Custom front bumper idea's...?

[greaseball]

Looking for "creative-custom" bumper idea's-
(For a 57 ford, but anything COOL or DIFFERENT would rule)

Was sorta thinking about using a FULL-SIZE "new truck" bumper...
(1988 almost up to today)
Some of them look cool...?
Maybe?

Was also sorta thinking about FLIPPING the STOCK bumper,
But then I'd have to "drop the fenders down",
an' I think that'd be a bitch---

Guys usually go DESOTO with custom grills,
But what's a swap for bumpers??

Shoebox merc has something of a nice shape...
But I'm not sure if it's wide enough?
(Merc guys prolly aren't "giving those out" either)

So anybody got any "cool" idea's?
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif

[Anderson]

'57 Chevy...I think it'd have to be wodened though.

[shoebox72]

How about a 56 Ford front bumper & splashpan? They look good. Or 53 ford, they really smooth. same look.

Billy

[porknbeaner]

Just lop the middle out. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif Or snag the s**t from a 57 plymouth?

if it don't make ya dirty it aint yours http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

[greaseball]

Billy-
Do you have any idea if those are wide enough or not?
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif
I WOULD like a real "smooth look" like that...

[shoebox72]

I have a 56 Ford front bumper in my bumper pile, I will measure it tomorrow and compare it to my 57 Ranchero. I'll let you know.

Billy

[Rooster]

Lincoln Cosmo, 55 Chevy would be similar, without center cut-out, The mentioned Plymouth option. Why not a 62 Chrysler product. Would leave a gaping maw to fill with grille.

[Tinbender]

[ QUOTE ]
Billy-
Do you have any idea if those are wide enough or not?
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif
I WOULD like a real "smooth look" like that...

[/ QUOTE ]

Are you looking for a bolt on? Custom usally requires some modification. Find what you like, and make it fit.

[porknbeaner]

Rooster,
The '62 option never occured to me, if you fill it right it could look like a big ol' shark.
I do know where the complete grill/surround/bumper from a 57 plymouth is (maybe its a 56?). Just wish I had an ol' Ford to put it on. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

[RPW]

Rule one in custom building: Never add parts from older or cheaper cars. A 56 bumper on a 57 would be all wrong!!!

My suggestion would be a 57 DeSoto Grille/Bumper. Not unique, way back some guys did that, but its both classy and not too common by now,

[cool57]

[ QUOTE ]
Rule one in custom building: Never add parts from older or cheaper cars. A 56 bumper on a 57 would be all wrong!!!

My suggestion would be a 57 DeSoto Grille/Bumper. Not unique, way back some guys did that, but its both classy and not too common by now,

[/ QUOTE ]

I tend to agree with RPW. however there are some exceptions that work well. One example is '54 Chev grille in '57 Ford.
The '57 Desoto is a great idea though. When I was 15 and dreamed of my yet-to-be-had '57 I swore I'd use a Desoto(all my Little Pages showed them) Well, my '57 has a stock bumper and grille. The '57 styling is one that is hard to beat, they work best when you just "clean up" the factory styling cues.(think 63-65 Riv)
However the '56 Ford bumper is one I've considered as well, it has that itty-bitty-titty look with those rounded/pointy corners. My opinion(I know...) is if it ain't gonna look better than stock it has to look just as good or don't do it

[mikes51]

Similar to Porknbeaner's idea, split Pontiac bumpers with a
custom made pan between. This way you can see the chromed lower A-arms. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif The bad pic is of a model but there was an actual car built like this back in the day.

[RPW]

No rules without exceptions! The 54 Chev grille teeths was a common use, Buddy Alcron´s 57 on the cover of Custom Cars Annual 58 shows how good that use look. About the choice of an earlier Ford front bumper Im still doubtful. By the way, another great choice is a tube grille...

