Picture request....."BLUE DANUBE"

[53choptop]

Need some more pics for chop research.

http://www.barris.com/images/gallery/bluedanube.jpg

[glassguy]

wow.. i just used this car as an example last week,telling another hamber to use for insperation...ill find the book that has pics of them biulding a clone

[53choptop]

The even funnier thing is that it was me you were replying to!! http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Man if you could find that book and scan those pages that would be great, and actually I was wanting to ask you about your merc, can you send pics, build pics, whatever you have showing the rear door part and that curve at the rear of the door/roof (does that make sense?). I am going to tackle the 4 door situation next week and look for a bit more inspiration to get me past the "what if it doesn't look right…....." stage

Thanks

Rey

[straykatkustoms]

I have some pictures of the BLUE DANUBE at home. It will be Monday before I'll be able to post them on line. One of the Talented guys from Stray Kat Kustoms painted the clone. His name Dick Huckans from Sperry Oklahoma.

Happy Trails,

Mick

[mikes51]

Anyone else remember the Outer Limits TV episode that had the Blue Danube in it? The car was shown moving in a dark setting, fog/smoke background. In the TV show, it was the futuristic vehicle the invading aliens drove.

[choprods]

I chopped the top on that car.......before the"bearded one" did the final body and paint. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
What would you like to know about it?

[mikes51]

Did you rotate the backlite on it's outer corners? Then was the tulip panel angled from the trunk upwards to the centered,lower edge of the backlite?

Or was the backlite sunk into the trunk?

However it was done, excellent job.

[choprods]

Mike- it has been a few but heres how I remember the job.
I was brought the car and a set of pictures taken by the Barris staff in 1956...they showed a young George Barris and car owner Lyle Lake at the Lynwood shop in LA.
I was to decipeher the amount of chop and how to duplicate the look of the original car.
It had been rumored to be 5" frt and 7" rear in the Mags at the time of build.
as was often the case with George he had mis informed the readers on purpose!
It wasless for sure-and I settled on the appearance instead of the rumour.-I chopped that Clone 3" in frt and 3" in rear.
To duplicate the actual car's look 100%-would have meant leaving a lump behind the top,I opted to deviate a little in an effort to improve flow.
I cut the rear glas panel loose and chopped the front -moving it forwards and locating top.
Then-I cut 2-1/2" away above the rear glass from roofskin and rotated the stock glass and its opening forwards/using the bottom corner as a fulcrum point.
this improved the look somewhat-but still didnt have what I thought was the right flow.
I then decided the glass had to move further forwards and UP into roof some more till I liked the angle of the glass itself.
That required fabbing a new panel completely between the rear glass and trunk opening.
It had a more pleasing angle than the original-as it was taller/steeper angle on the original car.
In retrospect- If I hadn't been trying to duplicate the Blue Danubes look -I would probaly only do one thing different.Im not boring y'all am I? http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

[mikes51]

[ QUOTE ]
To duplicate the actual car's look 100%-would have meant leaving a lump behind the top,I opted to deviate a little in an effort to improve flow.


[/ QUOTE ]

Excellent decision.

[ QUOTE ]


If I hadn't been trying to duplicate the Blue Danubes look -I would probaly only do one thing different.

[/ QUOTE ]

What might that be? Something to do with the chop or the stance overall?

[Jkustom]

Yeah I wanna know too!

Thats one of my favs......

[choprods]

I Dont want to offend anyone-but the thing that I thought might improve it was to slightly section that trunk lid so as to better continue the line of the roof to the rear of car.
Dont get me wrong ,I feel the car is a BEAUTIFUL car as it is........
one point of work on that chop that goes un noticed is the slim rear post of the roof[like a 54 chevy BTW].
It has been cut vertically and while rotating the glass panel forwards and up is a narrower and a different shape than when stock.
another obstacle on these chops is the front vent posts AND parts of the quarter glass chrome frames are cast aluminm where they must be shortened[length as well as height]
I am Notoriously bad at documenting my work and sometimes dont even take any pics of it....Here is the only pic I could find of this top chop and its still in metal -as it was [when It was picked up].

[choprods]

after chop/sorry bad pics!

[Kojack]

A little research found if anyone has a copy of Custom Rodder, Nov '98, the clone is in there they were building, someone by the name of Dick Huckans. It's in my Barris Kustom's of the 50's book, I'll try and get some scans...

[choprods]

Jack Walker of Belton mo. had it built -Dick did the body work and paint...Jack still owns the car.
It is not original in drivetrain or frt suspension -but is mostly accurate in appearance....
the original had a straightL motor in it.
the roof skin only has three cuts in it one across above rear glass and one slice about 16' long on each rear corner of skin.
There is a peice about thisBLUE DANUBE Clone in Pat Ganahls"the American Custom Car"- book as well stating some of the facts about it. I believe the pic at the first post here is the original car??

[jub]

I was looking for info on chopping a 53 buick also, thanks this will help

[wingnutz]

Hey Kenny I agree with the trunklid idea..., but it still is one Sweet chop...! http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif

Was that done in your present shop...?...(kinda looks like it!) http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

[choprods]

I believe the first pic in this post is of the REAL car and not the one I chopped-
No-not at present shop Mark, I was working at the garage behind my house then......the Original car needed trunk sectioned worse http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif ,as that was the reasoning behind raising the rear glass- to get it further away from trunk for a more pleasingly angled panel -in between glass and trunk lid.
George Barris told Jack that it was so noticeable that when they shot pics of the car ,they rarely showed the direct sideshot of that area and sometimes shot it from above in a downward angle so it was less noticeable. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

[Slag Kustom]

when i built my 50 caddy the biggest problem i was having was how to get the trim and back window right. i was not able to find any good pics . so i never chopped it. i was thinking along the same lines of what was done to make the 1/4 c pillar trim work but i was going to drop the corner f the glass into the trunk to avoid the upsweep in the trunk filler piece.

[choprods]

SLAG- It would have been about exactly same M-O as this Buick I believe...-I have never "sank" any glass on a car as it usually confused me as to how it could be trimmed/finished -sealed and repaired.
You prob figured that the quarter glasses had to be shorter in LENGTH as well as height.
I believe the Cad rear glass is close to same shape too.-It would need a MILD one as it would be too much if chopped more than say 2-1/2".

[Slag Kustom]

i think the cars are the same from the belt molding up including the trim and windows

[straykatkustoms]

I agree with Choprods, the chop would have looked better if the trunk was sectioned. The body line would have been killer. I prefer the door pull grill, than the tube grill. But what do I know.

Below is one of my favorite pictures of the Blue Danube, it is from a 1957 "Restyle your car" Mag.....

Happy Trails,

Mick