When Detroit builds a car, it takes a matter of hours to traverse the assembly line. When most of us build customs, it takes much longer--sometimes months, more often years. When the television show Overhaulin' builds a custom car, it borrows a page from the Bible--seven days of creation.

By now, most of you are familiar with the show's premise: "borrowing" a car, tricking the owner, and returning a custom ride one week later. It makes for pretty entertaining viewing, even if deceiving the owner takes airtime priority over the build (this is television, after all). One thing I like is that, unlike other shows, Overhaulin' cars aren't too outrageous or tacky; they're generally pretty clean rides. Credit car designer and builder Chip Foose for avoiding the slide into pimp territory.

One episode last fall caught my attention in part because the '63 Falcon being overhauled really seemed to capture what I felt was a tasteful blend of traditional and modern customizing. Two-tone blue suede paint, a gloss white top, subtle body mods, and white pleated upholstery with blue piping gave it a vintage vibe, while the stroker small-block and full-boogie stereo brought it up to date. Even the 16-inch Intro Smoothie wheels struck a balance of old and new, looking like billet versions of chrome reverse wheels.