The Shoebox Fords of Joe Bailon and George Gowland...

The Shoebox Fords of Joe Bailon and George Gowland are good looking Kustoms and I wonder if anybody on here may have some more pics and info ? I think of members like lurker mick,who has a great collection of old pics,00MACK who simply knows everything regarding Kustoms and anybody else.I already did a search on here but without any results so I thought it's worth its own topic.Any kind of input is greatly appreciated !!!

The Joe Bailon built '50 Ford Convertible with a Vicky top was built in 1952 and I like the car's simple lines and that chop is just right.Timeless stuff...



The Ford of George Gowland,called " Desert Beauty",looks good too.I especially like the front with the Desoto grille and the grille surround made by two Merc grille shells.Pretty radical chop.Cool car...



A color shot of the Gowland Ford.I think the car would look even more better with a one-tone paintjob.



It would be great to see more pics of these sleds.Rikster,I already went through your fotki folder but didn't find any pics of that Ford.I really would like to see more of them.Let's see some pics.Thank you !!!

 

That Gowland Ford is a beauty.

Jaypee

 

with any luck this thread will go on for 25 pages like your other one! thanks for bringing up all the good sled stuff

 

timeless art.

 

This is one of my favorite screen savers on my computer.

I dig those Bailon Babes..........

Happy Trails,

Mick

 

Very cool pictures you have there. If you don't mind me asking, are you planning on building one of these cars or are you just diggin' the kustoms of the past?

 

Sounds like you're thinking about hardtopping a shoebox, or studying various people's approaches to the same. I recommend looking particularly at the top on the Buster Litton car (posted yesterday in the other thread); there has never been a better conversion.

 

Anyone got a picture with a rear view of the bailon Vicki??

What's the back window? Layed down original? Cut??

I just imported an original back window for my Vicki .....didn't have one when I got the car

Scored the window on ebay from NY for US$100, had to ship it to LA and then get it in a container to Melbourne then a mate picked it up for me.......arrived safe and sound!

Plan is for a 4 inch chop, but not sure how to do the rear window.

 

The Shoebox Ford can be seen in the back of this georgious photo.
here you can see the rear window. As far as I recall it was made out of Plexiglass. The sectioned and pick-up made Ford in the front is just so simple and georgious.

 

September 1955-MIKE

 

thanks for this post!!!! i stayed up all nite reading the american custom car, for the 200th time... well maybe not reading, but having impure thoughts lookin at the pictures anyway

 

I'd like to thank you all for the new pics and posts at all !!! Nice to to see some color shots of those Fords.

50Flord: I want to build a Merc or Shoebox Ford sled but that's not the reason why I started this topic.I simply can't get enough of well built traditional Kustoms and I just wanted to see more of those cars,especially of the Gowland Ford and the first version of the Bailon built Kantor Ford.The pic I posted is the only one I have.Just talking Kustoms...

Here's another pic of the second version of the Kantor Ford scanned out of Rod & Custom.Thought it may be interesting for Halfdone as he's requesting for more pics.




Rikster:Yes,the rear window just seems not to be right and it is made from plexiglass.I think it can be done better.Same with the c-pillar.Looks too bulky .I prefer the earlier version as it follows the "less is more-theme".But hey,I don't wanna sound like a smartass.I still have to build a car...

On this pic the Ford looks cool though.Thanks,Mick !


I still hope to see more pics of the Gowland Ford.

 

Cool thread.

That shoptruck is genious.

 

heres i nice one i had in the archives

 

The back window of the Gowland car was a nightmare!

 

AS readers of TRJ know, the shampoo mobile is still around!!

 

not so much the window as the drastic slope in the roof.. but i still love it

 

i love Joe Bailon ford.the line are sweet.

 

Here's another Bailon Ford, "The Mystery" on the cover of the
March 1959 Custom Cars magazine.

This one is a bit gorpy-looking, but the colors were nice!

I often find that hardtopped cars (that is, ones with the posts removed,
not the factory models) look out-of-proportion. The side windows look too long and the roofline isn't quite right. The rear part of the roof needs to shortened and the rear deck lengthened, usually. I have also wondered
about the roof strength...

Dave

 

Take 2:

 

In my memory the Gowland Ford was in this increadible 50's parking lot custom car show. The 49-51 Ford HT on the left sure has some resamblence with it... But it sure is not the same car. The paint sceme is reversed, this one has a sprear type side trim as well, and looks to have original tailllights over the Packard units on the Gowland Ford. Sorry for the bit blurry photo. I made a copy of this photo from a 80's/90's Hot Rod magazine article, and was unable to find the original article again. So I scanned the copy.



However This is such a Increadible picture I wanted to show it in this post anyway. How often do you see all these Great Barris (and other) custom ars together in one place. I can see the Barris built Hirohata Mercury, Tommy Thornburgh '47 Studebaker, Buster Litton (Barris chop and other work done by George Cerny) '49 Ford Chuck DeWitt's '50 Ford, Jesse Lopez '41 Ford coupe, and several others I cant identify for sure at this moment.

A larger image can be seen in my Fotki album here: (click: Get Original Uploaded Photo)


Increadible 50's Parking lot custom car show

 

friggen awesome thanks

 

Rik,I'm glad you did find the pic !!! It surely is as great as you described it.Thanks a lot ! I'm not sure but maybe it could be this Ford.Another hardtopped Shoebox owned by Jay Johnston.



This car also was formerly a Convertible and has a Hardtop(Victoria) roof .Again,a pretty rad chopjob judging from the height of the windshield.We still need more pics of the Gowland Ford !

 

Interior shot of the Johnston Ford.Gaylord interior with chromed dash,column and moldings.The pink & white color theme is indeed very ladylike...



And yes,those pics are out of "The American Custom Car".

 

TheFrenZ Here are some more photo's of the Bailon Ford from the June '53 Hop Up magazine. I also show the cover photo again and this time a bit sharper.

 

Rik,thanks a lot for the pics ! The rear is indeed not good looking and the spare tire hump is just awful...One thing I like most on Shoebox Fords are the tail lights so these lights here are another drawback.But I like the bumper.Did make a quick photoshop pic.Think the car looks better now.Still not "wow,that's cool..." but better.

 

Be still my heart!!! I could stroke out here !!

 

Some more pictures from the '55 R&C magazine.




imho the rear window and those to far sticking out taillights take away from the otherwise very nicely wild styled custom








George Gowland standing proud next to his creation.

 

And a few more

 

Thanks a lot for the new pics,Rik ! Nice to see more of the car.Yes, just like you say,if the rear window would be bigger and the Packard lights would not stick out that much,it would be cool too.Judging from this pic Gowland's other passion were... wheelbarrows...???