You guys are probably tired of hearing about how much I prefer simple customs over extravagant works, but I've found another example that I thought was worth sharing. It's a 1952 Vic that was featured in the June, 1958 issue of Rodding & Re-Styling. ... <BR><BR>To read the rest of this blog entry from The Jalopy Journal, click here.
Was the 52 like the 50? Where they were a Sunliner with a hardtop grafted to them? I LOVE simplicity.........
Awesome cars. Another that springs to mind is the Dragoo( I think) Merc. It has the K.I.S.S. thing going for it too.
I know this is a simple custom compared to some others but there is still a lot of work going on there. Looks great.
Nice. I had this one for a while. I really like the grill on the one you posted. That is one beautiful ride. Wil www.sakowskimotors.com
It is like the saying " Walk softly and carry a big Stick". Great execution of the less is more factor. It is funny how some have to try so hard to be cool yet others carry it out with little effort. Great examples of a Kool Kustom. Thanks for posting.
Best statement I heard in a while!!! The car is very nice though... but the louvers should not be put in there in the first place.
The '52-'54 Ford hardtops are great looking cars, and restraint is definitely the way to go when customizing them so as not to obscure their nice lines. I like the Quesnel car a lot more than the "Golden Nugget." Though the grill treatments in both cars are fantastic.
Sweet, low, and easy on the eyes! Beautiful ride. Normally not too crazy about louvers on a kustom but they work on this car.
Holy Cow.... I used to hang out at Walt's shop after school. His was the one local shop that would do custom body work and paint jobs. If there was any one guy who made the cars in the magazines come to life right in front of my eyes, it was Walt. What the feature in the magazine didn't mention was he built another '52 for his wife to drive. Pretty much the same style and components, but her's was a convertible. In the early spring of 1960, she decided it was time for something newer, and the Ford was offered for sale. Well, not really, cuz I offered to buy it before Walt ever put the add in the newspaper. My only request was to hold it for me untill I sold my '39 Buick. The big sedan was gone the next weekend, and the convertible took it's place in the garage. For you sharp eyed guys, you have already noticed both cars used '54 upper valances. The grill was from an Honest Charlie catalog and parking light lenses were early 50's Packard. I used station wagon bumperetts on the rear and added a 1/2 tonneau over the rear seat. It was low enough to require the inner fender panels and drive shaft tunnel to be modified. If there was ever a car I would like to have back, it's this one.
At first I didn´t notice the louvers, but in this case the car if we discuss details , I could live with them. And in my world I´m open for louvers on Customs. Remember Jimmie Vaughans Cad with slicks in the back.Was it a custom, or....
Love those '52-'54 Vickies. My dad has a '52 Victoria that has been sitting on my Grandparent's farm for over 30 years and he always wanted to build it. It even has a Merc. Flathead in it! Too bad it's been sitting so long that it's pretty much a parts-car now. The one you posted is a Great mild custom example! Malcolm
I love the car, louvers and all. Everything works. It's not whether Vaughn's is better than this example, more like they both hit the mark. Chocolate, Vanilla.
Beautiful cars both! The second car was featured on the cover of either Rod& Custom or Car Craft in 56 or 57 and is the most beautiful shade of purple I've ever seen.And for what it's worth I like the louvers on the hood.
Yes.............and no........ Nice car, but the louvers remind me of similar cars at local cruise-in's, usually with some name blazed on the decklid, like "Teen Angel" or some crap...haha!
I had that issue of Rodding and Restyling as a source for inspiration when I collected parts for the Ford -54 that I had between 1989-2006. I guess many of the "real oldtimers" here remembers it as I made a lot of "in the works" posts about it in the very early days of Hamb... The idea using Packard side trim and the Mercury side spears for the -54 came from the "Golden Nugget"... Ron Hensley here at Hamb helped me to find Packard trim (he did also like the idea and had the same idea for his 53 Ford). Almost all parts were found with help from HAMB. The grille I had in mind were closer to the one on Jimmie Vaughn's car. Rik Hoving did help me to vizualize the ideas and gave good input with some of his own ideas. The intended color scheme for the 54 was a green metallic to the lower part of the body, a color very close to the one that later was used for the "Rad Rides by Troy" built Ridler award winning -36 cpe. For the top I had a ligther hue, with a bit more gold in, of the same color in mind. For wheel covers I was going to use -53 Cad. I was even going to get a ht roof skin to get a better line for the rear of the roof... Due to a sudden drop of interest in my project, and almost everything else, I sold it just as the sectioning body work had started (my interest did return slowly after a few months, I worked way to much those days, got "burned out"..). The new owner/builder that finished it, my friend Tore Persson, did a good job. He did of course not stick 100% to my plan, it was his car now, but at least some of the ideas was kept. One of them being the use of Packard and Merc trim that I supplied with the car. The grille idea of the finished car, the choice of color and wheels are of Tore's own design and ideas. I agree with my full heart of what Rik says that louvers will not be an improvement for a custom like that. I say that since I heard ideas from its new owner (after Tore sold it) of putting a louvered hood on the old -54...
Yeah, the louvers stood out for me. Otherwise a nice example.RPW, its a shame you didn't get to finish yours, it still looks clean for now.
The one piece rear window is much cleaner looking than the three piece. Also, connie-kits don't belong on any car - way too tacky. Appletons from my perspective always look like "add-ons" from Almquist or J.C.Whitney. Why are they even there? The '52 to '54 Fords/Meteors are handsome automobiles to begin with - remove some of the make-up (not add more) to make them look even better. Sit them level (with or without skirts). Tail dragging them disrupts the natural visual flow of their horizontal lines. Coupes and Tudors could use a 2" roof chop for nicer proportions. Just my 1.88 cents worth. And have a Happy New Year.
In the words of Harry Bradley"Simple is better".You are able to see how everything flows.Does anyone know about the "Golden Nugget".Where in NJ was the car from?