Art & Inspiration What is your car's signature?

Rambler paint and emblem on a Chevy engine. And the olds air cleaner.

 

Very nicely done, I'm not a fan of the super glossy "plastic" looking woodgrain work on some cars but yours is dead on. Turn indicator is bonus points

 

Being a Bare Bones Daily Driver

 

One year One model tail lights.
One year One model paint color.
( glamor tan) original.

 

Stoplight started as a joke, stayed forever.

 

That stop light is how I recognized your truck when I saw it at the Bigfoot. Great signature item!

 

Our soon to be built 300 straight 6 on propane and the sign on the door.

 

Part of the smokin drivetrain in my old coupe

 

I have no idea, you tell me.

 

1940 Ford Flathead powered Sedan Delivery

Hello,

When I first saw the “Salmon Pink” 1940 Ford Sedan Delivery rumble into the drive-in restaurant parking lot, I knew I had to have that hot rod. It was a surf wagon form of transportation and perfect sleepover vehicle. So, I made an offer. It would have satisfied my hot rod pursuits, as it had a new 348 motor in it and it sounded outstanding. But, no one liked the sedan delivery "anythings," as it reminded them of a milk or parts delivery vehicle and not a hot rod. But, there were no sedan delivery hot rods in all of our cruising areas at the time.

For me, it served or would have served the hot rod enthusiasts as no one had a 348 Chevy motor in a hot rod. But, as things go, the owner did not like everyone calling his new build a "Salmon Pink" color. It was his first full car paint job and was proud of what he had done. It looked good to me, but others did not like the color, day or night.

So, after several weeks, he had it for sale. Now, it was my chance. But, my offer was too low and then it happened. The owner/builder took out the 348 for his other drag racing pursuits and now put in a stock Flathead motor. So instantly, I lost 200 hp. But, it was in my price range and looked cool.

The drive-in restaurant crowd knew of this sedan delivery, but now, it was my cruising hot rod. There were a couple of nights that we came home late from the beach and drove straight to the drive-in for dinner. Gravy on French Fries and a nice cheeseburger always were our favorites. So, my friend and I were sitting in the sedan delivery with two longboards sticking out of the back door window. It was a great moment for a couple of teenagers with the admiration of our own friends with something different, like two longboards on a hot rod.

Jnaki

So, from that moment on and in the parking area of our high school location, the kids saw the sedan delivery parked out in front of the school in the prime parking spots. I got plenty of admiring glances/questions… like what is it? Ha! Now, I had the reputation in school as the surfer with the cool hot rod. Being on the varsity sports teams also helped keep the comments to nice ones and not degrading slang. Flathead powered 40 Ford Sedan Delivery was the only one in So Cal area during our adventures in 1960-65.

The sedan delivery also was perfectly made for grand entrances to the surf movie locations at the auditoriums and theaters. When the people were standing in lines and then we walked into the auditorium, we got hoots and glances as the guy with the sedan delivery. Mostly, it was from our high school friends that were yelling across the seated crowds as a fun situation.

Teenage accolades were great!

The one thing I learned was that our friends (girls) liked the sedan delivery, as it was different. But, their parents looked at it as something not going to work, with thoughts of their daughters in the sedan delivery going to the deserted beaches, parties and drive-in theaters. After getting the “stink-eye” from a few parents, I arrived at date nights in the shiny black 58 Impala and the smiles started again, which was a good thing.

Except when we were going to a surf movie at the local auditoriums, the sedan delivery was a must. That was a no brainer and needed to be done. A friend from Newport Beach had surfing in her family, so the dad saw my sedan delivery and instantly, I scored points from him, as a cool teenage surfer. Ha!

After high school, many years later, the 327 powered 40 Ford Sedan Delivery took on different approach to identity. When we rolled up to a photo shoot with the 327 powered sedan delivery, it was like old home week. Familiarity of hot rods flowed with a sight of a photography sedan delivery and the goods that got taken out of the back door, upon set up moments.

The old saying… “They are one of us…” sure made it easier to talk to the owners and wives/girlfriends. My wife was good at getting the facts down on paper and talking to the wife/girlfriend helped get a different perspective of the custom hot rods or motorcycles. So a creative identity was made that was inspirational while taking photographs and going to car shows all over So Cal and the state. YRMV

 

This isn't my car, but I do like its signature.

 

Simple...

 

Plexiglass hood scoop and Air conditioning

 

Interesting old thread brought back by an FNG. But I had fun reading it and will throw in my contribution. My Chevy's signature look is the toothless grill bar. I bought it way before the car was done because I knew the plan was to replicate my Dad's car from 1956.

I paid $300 for mine from Butch's Cool Stuff. Dad got his for $14.95 from Arrow Auto in St Louis in 1955.

A lot of '54 Chevy grills get extra teeth added. They look great! But I rarely see them toothless, and have never seen one use the Cal-custom bar like mine that just slips over the stock bar, which remains underneath.

I also get a lot of comments on my license plate. Simply, it is a copy of my Dad's original from '56, the year he and mom married. Each county in Nebraska was assigned a number based on total population. Douglas county (Omaha) was 1. Lancaster county (Lincoln) was 2, and so on. We were from Thurston county, number 55. It starts a lot of conversations. "Is it a 1955 or 1956?"

 

Rough as a cob, genuine 60’s , rake channel, not for everyone ORANGE mojo…

 

People usually tell me I got the period look correct with stance, and interior. I didn't want a goofy street freak look for my '39 Chev coupe, and tried to duplicate the stance of my '40 Chev coupe I had in '68. I also sewed up the interior in the same black diamond stitch pattern my '40 had to emulate what we used so often in the 60's.

 

<<< real steel California hot rod. Kind of rare in these parts.............

 

I previously didn't want to attract any unwanted attention and had no decals; however I decided that I wanted to be inconspicuous and not stand out in the crowd.