Projects another Buick barn find and build...we hope

The Plymouth lights are personal favorites. They've never looked better!

 

Hell yeah

 

I agree, it's gonna look fantastic with those taillights!

 

Ohh yeaaaaaa, lookin good.!!!! Great job on the top chop. Don't see any pictures of how you treated the front windshield. I am thinking the front windshield and side windows of the 53 Skylark was cut about 3 inches lower than its Roadmaster sibling.The sides of the Skylark were also cut to lower the profile of the belt line, but that would be one hell of a job. I assume you'll be lowering the seat frames at some point? When you first started talking about what to do with the rear, the first thing that popped in my mind was '56 Buick tail lights and then I saw what you used, I like those better. Can't wait to see what you do to the front clip and grille. and suspension. You're doing some great work, look forward to following, subscribing now.

 

Looking good, I love the body mods, i added 57 chevy headlights and fender top to my 53. I may have missed it, but what color are you two going with.

 

After deciding what taillights I was going to use I started thinking about the bumper and decided on a Caddy bumper, was thinking maybe a 53 if I could find a decent one, what I ended up with was a 51 and I like it better, it doesn't have the exhaust ports in it. It is in real good shape, if I was just building a beater it wouldn't even need to be chromed, however that's not the case and will end up costing me, who is tighter than bark on a tree, a lot of money. As for the front Bumper I do have a 52 buick which I plan on using.
anyway I finially got brave enough to cut my rear fender up and start the taillight grafting. it didn't go to bad, had to modify the lower section to fit with the flow but it all worked out and I am pleased the way it came out. As was said above, taillights and the bumper really changed the look of the car.

 

Im digging this build.
You have confidence and skills. Hope it goes¥ smoother and faster than mine.
As for the bumper..
I really like the early cads
But if you second guess it, take a look at the 51 to 55 desoto they are really similar but may flow better under the tailights.

 

Yes I like the rear window area but would like to see what happened with the windshield. My son has a 54 chevy that he wants to chop and you made it look so easy we may try!

 

Ok, time to answer a couple of more questions.
MrEarl, I thought about the about the Skylark glass, I have to find someone that has accest to one and see I can get some dementsions, it might fit in, the same with the vent windows. Asfar as the beltline mods go I have thought about doing that also, however that will be the last thing I do, I have the parts to it just don't want to tackle it now. Want to get the driveline in and fire it up so I can move it round withour pulling it or pushing it with my quad.
Chilling53, I saw your page and like the headlight treatment. As far as the color of my car, I've been thinking maybe Gold and an off white pearl. I'm still up in the air, but leaning that way.
46 International, haven,t done anything with the windshield yet.
and to everyone else that has commented, thanks, I thought my truck was a lot of work when I built that 14 years ago, but this is going beat that by a mile or two. I've chopped 4 cars for other people but they did the finish work. this car is going to be my first true custom, I just hope I can do it justice.

 

Pm sent

 

Ok, so now I'm going to do the bumper. I found a nice 51 caddy bumper and knew that it was to wide , just not how to wide it was. Well 3" to wide is what is was and I thought, now that you spent a whole bunch of money for this, you're going have to put the saw to it and maybe ruin it. I took a couple of deep breaths and set out on my journey of metal surgery. Frist I made sure the bumper was dead center of the car and started taking measurements and then I took some more just to double check my first go round and then I double checked them. So I got my marks and I'm ready to make my first cut, I had even went and bought some real good blades for my saws all, they are real stiff with no flecks in them. I had the inside bumper bolt tight and the end ones where just snug enough so when I cut threw the end wouldn't fall. Taken my time I made the cut and it came out nice and straight, now all I had to do was three more. A half hour later I had all my cuts and when I put the pieces back together, all my time measuring had paid off cause when I butted them together they fit perfect. Here's a couple of pics

 

Great build. I love the Plymouth tail lamp opening but not a fan of the lens. I wonder if a '56 Packard style lens could be made to work. I can't wait to see this Buick finished.

 

Nice!!!!

 

very nice work, dig the plymouth tails

 

Ditto on everything that's been said, this is coming out awesome!!

