Projects CUTTING UP MY 47 PONTIAC!! TURNING IT INTO A FULL KUSTOM!!!

From a shell, out of the ashes of a Wyoming junk yard. To my slightly kustomized daily driver, to a wild kustom! Let's do this!!!

Clark & I will be chopping, sectioning, & turning this into a wild kustom. I say wild kustom because we have some ideas that are completely over the top. I think people will love them or hate them, but regardless, they will not have seen a kusom 47 Pontiac like this one!

Back story: I bought my 47 Pontiac Streamliner from a wrecking yard in Wyoming around 2007. After years of accumulating parts we turned the shell into a driver. Our maiden voyage following the gas station was Viva Las Vegas 2011. An awesome first drive!

This has been a gradual work in progress. It's been my daily driver for many years. Clark channeled & eliminated the vent windows initially. Then he started getting deeper into kustomizing it. I hadn't learned how to shape metal & tig weld decently until later! So, Clark shaved the fuel filler, door handles, he made kustom skirts with ribs to match the fenders, a kustom bumper, kustom knobs, trim etc. After learning to shape metal & tig weld adequetly, I sanded the rust off in preparation for chopping & sectioning it. It was nice to get rid of the rust, I was so sick of people calling it a “ratrod,” & if I heard the word “patina” one more time I thought I might strangle someone! (No, I'm not kidding)!!

Since Clark had done all the kustom work up to this point, it is really important to me that the chop & section be a collaboration.

After I got rid of the rust we drove to West Coast Kustoms Cruisin' Nationals in 2016 & had planned to chop it after. Unfortunately, there were other plans for me. I found out I had cancer on our drive up to Santa Maria. Immediately following the car show I underwent an extensive emergency surgery & was out of commission for awhile.
So, I am finally feeling able to take this on! It’s been a long time coming!! Like the Pontiac I feel like I'm coming out of the ashes. But I am grateful to be alive & to be doing it now with my favorite person in the world, my husband Clark!

Here are pics. of the stages prior to the chop to show the progression. The 1st 2 pics are how it looked prior to us jumping into this chop & section!


More pics to come....

 

You're quite the talented duo and thats not the first time I've said so. Glad you got thru your rough spot. Look forward to your combined vision in metallic custom like no other. No passing in the 47 till its done...

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My 46 Cadillac which shares the same body.
3 1/2" chop and 1" section of the roof.
Car is buried in back of shop with 4 projects ahead of it, Ill get back to it in a few years.

 

I applaud your Vision, Talent, and Enthusiasm! Glad you are on the mend.
However, the car looks FANTASTIC as it sits in the first 2-pictures!
I'm not one for throwing my opinion around, but when is enough enough?
I like the high roofline in proportion to the slammed body.
My 2 Cents, time for another Project Car.

 

glad to hear you are feeling better

car is amazing as is - should be great fun to watch where you go with it - sub'd

 

Very nice


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Glad you are well. Looking forward to seeing how this turns out.

 

You are blessed with a lot of talent. Thanks you for sharing your pics and we are looking forward to the updates.

 

looks killer now, cant wait to see it done

 

I always enjoy your posts. Beauty and talent together. Great to see that you both love and inspire each others art. My neighbour has a 41 Cadillac Sedanette just sitting there waiting. I'm keen to see your chop.
Most importantly I am glad to see you are well again. A positive outlook and passion is the greatest healer.

 

Good on you. Keep swingin'!
I can't wait to see the trail you blaze, with your host of new ideas.
Those skirts are something else!
(A set of ribbed full fade-aways would would be screamin'!)

 

Thanks!

Nice!

Thanks, I hear you and get it. I appreciate your honesty! It has gorgeous lines from the factory & is not one of those cars that has to be chopped. I did enjoy driving it as it is/was but after envisioning what it will look like chopped & sectioned I can't un-see it.
It's also cool because it is a hard look to pull off on a fast back. We like the challenge of doing it in such a way that it adds to the style rather than takes away from it. (or at least that's the goal.) Thats where we need to section it as well to get the look we are going for. I will be interested to see what you think in the end.

