Projects Tony Miller's Custom 40 Ford Convertible

A folding top would be my first choice but I can imagine that it would be very challenging to either build one from scratch or modify a set of 48 top irons to fit your car. This lift off top looks great though, as does the rest of the car!

 

Looks good so far. Keep plugging away!

 

Tony (@50Fraud) Miller / Don (@DRD57) Dillard -

Love the shape / design of the Carson top!

Glad to hear Sid (@Hotrods***cher) Chavers will be upholstering it!

 

Since we had to start over on the top, I decided to revise the shape of the windshield frame to more closely resemble the postwar convertible style. Don has again risen to the occasion; the right side of this picture shows how it has been, and the left is the new style:

 

To better explain the above change: Don built the original windshield frame using the sheet metal components from a '51 Victoria windshield frame (my idea, in retrospect not so hot), and it looked like this:

Notice that the horizontal sections above the two panes of gl*** are straight, and make a shallow V where they meet in the middle. Here's the windshield of a '42 convertible (same as '46-48), and the corresponding sections of the frame are gently curved:

Below, you can see the aluminum top structure that Don built during the summer. After our conversation with Sid, and the decision to start over on the structure for the top, I thought that a revision to the windshield frame to more closely approximate the '42 shape would also make a pleasing transition from the windshield to the first top bow:

I think the final result will look very good. Can't wait.

 

It's all in the details Tony. That's why your cars are in a cl*** by themselves.

 

I whole heartedly agree, I think it will look, really good!

 

Great eye and change!

 

Takes real balls to admit that your were going in the wrong direction and to make a change. I think it will look much better!!!

 

Mr. Miller. I've just discovered and read this thread and, as has been stated many times on here, your vision and the artistry of the folks at Highway 99 are outstanding! When I started reading I noticed your avatar and wrongly ***umed your car was done! Now, having caught up I realize that is not the case, but since you are still noodling colours, I wonder if you haven't considered a rich cinnamon metallic? It would have a similar look to the shade in your avatar and be polar opposite to your (gorgeous) '55/'56 rather than the somewhat similar green/grey shade of Edsel's speedster.. Just one more opinion to add to the great ones already on here!

Fantastic build, fantastic thread, fantastic inspiration!

Dave

p.s. Would look great with a sand coloured top and interior too..!

 

Thanks for the kind words, all.
Dave, after farting around for several years regarding the color, I finally made a choice and the color is already mixed. I hope I chose well; there's no turning back now.

 

At first i even didn't notice the difference... but now i can see it, and You're right - it makes a difference, especially with that top.

Could you tell us what color would it be? We'll keep it secret

 

I chose a current Lexus color -- Meteor Blue Mica:

...but an attempt to mix it using the Lexus formula produced a color very different-looking from the picture above, which I didn't like. We eventually mixed a custom blue intended to look like the picture:

This result appears darker and more saturated than the picture, but it's a beautiful color and I own a substantial quan***y of it. My fingers are crossed that it will look great on the car.

 

Love the color.....

 

Should be a beauty with strong reflections and highlights. Will be wanting to try it soon no doubt.

 

Always a problem when choosing colours from pictures. Especially printed pictures.
The extra mile on the windshield header will definitely be worth it Tony. And yes, the colour will look great on the car.

 

I had seen the color in person previously and decided on the spot that I wanted that color. I subsequently found that picture on some Lexus website, and thought that it was a pretty good representation of the car I had seen. The color that we mixed using the Lexus formula, though, looked like a dirty brown -- not at all similar to either my in-person recollection OR the picture.

 

Given the way you do things I know you would have looked at an actual car before trying a mix.

I guess I wasn't clear enough in what I said. I was making a general comment about choosing colours based on pictures because people do it all the time, or at least talk about it...even here on the HAMB people get excited about a colour for their car based on a picture they've seen.

 

That will be beautiful car once painted... oh, wait, you could leave it just like it sits and it still is stunning
Seeing that car in primer it is hard to get used to blue, but that color is really nice.

 

I trust you've looked at the windshield revision in the last several posts. Took me a while to bite that bullet, but it doesn't taste bad.

 

I couldn't wait...


Dave

 

Beeautiful! Thanks for your impatience!
Rik Hoving did some studies of top colors recently, and this is the final choice. It's very dark blue, not black:

 

T-shirt art by Jeem

 

T shirt looks great will you be printing any 4x L's

 

The first batch is printed. Only large and xl. If I sell enough to do another batch I can get whatever sizes are ordered.

 

Put me down for one if you do please.

 

OK
Any updates ?????

 

A new top structure has been completed, made entirely from aluminum. Sid Chavers stopped in, on his way home from GNRS, to suggest some minor adjustments. Work is soon to start (maybe tomorrow?) on sheeting in the structure with aluminum, and when that's done the whole top ***embly will be refined to a paint-ready level of finish. Then the car comes apart again for ch***is detailing (powder coat, paint, some plating), jambs will be painted while it's apart, and exterior paint will go on when it's re***embled.

Nothing to see just yet, sorry. It's my hope that we'll have a painted, driveable car in time for Paso Maria in May, but probably without top covering or interior done yet.

Thanks for checking in, Fuzzy!

 

awesome car !! and great color choice !! I had a 40 merc convert years ago and painted it ppg roadhouse blue. it is from their dark and dramatic series.once again awesome car !!