Projects '59 Thunderbird Radical Custom build.

Thanks James. I'm glad you (tactfully, and with a solution) pointed out what was wrong with my design. Another subtle but significant change that will make people wonder what was done.


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Very nice, really smooths out the front end.

 

Shoveled the shop in front of the door, where I'd had the plow parked to fix it, and in the snow, right where I knocked 'em off the blade, was the bag of cut off wheels and grinding wheels! Now, I don't have to make another trip, 'cause I used up all the ones I'd bought yesterday on the bumper surgery. Normally, I wouldn't have found them until spring…

Brian

 

This car keeps getting better and better.Nice job on the front end

 

I am impressed not only with James D's recommendation, but your implementing it! Cool. Well done Brian!

 

I was remiss to not have James's artwork image in my post. Here's his rendering, and my interpretation in steel. He hit the nail on the head with what's wrong with the stock bumper, which involved a LOT of slicing, dicing, adding metal, and moving the bumper, actually down and forward, the opposite of what one would have thought.

 

How about that!
No idea how you get this done so fast.
Can´t wait to see it all primered up in one colour. It'll really tie it together.

 

Lots of work, but no dramatic progress to show. I finished up the welding on the modified front bumper. I measured 20 feet of weld, LOTS of grinding. I may not be a very good welder, but turns out I AM a good grinder!

Tomorrow I'm pulling the bumper off and straightening out the lip on the valance panel between the hood and bumper. It's a little "wavy" from prior damage that I didn't get just right, and with the bumper tucked up close, the imperfect line is obvious. It may mean making an entire new lip. We'll see.

Brian

 

you dont have to be a good welder as long as youre a good grinder

 

Well, it is ON. Rumors of having not one, not two, but THREE custom Squarebirds at Autorama 2015 are flying, and have made me set deadlineI hope I can make. A trio of custom cool in Detroit, all alike, but different. So, gotta get busy.

Only problem...

Brrr. +6 degrees. I had stoked stove in the shop last night, and am going out now to fire it up again. Hopefully warmer inside than out yet, yesterday my feet got REALLY cold on the cold floor, which makes a person cold no matter what the air temp is. Better today, I hope, 'cause I want to get the front FINISHED, and start on the dash.

Brian

 

Bumper, nipped, tucked, adjusted and fitted. Had to cut a slice in the upper right side just under headlight and hammer the lip down a bit as it had a weird bulge that didn't fit right. Front valance panel straightened, lip hammered flat. New center, upper bumper bracket made and mounted to bumper to force the upper bar down and out to hold it in position. This mounts to the bottom of the upper bar of the core support. I didn't get to the filler part, but finally happy with how the bumper fits and the gap is nice and even all the way across. A pretty good days work.

 

Not bad for an Eskimo

 

Who, besides me, thinks an egg-crate grill is what this opening needs?

 

I think it would play off of the hard and soft lines present in that front end treatment.

It should set off the headlight adjustment pretty well too.

Maybe James D could lighten that photo up and throw one in there?

Although, at the speed you have been working lately, you might be able to slap one in there in about the same time?

 

I'm going to go to ALRO steel tomorrow and check out their stock of expanded metal, plastic grating, and aluminum grate to see if there are any easy ways to make this work.

Brian

 

its hard to beat the 58 grille, ford hit a homerun with that.

Front end is coming along nicely.

 

Something like the 57 Corvette SS style of grille? Sort of teeth, but still egg cratey.

 

Maybe some bumperettes......

 

I was thinking the same thing when you mentioned expanded metal..

It will be good to have a bit of "bling" up front after re-working and painting that beautiful bumper!

-Dave

 

The bumperettes were the first thing to go, I hated 'em. And, I did think a '58 grill would look good, but an egg crate grill would be a little different. My '59 grill got "customized" when the bumper got tweaked sometime in the cars checkered past, and I can't seem to get the bars perfectly aligned. Hence, the "Ford" blue oval I had in the center to cover the worst of the damage!

I admit, the bumpers are pretty, but they don't fit the body for shit, and with almost 25 feet of welds in this one, it'd take 50 lbs of solder to make it straight enough to plate. It'll still be purdy!

Brian

 

I knew you planned to paint the bumper Brian, (and it will be purdy!) which is why I was thinking the grill needed "bling". You've got some great ideas and as I am enjoying watching as each section comes together into a cohesive design. Nice work!

-Dave

 

Wow Brian you've taken the ugly out this bird! I really dig the bumper !


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Another day spent on the front bumper. A custom, I decided, shouldn't have exposed bumper bolts, so those were shaved, and a couple of now unused ones filled. Spent a couple hours straightening it out too. The right side had been run up over something, deforming the bottom rail, which made the grill opening look slightly asymmetrical. It was pushed up 3/8", just enough to be noticeable, at least to me. The port-o-power got that closer, which made the grill fit better. Since the grill now fit the opening like it was supposed to, I spent a little time ironing out the grill bars, and I guess it looks OK.

Since the front bumper is now as smooth as a baby's bottom, I guess I'm forced now to shave the rear bumper as well. LOTS of holes in that one, and it needs a little final fit as well, so I'll probably spend 40 hours on that one now as well.

 

IMHO, I don't think you can do any better than the '58 grille (and Ford emblem) you've got in it now...

R-

 

I was having a think about this. Wondered about a bulged out mesh grille, pushed into a semi circular shape, so it´s somewhat like the 57 Buick shape, but a little more "race car", to go with your Salt Flats wheels. Unfortunately it´s hard to get the look in photoshop.

 

Thanks for getting it primed for me! Oh wait, that's just photo shopped! It does look good all one color!


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I was going for silver, but life´s too short to be getting that right.
Not a fan of my grille idea I take it?

 

LOL, no I like it, but I was on my cell ph., hard for me to text. It's interesting, looks very aggressive. I considered evening up the bumpers grill opening, which has little tabs for grill attachment, isn't as deep as you've shown, and lacks the "skirt" at the top and upper curve on the sides. I have to decide what I want to do with the grill now…

Brian

 

I say pass on the 58 grill. The mesh looks good. What is egg crate like? How about a 61 galaxie grill . either way that front end is way cool

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And James, you can't spend all your time doing graphic design work on the HAMB for free! The mesh grill was a hit with my hot rod pals (posted it FB), now to figure how to bend it in a V with the compound curve…

Brian

The grill is stock '59, not '58 btw…