History New Builders....Please revive Canted Quad Headlights.....

That thing is god awful!

 

Amazing the responses about the Ala Kart! How many of us built models of it back in the 60s?

For those dogging the iconic Ala Kart, quit being so clueless and ignorant, and listen to this
http://www.legends.thewwbc.net/gpage133.html
More here
http://www.roybriziostreetrods.com/progress/mumford_ak/index.htm
and yet more
http://www.kustomrama.com/index.php?title=Ala_Kart

 

I liked customs in the early 60s, but I was a kid. We built models and customized them all the time. But I grew up and out grew them. The fact that I once liked them don't change the fact that it's an ugly car.

 

It is the only car to win America's Most Beautiful Roadster Twice...................

 

Let's don't..........and say we did.

 

you would be surprised, there are several early Vettes I have seen in vintage Oakland Roadster show photos with crazy front ends and modified fins. the one I saw could be one of several.

 

You gotta realize, 98% of the "traditional" hot rodders on here really have no clue about our collective history, or what hot rods actually looked like in the fifties, and furthermore, they flat dont give a shit. Its all about jumping on the current flavour of the week and being "one of the cool guys" and right now, that means you gotta be into "traditional" hot rods, which is presently defined as a late forties style black fenderless highboy with 16" wheels and a mid-fifties overhead. Pastel street rods and billet wheels out, black primer and 16" steelies in? No problem, they are all over it, and when the next bus comes along, they'll jump that one too. They are street rodders that have jumped on the "traditional" bus in the last couple years when it became the "in" thing to talk about, and thier ideas about 'traditional" have NOTHING, ZERO NADA to do with period correct.
This is just how the hobby works, and always has been.
My "traditional hot rod" thing is channeled fifties rods with full wheelcovers, and has been since the early seventies, its not part of the current scene, and never has been. And honestly, I hope it never will be, I LIKE being on the fringes.

 

I like canted quad headlights. They were a staple of customizing in the late '50s, which is a my favorite era of hot rodding. It pains me to read some of the responses on this thread.

 

The Ala Kart was certainly a big deal in its day, and was unquestionably the first over-the-top, no-expense-spared show rod with every imaginable detail painted, plated, upholstered and customized. But to argue that it's good looking is to completely ignore any standard of good design. I'd pick any number of tasteful '29 RPU's over the Ala Kart any day. Howdy Ledbetter's "Howli Kart" semi-clone of the Kart significantly improved the awkward-looking nose, although Howdy still used quad headlights.

No, it is not. Two other cars won the AMBR twice. One was Ermie Immerso's T; the other is a '24 RPU with a mural on the side. Both are in the vault at the Petersen. Along with the Kart, they are both from the "More is Better" era of show car building, which at last seems to have passed into history.

 

Like alot of things when it comes to customs, it can be executed well or poorly. Unfortunately like alot of popular customizations, there are probably more examples of it done poorly than there are examples of it done well. Thats the challenge with customs, you have to walk a very fine line between making something unique, and something that works as a whole and improved what you started with.

I went through my hard drive and found an example that I actually like.

 

so popular in the early 60's even ferrari was close to canted quads on the 250 Lusso (headlights and driving/fog lights)

 

Very well said!

 

"Living on the fringes" is akin to individuality - known as "doing your own thing" and NOT following a crowd, as you've very well pointed out...but until that 98% realizes that individuality is a hallmark of building a custom, they'll keep on following the crowd, voicing their small opinions and cutting down anything that doesn't appeal to them. and history be damned...!!!

R-

 

Didn't like them in '58, don't like them now.

 

The Crucifier:

 

THAT works.

 

Love Lead Sleds, good quality mercs, you name it. But when someone destroys the lines of a car, that does not make it cool! Individualism is the heart of the hobby and to each is own. Everyone should build what they want or like and not care what anyone else thinks. But ugly is ugly, sorry. If the custom guys on here love ugly that's fine by me, I'm not doing to try and stop them. Just hard to understand why someone would put the effort into messing a car up, but again, to each their own. It's their car they can do what they want with it.

