Frankenstein Door Panel... thoughts?

I dig what your saying but 2 things,

the pearson coupe was purpose built, it was not chopped like that for asthetics but for areodynamics

as for everyone "copying" each other, anything that looks good has most likely been done. its not 1959 anymore, most things have been exhausted.

I am all for you doing something different but dont pass up good just to be different...

its like having tattoos now days, you want to be different?

dont have any.

you want to be different with your car build?

Build a spot on mild custom.

anyone can over chop a car but it takes an eye for flow and a LOT of restraint to chop it right...

 

Am I missing something here? I am looking hard at this car and am not seeing anything choped or welded shut. It had painted bumpers but at the cost of chrome these days I can see the bumpers being painted for a while on about anything I own.

The only thing off the wall I see on the entore car is the keystones and the door panels. We are all talking about the original car in the thread correct?

 

??????

correct me if i am wrong. but hot rods are modified...they are not stock.





looks good. not a rat rod. i am actually amazed about how many people are on your side. i think it looks good and not overly done. i see your in olathe. you take the car out much? might have to try and catch you runnin around sometime.

 

Completely agree with you. But.. back when traditional style hot rods were new, were they not purpose built as well?

The Pearson coupe was chopped for aerodynamics.. but it looked cool as well.. but the main reason they chopped it was for speed. Now in my opinion functionality overrides aesthetics. I agree that it seems like everything has been done but it hasn't.. otherwise hot rodding would be dead.

i respect your response. I just don't like it when people on here talk about traditional just because they don't agree with something creative someone had done that is not the norm.. hot rodding is about personal expression and being the baddest fastest SOB on the street. If we lose focus of those core objectives then traditional hot rodding is not what we are doing here. In my opinion any car built after 65 should not be considered a traditional hot rod. It should be called a hot rod in the traditional style. Its like if someone built a 66 Shelby mustang today exactly how it was done at Shelby American, it would still just be a mustang in a Shelby style. The true traditional hot rods are those who have survived untouched. And its those and only those who can claim to be traditional. Otherwise all others are mimicking the style. In other words they are contemporary hot rods built in a traditional format. Nothing more nothing less.

The term Traditional is used too liberally in my opinion. It should only be reserved for those machines that earned it early on. Ie; The Dome Spencer coupe, pearson coupe etc. Others may disagree but that is their opinions and they are entitled to them. But it doesn't make it correct..

You ask some of the old guys that lived through the time that "traditional hot rods" were freshly built and alot of them say that the hot rods of today are not what they had.. they are too nice.. too safe.. and too heavily modified..

And i agree.. anyone can chop, channel, and section a car.. but it takes a true artist to do it right.. ie; good ol Gene Winfield for example..

thanks,
Douglas Johnson
"Skrach"
www.VividlyVintage.com

 

Ive seen this kind of thing done and granted its different but if done right its pretty damn cool. Im a big fan of creativity and love to see people experiment a little and dare to be different.
Your obviously a Monster fan (so am I) and I encourage you to go for it. If you dont like it or if later on it gets old, change it. Its a hot rod man, and its yours. Do what makes you happy.
On a side note, I have a special interest in that particular magazine. It includes a digital art piece of mine. They took the liberty to plaster the RR Drive-in over the top of it which I wasnt too crazy about, but its the price we artists sometimes pay for publicity. (sorry fellow HAMBers)

 

Beaner,
I think he's talking about merctrucks ride.

 

OK then. I was still talking about the frankenstien door panels car. My bad I got completely off the conversation.

 

Tough Crowd.

Lots of rotten Tomatoes being thrown. I would have brought my blue tarp if I thought this was going to be like a Gallagher Show.

 

The fellow asked for:
"Just wanted to get some comments, thoughts or ideas from ya all."

He's getting precisely that.

I really gotta agree with Hotdamn's posts, from my individual perspective.... Sometimes the truth hurts.

 

"Dome" Spencer is that Doane Spencer's long lost twin brother? (by the way he is famous for his roadster not a coupe.)

