1950 buick super 4 door sedan I have the chassis dialed. Fresh '63 401 Fresh '65 ST400 96 GM 10 bolt rear '86 jag front suspension PS/PB Sitting about 3" off the ground And all the stuff that comes along with the above. These cars are probably the best looking 4 doors from the factory to make a 4 door hot rod. BUT....every time I look at it from the front, I just needs to look a bit more lean. The rear has a great view. Opinions: A: leave it be and roll on. B: find a 2 door doner car and do a body swap C: find 2 doors and B pillars from a 2 door and try and make this a 2 door? D: Cut the top and make a carson top with the 4 doors? I'm going back and forth with all of it. I'm already way deep in the hole, so getting any $$ back out of it is beyond my cares. I've had a ball getting it this far and has been worth the investment in fun. Thoughts? Thanks, Jason
My vote is D. Chopped Carson top. Anybody can leave it stock looking, hell the factory made a shitload of 'em that way. Why not make it your own?
I’m not sure I understand what’s wrong. The front end too “heavy” for your taste? That’s a great looking car, only one off topic modification, should have plenty of performance for modern traffic. Clarify what you don’t like up front, someone here will have a reasonable solution. Then paint it to taste and drive the wheels off it. Family or friends in the back, picnic in the trunk, and hit the road. As we used to say when all we could afford was a 4 door. “4 doors no waiting”. That’s a car that was built to enjoy the ride.
It looks kinda stubby. I love it, don't get me wrong, it just needs something to me. I like it more with the hood off, if that makes sense. Lower, leaner kina thing. I see other 50's that have more of an aggressive look. Most are 2 door jet backs. I know this car won't ever be that, unless I get a body, but half way would be cool by me
maybe a lighter color would make it look smaller? you can try a different color of primer, see how you like it
Just me, and I’m no expert on styling. Or taste, or color. But to me, the front looks a bit off, mostly due to the low stance. Now the low riders probably like it. Maybe something to lighten the grill up? You need someone with more experience than me to get from here to there. But I really like the combination you’ve got so far.
And there are ads for 'gasser wheels' but that don't make it right. Those Buicks are pretty beefy below headlight level, but that's the nature of the beast with those. Maybe just embrace it for what it is.
A friend of mine has one of these and I'm trying to talk him into using a pair of 2 door fastback doors and B posts to make a 2 door sedan. 2 door conversions are kind of my signature move so I'm all for it, plus Buick did not make a 2 door post with that roofline so it would be really unique. You could do it with stretched front doors if you got some extra 4 door sedan fronts but it's more work. I've done a bunch of 2 door conversions, this one would be pretty involved and would require some custom stuff since it's a car that never existed, but that hasn't stopped me before. If you're an accomplished sheetmetal welder it'd still probably take 200-300 hours total, but you'd have something that no one else in the world has, and that's pretty cool to me.
I'm not an accomplished body guy. I can weld and work with sheet metal, but it takes me 3 times as long to do anything. The hours don't don't bother me, as long as I can move on it constantly. I took a full month off work to get the chassis done in one go. My biggest fear is to start a project and not finish it and waste the car away. Maybe I'll go the 2 door route and carson top that. Seems like it would be a bit easier for my skill set. I've never made a top, but so far I've been able to make anything I've wanted with research and time. I've been around a buddy making his for a 62 Electra, and it didn't seem that hard all things considered. Fabbing up a steel top is most likely past my grade.
Look how good the proportions are with the longer door on this body shell. First pic is a stock one. It would take skills and time, but it could be done. PLEASE don't do that. Please. If that's even being considered as an option, then I vote for leaving it just as it is.
Also should mention, while I am a fan of a Carson top done correctly, they are more work than even the 2 door conversion, since the whole body will need to be reinforced for the roof to come off, plus door caps and you'll either lose all of your side windows or you'll have to engineer hardtop-style door glass which would be a huge undertaking. X2 if you want to keep 4 functional doors. Most Carson top cars are based on convertible bodies for a good reason.
As far as........"looking heavy in the front".......why not lose the big front bumper for something a little thinner?! Keep the classic 'Buford' grille....just skinny up the front bumper. Lose that much weight will prolly pick up 3-5 MPG! Definitely do the two door deal.... 6sally6
as to the front end…it’s a buick. a unique one year style. now the two door with that roofline… lots of work but it’d be good. personally i would NOT do it. i don’t have the time or the money nor the skill.
Here's a '62 Chrysler I did a few years back. Chrysler did not make a 2 door sedan since 1954, this one was made using a combination of Plymouth and Dodge pieces, and the rear quarter window area had to be made custom since the Chrysler does not share a roof with the Plymouth or Dodge donors. Making this one the only one in the world with this body, just like your Buick would be. I was careful and I didn't even have to repaint the whole car, I left the old blue paint and just blended in the spots I changed. It can work.
I love playing around with styling ideas, here's my 10 Cents on your styling conundrum (when's the last time you seen that word been used??) Bumper - section the outer ends to make it horizontally thinner - it's too fat, make it the same thickness as the center section, and get rid of the overrider part of the outer bumper to lighten the visual load. Hood - pie cut sectioning to bring the nose of it down a bit and take some of the bulge out of the front will make the biggest change to the look of the car, especially since you like the look with the hood off, it's too big Roof (optional) - section the skin to make it less top heavy (think Wes Rydell's 54 Chevy) so taking a strip out of it and welding back on, again less bulge in the roof really makes a lighter look - paint a light color. In my opinion the visual mass of the car comes from the amount of metal surrounding the grill - by making these changes you'll have a less "stodgy" looking car. It would look great in some brighter color - black makes the car look heavy.
Since we're discussing ideas, here's another thought from me. First pic is a stock one again, for comparison. Second pic shows the longer door from above, but this time also with some emblems and handles and things shaved, including the little thin body line above the rear wheel, plus the rear wheel opening opened up to match the front more closely. Compared to the 2 door conversion, these other changes would be a breeze. Personally I like the front bumper and grille surround, the only things I might do there is to shave the front hood emblem and ornament.
The roofline is completely unchanged in the pic above, but with the B pillar about 10" further back and the rear wheel opening raised, I think that roof looks spectacular. It's clean and neat, and doesn't look to me to be too tall or needing of a chop. You wouldn't even need to take the windshield or rear window out of the car, which is usually the toughest part of a top chop. I don't think it needs it.
Here's your own picture of your car from the front And here it is with just the hood emblem and ornament shaved, plus removing the license plate bracket and the antenna. Much less bulky in my opinion, with very easy to accomplish modifications. I know that hood ornament is a really cool looking piece on it's own but it doesn't help with the bulkyness of the car, maybe it could be used on top of the dash or in the rear package tray or something.