Customs The perfect custom? Your thoughts?

With every seat there's a butt for it, or so my dad says.

I think certain cars lend themselves to be a good custom. Some cars are not ones I would even consider, unless it was a custom.

My top 5 picks.
1. 35-36 Ford coupe 3W preferably
2. 40-41 GM Coupe
3. 49-51 Mercury (Of course)
4. 58-59 Ranchero
5. 55-59 Ford sedans


I am sure there are other ones out there I missed, but this is a good starting point.
What mods need to happen to make these just right?

I'll let you ponder that.

 

My guess is,most custom cars,did not start out/or got at the buy for it !,= "I'm going to customize this".
At lesat that's the way,I ended up building a full custom in 1960. I got a used old "Henry J"@ $75,I just needed a car for rainy days n dates at night or rain. I had already built my 28A Roadster hotrod w V8 T-bird power ,but had no top. Making hotrod poor for dates. Gals don't like getting wet or there hair in the wind on dates! So inclosed car was needed. I already had my roadster finished..
The "J" I thought needed just a little clean up; seat covers,tune-up { Was the 4 cly Jeep,engine/ a dog} an some paint after some smooth out!> But the smooth out for paint turned in to CUSTOMIZING n I added a V8 Olds Rocket 88 ,I got free from a buddy going in the Navy ,3 weeks after I got the "J". Little over a month in,the body shop I worked in part time,gave me 1955 T-bird folding top. =I cut the top off the "J" an made it into a custom by also adding a rear window out of a junked 53 Studebaker,as a front windsheild,to match up with T-Bird Top. +Lot of other stuff.
"J" in less then 6 months*became a full custom,V8 n all...
Was even in Car Craft mag. by Jan 1963.

 

My list would have to include '63-'65 Rivieras', T-Birds '58-'65, '58-'65 GM products, and many others.
Mods?....Stance, interiors, wheels, shaved door handles, custom paint, grills, tail lights, body mods, etc.
I like mild customs, more than the radical customs, but each individual car/truck will determine my personal thoughts....after all, they all represent an individuals taste/perception of cool.

 

Tri Five Chevy's and they can be anything from a mild job with some simple shaving, nosing, decking and a altitude adjustment, but then can go into a full blown custom with canted quads, chopped tops, etc.

58-61 Chevy's, although to me these just need a little clean up to be prefect. Lines done really lead to wild bodywork.

 

I had a ton more. I just limited mine to the top 5.

 

The tri 5s make a good custom, mild to wild.

 

Shockingly my vote is for Forward look Chrysler products. Hard to beat @Gotgas car.

 

I am biased but you've gotta include 49-54 Chevy's

Surely more styled in the way of Custom than any other? Styleline, Fleetline, Sedan, Coupe, 2dr, 4dr.

As far as the perfect model, that's a tough call as Customs can be so divisive in personal taste

 

Lots of interesting custom bait out there... I'm old school, so no 4 drs (with a few exceptions) and preferably hardtops. In no particular order...

'52-54 Merc hardtops.
'52-57 Lincolns.
ANY hardtop wagon (and I'm surprised no one has done a 2 dr hardtop conversion on a 'regular' one).
'58 Ford hardtops. A rather underappreciated car, and the cleanest '58 design IMO.
'58 Ranchero. WHY hasn't anybody grafted the '58 wagon taillights/tailgate onto one of these?
'60 full-size Ford, any 2 dr.
'61 GM bubbletops.
'56-59 Chrysler/DeSoto hardtops. I'm partial to the '56s, but they need the top lowered (NOT chopped).
'57 Olds/Buick.

I'm sure it'll be noted that there are no pre-49 cars listed. It's not that I dislike these, but it seems that they've become so formulaic that little original thought is involved anymore. Same goes for the '49-51 Mercs and Ford shoeboxes. While imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, enough already!

 

Good stuff guys. I always thought the Hudsons were overlooked.

 

I am partial this one.

 

I like 39-40 Mercs and 1937-40 Zyphers.

 

Yeah, I have an F100 as well.....it's gonna be a mild custom.

 

a custom hot rod or does it have to be a cruiser...
Paint is certainly an element
Body mods....the filled rear quarters on this are sooooo sexy and usually I am a leg man
Chrome
or do customs have to have elements of other cars that make you think...'why didn't they do that in the first place'
or...'far out man'....yeah!
more....

 

just internet photo no info

 

I had never considered Chrysler products until I started following @Gotgas and his build. Now I pay WAY more attention to them.

 

My fave would be a chopped and hardtopped 40 Merc coupe with 41 Studebaker taillights. Some really dark color.

 

Moselle maroon

 

Kool question... My Dream kustom years and makes.
1940 Mercury
1936 Ford
1963 Riviera
1959 Chevy
1957 Lincoln

 

I do love the 57 Lincoln Premiere.....don't get any bigger.

 

Order not important
35 thru 61 Fords
36-62 gms
36-62 mopars

 

I am with Anthony. Just about any mid 30's to mid 60's car can make a great custom if treated properly. I think guys like Richard Zocchi and John D'Agostino made that abundantly clear in the 90's when they had a number of "oddball" models successfully customized.

 

What about a Nash? They come with built in fender skirts?

 

Lots of customized Nash's out there. Many don't have HAMB appropriate wheels but certainly not uncommon to make a custom out of one.


Same car as above finished.

 

I’d drive one

 

Me too....

 

49- 54 Fords Chevrolets and Mercurys..

 

The Frank Livingston Fleetline is one of my all time favorites. I built a Fleetline back in the early days of the hamb, that was a lot like his car.