Chris Ito’s Rebel ’40 Ford

Story & Photos by Chadly Johnson

In July 1948, a 21-year-old Larry Nicklin of Los Angeles purchased a former telephone company car off a used car lot for $225. Once in his possession, Larry began a radical transformation of the Ford that would stand the test of time and become a hot rodding icon.

Larry took the stock ’40 to a body shop in Santa Monica on Wilshire Boulevard for both a chop and channel job by a man referred to as “Sailor,” but due to time restraints, Larry pulled the car after the 7″ channel was performed to finish the car himself.

Off a recommendation from a friend, Larry met Al Wallace of Al’s Custom Body Shop located on Santa Monica Boulevard to help out with the chop. The resulting chop top is truly a piece of art and gave the ’40 an amazing roof line.

Read the rest of this article in Issue # 45