First, the top should be lowered several inches, and then remove all chrome trim, kick back the window frames and you're ready for the paint. Don't forget the flames! Customizing for appearance started from the Southern California hot rod experience immediately after World War II. During the 1930's and 1940's, racing on dry lakebeds in the Mojave Desert brought together cars, and drivers throughout Southern California. Customizing began in the early 1920's as soon as the Ford Model T was mass-produced.