Typically, pastels are reserved for spring/summer dresses
and bathroom décor. That manly (loosely interpreted) rule of thumb is
completely erased, however, when it comes to custom cars. And no man speaks
pastels louder than Richard Zocchi—with his countless customs, that is.
1962 Chrysler 300
A Nor Cal fixture, Richard’s been messing around with custom
cars since he frst obtained his driver’s license, and along with another Bay
Area namesake or two, can be credited with the revival of customs in the ’70s,
following the debut of his memorable Merc “Cool 50”. On through the ’90s till
pretty much this day, Richard has managed to unveil new rides almost on a
yearly basis. With no preference to any one particular marque—he’s owned
everything from a ’62 Pontiac to a ’39 Dodge, ’57 Fair lane to a ’60 Olds—about
the only real constant: pastels! And that’s not a dig in any way, shape, or
form, either … soft hues and customs go hand-in-hand, like mossy oak and
beards.
1962 Chrysler 300
Engine
Richard’s latest, which he debuted at last year’s Grand
National Roadster Show, goes to further reinforce the fact that there’s no such
thing as “hands off ” when it comes to potential makes/models. In stock form,
the early-’60s Chrysler Imperial is as close to a factory custom as you’ll fnd.
That obviously had no bearing on Richard; his ’62 300 hardtop is a perfect
exercise in fair game-netting, excellent results.
As he’s done in so many years past, Richard relied on
another area local icon, John Aiello, to handle the Chrysler’s body
transformation. That consisted of, among other things, chopping the top (4
inches, with a ’67 Camaro backlight used), sinking the stock headlights in a
“faux-frenched” manner, reverting to a ’61 Windsor grille, and incorporating
’60 T-bird rockers. Art Himsl followed step by applying the custom-mixed PPG
pastel toners and pearls topped with a gold pearl (which Aiello painstakingly
buffed out). Inside, Concord Auto Upholstery’s Freddy Diaz laid out white
alligator and vinyl appropriately to accent the exterior. A stock but
air-assisted suspension accommodates a quartet of custom knock off equipped
chrome wires, sporting. Coker radial wide whitewalls. The bright work (both
chrome and stainless polishing) was aptly handled by Sherm’s Custom Plating,
while the stock 383 under hood was rebuilt by Rich Garcia.
The back of 1962
Chrysler 300
Whether it’s a soft pearl yellow, cool yet vivid mint green,
or a blended, peachy pink, Richard’s preferred color palette always seems to
hit the mark—but don’t let that distract from the underlying customs that each
custom paintjob drapes. Each of his vehicles speak for themselves design-wise,
as well.
