Projects Recreating the jesse lopez coupe

Very Nice Jer !!
Torchie

 

Are you going to make it out to the round up with this car?

 

LSR should be doable.

 

I've been looking forward to duplicating the original poses of Jesse's car that we all have seen and admired for decades. I had forgotten what was discovered about those original pics and the equipment that was available "back in the day" (see posts #491-495, 555,556,674).

Still, it's heartbreaking to realize that these efforts are now going to be compromised.

 

Jer thank you for sharing this with us all here... the attention to detail is par none ! my hats off to you !!! cheers, Rob

 

I need to report that Mike showed up yesterday morning and stayed with it for almost two hours. Everything works but the door poppers. I didn't have em' hooked up. THANKS MIKE!

 

Sorry I'm a little lost as to what you mean here....

You have done, are doing a wonderful job here, such effort is applauded! May you enjoy the fruit of your labor!

 

Agreed. Whats the issue Jer ?

 

He's referring to the original pictures having some distortion to them so it would be difficult to replicate those shots with the new car. For instance, in the pics he posted above, the clone's grille does not appear to be in the same place as the original when in fact it is in the same spot, but the distorted picture of the original makes it look different.

 

OK cheers @drdave !

 

Fantastic!, just a question.....you really sure about the "distortion"?


It's just my point of view, but i agree that the grill is in the right place, but for me, the trouble is that the stages of the grill are too small, not enought inchs, too nailed (sorry about my poor language, i'm French...), i think the problem is "the grill", not the emplacement.....let me show you my optical....


I have made a photoshop with the correction......it's just my point of view, your replica is wonderfull, and i have a lot of respect about the work and the result, Bravo!

 

I think you have "nailed it " Jer - great job!!

 

OK, the grille is the grille, is the grille, is the grille. Cadillac only had one grille. There wasn't one that was bigger/smaller than the other. It only goes together one way. There's no way to alter the size of those grille openings. The grille can only go on top of the gravel shield one way. So we're left with the obvious. The problem is the pics. This is dealt with thouroghly in those posts that are mentioned (above).

 

Pics do never show a car in exactly the same way no matter how many pics you take.
Only if you put up a stand and take the pics one after another and not change the camera or object, they will be the same.

So, don't pay too much attention to the exactness of the pics vs reality or another pic taken at another time. They always differ in angles and distortion.

 

Something wrong at this moment........

But, AMEN, distortion is in the place.

For me, i have seen many pictures about the original car (like you, i'm sure), the nose of your car is to long, the distance between the top of the hood and the top of the grill is too long, and the grill is not position in the right degree.....it's only a clone, and i understand that the job is now done, but it's only question of feeling, that's all (that's because i have find that the good lookin' can be done with the tips of the taller grill). If i was the builder of this clone, i rebuild again the front of the car. Show the coupe to Sam.......;-)

 

The grille dictated exactly where that filler piece could go.

 

Jerry, fwiw, my belief is that if this can of worms about distortion hadn't been opened there would be no discussion about what needs to be fixed. The car is incredible in it's level of detail and off the charts for build quality. I spent many years as a studio photographer and duplicating shots is no easy task.

 

Sorry again about my poor language, i tried with photoshop to show you my point of view....
Something like that, but i can't realise the incline of the bottom....


AND OF COURSE, YOUR CAR IS AMAZING, and the job is perfect. Be prepare to people like me those who tell you : "is not the grill too low?"

 

No, the grille is not too low, as far as I can see. Think it is all about camera angle. The camera needed to be farther left for the clone shot, and maybe a tad lower . . . unless the camera position is exactly the same, conclusions cannot be made about exactness of cars.

 

Angle, angle...., the top of the grill seems to not be soldier in the juction of the wing, but lower, on a little band of sheet metal....but maybe i'm wrong....certainly....

 

The camera position in the old photo is clearly higher, the hood top to bottom of windshield shows this. That could affect all the relationships.

 

OK, if we're not going to go back and look at the original discussion I'll tell you here. It was discovered that the pics are compressed/stretched in the middle. This takes that section that you see in the clone (that's correct) and shortens/compresses it above the grille. The gravel deflector COULD be raised but it would mean that the bumper would also be raised. The flared/frenched area at the lower fender area would be to high.

 

Drawing a line across the bottom edge of the headlights in all the photos shown here puts either the headlights lower or the grille higher (or both) on the original. These parts are all near enough on one plane, so won´t be affected by camera angle to any great degree.

 

Jer - a friend of mine put custom tails lights on the back of his custom Desoto - first side went on easy - the second one took 6 attempts until they got due to trying to get the exact match - and he owns his own custom shop customizing cars like you did. Point is you trying to match these things from pictures is a big challenge and at the same time dealing with angle distortion. As far as I'm concerned and what I have seen you have NAILED it!! If or when Jesse see your car he will confirm it - again great job doing something most others can't come close to doing.

 

^^^ Amen! Excellent work Jerry!! I'm totally stocked to see it on the home stretch and coming together.

 

Looks great to me! I'm sure Jesse will love it!!

 

Agreed. A little late in the game to start rehashing all of this. Not to be rude Jer but......So you can't replicate some pictures. Hells-Bells Man. You replicated the whole car. Based on the parts you used and what is known to have been done to the car this is the Jesse Lopez car reincarnated.
Keep moving forward.
Torchie.

 

Well, I need to say that this issue was encountered very early in this build. I wasn't as alarmed as I could have been because I had already dealt with the distorted pics on Junior's build. I am completely confident that this is in fact a more accurate look at Jesse's car than the original pictures portray.

 

And, after all this, I DO wish that it looked like those pics that we are so familiar with.

 

Looks great Jer. I can't wait to see it finished sitting next to Juniors ford. talk about a Kodak moment.
Matt