The 'Shomad' Nomad was quite the showstopper at the 2016 SEMA show | Customizing is one of the most popular activities owners of older cars like to do. If fortunate enough to have the skills, the owners themselves pursue the activity. But most owners who want their old cars restored and customized approach car custom shops like A&M Deluxe Customs in Cornelius, Oregon. Aaron Atnip and Mark Spurlock are co-owners.According to Atnip, the shop uses sheet metal to perform the restorations and customization. “We have all the machinery one would need to restore and customize a car from a pull max and English wheel to a “Yoder” style power hammer,” said Atnip. One day more than eight years ago Ron Maier came to A&M Deluxe Customs with a 1957 Chevrolet Nomad. Powered by a 265ci or 283ci V8 engine, the first generation Chevrolet Nomad was a two-door station wagon that was manufactured from 1955 through 1957. The car features a bench seat in the front, a bench seat that folds down in the rear and a two-piece tailgate that features a glass upper portion that swings up and a traditional tailgate that folds down. Maier had owned the car for more than 30 years and the wear was quite visible. It had a lot of rust that had to be cleaned off among other problems. 
Rear view of the 1957 Nomad dubber 'Shomad' at the 2016 SEMA show | “Ron had taken the car to another shop to perform the work and they tore it apart and did substandard work. So he pulled the project and brought the car to us,” added Atnip.Maier already had specific ideas of what he wanted done to the vehicle. “Ron wanted an LS Motor or big block Chevy engine, a brand new chassis, independent rear suspension, and four bucket seats with the console down the middle. He also wanted the roof of the car chopped a little bit. Then he was open to suggestions from us,” said Atnip. Many of the custom parts are made from scratch. However, some aftermarket parts were used and much of the car’s original parts were retained. Atnip volunteered that Danchuck Manufacturing, a restoration parts maker for 1955 through 1957 classic Chevrolets and located in Santa Ana, California, offers a lot of reproduction stuff for the Chevrolet Nomad. In addition, A&M Deluxe Custom has developed a history of using parts offered by certain companies. Atnip noted that they had to be somewhat creative and match their needs to products designed for other, later model vehicles. 
Interior of the Shomad features a ton of customization including new dash and center console | A good example of this is his choice of a K&N air filter for the car. “There are not too many cars that have the same style flat panel air filter with an open element that the Nomad has. So I looked through the K&N catalog hunting for the proper size that would work and I came up with the 33-2319 air filter,” said Atnip. The K&N 33-2319 is a panel replacement air filter that is actually designed for 2004 through 2006 Dodge Sprinter 2500 and 3500. A&M created an air box assembly for the filter that functions like a ram air intake. They also modified the hood to include a scoop that closes down on to the filter. After inspecting the vehicle, Atnip acquired a number of aftermarket parts that were incorporated into the car. Much of the project was determined when Atnip and his team chopped the top of the Nomad 2-inches. “It looked great,” he said. “But something just wasn’t right.” 
Checker stainless steel serves as trim on the dash, the doorsills, rear console, and seat buttons | So Atnip and his team raised the front wheel openings 2-1/2-inches and raised and stretched the rear wheel openings 2-inches.“It looked great. The body complemented the roof,” he said. Once the things that Maier had wanted were complete, Atnip and his crew suggested and then added a lot of unique features. “Most people don’t catch it, but a lot of custom trim pieces were added along with some subtle stuff that is not original,” he said. The sheet metal from the engine compartment to the firewall, the core supports and the inner fenders are made from scratch. “On the top of the hood where there is normally the two rockets, we took half of each side and moved them in and made a scoop. The hood scoop is scratch built, but it is the same profile as the rocket silhouette,” Atnip explained. Trims at the front of the hood and front of the fenders are hand-made from sheet metal to match the custom grille and to improve shape and fit. The bumpers went through some heavy work as well. “We got rid of the bullets and moved the radius of the corners outward about 2-inches on each side, which opened things up quite a bit,” noted Atnip. “The front bumper now has more of a unique look.” 
Shomad is equipped with bucket seats all around. The original Nomad has bench seats front and rear | Hand-made custom rocker moldings have been added on the sides and have the same wheel lip detail that complement the wheel openings.The rear bumper was modified to improve fit and finish and custom bumperettes were added to serve as the license plate surround. The inner fenders are made of sheet metal and include a step reveal design. Belly pans run along the perimeter of the bottom of the car from the rocker to the chassis to the front bumpers. The original tailgate was also modified. Maier wanted the tailgate to be one piece. So the original skin was retained and the rest of it was totally re-constructed from scratch. “That was a major project,” said Atnip. Other parts of the Nomad that were kept include the body core and the molding from around the windows. All of the exterior trim is stainless steel and but the grille has been chrome plated. The interior also went through enhancements. For example, the original Nomad features a center pod with a gauge on either side. The crew at A&M extended the gauge cluster by adding two more gauge pods to the right side. 
A K&N flat panel air filter protects the Chevy block engine | “It is a custom feature that looks like it could have been original,” said Atnip. “The gauge housings are made of pot metal, which had to be welded. It was a challenging part of the project,” added Atnip. The original seats were removed and replaced with used seat frames from a 2000 Chevrolet Monte Carlo, which were modified to fit the front and extensively modified to fit the rear. Gabe’s Custom Interior, in San Bernardino, California, did the upholstery work. The dashboard sweeps down into the center console, but still retains the stock style. Checkered stainless steel was polished, given a brushed finish and was placed on the face of the dashboard to offer some depth. The checkered steel also serves as dash inserts and trim on the doorsills, rear console, and custom seat buttons. Chrome-plated trim pieces appear on the door panels, kick panels and the rear. Ben’s Custom Paint in Oregon City, Oregon, did the paintwork. House of Kolor sponsored the paint for the project. Atech/Summit Racing, Dan’s Classics, Cliff’s Classics, and Baxter Auto Parts supplied the parts for the build. Sherm’s Custom Plating chrome plated the parts, Auto Glass Past and Present installed the glass, and Kingpin Car & Marine Audio installed the stereo system. According To Atnip, the project was performed in spurts and took eight years to complete. Painting accounted for two and a half of those eight years. The Shomad Nomad debuted in the House of Kolor Booth at the 2016 SEMA Show. The car is scheduled to appear at the Grand National Roadster Show in Pomona, California, in January, and the Autorama in Sacramento, California, the Roadster Show in Boise, Idaho and the Portland, Oregon Roadster Show in March. | 
