Bill Hines has been chopping tops, leading fenders and creating custom cars for over sixty years. After dropping out of school in the 11th grade, Hines started up his own garage and went to work on cars.
In 1941 Hines built his first custom, a ’41 Buick convertible. In 1953 he won Best Custom honors at the Autorama with a ’34 full-fendered Ford roadster. In 1958 Hines moved from Detroit to California and went to work with legend George Barris. The stint didn’t last too long and he was back “home” by the end of the year. He introduced candy apple red to the mid west and also is credited with producing one of the first molded-in side pipes. In 1960, Hines moved to Lynwood, CA where he stayed for 23 years, creating custom cars that would win many awards and greatly influence the custom world. The Buddha Buddy, Lil Bat and Big Bat were all cars that cemented Hines’ reputation as one of the greatest customizers of the 20th Century.
J.C. Henning
Paula Murphy
Fred Lobello
Jim Deist
