Conceptualized by
Charles LaBonge
01
Blue Bombero 1967 BMC Firetruck
This Mexican-made pedal car from the mid-1960's was found in the backyard of a home in Whittier, CA. Requiring a complete overhaul, the Bombero received a full treatment of new wheels, tires, front steering & pedal assembly, among many other smaller parts. The custom scallop design & candy blue paint was done by Simone's Garage of East LA.
The Blue Bombero won 'Best Pedal Car' during
Bikes on the Boulevard's 2022 summer showcase.
02
The Creamsicle 1974 AMF Firetruck
Found in the same backyard as the Blue Bombero,
the Creamsicle was designed with old school lowrider paint & patterns in mind. This car was mostly complete when I found it, requiring only a new steering wheel - the spoke rims were an added touch. The challenge was
to go above & beyond the high bar that was set when
we completed the Bombero. The custom orange candy paint job was completed by Simone in twenty, hard-working hours over the span of four days. My uncle and
I custom-made some door panels and a seat out of wood, which was upholstered in Boyle Heights.
03
AMF 503 1970 AMF 503
This third pedal was complete & operated great, though the paint was extremely tired. The process of my first frame-off pedal car restoration began: sanding down all of the frame parts & painting fresh white walls. The exterior of the car ended up being painted some months later, in which I learned a great number of things about automotive painting over the three week period it took to prep, prime, paint, clear, color sand, & buff. After a few months I color sanded the car again and it really improved the condition of the car.
04
Rally Pinto 1970 Murray Tooth Grille
A 1960s Murray Tooth Grill Pedal Car that was in need of a complete restoration. The body of the car was entirely covered in surface rust, with a couple holes starting to form. Simone's Garage on the east side welded them shut and thus began the arduous process of covering the car in body filler; there was so much. I took inspiration from the original Murray Pinto graphic
and expanded it to the ends of the body. The undercarriage and wheels are powder-coated in 'Designer Beige'.
05
8 Ball Racer 1966 Murray Super Sport
Murray Flat Face from about 1966. Full restoration including custom paint job done by me. Fell in love with the car for the face plate; a rare plastic piece that was an added feature for certain models of the Murray Flat Face. They are especially uncommon today, after 55+ years, the grill inserts are usually brittled and broken. This face plate did have some slight damage, and I was able to fix it with fiberglass. Being the third car I've painted personally,
I wanted to give myself more of a challenge with the pattern than I did on the green Murray. The most difficult part of the paint was the eight; cutting a circle with insufficient tools was an adventure. I'm so happy with it.
06
The Chief 1964 Garton Mark V Firetruck
The sixth pedal car was transferred from one set of caring hands to another. I purchased this car from an antique toy collector in Inglewood, CA. It was in solid condition, only missing a steering wheel. I let it sit in my backyard for a couple months where the harsh LA summer sun took a little bit of a toll on the paint. It was only right for me to give it the love that it deserves. The painting process was a snowball effect; I started one step, and ended up just doing a few more. After about two weeks of time, effort, and patience, I came up with this. I wanted to do a different kind of paint job, I did not have an initial direction I wanted to go with the car. I'm really satisfied with how this turned out, I have the steering wheel on the way.
LAYOUT ILLUSTRATION BRANDING