 

What I mean by purpose built is all out race. Some early hot rods were purpose built in that they were race cars but a good many of them were built to drive and look good.

I think we can all agree that Vern Tardel builds the perfect hot rod right?

ever see anything on his cars that isn't something that has already been done?

nope, theres a formula.

if you dont dig the idea of a formula, thats perfectly fine, but there was a time when most every one one this board did and many still do.

and bro I agree the term traditional is tossed around way too much.

remember what happened with the term rat rod?

in 2000 that meant a no frills, usually in progress, hot rod that was driven.

look at the garbage that it associated with that now, to the point where the term rat is a straight up 4 letter word to 99% of us.

Ive said it before and I'll say it again if traditional isn't your bag, thats perfectly fine, Jello Biafra once said, "Kinky sex makes the world go round."
but understand that you are ruining something that the rest of love and hold sacred in our souls, its almost like these guys are cluttering up our dive bar with yuppies...

sorry for being so tangential.

so what do you giys say we get back to talking about cool stuff?

 

Doane Spencer was famous for his Roadster and T Bird - not a coupe and the Peirson Brothers Coupe was purely a race car - if you are going to reserve "Traditional" for them, at least get the names right As for the term being reserved for only cars that were built back then, well I guess that is your opinion, and to quote you "it doesn't make it correct.. "

As for asking the guys who lived the era about the cars, I have, as my dad was one of those guys doing it in the late 40's-early 50's here in the thick of it in So Cal (Glendale to be exact), and he is (or was, he passed a few years ago now) of the opinion that the cars that he had and hung around with were 100 times better than the clapped together piles that MANY guys are building today, you never saw a car that was rusty (Not because cars weren't rusty yet, but because the guys would get some paint, or at least primer on them, as they would be laughed out of the scene if they showed up with a rusty car). Were they as good as the Pro Built cars of today? Maybe not, especially in fit and finish, but they were constructed properly and as safe as they knew how to make them.

 

If Franky was driving, he would want to have his passenger door Lock when you pull up on the door handle. And whether you roll the window up or down, it only goes up. He would want his passenger to not escape rather than see pictures of himself.
However, do what turns you on man. I do and never look back. My car is so off topic it pains me.

 

All cars are built with a purpose.. even this one.

that said: I bet no one had decopage frankies in 1964,, but I bet there were plenty of cars with pinups glued or taped inside...

 

Well it's not something you are going to see everyday like old tin signs or harley d graphics,,,,those have been done to death! Very original,,,i like it in your car,,

 

if your door is a clear bubble, which side do you face the pinups?

 

Cars are art-- firstly the art of the designer, then sometimes the art of the customizer. Art is personal. You like Frankenstein's monster, me-- not so much. I will say you've done a nice job executing it.

 

Nice Merc, hey dude, it's your car, do it your way and enjoy. I appreciate the creative work, you can do the tuck and roll or other trad stuff as you get tired of the Frankie theme. Main thing, drive it, have fun with it. ~sololobo~

 

I'm a big fan of traditional & traditionally styled hot rods & customs, but I'm also a big fan of being creative. It is a fine line, yes, but both can coexist here. William Somerset Maugham, the 20th century novelist once said "Tradition is a guide, not a jailer." I am very happy here abiding by that statement & have that written on my garage wall (where my traditionally styled hot rod was born). So, I think I'm O.K. with Frankie. Gooood..fooood..friend...smoke!

And to the guy that started this thread, don't be put off. Stick around...you're O.K.

 

If your door is a clear bubble yu don't need pinups baby! lol

 

William Somerset Maugham, the 20th century novelist once said "Tradition is a guide, not a jailer

my new sig, excellent

 

Its yours, do it!! enjoy the ride while you can.

Is it traditional? not so much, but Pin Ups and murals have been in cars since the 60'S, cut glass and mirrors on lowriders ect. I say it is traditonal to decorate your car as you see fit. You cant ( and shouldn't ) try to please everyone.

Godspeed
MrC.

