Hot Rods Filled or Smoothed Wheel Wells on a Fenderless Hot Rod?

Your welcome and yeah...
It's funny I think about the pressure now and what it may have been...back then...I enjoy the whole kitten caboodle...its damn near sacred and worth defending...we owe it to those that have passed the torch...and I'm glad there was film......and of course the survivors.

 

The roadster yeah the smoothed tunnel look which no doubt evolved to tunneling...

I think those 3 Model A Coupe pics are the Chrisman Coupe that had Cameos on Sunset Strip if I'm not mistaken...and I could be......but maybe not......maybe it was Life of Riley...

Two strikes for Stogy......it was Dobie Gillis

https://www.hotrod.com/articles/hrxp-1107-chrisman-barris-dobie-gillis-coupe/

 

Yep

 

Another non roadster

 

That's another lost modification of raised wheel wells. Years ago on hamb, somebody in the North East found a neglected 3w body with a custom rear pan like that. I now wonder if it's the same car.

 

^^^^^^^^^ didn't that car turn into this?

 

Rodzy

 

Old pal of mine talked to biker 'Big Mike' about a roadster he bought at Turlock, 1977.
It was a channeled '29 roadster, with a 'weird dash...some molding-in at the cowl, and filled fenderwells'. We went to look at it. There was about a gallon of bondo around the cowl area, smoothed over 'nicely', but it was still 1" thick. (Wish I had some pix!)
The 'weird dash' was a '32 Packard, dual glove boxes, nicely done.
Dash, upper cowl, and former dash rail all rounded off dictated a DuVall windshield...

We bought the car, disassembled it, and I HATED the filled fenderwells.
I looked for some quarters...

Meanwhile, I bought Gary's half out, and set it on my gennie '32 frame. Used the old 327 and Powerglide, and a locked '50 Merc Dana rear...Nice Mor-drop up front, '40 brakes, '40 steelies front, with '50 Lincoln outer rims in back.
AGAIN: I hated the filled wells, and all the bondo up front.

The late Dave McBride cast me some aluminum windshield stanchions for the sides and center, my glass guy cut laminated tint for the 'V' w/s...
Drove it for the first time, split hairpins made for a 'rigid' flat turn...this is the car that I drove on 2 wheels, (passenger side up) Joey Chitwood style. (did it a few times...LOL)
Eventually, I cut the cowling off, added a mint stocker for convential chopped 'A' windshield. Removed body, cut the slab sides out...(they were brazed in, long time before)
Prior to finishing it, Bonneville Butch bought the body from me, and finished it for the salt.

I regress now, did I desecrate some 'Mona Lisa' from the presumably late '40s?
I did search at the time, most old hot rodders that dropped by my shop (San Jose, 1979-1980) didn't know or remember the car, (previously channeled, 'Eddie Dye style') but that was previous to computers, or 'info highway'. That bondo was NOT 1940s, so the cowl was 'lately' , pre-1977. Brazed wheel wells? Long time.

 

I think, for me, a huge difference in wether it works or not is if you keep the body line or not.

But then again I almost always hate when people shave the drip rails on a custom.

In both cases there’s going to be cars that pull it off and others that really don’t.

 

Here is another coup
I like this one
nice way to kinda do both. its technically removed but the added exaggerated styline helps to camo that

 

And another roadster

 

I stole HRPs picture. Apologies to the owner if you read this but in my opinion the smoothed off wheel wells look like you have used the side of a refrigerator as a quarter panel. Though its obviously a traditional car as the picture is at TROG.

 

Here is a beauty.....BobBleed built this for his dad a few years ago!

 

Having fenderless hi-boy, IMO. the recess was, is and always will be as big feature as is the chop. Filling that in, making it smooth, maybe if your after Bonneville record runs or something along those lines.
Otherwise its just yuk-ing fugly.

 

A reshaped and smooth one here

And this one
I think it works when it’s a show rod are race car.

