So who on here is building a period Kustom?

I am building a 50 chevy . It was a 4 door ,now 2 door with a 4 inch chop.I have the barris books just goin by them and what I pick up here on the hamb .I like the early to mid 50s look . But it also has a lot to do with what I can find , not much 50s tin over here! I also have a 62 biscane. Its a old hearse cut into a pickup .Its goin to be 60s, metalflake roof stuff like that .

 

I am building a 54 chevy bel air sedan. Chopped 4 inches, nosed decked, frenched headlights, lowered 4 inches in the rear, and two in front. 235 6cyl, wide whites. Nothing new on the car really, so I guess its a 50's period kustom

 

To be honest, I don't know what the hell I'm building. I see so much cool stuff here on the HAMB that I just get confused. I've got a 1952 Chevy 2 door sedan. Decked and nosed and 108 louvers in the hood. Still running the 216 through a split manifold with dual exhaust. Lowered about 4 inches, has wide white bias ply tires. When I look at it, it doesn't look much like a hot rod or even a custom. I'm not sure what it's missing.
Right now I'm being heavily influenced by McPhails car. I really like that but I don't want to build a clone.

 

I am afraid that the custom purists will rip me when my Fleetline is done. (My dad always hated customs when I was a kid. He was a drag racer and thought that "lead sleds" were for the other guys.) so I have to cut my teeth on customs the hard way.

I probably will do things that make the purists cringe...they will be saying...why did he do that? Well, because I am a custom newbie. Maybe the next one I build will be better....but this one will hafta do for now.

 

Well my 53 plym is a mild early 50's custom. Nothing special just some trims been shaved off, a few panels have been remolded, fenders have been flushed into the cowling and the bottom panel and a semi gloss black paint job. Hey I like the flat black look but I like my car in semi gloss. Shes also got a set of 47 desoto rims and caps on her, im intending on metalflaking the rims but im not sure on the color. Unfortunately this is my only driver so I cant do anything that cant be done and finnished on the weekend.

 

I'm putting together a 50's 'period'-looking kustom,
a '52 Chevy truck...

6" out of the rear, 6-3/4" out of the front of the cab...
4" out of the rear window, and lowered the window 2"...
235 engine is built up a little bit, and will eventually
have NICSON speed accessories and Fenton headers...
'53 Buick headlights...
'51 Merc dash...
early 60's Ranchero split-back bench seat,
will have it done in a nice tuck and roll...
'49 Plymouth bumpers...
'39 Chevy taillights...
will have Appletons and fender skirts as well...
15" wheels with wide whites,
most likely will run my NOS set of Fiesta wheelcovers too...

Paint will just be a suede as of now...
the Rivi nightmare kinda turned me off to dealing
with getting a super nice paint job again...
I think I'll just keep it simple...but we'll see...

 

rear shot...

 

I'm building a kustom, period....

 

Since we are talking about period kustoms..... whats the diffrence between early 50's west coast style, and mid 50's west coast style? thnx
manny

 

http://photo.starblvd.net/bgbdlinc/1-1-4.jpg
http://photo.starblvd.net/bgbdlinc/1-1-5.jpg
Here's mine a '46 lincoln coupe that will be kinda Barris like (someday)....right now the front end is real fugly but I got a '49 Cad grille from Abelugo (HAMBer) that will help with the aesthetics, and a chop will help with the profile.
Going to drop it on a '56 Lincoln chassis and run 4x2's on a U-Fab intake......at least that's the plan....

bgbdlinc

 

Here's what i've got done so far.

 

[ QUOTE ]
To be honest, I don't know what the hell I'm building. I see so much cool stuff here on the HAMB that I just get confused. I've got a 1952 Chevy 2 door sedan. Decked and nosed and 108 louvers in the hood. Still running the 216 through a split manifold with dual exhaust. Lowered about 4 inches, has wide white bias ply tires. When I look at it, it doesn't look much like a hot rod or even a custom. I'm not sure what it's missing.
Right now I'm being heavily influenced by McPhails car. I really like that but I don't want to build a clone.

