As a teenager, he would skip English and history to go to machine shop and art class, preferring to fix and race cars. He finally quit school in the 11th grade and opened up a garage behind a used car lot. Hines built his first custom car in 1941 and in 1953 entered a 1934 full-fendered Ford roadster in AutoRama that took Best Custom honors. 52 years later, that very same '34 Ford was shown at the prestigious Pebble Beach car show in 2005!

When Bill Hines customized this 1949 Mercury convertible, he made it into a classic "Lead Sled." Finished in Royal Blue metal flake, it features a chopped white Carson top, frenched head and tail lamps and shaved chrome.