well..as most of you know, this car was to be a MILD kustom,,,, mid 50s style......then i decided to go for a late 50s/early 60s mild kustom,,,, things quickly got out of hand, and the car has evolved into a radical early 60s style kustom,,,,, tacked on the fins,,then decided that with the fins the car needed a chop,,,got the chop done and decided the car needed sectioning.... i liked the canted 54 buick headlights,,,BUT i felt like they gave the car more of a MID fifties look,,,i gave it a lot of thought and decided that some type of hooded headlight would be just what the car needed,,,it would give the car some needed length, and the slant of the headlights would mimic the slanted b pillars,,,,i remembered that a buddy of mine had a 56 lincoln basically rusting into the ground,,so i gave him a call and asked if i could hack the headlights (and some other cool stuff) off the car..he said i could,,so they are now the latest addition to the constantly evolving shoebox project,,hahah,... the peak in the top of the fender lines up PERFECTLY with the peak on the lincoln sheetmetal..... i also trimmed back and adjusted the position of the fins,,they seem to flow a little better now,,,,i will be using 55 caddy dagmars/bumpers on the front with a rolled pan between them,,,i will use the chrome piece from the top of a 51-53 olds grille along the top of the grille opening (need to find one first)..... have some pretty wild ideas for the taillights and rear of the car,,but still kicking around diifferent possibilities, so i wont post them yet,,, i bought a meco mini torch that should be here any day,,, i plan on using the torch to hammer weld the section job seams... ive heard great things about this product, and have been talking with chad s here on the hamb,,,,,it sounds like it'll be fun,,cant wait to get started,,,,,,,,,,,,, here are a few pics to give you an idea where the car is heading,,,,,,,,
I like the looks of this headlight arrangement a lot better, I wasn't feeling the canted Buick units. I don't think they look right unless they're vertical. Do the Caddy bumpers (which I also like) interfere with the grille insert that you made? Are you planning on changing that too?
Looks pretty wild. I love it. I think the profile shot bears a little resemblance to the early T-Bird.
I liked the Buick lights, but I see where you are going with these Lincoln units. Good idea. Its starting to remind me of the Lincoln Futura with those lights and fins!! I´m less sure about the Caddy bumpers. They seem a bit oversized on the Ford - out of proportion. They leave you with a slightly wierd gap under the headlight. Are you planning to put a sidelight in there or something? Generally I´d be keeping a wary eye on not over extending the front and rear overhangs too much. Did you curve the B pillars after all, or am I seeing things?
the caddy bumpers are a little on the big side,,,but im fairly sure they will work when they are mounted in the proper position..in the picture they are just sitting on a crate for mock up purposes,,when they are actually mounted up, they will be set a lot further back,,,im planning on using a 51-53 olds upper grille moulding,,the gap you are talking about will probably have a simple round parking light there..the headlight area will also have some expanded or textured metal behind it..... the b pillars are slanted (not finish welded yet,,just duct tape,,hahahha)...
So the upper grill moulding will kind of surve over the bumpers - like a 57 Chevy kind of thing? Sounds good. Ah - good old duct tape! Remember - quality workmanship means no wrinkles in that duct tape!!
You're supposed to use metal tape and then paint over it, not duct tape. Duh. I like these headlights better even though the Buick units still rock, especially kanted like you had them.
The repositioned fins made a big difference in the overall side profile, its amazing how little things make such a big impact. I was going to ask you if the torch came yet! I was hoping there would be an update soon, this is coming along very nicely, its going to be far out when its all done!
Lincoln hls look better, Jim. Let me know how you like the meco torch. I was gonna get a cogra unit like Mark has. Later Mike
I have the cobra (or henrob, or whatever they are calling it this year). Since Jim doesnt need to do any cutting (I cant get my henrob to cut very well anyway, Im sure its user error), I think the Meco is a great choice, I want one myself. A client of ours is a jeweler, and he uses meco midgets, so I have held it in my hand, and its much lighter and less awkward to hold than the cobra. Its also easy to adjust the levels with one hand while holding it. As long as the flame is nice and focused, the metal should care what brand the torch is. My sheetmetal work is 99% done on my car (thank god!), but for my next project, I will definitely get a Meco, its size, and the special lightweight cable is a big plus.
i did like the buick headlights,,but i felt like they were all wrong for the direction the car is heading,,,the lincolns will work much better in my opinion, because of the added length, and the more modern looking styling,,,,,the caddy bumpers will be set back a bit, and should not interfere with the grille opening,,haven't figured the whole thing out yet,,but if i do use them, i'll make them work,,,,,,,there are still a ton of little details i need to figure out on the car,,,,,mainly in the taillight/rear area,,,,,
This is not a project; it's an Odyssey! Just wait till it's finished and somebody tells you that their uncle had one just like it. ("Is that a Packard?") Keep the pics coming; it sure is fun when someone else is doin' the work! By the way, what's become of that beautiful '41 Cad?
hahha,,,you are 100% correct on that,,it IS an odyssey,,,,, i'm having fun though..that's what it's all about, right? the caddy went to a hamber in denmark who plans on finishing it the way i started (westergard influence)..
thanks very much....i'll be lucky if i don't have to be commited after this car,,,,,,,hopefully, it'll be worth it,,hahahah
wow, the cars changed a lot since i bought that caddy bumper off you and saw it in your shop, its looking awesome, very different!!!
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