[/ QUOTE ]
Leadfoot.
This might give you some ideas.

 

Thanks for the tips Donzie. I've got most of the trim off it now. I started to put in a frenched antenna and I have a few parts comin from Shiny that should help. I still think I need to go lower like your updated pix. I really like the chop on your car. Are you gonna lean the b-post or leave them straight? I don't have the dough for that now so maybe I'll have the top painted white to look lower. Just an optical illusion. I was thinking about suggesting a chop top for the Billitproof in Detroit and offering my car as a subject. What do you think? Mike.

 

Leadfoot.
Yes, the B-pillar will be slanted.
I lucked out to get a chop on my Chevy (only because I had something Mike wanted in trade) otherwise I never could have afforded it. I never really planned on a chop, and honestly, I don't think they always need it (look at Watson's Grapevine), but I jumped on the opportunity when it was offered.
I'm not sure how much lighter you're thinking on the roof. I think it looks pretty good as-is. Some scallops would make the car jump out a little more. Keep us posted on this one.

 

i am building a 53 ford 2dr customline ,331 chyr hemi 700r4 trans, disc brake dana 60 rearend.not doing much to the body .

 

Heres mine. cant say it all will be period correct but for the most part from the outside you will never know the difference. I just hope I finish the Damn thing someday.
SLAMIT

 

working on chassis and drivetrain first then will bust out with the torch and start on the fun shit.
SLAMIT

 

Finally getting to respond, computer at home is acting up!
Building a 46 Chevy coupe, early 50's style, very Barris influenced. Chopped, filled quarter windows, 41 Lincoln flush mounted skirts, Caddy bumpers front and rear, 50 Chrysler grill (very Caddy looking), taillights in bumper guards. Nosed, decked, etc, probably running Sombrero caps, unless I find something better, that fits the time frame. The only exterior exception to the time period may be Candy Apple Red paint. It's more mid-late 50's, but period-correct black is still in the running.
Interior is white vinyl, with Zebra inserts. 52 Buick dash, with a 47 Caddy instrument cluster. 50 Pontiac steering wheel, maybe. Black carpet, chrome window mouldings.
Drivetrain-wise, I have to take some liberties, cause I really DRIVE my cars. I chose a late model straight 6 (292 CID) to look period correct, but be more reliable, and able to find spare parts on the road, if anything breaks. 5 speed stick for good acceleration, plus highway cruising. Monte Carlo SS rear, retaining the coil spring set-up, but converted to air bags, as is the 69 Camaro front clip. Again, so I can ride low, but take her on the road, too. Radial WWW's. Engine is painted Candy Red, with finned aluminum accessories to at least 'look' vintage. Running A/C, too (so sue me!).
I like to do things a bit differently, but try to keep things in period. For example, with a 'nod' towards the old hot rods with black and white checkerboard firewall, I painted my firewall in black and white Zebra stripes. I've never seen it done, but it 'could' have been done back then. It has other details I haven't seen done, but use the 'right' parts, so it looks correct for the time frame. I am a stickler for period looks, but not with the fanatacism of a restorer. Practicality, along with form and function.
Oh, yeah, most of you guys already know, but I'm also building an "ultimate period correct" Kustom....a clone of the Kopper Kart!

 

here she goes....

To be perfectly honest I don't give a rats ass about what's correct or not correct. To me none of that is more important than 'what I like' because after all it's MY car.

So as far as what I like... I like visors. I like all the silly emblems, hood ornaments, stone guards, spotlights and holy shit-- even DOOR HANDLES! The fact that my car has just about every factory option and doo-dad makes it that much cooler to me and my opinion is really the only one that matters since I'm the one who has to drive it. If that makes my car dorky in someone's eyes- fuck 'em.

So for me "custom" means- making it faster, handle better, lower, more reliable and doing a cool paint job and even cooler interior. In other words, making my car my own.

