JB, I've always loved spotlights although I've never owned any. I have considered getting spotlights for my '50 Ford, but just never went through with it. (I may still!) I however, never noticed them to be a necessity to this early style of custom, some of my favorites from this era didn't have them. Mainly I think a not overly low speedboat stance, clean lines, simple dark or low key colors, skinny tall tires with wide whitewalls (3 1/4" to 4 1/4") are the main elements. The same car will have a later style if it sits level with medium whitewalls.
Hi Keith! Great to see you here. You are spot on when you talk about the style and how the small difference of tires and stance can change the period style on a similar car. I'm very glad so many added pics and I hope it will grow on more and more. Like I wrote, no old pics of old kustoms. But I think it can help to check out some period pics of some of the more known builders from this era, to see what I'm looking for. Not to offend anyone about their knowledge, just to show what's in my mind. Thinking stance, spots etc. Ayala-builds Wally Walsh Jack Stewart Dan Landon Al Garcia Westergard-builds Jack Odbert Butler Rugard
Barris-builds Al Andril – Johnny Zaro Vic Graze Carl Abajian Bill Taylor Harold Larsen Dick Carter Tony Pisano/Herb Ogden Nick Matranga Jesse Lopez George Barris Sam Barris Car show California 1949-50
This is my favorite era of kustoms, so clean and simple. I am trying to stick to this era with my chevy I am currently building. The plan is: 51 Chevy, 52 Olds bumper/grill, stock drivetrain(well, '54 235 in front of stock drivetrain), 4 inch chop, will be nosed/decked/shaved, probably going to run stock 51 Chevy center caps(no rings), basic black/white tuck-n-roll, and will be painted the dark green that came on it from the factory. I most likely will use the matching 52 Olds rear bumper and am going to roll the rear splash pan and reshape the quarters(think Drag'n Shop-esk), just not certain on the taillights. Originally I planned on using the lower half of some 54 Merc lenses, but still exploring other options. Also planning on running some type of side trim, just not sure what yet. Any suggestions from you guys would be appreciated.
Here is a merc that was at the Lonestar Roundup in about '03 that I think fits this thread well. Though not finished, it is just so simple and clean, it has always been one of my favorite mercs. Anyone have any updated pics of it?
Glad for this reminder....... I think this great of a thread needs to stay on track to the years that are written in the title of the thread. In my opinion these are the real years of kustoms.My favortite without a question,53 and 54 had some greats though that looked like they could of came from this era(48-52) but not too many.
bump...just to get more. Can't get enough of '35-'48 model fat fender customs done right. still working on mine...drivetrain will not be traditional, but hope to get the looks right.
I think besides the paintjob (were metallic/candy colors around 48-52? excuse my ignorance) this stunning Chrysler qualifies
thanks a lot Rik. these shots are from May this year. The little lady came in July and since then the progress has slowed down. But 2011 it will hopefully see the road.
