Projects Gene Winfield custom found

Already a huge improvement. So, are you posting updates in real time, or is the car already done, and you're just rationing it out to us!? I want to see what the new grille will be!

 

this is going to be fun to watch.. Great Story...

 

No, the car is not finished yet. We are farther along than the pictures, but still working things out.

I feel bad that I've had to remove some of Gene's lead in order to work this out.



The ’55-6 Plymouth headlights have a unique shape and we felt it would work to use the corresponding '55 Ply outer grille bars. We didn't want to use the complete bar, so we narrowed them about 8 inches each.










When the car was originally built, it did not have a hood latch. We decided to use a ’52 Chevy upper grille bar to finish the upper part of the grille opening and give us a place to mount a hood latch.




I had a 1955 Ford front bumper hanging around so we put it in place to see if that would work. It looked like it would if we narrowed it 4 inches overall.

 

This is a really cool story, well documented. Kudos.

 

Great story, that front end treatment is working out great, a vast improvement.

 

interesting story and rebuild

 

Great story - and great that you are helping both a old custom and a old customizer.
The headlight shapes do work nicely with the scoops that were added into the 1/4 panels, and your mods to the front end so far look very complementary to those design elements.
Looking forward to more on this story!
Maybe someday when I make it to the nursing home, some nice fella will come along and finally finish my custom

 

Can't wait for the car to be done and see Leland cruising in it. Subscribed.

 

Way cool!!!!!! I'm subscribed.

 

This thread breathes fresh air back into the hamb for me.
Good on you for doing this,for the sake of the car and an old tried lonely man. You sir have probably extended his days with Hope and memories. What can be said about gene? Not the least bit surprised he is so gracious.

Looking forward to updates and a finished product.

 

Two thumbs up!!!!

 

awesome

 

Nice story, and looking great.

 

what a great thing to do

 

<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <wunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <wontGrowAutofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--> I&#8217;d like to expound a tad on the progress shown, express once again that Leland is right in the middle of everything from afar.

Leland had always envisioned using some sort of &#8220;floating&#8221; grille, but just couldn&#8217;t seem to come up with the right look. Much of his concern was what to do with the area beneath the headlights. Most front fenders at that time were rounded, like the Chevy, and this presented a problem with finding the correct park light and grille application. When I sat down with Leland and sketched the front end using Plymouth grille ends, and a &#8217;54 Pontiac center section, he beamed and proclaimed, &#8220;that&#8217;s it, that&#8217;s what I was looking for&#8221;. Then the fun began. The &#8217;55-6 Plymouth headlights precluded us from using anything but the corresponding Plymouth outer grille bars, but they were too long by about a foot on each side. After lots of measuring and trial fits, we came up with the proper cut. Ironically, our first thoughts were to use a dagmar style grille/bumper application, which Leland had tried at one time, but was simply too bulky. Turns out that the Plymouth bars end in the middle with small dags. I have explained this combination to Gene, and he concurs. All is well with the Gods!!!

It&#8217;s amazing how close the contour of the outer grille bars and the center section match up. We stuck the grille in to see what we had going.
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Here we are mocking the grille pieces together.
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We had decided to use the &#8217;55 Ford bumper because the sides had a nice length that corresponds nicely with the fender bottoms, and even matches the angle of the wheel opening. The headlight protection bulges on the bumper matched with the Plymouth headlight shrouds, and gave a sense of proportion to the side view. An added bonus is that the &#8220;V&#8221; of the hood matches the eyebrow bar, and the Pontiac grille bar, and the bumper. We now needed a pan to define the lower grille opening, and the &#8217;55 Ford gravel shield was just the ticket. Right&#8230;&#8230;It had only to be narrowed, modified to fit the fenders, have the recess in the center taken out, and be extended to the radiator support. The pictures show all that had to be done to make this happen.
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We have spent a lot of time eyeballing to make sure everything fits together nicely. Noticed we have cut the fangs off the &#8217;52 Chevy grille. The &#8217;52 eyebrow was chosen because it is plain, no &#8220;CHEVROLET&#8221; embossed in the center, and it will be painted. Still, it serves to remind this custom that it is a Chevy&#8230;
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We have everything mocked in place. Now it is time to start making all the mounts and brackets to hold it all together.
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We have been amazed that with each procedure there have been zigs and zags, mumbles and teeth grinding, but upon completion each seems to have been meant to be. Everything fits and matches the way it should.


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I like it!

 

Very nice and clean look.
It will be great to see it all finished as it should or could have been.
Who says there are no second chances. LOL
Torchie.

 

Curious, are you going to rechrome the headlight doors...??? Just my opinion but I think they'd look better chromed than painted.

R-

 

Hey StudeDude,
Good point on the headlite doors. We have talked about this, and are undecided. Thought we'd get right to that point and see.......Thanks for the thoughts....

 

Badass! Subscribed...

 

The new front end looks amazing.

Keep up the good work

 

I'm in, ready for the ride! Cabong, this is a Super Kool Kustom and a Super Kool story, can't wait to see the smile on Leland's face when he sees this! Oh, primer that thing, the purple is throwin' me off!! Brian

 

Amazing!!!!!

Glad to see this old girl moving along! It's like the car is helping you finish what was started.

One thing..... Did Leland ever consider pancake-ing that hood. That was very popular in the 1954-1957 era of radical customs and might tie all of the proportions together. Just a thought!




Looking forward to more progress!







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MUCH better! What a cool story, and neat how everything fell into place... Right place, right time!

 

I wonder... did Leland Get to see Gene when he was doing the metal shaping class at Glen Vaughn's shop last year?

 

Ditto!

 

Unfortunately Leland has not been out and about for some time. I think the last time he talked to Gene was in the early 60's......But check it out!!!! That's about to change... More on that to come. Thanks for the inquery...

 

I wish that everyone could meet and talk to Leland. He is the inspiration, and shares it with all. His eyes sparkle and the big grin spreads when he sees me sneak in. Now mind you, it may be the car talk, or it may be the giant Hersheys that I smuggle in. They both have the same affect. Leland is a great family man, a veteran, a friend, and a man of God. My friends, it just doesn't get better than that.

 

Great story and a cool custom ! I'll be watching this thread closely .

Nice work , BTW .

 

What a facelift! That new setup is a much better match to the whole front look!