Paid a visit to Don and the Victoria last Saturday. Not a lot new to see; what's mostly happening is prep for paint:
Tony, When I first read the original post about this, the first few sentences had me alarmed, I thought the original rendition couldn’t be improved upon. As the posts continued I began to see the lines take shape and became enthused. Now, It looks so good, so nicely proportioned, that once again I cannot imagine it can be improved upon. Well Done! Ray
You're right, and that's actually in the plan. I thought the stance was perfect before, but the chop definitely changes the ground rules. In fact, the Photochop at the end of the 2nd post in this thread is lowered a little in the rear. It's not gonna be a taildragger, though!
Second round of filler primer with custom guide coating along with a sneak peek at the headlight modifications.
Who would have thought... Sadly, Tom Nielsen died a couple of nights ago. He was a valued contributor to the Custom Car Chronicle, with many feature stories, including one on custom Victorias.
I haven't yet seen a chopped Tudor that looks anything like my car. Can you show me one? And what route did you take with your chopped Victoria?
Another question. Did you retain the back seat side panels? They look like they were made for a convertible. I'm looking for replacement seats for my '51 Victoria.
I don't think so. Don uses a guy who's local to him in Tulare; don't remember his name. As I recall, Sid Chavers recovered the stock side panels in 1998. They can probably be re-used this time. Remember that a Victoria IS a convertible with a steel top added.
Whether you agree with the plan or not, look at the quality of work that Don's shop does. In this age of all the horror stories of paint jail and cars not being completed in a timely manner, Don runs his shop as a real business. To have repeat customers should tell you about the history of the shop. This isn't an easy build by my standards. I'm enjoying watching this.
I consider Don a personal friend. His work for me has always been first-rate, and he's been very fair in what he charges. If he weren't my friend, I'd still go back to him. It helps that our tastes in cars and customizing are nearly always aligned.
Don you guys are doing an awesome job, subtle changes as usual like his last car. But Looking Good! Jim, aka Sanford & Son
Looking good. When do you think it will be painted? I know it always takes longer than we want though
Don says that the 2nd coat of primer is nearly sanded. I guess that paint will probably happen next week.
Dan Palatnik's Photochop is good looking. Note that it's sectioned as well as chopped. Somebody should build this car.
Don posted this picture earlier. Looks pretty good, I think! Edit: Oh. I realize now that he posted this same picture earlier in this thread. I still think it's a nice picture.
People really REALLY overlook this advice... it's true for so many things, business, values, dating and so much more in life. So, please, take the gold from this post. I towed my projects a few thousand+ miles worth of I80 because a couple guys aligned with my values and hot rod preferences. And on the other hand... I have had a clown shop local to me mess up parts of the same car when I wanted it put in sealer. We weren't aligned and it still burns me thinking about it.
This is 100% correct. There are some guys where you just like their style and you know they're on the same page as you.
The 51 Victoria Hard Top was designed by Gordon Buehrig who designed the Cord and many Duesenbergs, the Victoria back window was his idea and it made the hardtop design work.
I'm aware that the Victoria top was Buehrig's design, and I'm honored to own something that he designed. I believe that we will improve on his design when this modification is complete.
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