 

Lots of work to figure out what you want . Saying that , you are making all the right choices . Subscribed !

 

I picked up some wheels and tires from a friend of mine. He said they didn't fit his style and I said they are just what the doctor ordered for me, I hope I'm right.

 

I also didn't like the area under the tail light area, even though you can't see it because it's hidden by the bumper it bothered me, so I extended it to the bottom of the fender. Ater that was done I laid down some primer on the side.

 

Your making it look easy.
Go man go!

 

Wow, what a sweet looking car with the changes you are doing!! This car is gonna rock!

 

Wow you are really pouring some heavy duty work in to old girl.It is really coming together. P.S. The liqure store guy must now know you by your first name by now.LOL.Bruce.

 

Very cool! I have to ask what's the back story on the Plymouth. How did you know it was there?

 

Leadfoot loon, the story on how I found the Plymouth is, a fiend of mine knows a guy that has a bunch of old Mopars with hemis and he won't sell anything. the problem is, in order to even see what he has, is that you have to sit down and just talk for a couple of hours and maybe he will let you look or maybe he will say. Well it's been nice talking to you, I've got things to do, goodbye. In my case we talked and then he asked me what I needed and told him , a 55 Plymouth quarter panels, he thought for a minute and said that he did have one and he might be willing to part out since it didn't have a hemi in it. The problem was that you couldn't get to car from where were were, you had to drive a round the mountain and come in from the otherside. His brother owns a yard full of cars and trucks and you have to get permission to cross his property to get to the 55. Once you cross the property you cross over 2 stonewalls into a field and the car will be there. Well it took me two trips to his brothers and he finelly decided that we were ok and let us cross his place. needless to say what sounded like an easy walk turned out to be not so easy, we crossed the two walls but there was no field, it was all woods. We had to laugh because at the time he put the cars there it probably was a field. As it tuned out the owner has even been to my place to see what I was doing with those parts that I need for my Buick and has come back a couple of more times to watch the progress and likes what I'm doing, come to find out he's an old hot rodder from the fifties and I've some good stories from those days. He still won't part with any of his Hemi's.

 

Good story. I new there had to be some back story on that old Plymouth. Seems to be more of a adventure. It was all worth it that Buick is way cool!!!

 

Thanks to Hacknwhack for leading me to my truck deck, was looking for a 50 buick deck and he told me where there might be one, so thanks goes t him. I had to pull the car out of my garage, only one working bay, I need to make some money so I've got an Explorer that a fiends son wrecked, not bad, but5 bad enough, so the Buick is on hold for a little while. When it comes back in I will set the engine and tranny in place and lower the frontend. after that I think I will tackle the dash. In the mean time hear are a couple of pics of the car outside with the trunk on it. Looks completely different.




it..

 

Thanks for the nod.
I like the trunk lid. Looks sleeker.
Question is, is it a direct swap or do you need to modify?

 

I like the rear quarters, hell, I like the whole thing. The wires are cool, look forward to seeing how this turns out.

 

Yea Shane, it is a direct bolt on. The only differenace is the sloop of the deck, the 53 is much higher and just did not flow with the top.

 

hmmm, I have a 50 super parts car. might look into a swap to my 52 special?

 

OK, so I'm almost caught up on all my little projects and got to repair an Explorer that my buddies son wrecked, so now I'm ready to start back on the Buick, but before I bring it back into the garage I am planning on going to the Syracuse Nationals this weekend. Gene Winfield is there and I want to talk to him about the vent windows and how to cut them and put them back together, I figured if anyone can answer my question he can. I've talked to him before and he is not afraid to answer your questions, he is a super guy. When I get back on the car my first order on business will be the dash. I've got a 57 Olds dash I want to put in it, I'm hoping that it will look ok, if not I'll have to decide which way to go with it. I did pickup another buick, not sure what to do with it, keep it or sell it. It is a 1949 roadmaster 4dr. got it running, runs great, got brakes working and the tranny works, it moves the car but I think it needs to be flushed, anyway that's another story. Thanks to everyone for your comments.