54 hard top bel air chop and buick taillights!

my 54 i just chopped 3 in and buick taillights. mustang 2 with bags front ,triangulated 4 link in rear. next question is what front bumper ? really dig 57 buick?

 

I like the original 54 lights....

 

the point is to accent areas of the car were there was a lack of height. like the height of the sides and i have seen to many of the packard tails done.

 

i think they look bad ass jus needs a kustom bumper to bring it all together!

 

i have the buick rear. thinking of sectioning it to make it thinner so the thing doesn't hang past the quarter panel.

 

I like the taililghts, but I would add a simple spear of stainless that goes down the entire side of the car to bring the chrome to the rest of the car without losing the smooth appearance..

 

Those taillights are TITS! I think they look great with the chop, a little lower in the rear would be cool but I'm guessing that's coming later. Its going to be exceptional when you're done!

 

thanks.

 

it looks good to me, and ditto on the rear bumper, id say something BIG, that kinda drags the ass out just a bit..

 

If your going to run a buick bumper Id recommend a 56 buick bumper instead of the 55, its alot nicer looking at least in my opinion. I was going to put 56 packard tails on my 55 buick and run the 56 buick bumper, but sold the car before I got to do it

 

Maqybe something involving a '56 Olds bumper would work.

I believe the "Golden Penny" '54 Chevy used a 'Vette grille in the Olds bumper (before the Edsel shells), but I couldn't find a picture of it like that.

(Photo Deleted.)

 

I have the 56 buick rear bumper. Gonna use it for the rear. I like the olds front though!

 

I like it and like your plans to use the 56 rear bumper.

 

Tom's golden penny.

TwoChops

 

So did you slide the top forward or are the A posts laid back, I can't tell in the pics?

 

It went forward and i cut the roof in the back on each side to fit.

 

Digging the rear treatmeant i like how you used the rear quarters rather than try and fill it in around the tailights..the 56 bumper will look great on there with them...good lookin car man.

 

Thanks keith!

 

Do you have any pics of the chop in progress? Would like to see how you cut and re-fit the rear glass area. Also, what are you using for a rear glass?

 

Harold Olsen's Buick also used a Vette grille with the Olds bumper. It really is nice.

(Photo Deleted.)

 

i have pics ill post them. i was talking to gene winfield about molding plexi for the rear window . molding it off of the original back glass. i still have to move the rear window area forward to not have the weird double bubble seen with a lot of hard t. chops.

 

thats a bitchin car. love the bumper!

 

badass car man! love the tailights. you still running the same front end of the 54? what are you gonna do for the front?! cant wait to see what you come up with! great work

 

Car looks great, nice job on the quarters. Glad to see some guys are still building real kustom cars, with actual body restyling. Too many cookie cutter cars out there these days. I'll be keeping an eye on this thread...

 

thanx man! i agree on the cookie cutter stuff!

 

here are some pics . the back how i slit it to line up the back.

 

As far as a front bumper goes, I honestly don't think you can beat a 54 front bumper. These cars can easily become ugly with the wrong front end treatment. Personally, my car will have 54 merc rear tailights and bumper and a front treatment like the Cole foster 54. It's a really hard decision to make, but it definitely needs to accent the rear treatment....(not much help, I know)

 

had some time today to flow out the insides of the quarters!

 

You went outside the box on those tail lights, and that is exactly what a custom should be.............custom. I like them personally. You could have followed the crowd and did what a bunch of people have already done, but you will get a lot of good comments on those, I bet, when it is done.

Chop looks good too.

Don

 

thanks!