To a lot of people, an automobile can be just that: just an automobile. But for some, there is an attachment immediately with a car; more so with vintage cars.
Roger Castillo knew the moment he got his ’38 Ford that that would the case with this particular car.
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Time passed and Roger was ready for a new project when he caught up with car builder Mike Bello from Bello’s Kustoms in San Diego. Mike had already done a ’52 Chevy Fleetline for Roger, and Roger was a huge fan of Mike’s style. He told Mike he was looking for a ’40 Ford because he’d always loved the prewar style cars.
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The car was in good shape, running the original flathead motor and manual transmission it was built with in the factory. The paint was just primer, and having been outside, had started to bleed with surface rust. It wasn’t long before the car was brought to Mike, and right away plans were made to start the build. Roger wanted to do things one at a time, working through the project in steps. The chop was the first to talk about, but would wait as the first actual step was to modernize the car.
When it came time for the chop, something that really determines the new look of a car, Roger said, “I want it done Bello’s Custom style,” complimenting Mike’s unique style of top chops and elegant body mods.
After the bodywork was finished and primer done and ready, the idea of colors was the next conversation. Once again, being a fan of Mike’s work, Roger really wanted to know his suggestions. The sheen would be satin to show off the flowing curves of the Art Deco body, and two colors were suggested. Mike offered Gold or Champagne Satin from Kustom Shop. Roger picked Champagne, to Mike’s approval, the irony being that Mike already knew what color he was going to paint the car. An artist knows his canvas.
