Born with a severely deformed spine, the result of spinal kyphosis, he was unable to stand completely upright.
[2] The hospital recommended he be sent to a special camp, where he was laid on a board in the sun all day for seven months, returning over the course of two and a half years; it helped relieve the unusual curvature.
[1] Hines' mother moved to Detroit, Michigan to work, while her children were sent to be raised by their grandmother in Jackson, Tennessee.
[4] His first custom, built in 1941, was a 1941 Buick, with molded fenders, widened rocker panels, cut-down doors (a Hines trademark), fender skirts, Appleton spotlight, and single-bar flipper hubcaps; he repainted the original turquoise to red, claiming every custom should be red with a white interior.
[2][5] He would later add a tailfin in the center of the trunklid, a feature earning so much ridicule, he changed back to a stock lid.
[7] The car made its debut at the 1959 Detroit Autorama, and was featured on the cover of Rod & Custom Magazine in March 1959.