Customs 1958 Impala 60s Custom Find...Possible Barris Connection...Looking for Info

First let me say that im not looking for opinions on the the custom work on this car. This thread is for custom lovers....seems like every thread I see on here some dumbass posts something like the front end is not an improvement or a face only a mother could love. I didnt design the car... but it IS A PIECE OF HISTORY...and should be regarded as such.....like your mama told you...if you aint got nuthin nice to say ..keep it to yourself.

Just bought this '58 Impala....bought it from the grandson of the original owner/builder. They had a shop on Melrose in Hollywood called Martinez Brothers. The grandson told me that Barris had done some work on this car. I emailed pics to Rik Hoving and we both agree that it looks like the car used in the Spotlite "Fins and Taillights" book on how to add frenched '60 Chrysler taillights to this car. My car looks to have been dark blue.

All the work on the car was done in lead and thankfully was never changed from its original configuration...looking to see if anyone recalls it in any period magazines or shows in that era. Supposedly was in Los Angeles from 1958-69 or so....also was told by the grandson that the grandfather was asked by a model company to use his taillights in their model kit. Rik Hoving told me that AMT had a 1/25 '58 Impala that you could customize....and one of the features were '60 Chrysler taillights.

My track record with fixing stuff of this magnitude is spotty at best so might have to sell it when reality kicks in....in the meantime...hopefully some of you out there will remember the car...

 

Ok... I will say it...i think it's ugly, but in an odd way I really like it. Hopefully someone has a pic of it in its prime. Very curious to see it finished. Cool find!

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Oh, wow. Yes, the AMT kit comes with those taillights. I never realized it because they're not chromed.

In fact, you may need the rare station wagon lenses for those, which screw on from the outside. Mega-rare compared to the regular ones, production around 1500 and never repopped aftermarket or overproduced like say Guide lenses. The ones used in all other body styles attach from inside the fender.

I'd want to see it with the upper grille trim and a grille in it to decide how I feel about the headlights, though. Are they '60 Buick bezels?

 

Maaaann.....that thing has a face only a mother could love!!!

J/k..... I'd love to know the history of it too. I have a book of how to customize cars published in the early 60's. I'll take a look. Who knows ....jus maybe.

 

Many period customs are arguably not an improvement over the original style.....this is not a big revelation. Its that this car might have some historical significance...even though possibly slight...its cool nonetheless. Its a direct window to the early 60s...

 

Rusty...I was told that the nacelles around the headlights were painted body color...no trim. If you look at the late 60s pic I have ....youll find its hard to make out much details about the headlights because they are body color..

 

Posted these pics and they disappeared...

 

I seem to think Cushenbury did a '58 Chev with this headlight treatment. I like it.

 

This is a sweet custom! I really hope that pics of the finished car turn up sometime soon. Subscribed!

 

Was this a cut down 4 door? Something just don't seem right ( the super thick doors ). I still like it , just want to know.

 

Youre probably looking at the sidepipe cover... its an Impala....2 door

 

I think you're questioning the 'thick' doors on the turquoise model...that's not a real car-it's a plastic model...

R-

 

I see you're in California, and the car was built in Hollywood. How did it get so rusty? (e.g. the trunk).

 

Are you referring to the light blue "car"? That is a photo of a scale model, which would somewhat explain the odd thickness of the open door. Not every model company strives for 100% accuracy in those types of details.

 

Good save, good luck with it. Gotta love old original customs. Pretty damn cool.

 

Whoops, just saw 40studedude's post! Sorry for piling on

 

Shit...everything gets rusty after 56 years..the last 34 it was being stored outside on a farm in Delano. The rust this car has is CA style...little patches..replace the trunklid...etc. Ive seen projects from the eastern side of the US where they have to fix rusty frames and structural stuff....thats not the case with this car.

 

I would get it running and drive it

 

Just fantastic.... I don't know why/how anyone would not like this. (?) You've found a real gem here. I really don't understand some of the other comments here, as you've really found a great piece of history, even if it's not something we all recognize from the magazines... Spectacular. I'm jealous.... Congrats!

 

Ambitious project. Subscribed.

 

I've had a couple early Customs, and have been around ones others have found, they all seemed to have the "Barris" connection, similar to what you were told, and when the time came to prove it, all I heard were Crickets. neat car, definitely needs to be brought back to her Custom glory.

 

Eric....I agree that the Barris connection is used alot...like all Muncies are M22s...but....it appears that this car was used in the Spotlite book and the taillight treatment appears to have been copied by AMT for their Impala kit....just those two things raise it above crickets level...

 

Great find!

 

Why don't you just ask George Barris?

Yeah, that's a face only a mother could love...

 

I like it, it's old it has a great story and now it looks like it has a bright future. If it has a Barris connection that'd be cool too but if not, it's still the first three and more. Great find!

 

Very cool piece of history there!

 

I think the theme of the car is consistent, it has an "organic" look....

 

How does it look now? Simple sand and prime...

 

I think its bitchin, who else is gonna have one? Looks great cleaned up and primed.

 

To me, the headlights have a Alexander Bros 'feel' to them.