Art & Inspiration A Personal View of Shoebox Fords

These two I found on the HAMB, so not too sure who owns them but the green one just does it for me ever since I right clicked and saved.
The black hardtop is a Swedish build I recall and shows a nice balance with the hardtop. And I think I will be adding Chris Casny's current build to my picture folder the way he is heading.

Although recent builds and not historical, IMHO both show an example of of how to accentuate the lines on this great Ford.

 

I like those two cars also and you are right about the lines....they still look as though there is a roof line (or a flow) and have not been smashed in the back window area or too sloped.

 

just got my first shoebox, been wanting one for a long time. Belonged to Jaker here on the Hamb, 4" chop by Bob Bleed hisself (as seen in Mad fabricators 3)

Here's a pic Rodster took at the Rumble this weekend...

 

Three of my favorites...wish I had a better picture of the red and gold one. In person it was stunning.

 

here's a few of my favorites.

 

Awesome cars. Im a Bowtie guy, but the Shoebox Ford is one of the best cars ever made. Keep em coming!

 

A shoebox club coupe, especially a ‘49 or ‘50, has long been a beautiful car to me. I think I trace it back to a couple of AMT models I had as a kid.

I like ‘em pretty much as they sit (one of the few cars I like at stock height, though they look good lowered too), but would definitely have to hop up whatever was under the hood (2x2 on the flattie, dual exhausts, and Smitty’s seems appropriate). An empty engine bay would surely get an early Caddy OHV if it were up to me.

-Dave

 

Anyone have any pics of Steve Sellers Shoebox.?

 

That looks pretty good. In some ways it's a shame nobody but pimps have the intestinal fortitude to run www on modern cars, some of them seem like they'd look very good that way.

-Dave

 

The green one belongs to Marty Wells,who lives by me here in Yorba Linda. He's really a nice guy. I never cared for the interior,cause if it had white, tuck-n-roll it would be spot on,IMO.

 

I give my neighbor credit for planting the idea that you work and build what you drive.
I was six and he was in high school fixing, driving, racing, and wrecking a green Charger. He would get me to clean parts out of a five gallon bucket of gas with a tooth brush. To keep me cleaning and helping, he would put his arm into the bucket of gas and light it on fire evey once in a while. He would wave it around for a couple of seconds and then put it out with a rag.

At that age I thought he was cool as shit.

The 1949-1950 Ford is one of my top three favorite cars (all Fords) even though he drove Dodges.

 

Hope it's ok to post a couple of my favorites. I'd like to know more about these two.

 

My dad's 50 Business Coupe. He, too, really liked the forty-nine concept by Ford as well as a drawing by Thom Taylor that combined elements from a Ford Taurus (of all things) and a Shoebox Ford. Anyone remember this drawing? I believe it appeared in Custom Rodder perhaps.

 

Well you figure when I fell in love with shoebox Fords, the late 50s, they were the used cars on the back lot of the dealerships. So lots of guys that had better jobs than mine (I delivered weekly newspaper for 15 cents a copy) could afford them. This led to all the creativity and innovation that continues to this day. There is a big nostalgia factor, at least for me, as a kid that graduated from high school in '60. Main reason I bought one this year and am having a ball with it. We only had 42 kids in my high school class senior year but several guys had shoeboxes, usually with lowering blocks, duals, spinner hubcaps and maybe the factory skirts.
I grew up in upstate NY and remember car shows that were held at high schools inside the running track. You had to lift the back end of some of the shoeboxes to get them over the curb due to lack of clearance in the rear. No airbags back then! And a couple of them, as I remember, had bed casters on the outboard bottom of each side of rear bumper, to act as stops that rolled should the bumper be in danger of scraping on the road surface.

 

I don't recall the drawing, but I will say that the first-generation Mercury Sables always reminded me of Shoebox Fords.

-Dave

 

The old 50 is apart now, going back as a land speed car......

 

this is mine 5 years working on it man its fun to drive

 

Growing up in the Southend of Hartford Ct. in the late 50ties early sixties there were lots of shoebox Fords running Buicks-caddy- Olds motors,fuelie smallblock. I remember one day my friends and i sitting on the curb down the corner from the neighbor hood store. We hear this roar , smoke-burning rubber cloud out shoots this white /black 51 sedan. It was my older brother Damm. He bought the car for the motor t-bird 390 to put in his 57 Fairlane Conv.Kids at school talked about that for years

 

Great thread!

 

I really like the green on this one , subtle ,understated and classy ,beautiful car.

 

the x51 is one of my all time fav's growing up in portland i got to see that car a lot when corno had it. here is a few pictures of my dads chopped and sectioned shoe box he just got back almost 40 years later.

 

Nice thread.Shoboxes are great cars,style wise and the ability for customization...but they have to be done well and not over done.when over done they dont look good,why anyone would screw with the original grill on a 49 or 50 is beyond me.Its a grill that looks perfect on a chopped,stock or custom shoebox.

 

He was cool its guys like him who got a lot of us guys into cars !

Cheers Capt Canada

 

He was cool !

Its guys like him who got a lot of us guys into cars ! Nice to hear the story makes me remember some great guys I cared for also who helped me.

Cheers Capt Canada

 

Growing up these were always the Cheep stuff so I went through several. I planed to build a nice Custom out of each one of them but life just seemed to get in the way. I got away from the 49-51's for several years. About 20 years ago I got bit by the bug again and started planing. That was started by a Swap Meet find of a 54 Pontiac grill. Then I started shopping for a nice builder car. I couldn't believe what was out there and the prices. Doing rust repair and chassis work for a living I didn't want to start with Scrap witch seemed to be all I could afford. Along the way I also picked up a few sets of side trim and a large assortment of "stuff". I finally found a builder in my price range but it was totally apart. I bought it but I just couldn't get going on it. It sat for another 8 years just like it was when I found it. I decided to cut my losses and bail out. Then it wouldn't go away, I couldn't sell it or even give it away. It truly was a Mess of a car. A few years back I get a call from my Brother and he needs some R & R and want's to come stay for a while. One thing leads to another and we had decided to just throw that old 51 back together so it will sell. The car went to bare metal and back in the driveway just like when we were younger. The only part not done by the 2 of us was Chrome plating and glass cutting. 12 weeks latter it's painted, upholstered and driving. I've been driving it for 3 years now. I don't think it's for sale anymore. I do however have plans to change a few things on it as soon as I can get around to it, but it will do for now.
The Wizzard

 

Always one of my favorites too. Such a clean, understated design. Doesn't take much to build a nice custom. They look great even if they are a little radical.
I agree. Awesome post.

 

any before pictures?

 

Tim is just partial cause this car has a y-block in it... This car actually inspired me to complete the y-block swap on my 53....