I think sometimes people spend too much time trying to emulate and not enough time blazing their own trail.

That Joe "The Fonz" Car-loni from that magazine article in ol Skool Rodz is a perfect example of that. He's a hot rod rebel in the truest sense of the term. I don't think you can even put an 'era' on the Bondomobile.

 

My Chevy is kinda the OPPOSITE of Stacey's...it was a stripped-down Fleetline.

I dunno what "era" or "period" the finished product will fit into...but I actually DO have a Plan!

Here's what I'm starting with...

<img src=http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid91/p71fd9b9458e703d6fca7d990017a587c/fa6222f6.jpg>

 

...and here's where I'm going...

<img src=http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid102/p3e839ba84f17fdd4fbb3955f52748ab0/f9b453ec.jpg>

Note that the car isn't lowered, and that the post between the door and rear window is chopped straight down, not angled. I like the angled look on some cars, but I want the mine done just like this.

(This picture was totally stock turquoise Fleetline that I photo-hacked)

The color will be a darkish purple, and the FINISHED drivetrain will be a 3.4 GM V6 5-speed hooked to a 10 bolt rear with disc up front...but for this Summer, it will have a 2.8 V6 hooked to an old truck four speed and the stock rear axle and torque tube with the stock brakes.

Era? Who knows...but a Kustom Rod of one kind or another!

 

My Buick will look circa '55 or so - It's a 1950 Super.

From what I've researched (I wasn't there- Dad graduated high school in '56), the early customs were milder and grew more radical as the years passed and expectations grew. Mine will start out fairly mild (shaved, lowered, skirted) and will definitely be West Coast style with minimal visual barbs and a single body color. Later cars gained graphics (Watson) and more radical bodywork (tunneled lights, fins, etc). I am planning to chop my sedanette in the future, and also to add '53 Buick headlights, but probably not this time. I want to get the car back and rolling with it's new engine/trans/rear/suspension/brakes/electrical, then once it's all dialed in and running perfectly, I'll re-visit my desire for a lowered roofline and cooler headlights. I'm trying to avoid East Coast looks (where doo-dads are added instead of subtracted) as I don't like the visor/continental kit/spotlight groove the Right Coasters gravitate toward. Maybe it's because my Dad added all that junk to my '58 Impala after I left home and he assumed control of it. I don't know. I just think smooth is cool, and smoother is better/less is more. I think adding later-50s accessories and '60s-era doo-dads is fine for some, but the cool bodylines of my Buick should be able to stand alone without accents. We'll see...it'll be plain glossy black with only the chrome '53 Buick sweepspear to catch your eye. I think it'll be a fine representation of an early "period" mild custom, but I'm doing it this way because it appeals to me, not because it's a proven or distinct formula.

Scotch

 

I'm not building a Period Kustom. I'm building a Custom period.
Most of what I build leans toward the 60s style I guess. There are some styling ques that I really like from the 50s but a lot of that stuff rolls over.

The wife's new old Chrysler will probably be closest to period correct of any that we have. Bullets in the grill, Radirs, lowered. Perhaps some mild scallops or some fades before its done. Partially shaved. Just your basic 60s mild custom.

My '53 is actually pretty radical. Tunneled everything, custom dash, custom grill, tasty trad (almost) two tone. Stripes in all the appropriate places. Channeled sectioned and reshaped. But then again, I'm running a modern chassis, odd ball steel wheels, modern radial tires. So it won't actually be period correct. But it will be realitivly close to early 60s show type custom.

Building period correct is almost like restoring a car. I just don't have the discipline for that. If there is something I like and it fits whatever I'm building I'll use it.

I guess I haven't answered your question have I? Well those are the kicks I guess...

 

Not building one now, but this is the 40 Merc I owned from 1976 until the early 80's.
It was originally built in Portland, and featured in Hot Rod mag in 58. When I got it, it was pretty much a total, having been hit in both the front and rear, and abandoned in a parking garage for many years.
It was pretty traditional except for the candy paint.
Mick