 

Roger, I'm going to have to respectfully disagree. Individuality IS a hallmark of building a custom, which is precisely why we each have our own opinions, and should not simply follow/obey/agree just because something is "trad". I love customs, I'm a history buff, and I have a ton of respect for the real custom builders on here, but I think canted headlights are ugly, and I think the A La Kart is ugly. That does not make me small minded, it does make me an individual with my own opinion. We don't all have to like the same things in order to get along.

 

I'm positive I STATED "individuality is a hallmark of building a custom"...please go read my quote again...

"Small minded" is blasting out an opinion simply because you don't like something...the O.P. did not ask for an opinion from anyone, but all those that posted they didn't like them sure had to have their say, didn't they...???

R-

 

That is a very good point!

 

These personal attacks are interesting. Apparently only opinions that align with a certain point of view can be expressed. I was answering a question posed about no one not liking a car. Anyway, the personal attacks don't work with me, I have always loved 38 fords. Now you want to hear a lot of comments about ugly try saying you like the styling of a 38 standard! Doesn't bother me, I like them. We do not all have to follow the crowd in what we like and dislike. Same goes for 32 3-windows, many love them, I'm not one of them. Again I have always loved the 5-windows. So, if I don't like what looks like a total mess to me, then attack away.

 

As much as I like these threads discussing the aesthetic of customs, it makes me sad that these threads get most of the traffic on this sub-forum. There are alot of cool builds in this forum that deserve some attention too.

here are a few ive been keeping tabs on:
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/...lly-need-another-shoebox-build-thread.626123/
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/36-ford-custom-build.814716/page-24
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/1936-plymouth-build.845426/
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/1949-cadillac-custom.873919/page-5#post-10506475
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/sutton-coupe-40-s-chevy.829516/
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/1949-buick-custom.825821/
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/...lasalle-combo-period-build-circa-1954.788433/

 

But the problem is most of the guys that post on these types of threads don't have any interest in customs so they don't care about the build threads just the drama ones.

 

Perfect addition, thanks.

 

Cute thread. Here is what I've learned from it:

1) You must not have an opinion unless it's the opinion of the "individual" thinkers.

2) You must like something because it's traditional, even if it looks like ass.

3) You can call pretty much anything "art" and then the aesthetics can no longer be questioned, especially if it was created by someone famous.

4) The most important thing about building a custom is apparently individuality and creativity, not taste. To not realize this is to be small minded.

5) You must like the snorkle fish-mouth snout thing on the front of Ala Kart because it's "iconic". If you don't, see item #2.

6) If you don't like one custom trend (like canted quads), then you hate ALL customs, well, except for the cookie cutter ones, of course. You like those because you are just an ignorant, simple minded, cretin. Most likely you are only involved with "traditional" hot rods and customs only because it's the latest trend. You don't know the history either, even if you were there. You will NEVER be one of the cool kids!


Now, I'm off to enjoy some real traditional hot rodding. Gonna crank up the rockabilly and head on down to the burger cruise. It's a lifestyle, man!! I have one of those drive-in trays that hang on my window and I love to watch the tatooed orca bettys sneak up and snarf those burgers and fries that I set out for them. Dig it, it reminds me of the snorkle snout on the Ala Kart!

 

Roger, it sounded to me like you were telling us to be individuals by joining your crowd.

The OP didn't ask for opinions, he just started the conversation ball rolling.

This is definitely one of those love 'em or hate 'em things, not a ton of middle ground IMO. Canted headlights are, to me anyway, a '50s thing that was the thin edge of the wedge in terms of the show rod craze of the '60s. Some will say the '50s guys were blazing new trails, others (like me) will say they were pushing things too far for the sake of pushing things too far. I haven't seen many cars with canted headlights I like, they all seem to be awkward.

I like the restrained customs of the early '50s. Of course, I'm building an early '60s-styled custom with my shoebox (dual tail lights, wacky dash... not practicing what I preach ), so I am nothing if not a hypocrite.

Saxman, that's some funny shit right there.

 

If we all liked exactly the same things, what would this hobby look like?

 

Sea of fenderless black highboys with 16" steelies?? Oh oh, hang on a minute...

 

.......with canted quads, of course.....!

 

Shhhh....... someone will start a thread about them. Oh...wait.