I seem to be posting a lot about shoeboxes lately. I guess I'm going through a phase of some sort. I wasn't even looking for one this morning while flipping through a 1958 issue of Custom Cars Magazine and I still managed to find this piece built b... <BR><BR>To read the rest of this blog entry from The Jalopy Journal, click here.
This is great stuff for those of us who have shoeboxes. I, myself, am going for an earlier look, but this later stuff is very interesting to--obviously--see how, and to think about why they did it. Then, too, I always wonder how so-called "late" cars like this, with extensive adding of late-'50s parts, would look to our modern eyes if they were built today. Would we think it was too much? What do you guys think?
I like most of it a lot, but the big flat blank area above the license plate looks a bit odd. It could use something, I'm just not sure what.
The overall look of the ride is nice. The grill not so much why people screw with the stock grill is beyond me. They look killer as is.
Hey, The '55 Pontiac rear facebar used isn't tall enough to fill this void, perhaps the front facebar from a '57 Plymouth minus the ends would be a better fit. The Plymouth facebar is a taller part, and comes with a ''Kaiser'' guard already built in. The ends of the '55 Pontiac would work if grafted to the Plymouth and be a better match for the side profile of this build. The Pontiac's split facebar became a default mode, much like the DeSoto grilles in kustom builds-easy & simple, but predictable! " Swanky Devils C.C."
I like just about anything to do with a shoebox since I have 2 of them . I am always looking for some good ideas before I start cutting away on mine . I have to agree that the BIG BLANK flat panel on the rear just has to go ! Something has to be put or painted there . A good airbrush of something would really look nice . Plenty of area to work with for sure . Retro Jim
I really like the front end treatment. The problem for me isn't that blank area, it is the crossover of the body reveal between the lights plus the trunk lid feels like it has been shortened too much. The other way would be to french the License plate into the blank area and run a club plaque on the bumper.
i'm with you hombres ruin the grill really dosen't do it for me like the stock grill. The front looks to much like a face. But the rest of the car is killer.
I like the overall look, of course in my opinion it is hard to improve on the stock look of those shoebox Fords. I think the rear would look a bit better if it had a solid and shaved rear bumper without the license plate mounting area. Then the license could be Frenched into that blank panel between the trunk lip and the bumper. I like the tail light treatment the way it is. One thing I really have never understood, is why use a convertible for a custom if you are going to keep the top up. I think this particular car would look a lot better with the top down.
I remember this shoebox from the "Little Books" pages in '58. I drooled over it then and still do ! The only thing I don't like about the Kustom is that I don't own it
In the Shobox dept., I always thought this Buster Litton version with the Studebaker front fenders grafted on was brilliant, would love to see a re-creation of this... http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?f....130544686976843.14283.130543506976961&type=1 Cheers, Federico
People screw with them because different people have different aesthetic senses. If I had a '49 or a '50, the first thing I'd do is ditch that hideous stock grille.
I don't know about the stock grille being hideous ... to each his own , I guess . Actually it's what drew me to Shoeboxes . I went to great lengths to find all of the stock '49 stuff (it was all missing) - I'll not be changing mine .
. I think the overall look of the car is pretty good but would also do something about the grille. Even just insetting it a few inches would be an improvement. Realistically for me at least, I find it hard to improve on the 49 Meteor Grille in the Shoebox Ford .