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For generations, it has been thought that the crown jewels of the hot rod industry were based on the coasts. While we can’t argue with the sheer amount of pristine builders and manufacturers settling down around the coastal cities, we’ve gotten the opportunity to dispel that myth.
No matter where you go, there’s a car culture all its own and in Colorado that comes in the form of amazing hot rod and custom shops like Custom Auto of Loveland. Recently we were able to take a tour of this fine facility and prove once again that gorgeous builds are not just a factor of location, but also of the amazing artisans behind them.
Butted up against the foothills of the Rocky Mountains for nearly 20 years, Custom Auto has found its niche in the hot rod community of Colorado. Unbeknownst to some, Colorado is brimming with car culture and their hot rod scene is one for the books.
With dry weather, high elevations and a passion above all else, Colorado is becoming more and more of a hot rod Mecca than some would expect. Of course, it helps to have shops like Custom Auto in the area fighting to keep the hobby we all know and love alive.
Owned by life-long hot rod enthusiast Dave Crouse, Custom Auto specializes in custom hot rod projects from period-correct restorations to full-on street rod builds. Most of the projects that enter Custom Auto’s doors are there for months of frame-up work. Others pop in for tune-ups, show and tour preparation, engine rebuilds, upgraded handling packages, and even updates to factory or previously modified creature comforts, like brakes, air conditioning, and aesthetics.
No matter what the job may entail, one thing is for certain–of all of Custom Auto’s projects every job is completed to the customer’s specifications and goals.
The Shop
With any good custom shop, the goal of Custom Auto’s is to always make their customers’ automotive dreams come true. Custom Auto goes above and beyond simply putting together iconic molds of the industry.
From custom louver punching to full restorations and builds, Custom Auto does it all while making use of vintage machinery that any classic hot rod shop would be envious of.
Custom chassis work, engine builds, and custom metal work including louver punching and custom exhausts, are just a few of the services that Custom Auto provides. Additionally, the shop has a paint facility with a state-of-the-art down-draft paint booth to provide expertly sprayed custom paint jobs. The shop also has access to one of the greatest pinstripers in the industry, Alan Johnson, for even more custom work.
While Custom Auto is known for their impressive builds, they also provide services that are becoming more and more scarce in the industry. One of those services is custom transportation of large or difficult-to-haul vehicles.
Whether it’s right here in Colorado or across the country, Custom Auto works with its customers to transport vehicles in a custom enclosed trailer for safe transit.
A state-of-the-art down-draft paint booth helps the paint on project vehicles settle more evenly while giving Custom Auto full control over the project with the custom paintwork done in house.
Another service that Custom Auto offers is locating rare and highly desirable collector cars. Whether you’re looking for that dream Deuce Coupe or monstrous muscle car, Custom Auto has an impressive knack for tracking down vehicles for even the most discriminating collectors. To top it all off, Custom Auto offers its customers access to rare, hard-to-find, vintage and factory-original hot rod parts and speed equipment.
Having had an eye for the hot rod for decades, Crouse has collected parts for the hot rod industry for years now and shares the rare opportunity of equipping project vehicles with very special vintage components with his fellow rodders.
Custom Auto is also an authorized parts distributor for Posies, Heidts, Mooneyes, Brookville, and Pete and Jakes.
Custom Auto’s parts department houses only a fraction of components, both vintage and modern, that the prestigious hot rod shop can offer their customers.
Some of the shop's other offerings can be found in over a dozen storage units adjoining the property. And yes, we're talking real vintage metal, factory components and rare pieces just waiting for an adequate project to come along. 
Unlike some shops that have countless employees, Custom Auto employs only a handful of highly skilled craftsman.
Not all the projects at Custom Auto have definite plans, but no matter where these vehicles end up, we’re certain they’ll be some of the most prized in the country.
Among them are Floor Manager and metal fabrication specialist Rex Rogers; Body Shop Manager, paint and body specialist Dustin “Dexter” Nere; paint, body and metal fabrication artisan Fred Frank; prestigious metal fabricator, painter and refinisher (and also our tour guide) Josh Allison; and mechanical, assembly and fabrication guru Jason James.
To the customers’ benefit, all the guys at Custom Auto have several years of experience in their trade as well as experience in multiple facets of the building and customization process.
This not only helps custom creations come together smoothly, it also gives customers the assurance that their ride will be handled with the utmost care and creative consideration.
This 1951 Nash-Healey is one of the iconic two-seater roadsters produced as “America’s first post-war sports car” starting in 1951 and running through the 1954 model year. In addition to metal work from head to toe, this unique car will be receiving an overhaul on its vintage 234.8 ci inline-6 OHV engine thanks to Custom Auto.
The Cars
As one might expect with a shop brimming with so much talent, Custom Auto is chalk full of projects on a daily basis. On our tour, we were lucky enough to come face to face with a dozen high-end projects in different states of the customization process, including some iconic legends.
Among the projects currently underway at Custom Auto, we saw a handful of ‘32 Fords, ranging from a custom frame to American Hot Rod Foundation Founder Steve Memishian’s personal project. Custom Auto is also working on an amazing 1956 Olds Super 88 convertible owned by Ed Santucci, a 1956 big back window Ford pickup with C4 running gear owned by Mike Detwiler, and a 1951 Nash-Healey with countless hours of metalwork put into it so far, owned by Shawn Till.
Owned by Ed Pink, this 1936 5 Window is set to be a legend remade, but it’s not the only notable hot rod Custom Auto is currently working on.
This Riley engine is one of only a handful believed to exist in the hot rod world today, with another such engine displayed in Bill “Speedy” Smith’s Speedway Motors Museum of American Speed.
While every corner of the Custom Auto shop blessed us with pristine projects and rare finds, it was the 1936 Ford 5 Window that surprised us the most. Owned by legendary engine builder Ed Pink, this bad boy will be completed to the legend’s liking with a custom engine built by Pink himself.
The Legends
With so many amazing vehicles currently in the shop, it came as no surprise that Custom Auto is also responsible for the restoration of some of the industry’s most legendary cars.
These include the Joe Nitti Roadster, which won the Most Beautiful Roadster award at the 1950 Los Angeles Hot Rod Show, the Dead End Kids Dragster, the Norman Timbs Buick Special, Chet Herbert’s Beast III, and Larry Shinoda’s Chop Stick Special.
Custom Auto also proudly restored the iconic Berardini Bros. 404 Roadster. Pictures of all of the legendary cars that Custom Auto has restored can be found hanging on the walls of the lobby as well as in countless photo books the shop has on display.
With a two-toned blue paint scheme and a red interior, Ed Santucci’s 1956 Oldsmobile Super 88 convertible will maintain its rare factory aesthetics.
Our trip to Custom Auto was one full of surprises, inspiration and creative genius. As one of the country’s premiere hot rod shops, Custom Auto offers top-of-the-line restoration, customization, and care to all of their customers without the high overhead you’d expect from a shop of its caliber anywhere else in the country.
It was our pleasure to be able to explore the shop as well as talk to the amazingly passionate staff, and we can’t wait to see what new projects Custom Auto creates in the future.
For even more pictures from our Custom Auto shop tour, check out the GALLERY below and be sure to visit Custom Auto online at www.RealHotrods.com.
