Some of the best sources for the custom car historian and enthusiast are older (and contemporary) magazines that focus on custom car construction and feature material. 

Probably the most generally-helpful magazines are the 1964-era Hot Rod Custom Car Yearbooks. These volumes are not hard to find – regularly, decent copies show up on eBay.  Photos: Mark S. Gustavson Photo Archives.

Especially in its first decade or so, Rod & Custom magazine (under the tutelage of the legendary Spencer Murray) was a leading proponent of custom car construction and customizing techniques.  Photos: Mark S. Gustavson Photo Archives.

Car Craft magazine, too, carried some custom car features in the early years. Though Car Craft has, in recent years, disclaimed its earlier interest in custom cars, their coverage was first-rate. Photos: Mark S. Gustavson Photo Archives.

More contemporaneously, Custom Rodder magazine regularly promotes the construction of custom cars today. Photos: Mark S. Gustavson Photo Archives.

Probably the most erudite of all of the contemporary custom car magazines is The Rodder's Journal. World-class photography and text define this incredible publication. Photos: Mark S. Gustavson Photo Archives.

In the Fifties through the early Sixties, Trend books published a series of Custom Cars Annuals. All are highly sought these days – good copies are especially hard to obtain.  These provide an authentic vision into the custom trends of those years. Photos: Mark S. Gustavson Photo Archives.

There were also a set of specialized, individual custom car magazines published in the Fifties. These issues are exceptionally hard to locate. Photos: Mark S. Gustavson Photo Archives.