 

Street rods, yes. UNSPONSORED hot rodder wouldn't a givin a shit.

 

...Cool & Hot that is...
Part of the Big Picture and as Fitting as everything else was...Priceless... Thanks Jet, I really enjoy the positive info but the pics tell the story in a big way. Keep them coming...this has been celebrated in this thread for quite some time...

https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/tired-of-homogenized-hotrods.1002926/

Not to mention the Dry Lakes Threads...
​

 

Thanks Stogy-Haha yeah I've had that pic saved for quite some time- the ink really caught my attention originally, then I kept stumbling across different references to the car.

 

If you don't mind sharing any details it really fits this thread...The smoothing is streamlining to me and they were up in the 100-140mph in those days so it must have helped cut the wind...and from my perspective it was like all Hotrods...they had their money shot angles...I know when I shoot the Coupe not every angle compliments the car.

To me all these Period shots just increase my appreciation for this mod and so many other details...

It would be neat to know if the first interaction of Hotrod/Racer with this mod resulted in a win or notable positive time change...

 

For me filled means missing and smoothed means all the factory ugly has been removed. The outline can still exist but in a non stock manner.
I built a fenderless coupe for a guy that insisted all the fender mounting holes and factory detail remain. Flat black, steel wheeled trad styled hot rod. I prefer that look on that particular style However, a show rod or racer, especially a severe chopped one, looks great smoothed or filled.

Either way it’s just metal.

 

I thought this was a later version, but I can't remember. A lot of work overall. I like it.

 

Maybe that was used for a fiberglass master pattern. Yeah that's had some major work done...

It really does highlight the level of detail paid to some as this one looks literally showworthy but also ready to rockn' roll...Stunning Machine...

Looking very closely at that it may have smoothed inner wells but it does have provisions for fender attach and seemed to have just that at points in its journey...

Heres a neat one...



...Hairpins...easy to see how they got the name...the reflection in the hood side very cool...and I think it fits in with the crowd just fine without malice...ready to leave a mark on the scoreboard...

Just another Cool Hotrod...

Credit to Photographer, Owner
​

 

Kevin do you have any pics of the inside area where the well mods were done...I mean yours is a true survivor...perhaps you showcased it within your thread...post a pic and a link as I know your thread to be quite thorough...

@0NE BAD 51 MERC was curious and for that matter myself and certainly many others are curious too. Thanks in advance...

 

...Anybody have the history on this one...I mean I believe it has filled wells...but would like a confirmation...

This Hotrod is found here at the link below...

https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum...raditional-hot-rod-forum.828348/#post-9191025

Credit to Photographer, Owner
​

 

Here’s a shot that I found on pg 1 of The Waske Effect. Mind you, all of this was shrunk and hammered flat.

 

THANK YOU @Cyclone Kevin & @Stogy , this is EXACTLY the kind of informative and productive discussion I meant when I said "I'd like to talk about, see pictures of and information on Filled or Smoothed Wheelwells on Fenderless Hot Rods here."

Anybody seen any Tudors done this way? I'd imagine that would be something you'd only see in a 60's show car or a lakes sedan with a heavy chop.

 

This pic above the thumbnail was the unfairly isolated example in action...I believe it was well thought out along period guidelines as we know TROG has fairly robust criteria for entry...and a couple of things one must consider is many Lakes Racers and Hotrods were less than stellar in the build and shiny paint department not to mention climates affecting vehicle condition depending on region. So it may have actually captured the flavor quite authentically despite the negative analogies.

Does anybody know Alex Steelback...he has sold this Hotrod but perhaps he has some pics or history on the Roadster...

Credit to Photographer, Owner
​

 

That's quite well done and yeah it was definately a noisy day...

For those who enjoy ALL the history here's a link too @Cyclone Kevin's extensive continuing journey with this Historic Roadster...

https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/the-clem-waske-29-roadster-265b.1020244/
​

 

Does this count as a filled sedan?