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Owners: Bill & Debbie Thomas, Corpus Christi, TX
Builder: Customs and Hot Rods of Andice, Georgetown, TX
Mothers ® 16th Annual Shine Award Winner
The SEMA Show in Las Vegas, NV never fails outdo itself and this year the annual automotive aftermarket gathering went even bigger with a field of massively modified cars and trucks on display. The Mothers ® Shine Award celebrates the finest examples of these vehicles in what has become one of the most coveted and prestigious achievements within the car builder community.
As always, the 16th annual edition of the Shine Award was open to each and every one of the hundreds of stunning cars on display at the most anticipated aftermarket industry event of the year. An international panel of respected members of the automotive world, including seasoned builders, paint specialists, journalists and previous Shine Award recipients, were tasked with selecting a winner. Judging is based on overall appearance, fit and finish, attention to detail, integration of custom and stock elements, creative vision and execution of concept. Entries are scored with the state-of-the-art eJudged application that calculates results in real time. Aftermarket industry veteran and Shine Award judge, John Naderi returned to host the ceremony this year, which was held at the Mothers Polish ® booth.
Once all the scores were tallied, the judges reviewed the ten finalists and awarded the 2016 Shine Award to Bill and Debbie Thomas of Corpus Christi, TX for their 1939 Oldsmobile Series 60 Convertible. Thomas stumbled upon the Olds in a newspaper ad and purchased the rare Series 60 from the original owner. From there, Harold Chapman and his talented team at Customs and Hot Rods of Andice in Georgetown, TX took on the daunting task of building the Olds over the course of three years.
The radically reworked body is the brainchild of CHRA's in-house stylist, Christian Dotson. Dotson created the entire design of the Olds in foam with inspiration from everything from lowriders to European classics. Each panel was painstakingly reshaped including the profile, stance, wheelbase, bumpers, hood and cut lines. The wheelbase was stretched by three inches and the doors and hood were lengthened to match, while the front and rear fenders were completely reformed. Once the body mods were complete, the legendary Charley Hutton sprayed the custom-mixed PPG Kona Brown paint. Greening Auto created the one-piece wheels from scratch as well as the steering wheel and valve covers.
Joe Mondello punched out the Oldsmobile 455 V-8 to 470 cubic inches and with the one-off Wilson EFI intake manifold with twin throttle bodies, the entire package sends 650hp back to a Bowler 4L60E auto trans and Winters mini-banjo rear end. The beautifully sculpted body sits on a modified Art Morrison chassis with dual A arms up front and a four-link rear. Finally, Jay Schluter transformed the interior to match the quality of the rest of the build.
Our Goal here at CHRA - Customs & Hot Rods of Andice is to build the finest vintage autos possible, according to Michael Kaiser of CHRA. It is a true honor for Mothers ® to recognize our workmanship on this '39 Olds. We have used Mothers ® products for years because they're the best and we are striving to be the best in all the cars we build.
The Shine Award-winning Oldsmobile was on display at the PPG Automotive Refinish booth.
Paint: PPG custom mixed Kona Brown applied by Charley Hutton's Color Studio
Engine/Drivetrain:Joe Mondello-built 650hp Oldsmobile 455 V-8 bored to 470ci, one-off Wilson EFI intake manifold with twin throttle bodies, Bowler 4L60E auto, Winters mini-banjo rear end, modified Art Morrison chassis with dual A arms and four-link rear.
Highlights: Reshaped profile, stance, wheelbase, bumpers, doors, hood, and cut lines by CHRA's Christian Dotson. Greening Auto custom-made wheels, steering wheel and valve covers. Modified Audi seats, Jay Schluter interior.