Customs Gene Winfield's Maybellene For Sale at Monterey

There's nothing wrong with some filler on a custom, and in Genes defense he did build this for himself (though I'm still surprised he'd settle for it). What does surprise me about this photo though is the building of an edge with putty. Even I would have at least welded a rod in to form the edge and then used putty to fill in around it. Building an edge like this is just asking for problems, I mean, what if a tent pole should fall or something? Ya gotta think ahead.

But, it's a shame something this small is being used to sully the reputation of a man of his caliber.

 

Sorry guys, I didn't intend to start a negative discussion on Gene Winfield's work. I was just trying to say I think the price seemed way too cheap for the car even if it has some bondo in it. All I know is it is a damn good looking car and came from the man who we all know builds some killer cars and is also apparently a damn nice guy too. Put all that together and I am just a bit shocked it went across at only $31K. I was just wondering how that could be. Personally, I don't think a little bit of bondo to shape out the car for whatever reason should warrant that. I think anyone would be hard pressed come up with better looking custom for $31K. Just seems like a hell of deal to me. Either that or the bottom has completely fallen out of the custom car market.

 

everyone seems to forget that THIS WAS THE WAY IT WAS DONE. It's not that Gene is doing sub-standard work. It's that the metal working bar has been raised.....

.............. Everyone bagging on Winfield can shut the hell up and go build some cars......I'd like to see you still working at Gene's age.

 

makes me wonder what the door looked like before and why there is mud there in the first place.

 

I'll agree with Hitchhiker. The metal working bar has been raised.

 

It's amazing that there is no thought given to the era that the sled was produced nor the purpose of? Walking usually takes place, before you run. Just sayin'.

 

I like the car and think it went for a great price,I wish I had it.They used lead back in the day.Now they use bondo.I also think if the car was all metal finished it would of went for a lot more.

 

im just gonna be lazy and copy and paste my comment from another winfield thread...

was , is the car straight , and nice? had the accident not happened do you think the mud would have cracked? probly not.... yeah coles work is fantastic, but not everyone has endless pockets. i doubt gene does if he did he wouldnt be hustling work more than people a 3rd his age. ive redone or worked on customs here with bondo thicker than that that have been on the road 30 years and still look good. further more the guy has knocked out about 200 awesome customs in his carreer. you cant spend forever making everyone so perfect. how many have you built?? for christsakes give it a rest.. why do you guys have to ruin every ******* thing? ****in sick of it!!!
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ill also add that yeah theres alot more available to us with todays tools and tech, and im only 39 but still stuck in my ways! im not getting a cad prgram machinest blue dye, and 20k worth of metel working tools. im gonna cut it , weld it , cover it up , make it cool, and go to the next!! theres bills to pay, and other cars to build.. yes i appreciate the metel working skills i see on here, but my customers dont have that kinda cash, nor do i have that kinda time... i would kill to have b***'s skills. but look at sam barrises merc chop he cut it with a ****ing torch!!! so i will be happy to meet somewhere in the middle! with all that said can we get off the lets slam winfield wagon? WTF!!

 

He may have cut it with a torch but Darryl Hollenbeck who did the body work on the restoration said the metal work was impecable so the tools being used or the era of the build are no excuse.

I don't want to knock Gene because he is clearly a legend and this has been beat to death but what bothers me is that if some one had show that picture of the body filler cracked out of a car they had bought from a no name builder 90% of the guys defending Gene would be yelling ****** murder about ****ty work done by a hack car builder and they would be lying if they said they wouldn't.

 

well i am one gene defender that wouldnt be yelling ****** murder, if it was some other "hack" i wouldnt even waste the time to comment because i dont give a **** one way or the other!! its a lead sled not a pebble beach contender..

 

I read that one of the influences on metal working in the car world came from servicemen stationed in Japan after the war. It seems that it was not respected to use a filler of any type. The standard of excellence was to metal work the vehicle to perfection and this was revered. There was a period in hot rodding that accepted and wanted shapes and curves, the guys of the day used fillers to do that. Today we are moving back towards metal shaping as being revered. Does this mean that we bash the guys who sculpted fillers, no. If a new young guy came along and could build one of these legend type cars using metal shaping and no filler would he rise to the ranks of legend in the modern light, sure. You still will have the line of legends.

 

Actually, I kind of disagree with the last part. Given it's history and the legend who made it, I would say one day before long, if not already, it would easily be a Pebble Beach contender for the kind of car it is. The car is a very important example from a legend in the world of custom cars from a period in time that it represents. The car is pure history.

I still find the fact that it sold for just $31K still a little hard to believe. Despite any of all that about who made it, bondo this that and the other, it's a damn good looking car and damn good looking car no matter who would have made it and cheap at $31K no matter as well. Somebody got a damn good deal on that car as far as I can tell. Congratulations to them. Honestly, I think that was a hell of a good buy at that price.

 

Agreed. I would think the paint alone on that car would be at least at the $20,000 mark to get done and probably more.

 

I heard Mr. Winfield is trying to buy it back