A choice that probably not many in the USA even had a thought about back then was an Edsel front. Here in Sweden the Edsel didnt have have such a bad name, any many 57-58 Fords got Edsel fronts during our custom heydays (here that was in the mid 60´s...). "Greaseball" did send me an e-amil with an inquire about photos of a Swedish custom 57 Ford with an Edsel front, and I think I can share the pics with the rest of you too! (some might also notice a 56 Ford with 57 DeSoto grille in the background!)
http://www.ckos.org/temporary/lv1.jpg

http://www.ckos.org/temporary/lv2.jpg

http://www.ckos.org/temporary/lv3.jpg

[flt-blk]

Interesting
I saw a 57 Ranchero with Edsel front sheet metal on it at a KKOA show this weekend, looked kinda interesting. I really like the headlight pods but not too sure about the rest of the grill.

The Ranchero also had the Edsel "Boomorang" tail lights grafted in, that looked really nice.
TZ

[greaseball]

Thanks RPW!
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

[Kustom55]

or do something like mine

[abe lugo]

Hey Greezyballz,
your column is on it's way, I'll try to remember to scan all the kust 57 ford front end pics I have collected. I have a full kustom front end idea too. It's in the works and also some what hush, hush!!

[Sailor]

First of Mike, -you gotta take some better photos of the Maze-model. Damn I have been lookin forward to see how it turned out. How did you fix the paintjob? Looks great as far as I can see.

Second; 55 Poncho-bumpers would be my choice too. But they need a nice pan welded up behind them, and smoother than the one the Maze had (imho).

Third; I think a 54 grillebar loaded with teeth looks swell on a 59 Impala too... http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

[mikes51]

[ QUOTE ]
First of Mike, -you gotta take some better photos of the Maze-model. How did you fix the paintjob?


[/ QUOTE ]

I ended up making decals of those crazy scallops. There is a decal material one can buy that can be run through an ink jet printer. I drew the scallops on the computer, printed them out on this special material and applied them to the green painted model.

[Shiva69]

Ok here are my ideas

A front bumper off a 62-72 ford pickup.

Or a front bumper off a 60-66 chevy truck

[Shiva69]

heres the other picture
Garth

[MoFoMOD]

check out a `59 full size bumper and cut the middle out of it... I have seen a `57 ranchero with one a long time ago and it looked pretty cool... sorry no pix.

[macs55]

How about the bumper from a 57 caddy those look cool. You could use the ends frome the caddy and then use the middle from a pontiac.

Mac

[abe lugo]

here are most of the pics of 57 fords customs I have. instead of scanning I just shot pics of the pages so here you go
I'm going to be doing something the the last one on the first page PA290016.jpg on the bottom, so don't do that!!!
http://home.earthlink.net/~abelugo/images/57fordweb/

[greaseball]

abelugo-
That top last pic on the first page,
the 57 with the BULLET grill,

Does it say anywhere what those custom headlight frenching rings
are from?

Those are NUTS!

[Donzie]

I vote this bumper treatment with a tube grille.

[DrJ]

[ QUOTE ]
abelugo-
That top last pic on the first page,
the 57 with the BULLET grill,

Does it say anywhere what those custom headlight frenching rings
are from?

Those are NUTS!

[/ QUOTE ]

'56 Ford Truck look like that.
Lotsa guys put them on '57 Fords

[Sailor]

Ditto what Donzie said (55 Poncho).

A De Soto-bar can be rad too, but I see it in combination with a rolled pan and mesh grille, -not a bumper under it, like on that pic.

[greaseball]

DrJ-
In the last "picture sequence"
The bottom car does have 56 ford headlight rings,
(I'd like to think I'm familar w/those! http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif)
But in the "picture" above it
(white ford, bullet grill)
Those headlight rings look alot DEEPER to me...?

Or maybe it's just the angle?

Anybody have any idea's what the "top" ones are from?
Or do I need new spectacles?
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif

[abe lugo]

Those are either big 60's galixies rears cutout for use on the front or just custom cans that have been chromed. It says just" the headlights have been deeply ressed in chromed housings" so they were just fabbed up and chromed