Thats it !!!For the new look of my 57 caddy I'm cutting the fins off, cause it is a kustom !! and it would kinda look like a hippo, neato!!
Here is mine, I am partial to 57 caps and wide whites! mostly stock except for the bags and dump tubes.
Kirk, the skinny whites were the factory whitewall on all makes by '62 and possibly on some '61's. I love your car and skinny whites would be the only change I would make. In those days on a couple of my 60's mild customs, I strived to be more different than the factory by having even skinnier whites on my Skylark wires. Because none were available, I accomplished the effect by using General Dual 90's (one of the most expensive tires made then). They had three parallel 5/16" whites and I painted the inner two flat black, leaving one 5/16" skinny about 3-4" away from the rim. The other really premium aftermarket tire was the Royal Master which was the first skinny before the car factories went skinny (introduced on the 1959 Cadillac Cyclone, one of the best concept cars ever). It's the one with the tiny ribs radiating outward and inward on each side of the white portion with large raised black rings on the perimeters of the white. They were rarely seen on customs, but were featured on such top shelf showcars such as Bill Cushenberry's El Matador '40 Ford in '62 (as well as most of his other builds) and on Ray Farhner's '32 rpu, the Eclipse (built in 1960). Royal Masters would be the ultimate early 60's skinny, but I doubt they are repopped.
Watson was the first with lace and his customers had scores of late model mild customs in Los Angeles area shows going back to at least '65. And they all had skinnies. The wides were p***e' by then unless you would have done a period 50's car (which nobody did then).
I personally think that wide whites look like stink on a 60's custom--to me they don't look right on any year car newer than about a '58-'59. I laugh when i see 60's model cars like Econolines or '62-'64 Impalas with the really wide whites...or any sort of mag wheel with WW's. Please stop if you are doing this. It reminds me of someone wearing ultra-gay white patent leather loafers to an outdoor rock concert. I do have some small magazines from the early 60's, though- and most of the cars are still wearing wide whites. But they are all older cars, too. The design of cars changed dramatically in 1959/1960/1961-- the big three did it intentionally. I'd say for that reason, a different design aesthetic works on the 60's models cars. This includes wheels, tires, and paint. Anyhow- here's something that Winfield collaborated on-- I think it's a '59, but the car is so big and flamboyant in approach that the WW's look right.
i dont know why people start with wheels, by time the make the body custom the wheels will have pitting in the centre, if you are doing a custom at home they can take alot longer than a shop. i would start by deciding how you would like the roof, hood, pans, tail lights, headlights scoops etc, do all that then when its ***embled and painted i would buy the wheels. most of those new chrome wheels seem to only look good for a couple of years unless you keep it inside and keep the chrome waxed. i bought new chrome parts at the start of my build and they have been stashed in boxes and are already starting to pit. for the best ideas i would buy all the car craft, motor trend etc from 62-64 on ebay.
I read some where that he traded a dealership for a 57 eldo berritz. the pink one with the stock stainlees roof
mines stiil in the works but im going for an early mild 60's custom with alot of watsons flare, mild body mods and killer paint
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