Read all about it: http://books.google.com/books?id=MoLmwZfLk_cC&pg=PA62&lpg=PA62&dq=barris+taxi&source=bl&ots=liHlPj1jMC&sig=-rRVZTxcp-wk5V066b4Tu7ESw3w&hl=en&ei=FPhLS-jbIIaIsgPa5emiCw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CBEQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=barris%20taxi&f=false
But the cool kustom stuff was a grappling hook to slow or stop it, no tires and rims were the same, the taxi meter was a pair of coffee pots linked together top to top to form an hourglass that had metalflakes (that usually are put in hot rod paint)