So I drove 1100 miles to pick up this 47 ford and...

I bought a cool 47 custom for from This fella named Mike in Allentown Pa. then drove 1100 miles to get it. Mike and his wife have a way of making you feel you have known them all your life and a bull shit session gets going. After a little while I check out the 47 and he says interested in seeing my custom??So into his cramped garage we go...Seems Mike has been bitten by the custom bug and just cant leave anything alone.His custom work on his lncoln sure shows that he is into the 50's customs... After checking out his work on the Licoln he says wanna see what I have in the basement? and into his basement I go....and there it sits what he calls the Cosmic Concept an early custom or concept car on a 33 ford chassis.. Below is some of the article from Traditional Rod and Culture Illustrated.. the car was very impressive and really was one of the highlights of our visit.. .......................................................... Cosmic Concept <TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=2 width=200 align=right><TBODY><TR><TD align=center></TD></TR><TR><TD class=stories vAlign=top align=right>click to enlarge </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
Harley Earl..paging Mr. Earl.. I have a few questions for you! The first being “Did you have anything to do with this car?” Usually the cars in these pages are easily identifiable. Even if they are made up of several different year parts, you can usually solve the mystery of what they started off to be. However, this time, I am at a loss for words. What we have here seems to be some kind of styling experiment. Perhaps a concept car of some sort..? There were many ‘glass bodies produced in the 50's, but even the current owner, Mike Acerra of Allentown , PA. doesn't know a whole lot about what he has.

 

I know shit about concept cars, but love the '47 !

Bob

 

Me to but its time for a freshening.. and
the grills gotta go!!

 

what grill would you put in ? im thinking 50 merc would work

 

The grille has a funky fit at the top... I'd play with a tube grille or maybe a floating bar type.

Bob

 

early corvette?? maybe I need to have it photo shop'd...

 

I kinda like the grill; it's different than every other custom in the world. I would tighten up the gap at the top though.

.bjb

 

Right - early Vette or '54 Chevy (maybe with additional teeth)......60 Merc may even go w/
the quad headlights.

 

Ooooh, canted quads....nice! I've always liked those.
-Are those real or dummy spots..just curious.
-A 54 grill with extra teeth would be interesting- ihmo...a flat mesh grill background with bullits could look nice too is suppose...your car, your call. Maybe hit the web for pics of that kind of car with custom grills for ideas...
-you keeping those briz{?} bumpers, or going roll pans?

 

I would try that first, since the existing grille does look really nice. I'd make a template from an old pizza box, give it a peak, shallow at top and coming out as it gets to the grille.. paint it flat black so it gives a better rendering.

Bob

 

Love the headlights on that ford, have fun with it.

 

heres a good pictiure of the front all ideas are welcome....

 

Neat car, I like the headlight placement/treatment and agree about the grille. I would lose the rear sunken lic plate and probably the tail lamps as well. Floating grille insert sounds good, you'll get alot of opinions I'm sure.

 

Is that a '60 Merc grille, is it tweaked or bent on the top? That's kind of ruining the flow of it. Again, I do like the basic grille. Give us another shot, dead-on from the front.

Bob

 

Nice Score! Very cool custom! I think the grill opening requires something horizontal so it's not fighting with the bumper... Perhaps '54 Pontiac (a bit cliche) or '55 Plymouth? I know you'll come up with something cool...

-Dave

 

I'd loose those portholes and the Cad' taillights as quick as possible. I've always liked modified '50 Chrysler grilles in those cars too... Tons of potential with a few tweaks here & there. Have fun!

 

Very nice score! At first I liked the grille, but upon looking at the other pics you posted I can see the iffy fit and agree it doesn't really work with the neat stuff on the rest of the car. There is so much unique, non-cliche changes that you really need to go non-cliche on the grille also. So as much as like Chevy grille bars (Vette also), they are relatively common. Keep us posted.

 

That Merc grille isn't as bad as some I have seen, but I agree that a tube grille would pick up the horizontal ribs in the bumpers.

Nice looking car, and that concept car is kinda neat, in a funny way.

Don

 

the back end looks good, the front end sucks.........

 

I have now posted a change the grill. thread...

 

Very interesting!!


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Nice score. Its different. Just put your own spin on it now. I like a floating grill and nerf push bars in my opinion, or spit bumpers in The front.

 

here are better front pics of the new custom and some of the chopped 47 coupe I have for sale here on the hamb..

 

That grille looks like it's from a '62 Dart, don't trash that! If you replace it, that grille will likely pay for the replacement. It actually looks good on your car.

 

I like where you are going with it. Louvers make it. lost the port holes. In the 50's I bent 1/2" conduit and made a tube grill then had it chromed.

 

The car in raw steel is for sale its not the same car as the primed one

 

Re: the Concept car - I think I've seen something like it on Geoff Hacker's site forgottenfiberglass.com.

 

Cool start...
As previously posted, loose the portholes and the Cad tailights.
For the grill, mesh and draw pulls...goes with the canted lights.
Also might think about changing the bumpers.
.
.

 

Just my .02 worth, but that grill looks to me like its in backwards. Turn it around and see if it doesn't look better.

 

Tailights in the bumper guards, lower the rear more, lose the portholes, install grill below and drive!!!!!