Jack Luna

I’ve said it many times; the best thing about my job is the people I meet. To say they’re varied, interesting and creative would be the understatement of the year. Take Jack Luna from California for example. Prior to retiring, Jack worked as a general contractor, with clients that included both Arlen and Cory Ness. You might assume from this that Jack is a rider, and you’d be right. What you might not assume is the fact that he’s also an avid fan of customs, customs with four wheels. A few months back jack sent me a picture of his latest custom project, which led to this blog.

Anyone can cut up an old Ford, it takes a real man to cut up a Rolls Royce.

Now anyone can lower an old Caddy or a Chevy to bring it closer to the pavement and give it that ground-hugging stance we all crave. The same could be said for chopping the top on a Ford coupe. So many have been chopped that the stock ones now look way too tall. But how many people have whacked and lowered a Rolls Royce? Only one that I know of – and the crazy owner’s name is Jack Luna. As he tells the story: “The Rolls project is my first major car build. I've built a few minor customs, mostly paint, wheels, suspension and some body mods. What I wanted was a chopped-top car and I started looking for a ‘60's Cad. A friend called and told me about the Rolls. Somebody had started to install an American drive train, but hacked it up, so I bought the car without a motor. The original plan was to clean up what had been started, pop in a small block, get ‘er running and then chop the top.

I think when the designers in the UK see how much better Jack’s Rolls looks than the typical stocker they might want to offer the Jack-Luna designer version as an option package.

Well! It was so hacked that I decided to shit-can anything that had been started and start fresh. That's when I called Art Morrison and asked if they could build me a chassis. As they say the rest is history. The project is now way over budget, under funded and a couple years behind schedule and DAM IT! I wouldn't have it any other way. That's why we call ‘em customs; it's really been a lot of fun. The car is at the finish-up stage now, all the major modification are finished and it's just a matter of have some fun an GET R DONE!”

In addition to building unusual customs, and the occasional Harley, Jack has two bands: "Jack Da Hat" and the Lear Manhattan Band. They even have a CD and a record label: Last Stop Records. The CD is available on iTunes and through many other distributors. Anyone with an interest in Jack’s music can click on the link or paste into the browser for info on Jack and his many and varied musical interests (http://www.jackdahat.com/).

Considering all the projects Jack has going on, from four wheels to no wheels, it’s a good thing he’s retired now, because he sure doesn’t have time to work.

Not just a car and bike builder, Jack has two bands – and he used to play Vegas with Sinatra and the Rat Pack.