Torq-Thrust wheels
For many hot rodders, the word “custom” conjures up images of chopped, channeled, molded and frenched cars with wild metalflake paint jobs. Such radical customs no doubt helped define the custom movement of the 1950s, along with such phrases as “if it don’t go, chrome it,” but in virtually every town in the USA there was a contingency of mild customs providing their owners with daily transportation, an occasional trip down the dragstrip, and a starring role in the local armory car show a couple of weekends a year. No, most of these cars didn’t hold the local track record, nor did they make it to the ISCA Grand Finale, but they were good examples of shade-tree customizing and hot rodding. Known mostly as a “mild custom,” a term that no doubt originated from car show classes, this style of car was extremely popular.
When the time comes to begin building a new project, the process can often end up going in a different direction. By the time you are finished, the truck you started with can take on a whole new appearance, as if the French built it. That wasn’t going to happen with Rick Parsons’ project.
“It looks like a Chevelle, but what’s up with that grille? Why does this Chevelle have a Pontiac dash in it? Where did you get the special side trim?” These are questions often heard by muscle car enthusiast Nick Hedgecoth, shortly after pulling his ’64 Acadian Beaumont into position at a car show or cruise-in. This mixture of components puzzles many enthusiasts, but it makes for a great-looking car that will always get attention because of its unique styling.
