MeBoHuffabetty

It is with great sadness that we announce that legendary kustomizer and rockabilly king, Bo Huff, passed away last night. Our deepest condolences go out to his friends, family, and brothers in the Dead Sleds C.C. He will truly be missed.

Born in Arkansas in 1943 and raised for many years in Utah, Bo Huff was always into the custom car scene from a very early age. By the time he was in his early teens, he had already picked up on the cool factor of hot rods, hanging out with the older kids and diving into just about every hot rod publication there was at the time. By age 18, Huff had already crafted his first custom, a 1950 Dodge, which he heated the springs on and swapped the bumpers out for those of a ’49 Plymouth. It may not seem like much by today’s standards, but it was that car and its modifications that thrust Huff into the life of Kustom Kulture and the rockabilly hot rod lifestyle.

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After high school, Huff ended up going to a paint and body college in Denver, Colorado before returning to Utah (the Salt Lake City area) and perpetuating the car scene with his 1927 T-bucket. Many custom cars and paint jobs followed. In the 1960s, Huff having a real knack for customizing, moved to Orange County, California where he opened his own custom shop, creating what he called “works of art on wheels.” From California, Huff moved to Fayettville, Arkansas, where he opened another custom shop, famous for its chop top, sub-frame and custom flame paint jobs. An estimated 200 works of rolling art were produced by Huff over his career, including the famed 1950 Merc “The Bad Boy,” a 1926 Model T built for Genie Shifter named “Bad-itude” and Alan Mayes’ stunning 1961 Pontiac Ventura dubbed “Pancho Brilliante.”

Though Huff may have been considered semi-retired, he never was one to just sit around and do nothing. In his later years, he continued to customize for private clientele from his home in East Carbon, Utah, as well as work on his own 1951 Merc, which was long in the kustom process. He also ran ShopBoHuffCustoms.com, The Bo Huff Custom & Hot Rod Museum in Utah and hosted two annual car shows, The Bo Huff July Car Show in East Carbon, Utah and The Bo Huff Rockabilly Extravaganza in Riverside, California.

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On July 3rd, 2015, Huff passed away at the age of 72 after a hard fight with cancer. The Kustom Kulture world has lost another great legend who is gone but not forgotten, RIP Bo Huff!