May Update: Restoration Mods, Virtual Summer Nights, And More

Karl Kustoms has served the community for decades. We love working on your cars just as much as you love driving them.

This May, we had a lot of fun doing everything from our Virtual Summer Nights to custom builds for customers. In our latest monthly recap video, we cover some of what made this past month so special.

Virtual Summer Nights May 2020

Virtual Summer Nights May 2020 gave us a further look at the private collection of the boss man, Carl Moyer. In the video, he showcases one of his most prized possessions, a ’35 Chevy Coupe.

Restoration Work

The ’35 Chevy began its journey like many others. But the Karl Kustoms team gave it a full frame-off restoration. In the process, the coupe transformed from a dull, tan hunk of metal into a sleek and speedy black soon-to-be hot rod.

Moyer shares that he wanted more than just a resto-mod with his ’35 Chevy, however. And mechanic Dennis Garland is the only man Moyer trusted to oversee the task.

“So then one day here comes the old man and he drops a bomb on you. We’re gonna take this gem of an absolutely perfect, brand-new ’35 Chevy Coupe, and now we’re gonna make it what I would have considered a really high-line street rod in the ’50s and early ’60s.”

Carl Moyer

Engine Mods

The original engine has been swapped out in favor of a newer, more powerful one. But it’s not what you might expect.

LS swaps are easy. And common. Moyer didn’t want that. Instead, he opted for a ’56 Chevy 235 straight-six.

The Karl Kustoms crew added 4″ of stroke to the crank, manufactured a custom billet camshaft, and threw in gas-ported racing pistons. On top of that, a custom exhaust header and intake manifold were manufactured including dual single-barrel carburetors. Lastly, the engine received Chevy big block rods and a lighter weight flywheel and clutch.

If that weren’t enough, the team performed a four-wheel disc brake conversion and threw in a 5-speed OD transmission from an S10. Future plans include adding an electric steering system. All in all, the Karl Kustoms team hopes to have at least 400 hp when all is said and done.

Karl Kustoms Customer Builds

This month (like last month) we worked on a lot of fun customer projects, too. First, we added an air-lift suspension system to a 2017 Camaro SS. We also worked on a 2019 Nismo 370Z, adding TEIN coilover, TSW wheels, new tires, and a cat-back exhaust.

Another customer got lowering springs, Rotiform wheels, and new tires added to his 2019 Volkswagen Tiguan.

But one of our favorite projects had to be the cooling system repair on an old school Ford T-Bucket. This thing is cool! We repaired the radiator and installed a new electric fan, sending off another happy customer in a cool-as-ice ride.

Other Fun

This month we also had some fun on the dyno with a ’79 Corvette engine. But the real fun came out on the track!

We had a blast with our pre-season testing of the Carl Moyer race truck. Racing is in our blood, and there’s no better way to spend time behind the wheel!

Stay Up To Date With Karl Kustoms

Be sure to check out the Karl Kustoms YouTube Channel for more content just like this. And if you’d like us to work on your vehicle make sure to contact our team or drop on by!