Boyd Coddington
Encyclopedia
Boyd Leon Coddington
was an American hot rod designer, the owner of the Boyd Coddington Hot Rod Shop and star of American Hot Rod
on TLC
.
, reading all the car and hot rod magazines he could, and got his first car (a 1931 Chevrolet
truck) at age 8.
He attended machinist
trade school and completed a three-year apprenticeship in machining. In 1968, he moved to California building hot rod
s by day and working as a machinist at Disneyland during the night. He soon became known for building unique hot rods and in 1977 he opened his own shop, Hot Rods by Boyd, in Cypress, California
. He realized quick success: his first major customer was Vern Luce whose car, a 1933 coupe, won the Al Slonaker Award at the 1981 Oakland
Roadster show.
One of Coddington's signature innovations were his custom-fabricated alloy wheels, typically machined from a solid billet (block) of aluminum
(an industry first). Together with John Buttera,
Boyd pioneered this 'billet' machined look and applied it not only to wheels but broadly throughout the car.
In 1988, Coddington founded Boyd's Wheels, Inc., to manufacture and market these custom billet wheels. His popularization of machined billet wheels had broad impact, eventually spreading out of the hot rod world to enormously influence the popularity of custom rims within hip-hop culture. Among his many innovative designs was the ability to produce unique designs of wheels known as One-Off wheels.
The "CadZZilla" was commissioned by ZZ Top
's Billy Gibbons
and designed by Larry Erickson
. It is acclaimed as one of the great expressions of automotive customization
.
Columnist Gray Baskerville called CadZZilla "the most incredible transformation he'd ever witnessed", and in their "History of Hot Rods & Customs" the auto editors of Consumer Guide praise it as "the first really new type of custom since the heyday of the 1950s"
.
Designer Chip Foose
(Overhaulin'
), and fabricator Jesse James (Motorcycle Mania )
both started their careers in his shop.
Coddington hosted the Discovery Channel show American Hot Rod, where he competed fiercely as well with his former protégé.
Coddington's creations have won the Grand National Roadster Show's "America's Most Beautiful Roadster (AMBR)" award seven times, (the only back-to-back winner) of America's Most Beautiful Roadster,
the Daimler-Chrysler Design Excellence award twice, and entry into both the Grand National Roadster Show Hall of Fame, SEMA Hall of Fame, Route 66 Hall of Fame, the National Rod & Custom Museum Hall of Fame
In 1997, Coddington, was inducted into the Hot Rod Hall of Fame
.
His designs, centrally feature scratch-built components and appropriated the foundation of a vintage automobile. In his later days he began registering cars that were essentially completely custom fabrications as antique automobiles, avoiding major emissions restrictions
and tax
liabilities. California officials considered this a "Ship of Theseus
" fraud, claiming that so many central elements were replaced the cars ceased to be the same entity. Coddington was charged with a misdemeanor and pleaded guilty on April 7, 2005.
He was discharged, but was readmitted just a few days later to Presbyterian Intercommunity Hospital in suburban Whittier, California
.
After being readmitted, doctors performed surgery and Boyd was expected to make a complete recovery. Coddington died on February 27, 2008. His publicist stated that Coddington was a long-time diabetic who died from complications that were brought on from a recent surgery along with liver and kidney complications.
He is buried at Rose Hills Memorial Park
in Whittier, California
was an American hot rod designer, the owner of the Boyd Coddington Hot Rod Shop and star of American Hot Rod
American Hot Rod
American Hot Rod is a reality television series that originally aired between 2004 and 2008 on The Learning Channel and Discovery Channel. The show documented the crew at Boyd Coddington's car shop and their personal struggles to build hot rods and custom vehicles under extremely tight deadlines....
on TLC
TLC (TV channel)
TLC is an American cable TV specialty channel which initially focused on educational content. Since 1991 TLC has been owned by Discovery Communications, the same company that operates the Discovery Channel, Animal Planet and The Science Channel, as well as other learning-themed networks...
.
Early life, education and early career
Coddington grew up in Rupert, IdahoRupert, Idaho
Rupert is the county seat and largest city of Minidoka County, Idaho, United States. It is part of the Burley, Idaho Micropolitan Statistical Area...
, reading all the car and hot rod magazines he could, and got his first car (a 1931 Chevrolet
Chevrolet
Chevrolet , also known as Chevy , is a brand of vehicle produced by General Motors Company . Founded by Louis Chevrolet and ousted GM founder William C. Durant on November 3, 1911, General Motors acquired Chevrolet in 1918...
truck) at age 8.
He attended machinist
Machinist
A machinist is a person who uses machine tools to make or modify parts, primarily metal parts, a process known as machining. This is accomplished by using machine tools to cut away excess material much as a woodcarver cuts away excess wood to produce his work. In addition to metal, the parts may...
trade school and completed a three-year apprenticeship in machining. In 1968, he moved to California building hot rod
Hot rod
Hot rods are typically American cars with large engines modified for linear speed. The origin of the term "hot rod" is unclear. One explanation is that the term is a contraction of "hot roadster," meaning a roadster that was modified for speed. Another possible origin includes modifications to or...
s by day and working as a machinist at Disneyland during the night. He soon became known for building unique hot rods and in 1977 he opened his own shop, Hot Rods by Boyd, in Cypress, California
Cypress, California
Cypress is a suburban city located in the northern region of Orange County within Southern California. Its population was 47,802 at the 2010 census.-History:...
. He realized quick success: his first major customer was Vern Luce whose car, a 1933 coupe, won the Al Slonaker Award at the 1981 Oakland
Oakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
Roadster show.
