild, sporting simple, clean mods like frenched headlights, a slightly altered stock grille, and rich emerald green paint two-toned with a deep green on the lower body.

Mark Cameron's sectioned shoebox Ford started as a high school shop project back in 1982 and has been an on-again, off-again effort ever since. During the 25-year build time, it was placed on a '65 El Camino chassis, fitted with a Chevy TPI small-block, and received countless body mods from craftsmen like Jerry Sezar and Mike Schitta. Art Himsl recently painted it.

Blueberry Thrill is the name of Jack and Patty Loveall's '51 Merc. Besides being chopped and sectioned, the deep burple Merc wears '55 Pontiac bumpers front and rear, a Chrysler grille bar, '54 Merc headlights and taillights, and an LT4 small-block Chevy. Beige leather fills the full-custom interior.

Steve Frediani's '51 Ford won the 2006 WMBC trophy and made an encore appearance this year. The radically subtle convertible blends traditional and modern elements in a seamless, tasteful manner. The long list of body mods is highlighted by a '70 Torino windshield, wedge-sectioned fenders, and stretched doors.

Brad Masterson spends his days working with the legendary Bill Hines, and has spent much of his recent free time finishing up this chopped Chevy Fleetline in the finest traditional style.

Like the GNRS in Pomona, the Autorama has a Suede Pavilion where primered and otherwise "raw" rods and customs are welcome. We were digging on Gunar Hansken's '49 Ford with its Chrysler grille, frenched lights, and Pontiac trim separating its non-gloss orange-and-white finish.

This under-construction Chevy being built by Roseville Rod & Custom pairs a subtle top chop and curved B-pillar with a not-so-subtle injected Bill Mitchell big-block and Morrison chassis. Cool!

Yes, there were rods in Sacramento too! We particularly liked seeing Von Franco's clone of Norm Grabowski's Lightnin' Bug T at the Sacramento Vintage Ford booth in the Suede Pavilion. Check out more of the event's rods on our Web site.