Your Merc looks great without skirts @wicarnut. Growing up there was a family of 49-50 Merc hoodlums down the street and not one of the 3 ever put skirts on their car. I was around 12 and I thought those guys were gods. Later on when I was working on my POS 54 Ford one rolled up and checked me out and helped me set the points. I felt blessed.
I feel like the cars and trucks put up as examples by you guys absolutely reinforce the general thoughts of most posters in this thread. Subjective of course still, but all the trucks with skirts look silly to me. The low sitting cars look good.
you people do realize that fender skirts were an accessory on these cars when they were new right? they put them on cars that were not modified at all. hope this clears up some of the confusion here.
I too disagree. My Wife's old Panel delivery had skirts AND was nose down....not a lead sled, just a custom
I say go for the skirts if you like them...regardless of the stance. Here's a photoshop version of my Cabriolet...I was curious how it would look with wide whites and skirts, while keeping the rake. Well, I love it...and this is the direction I'm taking it.
My inherited 55 T-bird came with 2 sets of skirts-one original, one repo. I sold the repos at Goodguys. The originals will go with the car when I part with it. I will never use them; they make the car look like a boat out of water, and I can't see hiding custom wheels behind skirts. Sometimes I wonder why people seek opinions. If you're considering doing something, just do it and live with it. Many of us have reached the age at which we shouldn't be worried about what others think.
There seems to be more than a casual connection between installing skirts and a lot of ‘dress up’ trim/accessories. Certainly not in all cases, but a significant percentage. Enough so that perhaps there is a particular ‘style’ preference, or genre, at work here that includes those elements.......not just skirts as a stand alone addition. Is it just my late night fog brain or does anyone else see the connection? Ray
"Dress up" is also known as the "J C Whitney look". I am not really a fan of fender skirts, but, sometimes the car tells you something different. I had these made for me, all the compound curves were way beyond my skill set (mangled some 18 gauge cold rolled before giving up...). Car is on jack stands - chasing a better fuel line routing.
Yeah see, now that I can dig. Makin a liar outta me. I don't mind eatin a little crow. Still, that doesn't have a huge ride height difference, very subtle. Beautiful car tho, definitely. I think we do all understand they were an option on some of these cars back then. Again, I guess it just depends on the car. I still think in general terms for a custom it has to be lowwwwww for um to look great. Especially bubbles. But that's just for me....
You hit the nail on the head Ray @Hnstray . When I built the Panel Deliv, my goal wasn't a traditional "skirted" custom. It was more like a J.C. Whitney poster child "Gook Wagon" with EVERY possible accessory I could find for it. The skirts were just another requisite accessory.
Don't be so hard on yourself. I didn't build the Panel Deliv. as a custom...more of a "gook wagon" with every conceivable accessory available. That's what the wife wanted.
Post a picture of your coupe over on the photoshop thread and let those guys work their magic. You may find a good look with skirts or be convinced to go a different direction.
Tail Dragger yes, stock yes, lowered in front put them on and go to a car show - people will be giving it "Stink Eye" and comments.
I love this 27 "T" with the Mopar nose. It's so back east look, So Cal would have run you out of town in the 50's. But right now in 2021 it looks pretty cool with skirts all over the place. The owner probably had an Indian bike too.
Oh my, I had no idea that you West Coast guys had to follow such "strict rules" or be shunned by fellow car guys. Here on the East Coast, where those "etched in stone" rules aren't enforced, I'm sure my nose down, skirted 36 Cabriolet will do just fine...and if I do get a "stink eye" from someone, I'll just send my wife over to give them a stern talking to.
We didn't have rules except for one, when Topsy Part 2 song played on the car radio , we'd pick a fight with somebody. We did think back east cars were about 10 years behind West Coast cars so cars like the one above were laughable. This was 60 plus years ago and we were 16 years old. As I said above, now in 2021 this 27 T roadster is a pretty good looking car. Oh no, Topsy Part 2 just came on the radio. And today it appears to me that Texas is the new So Cal with bunches of cool cars. JW
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