Design innovations
Coddington was known for his clean, elegant designs combining old school with what was to be known as the "Boyd Look". It featured radically transformed vintage styling, but re-engineered around modern and scratch-built components: at the customer's preference.One of Coddington's signature innovations were his custom-fabricated alloy wheels, typically machined from a solid billet (block) of aluminum
Billet (manufacturing)
Semi-finished casting products are intermediate castings produced in a foundry that need further processing before being a finished good. There are four types: ingots, billets, blooms, and slabs.-Ingot:...
(an industry first). Together with John Buttera,
Boyd pioneered this 'billet' machined look and applied it not only to wheels but broadly throughout the car.
In 1988, Coddington founded Boyd's Wheels, Inc., to manufacture and market these custom billet wheels. His popularization of machined billet wheels had broad impact, eventually spreading out of the hot rod world to enormously influence the popularity of custom rims within hip-hop culture. Among his many innovative designs was the ability to produce unique designs of wheels known as One-Off wheels.
CadZZilla
ZZ Top
ZZ Top is an American rock band, sometimes referred to as "That Little Ol' Band from Texas". Their style, which is rooted in blues-based boogie rock, has come to incorporate elements of arena, southern, and boogie rock. The band, from Houston Texas, formed in 1969...
's Billy Gibbons
Billy Gibbons
William Frederick "Billy" Gibbons is an American musician, actor and car customizer, best known as the guitarist of the Texas blues-rock band ZZ Top. He is also the lead singer and composer for many of the band's songs. Gibbons is known for playing his Gretsch Billy Bo guitar and his famous 1959...
and designed by Larry Erickson
. It is acclaimed as one of the great expressions of automotive customization
.
Columnist Gray Baskerville called CadZZilla "the most incredible transformation he'd ever witnessed", and in their "History of Hot Rods & Customs" the auto editors of Consumer Guide praise it as "the first really new type of custom since the heyday of the 1950s"
Artistic legacy
Many of the next generation of customizers started their career with Coddington. Larry Erickson, later the Chief Designer of the Mustang and Thunderbird for Ford Motor Co., worked with Coddington early on, and specifically credits the CadZZilla collaboration for jump-starting his career.
Designer Chip Foose
Chip Foose
Chip Foose is a hot rod shop owner, automotive designer and fabricator, and former star of the reality TV series Overhaulin on TLC.-Life and career:...
(Overhaulin'
Overhaulin'
Overhaulin' is an American automotive reality TV show that ran for five seasons on TLC between 2004–2009. The show remains available via re-runs and syndication.-Hosts:...
), and fabricator Jesse James (Motorcycle Mania )
both started their careers in his shop.
Coddington hosted the Discovery Channel show American Hot Rod, where he competed fiercely as well with his former protégé.
Coddington's creations have won the Grand National Roadster Show's "America's Most Beautiful Roadster (AMBR)" award seven times, (the only back-to-back winner) of America's Most Beautiful Roadster,
the Daimler-Chrysler Design Excellence award twice, and entry into both the Grand National Roadster Show Hall of Fame, SEMA Hall of Fame, Route 66 Hall of Fame, the National Rod & Custom Museum Hall of Fame
In 1997, Coddington, was inducted into the Hot Rod Hall of Fame
.
Later financial trouble
In 1998, financial trouble due to a $465,000 loss from a bankrupt customer led Coddington to re-organize Boyds Wheels and partnered with his eldest son (Boyd Coddington Jr.).His designs, centrally feature scratch-built components and appropriated the foundation of a vintage automobile. In his later days he began registering cars that were essentially completely custom fabrications as antique automobiles, avoiding major emissions restrictions
Emission standard
Emission standards are requirements that set specific limits to the amount of pollutants that can be released into the environment. Many emissions standards focus on regulating pollutants released by automobiles and other powered vehicles but they can also regulate emissions from industry, power...
and tax
Tax
To tax is to impose a financial charge or other levy upon a taxpayer by a state or the functional equivalent of a state such that failure to pay is punishable by law. Taxes are also imposed by many subnational entities...
liabilities. California officials considered this a "Ship of Theseus
Ship of Theseus
The Ship of Theseus, also known as Theseus' paradox, or various variants, notably grandfather's axe and Trigger's Broom is a paradox that raises the question of whether an object which has had all its component parts replaced remains fundamentally the same object.The paradox is most notably...
" fraud, claiming that so many central elements were replaced the cars ceased to be the same entity. Coddington was charged with a misdemeanor and pleaded guilty on April 7, 2005.
Death
Coddington was hospitalized on December 31, 2007 shortly after New Year's Eve.He was discharged, but was readmitted just a few days later to Presbyterian Intercommunity Hospital in suburban Whittier, California
Whittier, California
Whittier is a city in Los Angeles County, California about southeast of Los Angeles. The city had a population of 85,331 at the 2010 census, up from 83,680 as of the 2000 census, and encompasses 14.7 square miles . Like nearby Montebello, the city constitutes part of the Gateway Cities...
.
After being readmitted, doctors performed surgery and Boyd was expected to make a complete recovery. Coddington died on February 27, 2008. His publicist stated that Coddington was a long-time diabetic who died from complications that were brought on from a recent surgery along with liver and kidney complications.
He is buried at Rose Hills Memorial Park
Rose Hills Memorial Park
Rose Hills Memorial Park is the largest cemetery in the United States and is located in Whittier, California. It is owned and operated by Service Corporation International .-Mausoleums and Chapels:...
in Whittier, California
External links
- American Hot Rod TV Series
- Boyd Coddington Helps Exhume Buried 1957 Plymouth Belvedere in Tulsa, Oklahoma
- Boyd Coddington At Find A GraveFind A GraveFind a Grave is a commercial website providing free access and input to an online database of cemetery records. It was founded in 1998 as a DBA and incorporated in 2000.-History:...