21/04/2026
Today I share some History, originaly curated by my friend and chopper lover The Legend⚡ Larry Watson ⚡
In 1955, at just 16 years old, Larry started his pinstriping career.
His inspiration came from watching Von Dutch at Barris Kustoms.
He once asked Dean Jeffries where he bought his brushes. Jeff replied:
“What do you want to do, put me out of business?”
At the time, only Von Dutch and Jeffries were doing modern striping.
Larry said he just wanted to paint his own car — but Jeff wouldn’t help.
So Larry went to an art store, bought brushes and copper paint, and spent two days striping his car.
When he finished, everyone thought he had paid Von Dutch to do it.
He said he did it himself — no one believed him.
Soon, every day after school, there were cars lined up outside his garage waiting to be painted.
After graduating in 1957, he opened his first paint shop and started a new trend: custom paint as art.
To promote his work, he bought a brand-new ’58 Thunderbird and painted it with six coats of pearl over a metallic silver base.
Many believe Larry invented the panel paint job.
At one point, George Barris even called him to take over the paint shop while his crew was on vacation.
In 1966, Larry sold his shop and moved to Mexico to pursue acting.
While he was gone, copycat shops appeared using his name.
He returned the following year to reopen his business — exposing the impostors.
Larry Watson was also one of the first to use lace painting and scallops.
He painted countless choppers and won multiple awards for his unique style.
In 1967, he stepped away from custom culture to focus on acting.
In 2010, Larry lost his battle with brain cancer.
⚡ A true pioneer of kustom paint.
OneKickOnly
