I have got my 50 chev up and running with the sheetmetal back in place. once i find some plymouth bumpers i will put them on but for now it has a sectioned stock one. my question is has any body lowered the front bumper and pan to get a lower stance? to more meet the level of the rockers?
If you lower the bumper, wouldn't you get like a 2-3" gap you'd have to fill with sheetmetal, resulting in a mustache looking front under the last grillebar? May work if you doing a whole kustom grille job. There are several cars that have the front bumper a bit higher than the rockers, I think it's so your tires it the curb befor you body. quick bumper drop attached, a clean side view would help you car would have to loose the rear rake and rider level, but i also think it'll make it look like a checker cab
I don't think it will look right. I do know from looking at mine, the front bumper is significantly higher, however I think lowering that would mess with alot of lines that make the car what is is. Are you bagged in front? Are Plymouth bumbers the nice one-piece bumbers I am seeing?..From what years? Thanks Oh yeah, the chop looks sweet!
I have seen sectioned cars, where they didn't cut it in front of the wheels, the "my blue heaven" 59 ford comes to mind. with the way you have your grille, if you lowered the bumper and added 1 more grille bar , I think it might start looking like a 51 chev truck from the front. Don't let this stop you though, take some pics, photoshop them or cut and paste to get an idea of what it might look like. It also might depend on how custom you go with the grille and bumper as to how the finished product might look. car looks great , and then looks even cooler w/ the chop .
my 50 coupe as 49 plym bumpers on it the are not as wide as a chevy so you have to cut them in the middel weld a extra part in or use 49 chevy lic. guards like mine . there,s a 50 hardtop from up state new york that they lower the bumper but it has a 53 chevy grille shell molded in it i talk to him he said there was a lot more work then he wanted to do
I was thinking about something like this for my '49. I was planning on flipping mine over, and dropping it no more than 1/2 inch, which could be easily lost without the "moustache" look, that Abe refered to earlier?
I will try to get a better shot of the front and side. the car is bagged front and rear. I was thinking droping it down just a few inchs and adding another bar. pics to come........
Have you tried turning it upside down? We used to do that to shoebox Fords. Sets the bumper rite on the gravel pan........OLDBEET
First off, the chop looks bitchin'.......looking at the pic of the front, it looks like you may be able to get away with lowering the bumper a little and adding one more bar to the grill to fill the gap in...but any more than that, might start looking a little kooky......
I am re thinking my truck statement with the better pics. On the side view pic it looks like you also might want to look into moving it in, closer to the wheel well, so the bumper and wheel well make one unbroken line... Also listen to teddyp about widening the bumpers , there is a guy in my town that didn't , and it does not look good.
i wouldn't do it, just for driveability sake. i'm from MN so i know the roads are not as bad as here, but it'd be nice to not have to air all the way up to drive the car or negotiate driveway dips and such. my chevy lays out nice, but i have to put a lot of air in it to keep the stock bumpers off the ground in normal driving.
The bumper is flipped and level with the rock guard now. I am thinking just an inch or two and another bar to fill the gap or spread out the ones i have. now looking at the pics I think i defenintly want to lengthen what ever i use to get that gap closer to the fender.
I love your grill as it is. If you drop the bumper it could end up looking like a snow plow or a cow catcher on a locomotive. IMHO I really like the horizontal look that you have. I've seen several customs that go too far and mess things up. I wouldn't change a thing. I prefer your bumpers over the 49 Plys too. Just one idiots opinion but I'd quit while I was ahead. I love it.
it wont look weird if you section the car 2 inches starting BEHIND the front wheel well. then all you gotta do is correct the back side of the well. and change the radiator support(for the most part) quicky
I agree with Tommy here. Have you seen the green-flamed Merc with the rockers cut off? It lays the body and the bumper, but it looks weird to me....like the cow-catcher analogy. Take a look at the lines on your car (btw, nice, flowing chop)...the front and rear bumpers are inline now... Just my .02. Bryan
....that's a really nice chop, btw....real clean looking. I would leave the bumper flipped but maybe bring it in a touch like he said about getting a better line with the wheel opening...beautiful ride