Very nice car. The metallic paint was available at this time and I will here quote an old post from Rik, dated back to 2005. See below. You got a nice car coming along there, thinkfink. Now it will be the stuff you add that will make the style where you want it to end up. If you are interested in making it look like a certain period, of course. To each his own. Since we are talking about the details that separates the newer ('53-up) styles, please leave out lots of pinstriping, '57 Caddy hubcaps, gimmicky exhausts etc. Older quote from Rik: ----- Dan Post writes in his '51 version of "Blue Book of Custom Restyling" this: Today ('51) car colors offer a more invitng variety than ever, since super-irridescence can be added to any but black. Californian custom cars were once generally black, then came the maroon craze, then a spatter of Sherwood Green ('46 - '47 Buick light-bright green) then Harmony Green and Balsam Green ('47 - '48 Stude convertible green) and golden bronze. Refined, highly-aluminized custom mixtures of bronze, green, blue and red are the current selections. And I search the internet for some more info and found some other message boards where people had this to say (I took the most interesting messages) "Hi guys, I am a Ford and Lincoln Zephyr guy, and I have searched the Ford color charts pretty thoroughly, and the first metallics I have found were in the 1941 color charts. They were called "polys" and had a very fine metallic glitter to them, mostly in blues" "Ford did have a metallic silver/pewter color in 1940. There are numerous color photos taken in 1940 of Deluxe Fords in this color out there. However, I suspect it may have been a "spring color", which would not have necessarily have shown up in any paint charts until 1941, which was a rather common practice all the way into the 1970's" "Metallic paints were available back as far as the early 1930's. There are a number of interesting stories floating around as to how we got metallic paints. The one I believe is accuate, pertains to a car that was painted just in time to be presented at a late 20's or early 30's major auto show. Seems something failed in the pigment grinding machine, and the paint job had tiny metal flakes in it. At first, the people who were to present the car were horrorfied - but, on second glance, decided it was interesting enough to take a chance on displaying it the way it was. The auto show-going public saw the new exotic finish with these metallic particles, liked it, and the paint mfg's were quick to jump on this and exploit it. I have seen some genuine "original" metallic finishes. They seem to be much more subtle, and MUCH finer particles, than is the custom today. No question that the modern two part finishes are vastly superior to paints available in the old days, in every respect - gloss, color retention, durability. BUT - even the un-trained eye, even without understanding the phenomena, will catch the difference between a "real" lacquer or enamel paint job. The light simply behaves differenty when it bounces off the different type finishes. Personaly, I like the more subtle look of the "authentic" finishes. If memory serves, Chrysler Corp. and Ford had ENAMEL on their cars, and GMC and Packard favored lacquer, clear up until the mid 1950's when the so called "acrylics" started showing up." "I believe that the first "public" use of metallic paint, in this case, Dupont Duco Lacquer, was the metallic gold paint job on the 1928 Sampson Miller 91 driven to victory in that year's Indianapolis 500 mile race. Of course, metallics were certainly used on show cars as early as 1933, when both the Duesenberg "Twenty Grand" and the Pierce Silver Arrow were unveiled at the 1033 Chicago Century of Progress World's Fair. As for lacquers vs enamels, Ford did use pyoxylin lacquers for body shells and hoods beginning in 1926, and carrying on until at least the mid-30's, while Chrysler seems to have used baked enamel finishes through the 1950's. Ford did use japan enamel (black) for fenders and running board splash aprons through the end of traditional black fenders however (Ford called it their "Bonderized" finishing system). GM did use enamel for many parts, however. Their specs call for lacquer body finishes, with enamel for front and rear splash panels (between bumpers and body) and wheels through the 1950's." "I'll have to stand corrected on the earliest use of metallic paint! While in Auburn this weekend for ACD, I walked the ACD Museum with camera in hand. In the Dean Kruse Gallery stands a 1927 Duesenberg Model X sedan, which is listed there as being an all original, unrestored car (neat to see something like that!). It's painted in a now-faded green, which has a very, very fine (almost pearlescent fine) metallic powder in it. So, I guess I've learned something new!" ----------
thanks choptruck. and nice car fms427 ..and at J.B. thanks for the info - always great to get to know more. An style wise my car will end up a most likely a bit of a mud. On the one hand I want to keep things as streamline as possible - so more late 30s early 40s than early 50s. E.g. No tuck'n'roll, but an interior that reminds of a 1937 Ford Standard and a monochrome, non metallic dark paint job, no spotlights... But on the other it will have bags (some speedbumps in Holland are built lethal) and run without a front bumper (final back bumper decision is not made yet) and the 49 Chrysler hubcaps will stay. And now back to the thread - no intention to hijack, let's count this one as a bump please
Thanks Kent, for bringing up my car. It has a few details that aint right, but I'm working on that. Hope to see you beutiful merc back on the road nex summer!
Yes Bob...it is and it's in VERY good hands. This is how a Custom should look.The car of a rich man.Not like the car of a third-class crack-addicted hooker.(Photochop by Rikster)
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