Customs Affordable Custom

I'm with you, 20k is a TON of dough.... but alot less than most are spending, and you'd end up with a pretty cool ride...

 

Belvederes, sure, but I have a hard time believing there are nice restored '56 Furys around for $15K. Double that, maybe. The Belvy is a cool car, but the Fury has the cooler side trim and the dual quad motor, plus they're pretty rare, seems a shame to customize a real Fury.

 

C,mon squablow, it's not a shame to customize anything if it's done tastefully. I'm diggin the thought of this as $20 large is alot of money to me too...

 

I've got a nice stock bodied 59 Fury if anybody's interested, send me a PM.

 

ok, so you buy a nicely painted car so you dont have to pay for paint. Then do a load of little body mods so it needs repaiting anyway

Ok, so you may get away with not painting the roof, but a few badge/trim changes and the proposed fin extensions will leave the car needing pretty much a full repaint anyway.

 

?????????

Of course its been repainted.
I see no bare metal/lead/filler exposed.

Even if its been painted a panel at a time, all im saying is it was pointless paying extra for a car with nice paint.

 

good post ryan
I'm actually in the process of building a "cheap?" custom

My goal is something that would have existed around WWII, mostly period correct to about 1946 and hopefully something that would have stood out as a very classy car in that time period

I've been figuring my budget as under $15,000, hopefully more like $10,000 but with a little window to go more if needed in the end with chrome and paint... but I dont think I will hit $20,000
I'm in about $5,000 so far and have most all of the big(old) stuff covered that needs collected

heres a "daydream" photoshop drawing

 

Yeah. maybe...

I can understand starting with something that doesnt need months of work ridding it of rot though

 

These cars take money no matter how you slice it. I really wish I could be into a '35-'37 Ford like Zachs for that kind of money.

When I bought by '31 Chevy I got it for $5000 then after selling the fenders for $1400 and the engine for $2000 plus a bunch of other stuff I am at -500 for everything. There are ways to do it cheap but like Ryan said if you want a "finished" car, something that can stand next to some of the heavys then it's going to push some prices up.

$20,000 is a very large amount of money but when you are talking full blown custom customs it really becomes a low number in the schemes of things. Viva La Mild Customs!

 

I've got a guy near me with an almost-mint unrestored 57 Belvedere 4 door. With all the wild trim inside and out, they're almost a full custom from the factory.

Yeah, I could see buying the car for $5000 and messing with it some. Definetly a cheap and fun custom ride

 

The price of re-chroming things these days can push a price of a car way out of control.

The talent to do things yourself and do them well can always save you a ton. For somethings it makes sense not to do it myself. If I can put the time I was going to spend into that particular area of the car into my work that pays the bills and have a better end result then that's just good economics. I think planning can save you ton and sometime it's overlooked by just jumping into things.

 

I like the make it yours idea I always have.Jeez in these tough times 20K will get you in a real nice car these days

 

Why not? The 56 in your photo was probably only 3 or 4 years old when it got customized. No major restoration required to get it in usable shape before the alterations began. Unless you just love the anodized aluminum of the Fury, you can save a lot of benjamin's for El Dorado tail lights or white rolls and pleats by starting with a Belvedere. That's a pretty car without a lot of wild hacking and leading. I could do without the lakes pipes even though I know that they were the cats meow then but that's just me.

If that is the year of the 3 piece grill, a 53 or 54 Chevy grill bar and teeth can be shortened and bolted in place of the center piece. Customs from that era loved grill teeth.

Think of the cash you'll save if the restorer bit the bullet for new chrome bumpers and trim.

 

Somewhere, I saw a shot of this rearend in primer....so,it was repainted.

 

Man, I've had one built in my head for quite a while now. Since about two months after we finished the Shine-O-Matic.

I'd start with a 1960 Impala 2 dr. hardtop. I saw one last month on Craigslist that was a runner and decent body for $8k. I'm sure it needed some mechanical work to be "right".

Shave the emblems, handles and cut the coils for free. Slap on a '60 Mercury grill and '60 Bonneville tailights and call the customizing about done. At that point, I'll let Angie pick out any color she wants, as long as it's HOK Purple Haze over a white base. After Lux sprays that, it's time to sweet talk Fatlucky into some upholstery!

Would I park it next to El Jefe's, or Pratt's cars? Sure. Would I think I've "kept up with the Jones'? I doubt it. Those cars are several different levels above than anything I would put together. I"m fine with that.

Besides, Norm Jones is the Jones I'd want to try to keep up with!

 

Ryan, stop telling everyone what a good base these cars are for customs! I'd rather see them keep fighting over '49-54 Fords/Mercs/Chevies.

I got a wild idea the other day for a tail light treatment for a '56 Plymouth or Dodge - '67 El Dorado tail lights turned upside down. Am I nuts?

 

I can assure you, you didn't catch it from us.

 

Flew?

 

This is what I'm trying to do as well. Picked her up for $7000 already nosed, decked, shaved and frenched (Taillights and antennae) Probably have $11 or $12 in her by now with brakes, suspension, wiring, etc. Runs great now, but I think it'll be tough to finish under 20 even if I do paint her myself. The Dennis McPhail car was an inspiration for one you drive the hell out of and improve as you can,

 

That's when you grow feathers and a beak. If the disease progresses, you become a "Mother Plucker".

 

$5k - $10K will get a lot of custom work done on a car unless you go totally ape shit. I spent about $6 -7K on my 57 Olds and while it is not complete, it's totally road ready and a great crusier. It's had all new paint, nose, decked, shaved, and frenched. Also added Lakes, skirts, and a sunvisor along with a custom interior. Only part not done yet is the original 371 J2 engine. Been rebuilt about 20 years ago and still running strong. Would like to one day replace the trans with a new over drive to improve the lousy gas mileage, but for now money has to go elsewhere.

If you can a really decent car for $15, it can be turned into a real nice mild custom for under $20. Or just go find one that is done and make changes to make it yours.

 

i like the thought of an inexpensive custom. there are a ton of early 60's oddball cars that are running solid and nice stock interiors people could snatch up, lower, change some trim and lights and add some paint too for way less than 20 g's given the right ammount of ambition.

even 53-54 chevys can be had for cheap enough to build within the 20 g mark. i think. shit a couple months ago you couldnt give away a 53-54 chevy. dude on here had one for $1500 and no one grabbed it.

 

Ryan , Hard to beat the Flu and hard to beat a NICE mild Custom!
I'd go for a Larry Watson style paint job meself, Hard to beat in my book.
I've just bought Kustomland a coupla' weeks ago, damn fine book it is too!
My Brother in Law ''mercurial'' wouldn't look at the book said ''That stuffs too new!''

Nick.

 

I'm with you on this. There is a '56 fury down the road from me that a nice restored car, I think if you mentioned customizing that car a heart attack would soon follow.

There is something special about that Fury I know it has a factory tach, 2- 4's?, big motor.

Nice car.

I think for 20 grand I'll build a mid-50's Chevy truck and put the tri-five fins on.