In this alter-auto world we live in, there are basically three types of people building/driving custom rods: those that do it for the pure love; those that do it for ego or recognition; and those that are on what you might call a temporary trend trip. The egoists want something material in return--they want trophies, their names in lights. The trend-followers want to fit in, and customs just happen to be what some of their peers are interested in. The category that hopefully a majority of this readership falls into is that of being involved purely for the self-satisfaction and enjoyment of constructing and driving old cars. Minnesotan John Pazik is that kind of rodder, but just recently he was rewarded for his devout passion when his '50 Olds fastback was selected as the 2003 Goodguys Custom Rod of the Year.

Now, the above mentioned honor isn't simply another category developed by Goodguys to emblazon onto a plaque--it's kudos given to a deserving car built in the true custom rod style. And, rather than a single person selecting the car, a panel of judges is assembled to vote from a corral displayed at the annual Heartland Nats in Des Moines event. As you can imagine, many cars are taken there specifically to compete for the award; John's Olds wasn't. So, for Pazik's name to be announced on that Sunday in the dense July humidity in Iowa, well, it was a good thing.

Pazik originally purchased the '50 as a neglected old custom. Realizing that the car really didn't have much historical significance (it's thought to have been done sometime in the '70s), Pazik overcame his initial intent of restoration and opted to have Ron Gorrell at Unique Body and Paint in Blaine, Minnesota, completely redo the car, giving it a more modern touch. While the fastback was already sectioned, it had some modifications John didn't necessarily care for (finned rear fenders with '57 Chevy hood scoops accommodating '59 Cad taillights for one), so along with redoing much of the previous welding and metalwork, Ron and Mike Stivers (Car Creations) were also left with the chore of cleaning up the "early-era errors" as well. Mike went even further, chopping the top and slanting the windshield back slightly, all of which made it necessary to lower the floor in order to give John decent headroom. That lead to another tough decision--alter the existing chassis to facilitate the floor drop, or use a whole new frame. The final call was to an '84 Olds Cutlass chassis cut down 13 inches. Ron slanted the B-pillars, eliminated the vent windows, rounded the door corners, and installed a Buick Park Ave front-opening hood mechanism.

Pazik took upon the chores of installing a '90 Corvette L98 with accompanying 700-R4 overdrive. Afterwards, he set his sights back toward finishing the exterior, designing the stainless grille (flanked by modified Cad dagmars making up the bumper ends) and stainless rear bumpers. The remaining mechanical and electrical work was handled by Doug's Rod Garage (Spring Lake Park, MN) before Unique spent hours upon hours getting the metallic green base/clear smooth as glass. Finally, Jim McFall at McFall's Autotrim in Iowa City, Iowa, sculpted the ginger-colored leather interior, giving the Olds its perfect finishing touch.

In order to fully distinguish the custom as a modern version, Pazik outfitted it with a Billet Specialties Legacy front and ETIII rear wheels (each wrapped in BFGoodrich Radial T/As), as well as Vintage Air, Air Lift adjustable suspension, ididit steering column with a Budnik steering wheel, and Dakota Digital instrumentation. The mixture of old body styling with contemporary accents makes the car a real standout--obviously not everyone's cup o' tea, but as its new title suggests, it's one outstanding custom rod.