UGLY CAR?: Anyone Kustomize A 1963 CHRYSLER 300? Photoshop project!!!

A mild chop and mods to C pillars and decklid to lighten the roofline. Plus a subtle lowering and trim and handle shave. Maybe too subtle...

 

Ask Alex Gambino!

 

Who would've thought, of all cars, a '63 Chrysler would already get at least 4 pages of folks dicussing the 'possible' good looks of the car on a webforum...

 

Well I for one did, but I am biased as my parents drove me home from the hospital in one of these:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/autohistorian/3821667551/

IMHO the 63 Pacesetter is one of the best looking Chrysler convertibles ever made, just behind the 48 Town and Country, the 57-8 300, and the 60 300. The Turquoise color of the Pacesetter really set off the lines of the car nicely, and the flowing trunklid/quarters look exceptionally good on a convertable with the top down.

 

My good friend and fellow club founder Tony Falcon (r.i..p) made this car a few years ago. I'm not sure if one of my other friends still has it or not, but it rules and it's a 4 door!

 

Where is KIRK!? Hath he forsaken his thread?

 

I keep checkin it out!

 

My shot at the front end. Started with this picture, as it was the best I could find...



Moulded in a `62 Chrysler grille surround to give the front some shape, as the ´63 is too angular for my liking. Made the "eyebrows" run into to the new grille. Raised the headlights about 2" and the bumper too - except for a new dropped centre section. Pulled a new swage line forwards from the front arches to match what I did with the rear arches on the other `chop.

 

Does anyone notice the front bumper of a '63 Chrysler is pretty much the same as the rearbumper from a '64 ?

James, the photoshop reminds me of a Volvo now...

 

It woulbe great if you could dig some more shots of this car from your fiends!
Keep'em comin guys!

 

Drop it, cast Americans, push bar on the front bumper....viola cackelfest special!

 

I was thinking the same thing looking at the grille!

But I figured there are enough other tiny subtle differences between a P1800 and a Chrysler 300 that the experts would still be able to tell them apart, even with the `62 grille.

So the ´64 bumper already has that dip in the middle? Well, that´ll save some time!

 

I love those Volvos!

 

So I´m on the right track with the photoshop then? Or should I make it more Volvoey?

 

not mine, but seen at a local cruise-in.

similar to the Chrysler, in that few people would give much thought to a '61 Plymouth Fury as a custom either....



sorry for the ****py phone pic....

 

The smaller wheel opening really cleans the body lines and provides a great at***ude. Takes balls to do something different, but takes patience and skill to make it look cool...good luck!

 

you can put all the lipstick you want on a pig but it's still a pig

i'd go for a superstock drag look... mini-tubs with black steelies and drag slicks on the rear... skinny front runners... a big thumpin beast of an engine, a basic looking stock interior with a nice chromed era correct cage. (someone wanna photoshop that?)
example... http://www.1962to1965mopar.ornocar.org/images/ml-maximum-performance-cover.jpg

but like i said... lipstick on a pig

 

BigBlockMopar, I surely agree RE most of the '63 Chrysler models (except for the Imperial). BUT, these PhotoShoppers have done some sweet things with what I always felt was an overly busy, ill-designed bunch of lines. NICE work, guys!

 

I really need to figure out how to post photos, maybe sometime when I'm not working 7 days a week. Anyways, in '87 I built a '64 Chrysler 300K sled named Jesus Chrysler (yeah, an honest to god letter car with a hi-po 413) David Mann did a painting of the car, but instead of doing the car in it's primered state, I asked Dave to design the graphics. I also asked Dave if he would sign the painting at the top of the windshield. It's in David's third Easyriders art book that was released after his death... it's on hydraulics... I don't know why I added that.

 

Maybe I'm crazy but I always thought that the Chrysler concept car called the Dodge Flitewing was where the inspiration came from for the '63-64 full size Chryslers. Now obviously the production car was wayyyyyy toned down from the Flitewing concept but just for kicks there might be some ideas in some of these pictures that someone might want to consider. Designer Virgil Exner, like all geniuses can be said to have had some madman in him, especially in later years or particularly on this car I think!

 

pal of mine's dad has one...has the half vinyl top on it in black and the exterior is a nice pewter metallic color...thought it would be bad*** with the rest of the roof done in brushed stainless like the old imperials... I think subtle is the key with this ride

 

A brushed stainless roof is exactly what I have in mind for my '64.
The interior of my car is preyy much shot, and it will be black in the future so I could make a pure business car out of it.
Black and stainless with some chrome-trim here and there would look pretty mean I would think.

Krylon John, you have a PM.

 

1964;

 

Unfortunately, the rest of the differences for '64 are top secret.

 

Somewhere around the middle of Page 1 of this fine topic shows all her secrets...

 

See - Exner knew I was right!

 

Here are the pics;

 

Thats really cool. (Except that I didn´t know that Dave Mann had died until just now :-( ).

So whats the result of all this anyway? Has KIRK! been inspired enough by all this to buy the car? Inquiring minds want to know!

 

James D, nice work. Too bad Chrysler didn't make it like that, it would be a lot more desirable today than it is. Those early 60's Chrysler's always looked to me like they had 4 different designers working in separate rooms for different parts of the car and then just put all their pieces together with no respect for a flowing design.

 

'63 was the first year Elwood Engle had some of his own design-ideas incorporated into the Chrysler model-line, and not all that good as seemed.
Engle took over the job of car-designing from Virgel Exner, the fellow responsible for the "ForwardLook"-design with their cool fins during the previous years.