In a way, the rela onship between Gary and Theo is
quite historical too. Long before this build, when in
their teens, Gary and Theo built hot rods together
in Theo's dad's garage. Gary opted to stay with the
trade, opening his shop (Egbert's Street Rods and
Collector Cars Inc.) and Theo went in a different
direc on, focusing on construc on and the motel
business. When Theo found the '48 Hudson, he went
to Gary to help him execute the customiza on and
restora on. In the end, the project took over seven
thousand shop hours to complete. Both men pause
when they say that number out loud. (But what's
seven thousand hours between friends?)
They started by chopping the roof three inches. Then
they threw aside the doors and did away with the
vent window. They put the stainless steel exhaust
out, not hanging off the side but tucked in under.
They added '52 Chevy rear quarter panels to extend
the tail end. There's a '49 Mercury opening in the
front for the grill, for the '53 DeSoto grill to fit in.
Then they added '55 Pon ac split bumpers, front
and back, plus the window over the back wheel to
show more of the chrome. They even added a built-
in electric li to take up the rear wheels in case you
have to change one. It's a screw li deal, but Theo
says it has come in handy.
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