
Lordz of kustomz
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Kuston car builder. 1950's style lowriders, customs For those of you who have heard of Lordz of kustomz, this story comes as no surprise. It needs to go viral.
(753)
Address
5868 Crocker Street
Los Angeles, CA
90003
Opening Hours
Monday | 8am - 7pm |
Tuesday | 8am - 7pm |
Wednesday | 8am - 7pm |
Thursday | 8am - 7pm |
Friday | 8am - 7pm |
Saturday | 8am - 3pm |
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Our Story
For those of you who have heard of Lordz of kustomz, this story comes as no surprise. Jess Castillo is the ultimate Merc builder, but what is behind this guy is also a people builder. I have followed him for many years and used him as a mentor in my Lincoln build. A quiet unassuming man who is about to be truly recognized for his efforts. Read the story below and like this post. It needs to go viral. Helping the Next Generation – The Story of Jesse Castillo By Jim Turchek While writing this article, my heart weighs heavy on a nation that is in turmoil. It seems that everywhere I look, there’s bad news dividing our great nation and I can only hope that better times are in our future. With all of these bad times challenging our country, it’s great to be able to write about something inspiring, something positive. The Hot Rod community is small and with the advent of the internet, it’s become even smaller. This has been a blessing for those trying to find a part for a restoration or help with build instructions. Additionally, it has helped many hot rodders to get to know each other from places all around the world. About 10 years ago I was fortunate enough to get to know an exceptional builder from Los Angeles, California. I have to admit, the reason I found interest in this West Coast shop was the quality of the kustoms being produced. Little did I know that the cars coming out of this shop would be only a small part of a very big story. In March of 2001, Jesse Castillo opened the Lordz of Kustomz shop in Southern Los Angeles. From the very beginning, Jesse had the deck stacked against him including a parting message from his ex-employer that his shop would never last…guess that prediction was wrong. sixteen years later and the Lordz of Kustomz is bigger than ever and producing some of the best kustom cars in the world. Jesse started working on anything with wheels when he was very young, building his first lowrider bike when he was 9 years old. At 14, he built his first Mercury and his passion has only grown. Growing up in one of the toughest cities in the world, Jesse is used to seeing how gangs and other negative influences can extinguish children’s flames of ambition. His drive and determination to better himself and his community has been a bright light in one of the darkest areas in the country, for young children. When other shops across the country hire a team of fabricators, painters and other specialist to build their masterpieces, Jesse hires no one. Instead, he has chosen to work on the cars himself along with some of the kids from the neighborhood. As long as the kids stay out of trouble, out of gangs and keep up their grades, they can work at Lordz of Kustomz and learn a trade. In times where it’s tough for even college graduates to get a job, learning a trade from a true master is priceless. Since Lordz of Kustomz is a full service shop, this means that after working with Jesse, the kids will learn about fabrication, wiring, painting, suspensions and everything else needed to restore or rebuild a car. At times, Jesse will have up to 10 kids working in the shop and other times, he’s by himself. However, no matter what help he has, Jesse continues to turn out quality kustoms that any car enthusiast would be proud to own. Unfortunately, most of the families in this neighborhood have very low incomes, resulting in most parents working one or more jobs to make ends meet. Due to this, most of them are not involved with the work they do with Jesse at the shop. Unfortunately, the need to make a living in these tough times is also the reason that there is so much gang influence in the neighborhood. Additionally, Jesse has had a tough time getting support from the local school system. Since he doesn’t pay the kids monetarily, the school system will not give the kids school credits. They will give a kid working at McDonalds credits, but not to the kids learning a trade that could help them with a life-long career. Some of the kids only last a day while others will spend most of their high school career working and learning at Lordz of Kustomz. Some of the kids are so dedicated to the shop that they’ll show up to work even when Jesse isn’t there. However, if they dedicate themselves and their time, they’re guaranteed to learn a trade as well as developing a great work ethic and a sense of worth. Working on 6-10 cars weekly, performing everything from simple repairs to complete ground up rebuilds, Jesse and the kids keep busy. Their cars have been featured on the covers of many magazines and have shipped to countries all over the world, including Japan, Sweden, Australia, Finland, New Zealand and many others. To top it all off, Jesse has even found time to help coach kids that are playing on local football teams. To say that he loves his community and the families living there would be an understatement.