 

Guess sam was not traditional because of the amount of chop he had and it was not done for a purpose???? I don't know who did this shoe box but it looks pretty heavy and I'm pretty sure it was not on the salt. We all like different things and if you don't like what someone has done to their car and they ask your opinion why can't you just say you don't like it or just move on? Why tell the guy to burn his car or sell it if he likes it? This just proves you have to have thick skin to hang out on this site.

 

Bryce,

The car pictured is as it was the day I bought it.
The previous owner was looking for a quick flip and threw a piss poor satin paint job on it and covered the rusty bumpers with Silver Frost paint, he added some new wheels and tires, gutted the interior, tossed in Grand Am buckets and then called it good.

I have no intentions of restoring the car to its heyday... but I will not destroy its past with anything radical. The next owner may wish to retore it.

I drove it for a couple weeks last fall, then have been working on it in my sparetime. The seats in it were from a a late model GrandAM. YUCKKK!!! I scoured high and low for Merc seats to no avail. Good friends of mine in Ottawa, KS donated power-seats from a 56' Packard sitting in their field. The motors in the seats work like new. The rear seat was 4" too wide. I cut 4" outta the center of the rear seat, rewelded and now both seats are ready for the upholstery shop... Turners in O.P.

The car is going to body and paint as soon as the fellas at JAMCO decide to send me the power-disc brake package I ordered 5 weeks ago. I am getting a little pissed at that.

I have all the stainless steel. But it is not going back on. The bumpers will be stripped to see the condition. These will probably be re-painted after conditioning them. Keeping this budget to a minimum.

I just purchased a factory radio from a HAMB member. It is going back into the car (just for appearance). I WILL NOT hack a dash for sake of installing a new Kenwood head unit... no F-ing way! The head and amps will be hidden.

Yes, my original intent was to do a R A T R O D... yes... I said it! But quickly came to my senses. I do like the Rat Rod look, I also like complete, true 100% restorations... I also like blondes, brunettes and redheads.

I also originally planned on a themed paint job and themed seat upholstery. Again, I changed my mind. The seats are getting covered tastefully in Off White vinyl and grey/black/white fabric... similar to the factory upholstery.

The door panels are just my added touch of personalism... and as most of the folks here have realized can be easily re-done. My tastes change. Who knows, in five years I may do a complete restoration. This is why I will NEVER get a tattoo. To F-ing permanent. Ear Rings, hellyah. Bleached Hair, hellyah. Tats.. no for me. But I enjoy the art of others who have them.

I didn't start the post to get a "slap on the back" with a "Atta boy". I respect opinions, we all have one. I just wanted to see what others thought and get their feed back. Never realized I get so much feedback though. I think it's awesome that I stirred up some blood and sweat here.

Some good, postive feedback... some angry, negative. Doesn't matter, cause I am one who does what I do cause I want to do it. Don't get me wrong, I am not a cocky ( okay, so I can be) asshole that is hell-bent on defying the world. I just simple revel in the ability to be free to choose my tastes for me... and in the end I am always happy with my decisions.

Like my brother in Alabama always says: Life is too LONG not to be happy! I live it everyday and enjoy those that enjoy it too. To each their own. No one is right. No one is wrong here at HAMB. Your car, bike or truck is your opinion... your statement... your pride... Who really gives a shit what any one else thinks? Not me.

Okay, so back to MY car. I am adding the finishing touches to the front and rear seat panels today. Paint and body is dependent upon JAMCO getting my parts to me so I can have a rolling chassis. Seats will be done same time paint and body gets started. Engine is 95% ready to go and the 700R4 transmission will be rebuilt during the body work also. My best hope is to have the car up and running by late fall... fingers crossed.

And to throw more torches to the angry HAMB villagers...
here is a pic of the engine.

{As the grey clouds consumed the cresent glow of the moon, turning night into pitch; the villagers gathered their weapons and torches ablaze. The anger-blinded mob set forth to destroy what they called blasphemy; a "monster".}


Darren

 

engine looks good, I like the green.