Today was such a nice day we decided to do a little photo shoot. The car has been inside all winter and was stacked with dust and other project related crap. We dusted it off and rolled it outside.It was nice to be able to stand back 30 or 40 feet from this thing and get a different view of it. We continued lining up the doors and adding new window channel. Next week the first coat of clear goes on the wooden "frames" Steve brought his cobra out and we shot some photos of it as well. It was the previous project done here at Strange Days. Things are really starting to come together. We start final prep for paint next week. That'll take a while, but we are starting to see that there will actually be an end to this project.
It really needs a curved wood piece by the front wheel opening to 'follow' the opening and match up with the curve around the rear fender bulge. Other than that, it's looking great!
I agree with Crazy Steve, although, can only imagine, what would be involved, in making that piece. Either way, gonna be one fine ride, when done. JT
You are right it would not be easy especially since thatwhole piece for the fender is all one piece now
OK, Crazy Steve and Jakespeed, we took your comments into consideration and decided you are right. Nick took the two front sections back to his shop to revise the curve over the front wheels... He said not to worry, he'll send you the bill ! Actually he was most gracious about it. We all agreed the change should be made. Thank you for your comments. We want this thing to look as good as possible. I posted the picture to the photoshop thread here on the hamb, and madfish and moose added some color ideas. We weren't sure if we should go sedate with seafoam green , or bright with a fire red. Their photoshops helped us to decide on the red. Here's madfish's rendering. The rest of the wood got its first coats of clear. We are using BASF LC4000 and it seems to be working well. A couple coats will seal it up for now, and it'll get more when it is finally attached to the car. The rear liftgate hinges were an awful lesson today . the top of the gate doesn't want to close tightly against the body. also, I suspect there used to be some springs on these hinges. has anyone got a picture of one? Finally the chrome work I sent to Decorative Industrial Plating came back. The work took over 4 months and is absolutely terrible. They chromed over pits, the chrome is bubbling up, and they lost one of my parts. A complete shit job. Don't ever use these guys based in Helena Montana.What a waste of time and money.
that revised trim will knock it out of the park.I wanted to comment on the look before. I was not sure that it would have been seen as too critical of this work of art.looking forward to revision
I'm generally not a fan of red (yeah, I know, a paintjob is coming for my avatar... LOL), but it looks absolutely stunning here and really makes the wood 'pop'. Fabulous choice!
I didn't think the red would look good either.. I thought it would wash out the mahogany on the sides. Steve thought it would work. After we saw the rendering we all agreed . Red it will be! It will however have a black vinyl top.
Oh no! I think it's just perfect all red, with a great balance between the top and bottom of the car with the wood as the dividing line. The black will be a distraction and pull the eye away from both the wood and the subtle top chop.
A red with gold metallic will pick up unnoticed tones from the wood and really tie things together. There was a deeper red from GM back around '76. "Firethorn red". It had very fine gold metallic. I remember seeing it on Firebirds of the time. Beautiful color.
Vinyl is for seats! Usually not black and produces sweat when sat upon any way. I have been following this project, maybe a vote from the peanut gallery is in order. I vote for a red roof. I have a 52 Ranch and a 52 Sedan Delivery. Love the style. Cheers, Don
Chuck,I too thought the wood trim on the front fender didn't flow like the rest of the wood work but kept my opinion to myself,I will say I am glad someone spoke up and you guys like the idea,I do hate it for Nick having to redo those pieces. As for the chrome plating I have had great success with Advanced Plating,give Steve a call. The lift gate hinges do indeed have springs and when I get home this afternoon I will take photo's for you. I honestly like the red,looks great but I'm on the fence with the vinyl top possibly get a photoshop of the vinyl top. HRP
The rear liftgate hinges were an awful lesson today . the top of the gate doesn't want to close tightly against the body. also, I suspect there used to be some springs on these hinges. has anyone got a picture of one? Yes there are spings on the back of the hinges. On my Ranch Wagon they are still there, I can grab a shot tonight after work. The springs go down to a bracket and are used to keep the lift gate up. My wagon is a real project, but it is almost drivable.
Chuck,your car and you guys have been spot on most of the time but the vinyl top IMHO seems to distract from the overall look. Are you thinking about wire wheels? HRP
I'm not feeling the black top nor the wood side (as it is in the photo). Opinions are as they say though..
Just to foster discussion, what was the last '50s Ford wagon to use a vinyl roof top? I don't dislike the vinyl (especially after seeing the Photoshop version), but remember that the goal is to create a custom version of a factory phantom.
If you followed this thread from the very beginning Chuck and his team intended to build a car that never existed and being how the Strange Day Garage crew are well versed in custom wood work the car is a natural.......personally I love the wood and find the whole build exceptional. HRP
Did someone else write your prior few posts? I agreed with what you wrote. Now you like the wood and the top? Am I in the Twilight Zone?
No,but sometimes I think I live in the twilight zone,,I always liked the idea of the wood and never said anything negative about it however since the comments addressed the square look at the to of the front fender,,I was silent until Chuck addressed it also and had decided to change that part...I agreed. As for the vinyl to,,I'm like you it doesn't do anything but it's not my car. HRP
Hi guys.Outstanding build.Got a question.In the spare tire well,are you going to have a vent or small drain in the bottom?Or did I miss it?If you do a drain or vent,to keep crud from getting in,you could possibly use a small version of the scoop sort of like the scoops to direct air to the engine on a VW bus,with the open side facing the rear.That would give a little negative pressure for some circulation in that area.Maybe placed at the front lower part of the wheel well. Good luck.Have fun.Be safe. Leo
The black top isn't getting much love.... I also think the wire wheels and wide whites look great; again, I'm not generally a fan of wires or wide whites, but they really set the car off and give it that 'show-stopper concept car' look. Ford should have built this!
Wow! This thread is picking up steam! When madfish did his rendering we only asked that he show us various colors. He actually took the time to add the chrome, wheels, tires, glass, etc. His work was in every respect exceptional. He chose the tires, wheels etc. We didn't discuss that at all. We loved his rendition, as do apparently most of you. I think the car HAS to have wide whites after seeing this. We were originally thinking beauty rings with baby moons or some other dog dish cap- The wire wheels do pique our interest however. The vinyl top is a tougher call. The rendering does not show the actual color shadings or texture of the vinyl. We have a sample here in the shop, and it is really something to see. I'm not sure how to convey the look in photoshop. Please do keep the comments coming. obviously we read them all and consider them all. Changes have been made because of some of the comments posted here as you have seen. Carry on!
The Jalopy Journal
