A group of gearheads turning wrenches and firing up acetylene torches is about as ubiquitous on TV as a teary-eyed John Boehner, but the upcoming Car Warriors, debuting this week on the Speed Channel, has a secret weapon: George Barris.

Yes, that George Barris, of Batmobile and Munster Coach fame. Along with Mad Mike Martin (left) and Jimmy Shine, the man who put the "k" in "kustom" is going to judge whatever outlandish creations dueling teams of rodders put together in the garage.

We caught up with Barris on the shop floor of his Barris Kustom Industries, where the original kustomizer shared his secrets and talked shop. While he's been at this game a long time, we can assure you he's no slouch to trends. "I did the first car in 1938, so of course I'm only 40 years old," he told us.

A 73-year body of work sure is worth a retrospective, so we bring you a "kustom" ride down memory lane with George Barris.