The story of "La Revolucion" started when Chuy Barrera was a kid growing up in Fullerton, California. His mom and dad enjoyed taking the kids out to nearby La Palma Park, one of the first places in Orange County where lowriders could chill and cruise back in the day, especially when there were special events going on like the annual Cinco de Mayo festival. Chuy remembers that his uncle, a member of Savor Car Club, would cruise and chill in a '37 Pontiac that had a nice paint job and suicide doors. You might remember the car from the movie Boulevard Nights.
As Chuy grew older and more knowledgeable, he started to build lowrider bikes and model cars with his brothers. When Chuy was a teenager, his father bought him a two-door '59 Ford Fairlane to keep him out of trouble and off of the streets. Chuy credits his dad for his ability to build cars. His father was a mechanic and Chuy remembers him coming home from work and, before doing anything else, helping Chuy build his car a little at a time until it was ready to cruise. After a few years, Chuy sold the car and purchased '63 and '64 Chevy Impalas, an '84 Chevy Caprice and many more cars.
In the back of his mind, Chuy always remembered his uncle's bomb and one day decided to begin his own quest to build something as nice as that car. He found a '39 Chevy Master Deluxe in the Auto Trader being sold by Carlos Sanchez in Santa Ana, California. After a few days of negotiation, Chuy purchased the car for $6,000 and brought it home. His goal was to build a clean car that he could drive with his carnales from Southern Royalty Car Club.
Before Chuy knew it, the body was lifted off of the frame and taken to "Toker" at Toker Customs in Hollywood, California. The body was straightened and blocked by Toker, who took his time in ridding the car of its little dents along with any rust. Chuy wanted a classy color and one day, while eating at his favorite burger joint in Fullerton, he saw the color that he liked on a '95 Chevy Astro Van. The Chevy brown was the just the right tone for Chuy and it gives the car a nice Revolutionary feel. After a few liters of Chevy brown were laid down, the finish was clearcoated a few extra times and then buffed and polished to give it a glass-like appearance.
Chuy still thought that the exterior was missing something so he took the bomb to Mike Lamberson in Ontario, California, who hooked up a little bit of gold leafing and two-tone pinstriping. Chuy had christened the car La Revolucion since his grandfather was part of the Revolutionary Movement in the days of Zapata and Pancho Villa, so some pieces were delivered to airbrush artist "Japo" in Pomona, California, who laid a few Revolutionary murals with portraits of Zapata and Pancho Villa as a dedication to his grandfather who had fought for the land and people of the pueblo.
After the car was delivered back to Chuy's shop-Barrera Motors in Anaheim, California-the stock 216-c.i.d. engine was removed, rebuilt and taken to another level with the help of his crew. Modifications include three custom chrome carburetors. Chuy remembers the rumbling sound that his uncle's bomb used to make when cruising down the street so the '39 was also equipped with a 1 1/2-inch exhaust with 18-inch glasspacks.
Chuy paid a lot of attention to the reupholstered interior of the '39. With his knowledge of cars and a little bit of help from the original owner of the car and a Chevrolet guidebook, Chuy started his hunt for accessories. Some of his prize possessions include a one-of-a-kind Smokey Bear cigarette holder, redhead flashlight, Fulton traffic viewer, luggage rack, and a safety badge that's valued at more than $1,000.