Joker's Fantasy

At only 18 years old, Victor "Chino" Fraga of Orange Cove, California, has already stepped up to the big time with his '64 Chevy Impala Super Sport, "Joker's Fantasy." Back when he was 15, Chino was given the choice of whether he wanted a nice new car or an older ride. The decision was a no brainer for Chino and soon his parents agreed to help him finance the project providing that he work off the loan at his parents' store. After three years of hard work, Chino's dream has come true.

Chino started off by buying the '64 SS in his small community for $800. The mint condition car was then shipped to La Puente, California, where he hired a crew consisting of Javier "Mexico" Gomez and his staff and family members. First on the agenda was to strip the car down to bare metal. The inner hood was molded to accommodate a mural which would later be added to the car. After the car was built back up by countless hours of "blocking," the '64 was ready to be sealed and left ready for paint.

The man called Mexico then basecoated the car in silver flake before laying down a custom mixture of candy brandywine, apple red and wild cherry. The finish was later cleared and left ready for "Fonzy" of Air Shot in East Los Angeles, California, to work his mural magic. Joker's Fantasy was then taken to renowned pinstriper Mike Lamberson of Ontario, California, who did his thing with perfection. Mexico then protected the murals and pinstriping by shooting more coats of clear, which would later be buffed out to a show-quality finish.

The '64 was next taken to the Toma brothers of Riverside, California, the owners of the '50 Plymouth Lowrider Bomb of the Year, "Pura Vida." Peter and Paul dropped the suspension and turned the stock suspension into an adjustable one. The Tomas also built a custom whammy pump, equipped with three square dumps and Parker slow-down valves. The all-chrome setup was later hard-lined. The custom system was powered by six 31-series Trojan batteries, all controlled by four switches that allow the 8-inch (front) and 10-inch (rear) cylinders to go up and down on demand.

The suspension was shipped to Francisco, Mexico Auto Center's plating hookup, who triple chromed the molded pieces and undercarriage. The same shop connection was used to handle the exterior plating needs. With most of the work being done simultaneously, the car was reassembled and left ready for the interior, sound system and engine compartment. The stereo system was hooked up by Marty Aguilar of Autoworks, who installed two Rockford Fosgate Punch amplifiers powering an eight-speaker system that's controlled by a Pioneer head unit and DVD player. The scratch-built tuck and roll velour interior was stitched up by Roman's Upholstery in La Puente.

In the engine com-partment, Mexico's staff got busy and bolted on aluminum billet accessories to the stock 350-c.i.d. engine, which was also candied to match the car. The reworked engine/transmission combination ensured that the car was ready to roll. For a smooth look, 13-inch gold-center California wire wheels were bolted on.

Chino's three-year project turned out to be a complete success as he built one top-notch lowrider with the help of his fellow Los Angeles C.C. club members and the support of his family. Joker's Fantasy is a reality that this young man can be proud of for some time to come.