Projects mini shoebox update: reshaping the fins

somethings been bothering me about the stude fins i tacked to the shoebox,,,the fins are straight, and the shoebox's body tapers in towards the back of the car,,the fins looked ok from straight on, but from the back, they were straight while the quarters were curved (tapered)....i probably could have gotten away with it the way it was, but the rear view just didnt do it for me,,,,,i gave it some thought, and came to the conclusion that the fin would have to taper with the body for it to look good....went and bought some conduit, gave it a gentle curve to follow the shape of the quarter, cut the top of the fin away, and tacked the conduit in,,and trimmed back the fins,,,,,,now the fins (should say FIN,,only did one so far,,hahah) actually follow the shape of the quarters, with a gentle taper towards the back of the car,,started mocking the rear tailpan/taillight area too....the pictures arent the greatest, but hopefully, you'll be able to get the idea....the side profile is really starting to come together

 

Good choice to round it more.

You could take the route to sharpen areas as well like the window corners and maybe more of a chop to make the car look longer.

So many things you could pick at cause of the fin.

 

thats looking much better........
i wasnt digging on the fins before.......

 

Looks good Jim. The slight curves definitely adds to the flow of the fins from the rear of the car. I'm intrigued with the rear pan and taillight treatment now as well. Keep the updates coming.

 

Did you try the new gas welder yet?

 

You should name this car A.D.D. Your insane and I envy it!

 

What he said. They look much better IMHO.

 

yes,,,,still working on getting the hang of it....its a little tricky to use if you've never done any gas welding,,,,,,,,,,i'll get it though..

 

.......

 

Dang Jim, I love the updates on this shoebox! Keep up the good work!

Is that a chevy pickup grille in the rear?

 

yup,,57 chevy pickup grille center,,,just playin around with it,,nothings set in stone yet,,but the rear will definitely include that piece in some position,,,,

 

And your hardtopping it! Or did we already know that? Christ man this is a little book index of every restyling trick. I like the bumper better than the stock w/ Kaiser, they didnt fit even though they are gorgeous together.

 

hahah,,,,,yup,,,,,,,,,,you are the first guy that noticed that,,,,,
im actually considering rechopping the car another inch,,,,,i think it may need that in order for the hardtop to work,,,
as far as the bumper,,,yeah,,the kaiser bar/exhaust was a ton of work,,but in the end, it just didnt fit where the car is going now,,,,,,,,(that and the buick headlights had to go,,more of a mid fifties styling thing, i thought)..........the rear bumper will consist of the bullet and the part that wraps around the side (between the bullets, the bumper will be cut away and replaced with a rolled pan,,,the 57 chevy pickup opening will be positioned lower than in the pics and will actually be between the bullets..
im gonna be completely mental by the time i get this one done,,,,(im already halfway there,,hahah)....wait until you see what else i have up my sleeve,,hahahha.....

 

Now just get this on the road before Vic's and hell really be sour.

 

im thinking spring '09 if all goes as planned,,,,,,
vic will be ok with it,,hahahaha,,,
hes already got the kopper kart, so im behind...
ive actually got to finish at least ONE in my life,,hahahahah

 

god damn there has been sooo many twists to this car! its probably screaming STOP CUTTING ME!!! lol. Its loookin good Jim cant wait to see the end result

 

I think Jim said it actually bleeds now everytime he slices it open!

 

The headlights point skyward too much. Not really digging the forward slant on them. A closer-to-stock headlight would give the car a more swept-back, in-motion look.

 

I believe the lights are just mocked on top, and not yet spliced in.

 

No one will even know what it is when you're done!

 

Is there any chance you'd invert the rear window at this time?
It would accentuate the inward cant of the fins, and strongly echo shape of the rear grille.

 

Great stuff.

I think hardtopping it is a good choice for the "space age" design of this thing. The posts looked like a remnant of the wrong era. Though I'm not sure about cutting an additional inch out of the roof as the proportions seem real nice to me (but of course I'm just looking at pixels on a screen). I like that (without the posts) it does not necessarily look like a "chopped" car so much as it looks like it was all designed that way to begin with.

I like everything that is going on so far - including the new hooded headlights. All the shapes are working well together.

 

true,,,,,,
they are basically just sitting on top of the fender,,i do know they are angling upwards...will be taken care of,,,

 

great work..i am watching this post closely to learn me a few things

 

this was my thinking as well....
the posts, the buick headlights, and the kaiser bumper guard all looked like remnants of the wrong era,,,,,,the proportions of the chop are really nice,,but it seems to need a little more of what barris used to call a "swooping taper" ala the buster litton ford (the ALL TIME best chop on a shoebox coupe in my opinion)..still havent made that decision yet,,,,,
thanks for the compliments cleatus,,i value your opinion..your car is one of my favorite kustoms..

 

trust me,,,ill consider ANYTHING that will make the car look good..

 

Whatever became of this car? Have you moved on to another project?
I haven't seen an update in HOURS!

 

haha amazing what that turned into. if i recall it started as the rusted out hulk on long island right?

 

wow,
That thing is crazy. I am digging the overall shape of the car. Will be watching this one!


FONZI

 

ryan,,,actually the car came from texas,,
rustwise, it wasnt really all that bad, although there were some hidden surprises


thanks for all the positive feedback guys,,it's definitely appreciated