Thank you!

Thanks!

Thanks, us too!

Clark definitely has the talent in this duo! Thanks!

Thanks, hope you like it!

Thank you, that's very nice of you to say!

Thank you!
Here are more progression pics:
(We have very helpful mascots! They like to hold it down, literally! It's a dogs life!)

 

Saw it at GNRS this year, looking forward to following the changes.

 

Very Cool

 

Looks great!! I can't wait for more updates!!!

I have a question if thats ok?:
I have a 46 Cadillac which im looking for to lay it as low as you have it!
Do you have any photo's and details of the suspension setup?
Thanks a lot in advance!

Best regards all the way from the Netherlands!

Guus

 

Amazing skills , beautiful car and a amazing couple . Thank you for sharing the progress of your cars transformation . Thankful to hear about the your improvement of health. Keep fighting.

 

Wow, I can't think of any car with more curves than that one. It's going to be quite a job to chop and section, so make sure to show us all the process. Just for giggles, add up all the length of the welded joints when you are done. I bet it's close to a mile.

 

Go man Go

 

Glad you are well. Sweet custom.

 

Love the skirts, good luck with the rest of the project

 

I like all the work done so far, especially the front grill and bumper. Looking at the side view, the bumper flows really good with the feature lines (what I call 'em) in the sheet metal. I was wondering if you're planning to do a similar treatment to the rear bumper?
Can't wait to see the sectioning and chop.
Glad you're doing well, I know what it's like having surgery for cancer. So far I'm doing well too. Take care.

 

Nice.Hope you're not putting that thing back over the windshield? Probably have to chop it too.

 

Glad to hear you're back at it. While I agree with @FrankenRodz about how fantastic your car already looks, having followed your other threads I know you two will do this justice as well.

 

Hi, can I ask where you got your roller dies you used to make your fender skirt? I was looking for a pair that size. Thank you!

 

Going to enjoy watching this project, the two of you do such nice work.


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Nice Work, keep going!!!

 

So glad you're healthy again Tracy. Can't wait to see what you and Clarke cook up.

 

Been watching for this build. Have followed all your posts . Hope you continue to be healthy and happy. Clark is a very lucky man. I know cause I got a very supportive " BETTER HALF" also!!

 

The car is breathtaking.

 

Somebody looks a little grouchy!!

Thanks!

Hi Guus,
Dank u!! Questions are always ok!! Since what we did is not entirely HAMB friendly, out of respect I can't post it here but if you want to email me, I can let you know what we did to get it to lay low. My email is
[email protected]
Ik hou van Holland!!!
Tracy

Thank you! I appreciate it!

Yep, a lot of work! Will do!

Thanks, still have that pesky cancer but feeling better!

Thank you!

Thanks! We will do something with the rear bumper, not sure what yet. I'm glad to hear your doing well!!
A constant fight, right?! But we gotta get busy livin' or get busy dyin'! Stage 4 or not I'm not ready to go yet!! You stay strong!!

Haha, no we won't. That stock windshield was so big it needed something to make it appear smaller in my opinion. The visor would look gargantuan on it now, (& we haven't even chopped it yet!)

That's nice of you to say. Thanks!

We made them on the lathe. We can roll a panel for you if you need that same contour.

Thanks so much!

Thank you! Can't stop, it's my daily!!

Thanks Steve! I'm not quite "healthy" yet but I figure fake it till you make it!! We are looking forward to seeing you when you come out!!! That Shepmax is INSANE!! Nice job!!!

Thanks, that's sweet! I definitely got the better end of this deal!! (shhhh don't tell him) It's great to have married your best friend right?! When your 1st date was to "Memory Lane" looking for old car parts you know it's a match made in heaven!!

Thanks!
Here are a few video links & some progress pics, FYI these are VERY ROUGH cuts everything will be fine tuned. They are also out of order, sorry!
https://www.instagram.com/p/BZrZ32Vlj6B/?taken-by=clarkgilliecustoms
https://www.instagram.com/p/BaApz4WlA8Z/?taken-by=clarkgilliecustoms