Billy's Vintage and Customs

02/16/2026

Another tough project that came out nice was making a new casting for the grill surround fit the sheet metal. Original ones were pot metal and even after being repaired they tend to crack. So a new bronze casting was made from the original one. It took a lot of sanding and reshaping to get the back to fit correctly. Then once that was close it was still not fitting right so it was cut into 2 pieces and shortened. Then once that was good all the pinholes from the casting process had to be filled with solder then sent to the plater to be copper plated. It was given back to me so I could sand and fill any other defects in it then was chrome plated. It came out really nice, but it was a long process to get it done.

02/16/2026

Haven’t posted in a while so here are some pictures of a set of cylinder blocks for a 1909 Premier that I recently painted. It takes a lot of sanding to get them smoothed out, but they look really good when finished.

09/19/2025

Heidi and I are having a a great time attending the 48th Modoc tour. Always nice to see old friends and catch up during the week. Time went by fast though and tomorrow is the last day then back home.

06/21/2024

So drove the 1936 Pierce back down to its owner today. Nice driving car, and even better the v12 started back up, that was the main reason it was in the shop. When the Pierce v12 gets warm the starter has a hard time cranking the engine. New larger cables, replacing some parts and cleaning the contacts in the Startix (Thanks Ben) and a lot of testing finally fixed the problem.

06/05/2024

1912 Pierce Arrow 48 Hp 6 cylinder engine with seven main bearings. Crank was turned, new Babbitt bearings installed and line bored. There’s a lot of bearing surface, makes for a very durable bottom end.

10/04/2023

Last week of September, we attended the HCCA Nickel Age Tour based in UT. What a beautiful area! St George, Bryce Canyon and Zion National Parks. 33 Cars and about 84 people. Beautiful scenery, nice people, fantastic cars!

10/04/2023

Stopped in at the Iron Stone Concours, we haven’t been in a long time, but it was a fun ride to get there and saw some great cars and friends.

10/04/2023

Got a special delivery!

10/04/2023

September was a big month for touring! Here’s a few pics from the Modoc Tour based in North Eastern California in a town called Alturas. We’ve been attending this tour for years, and while the tour routes don’t change much year to year, it’s always a pleasant drive and so much fun to catch up with friends!

08/05/2023

Another car going to auction that was in the shop more recently is this one. It is being sold with the trailer. Should go go the site and check it out, it has a pretty interesting history.

https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bonhams.com%2Fauction%2F28011%2Flot%2F91%2F1936-pierce-arrow-model-1245-convertible-coupe-and-curtiss-aerocar-trailer-chassis-no-3120036trailer-no-c22-2b-013-6136%2F&h=AT0JqvHDypUYL3jlDXOtzECFcI2OtoPMDvXQMaCj0OA5Z8UJSJE-Yyf-kaHITPGfKqQK8zpi4yNIjdK0wPxD6DhLQs_bDvF-Ffg8XZl2c6bOZKfwQbAtVnnK9lx65IvJfiU7twqwsPuPXFo&s=1

462ci L-Head V-12 Engine Two Stromberg Carburetors 175bhp 3-Speed Manual Transmission 4-Wheel Semi-Elliptical Leaf Springs with Solid Front and Live Rear Axle 4-Wheel Drum Brakes *Single family ownership from new *California-owned all of its life *Unique Pairing of High-Quality Automobile and Luxury...