looked awful in my head but safarienuts example looks good. i think a large part would be having the 'fin' level and not angled. then again your car isnt stock by anymeans so were all making judgment calls based on the pictures of stock cars in our minds, we REALY need a pick to give you an opinion thats worth anything.
A picture.Okay keep in mind I have changed the grill to 51' Plymouth and the front bumper is now 55' Plymouth since this picture.
If I remember correctly That car was built by Serge and his dad. Beleive it or not Don Curtin also had the beautiful candy red Miles Mesa built 51 Merc convt and he showed up in Hartford last yer with a 57 Chevy hard top with a 54 DEsoto grille. I always thought that the *** end of that 54 Chevy was not that appealing.The car was in Car Speed and Style in 61 or2. That issue had some Vette on the cover scalloped by Andy Southard jr on the cover. I lent it to somebody and never got it back.
The pic I posted before and the one below are from Rod Action, May 1985. Bill Kane of Kane Customs also had a hand in the car. I seem to remember that it sat in a museum for many years which is why it was so well preserved. When I last saw this car it was at an early KKOA Sled Scene East meet. When viewed from some angles, it is a bit awkward. But when viewed low and from the side, it looks sleeker because it hides the high trunk line. Dave
I took these shots in August,1984. Olean, NY at the Street Masters car show. The dude in the green shirt ,on the right, with his back to the camera was the owner. He said the car was basicly driven from the dealer to a shop to be customized. Brand new with like 20 miles on it. Wish I would have gotten more info. I do know it had a built 235 with straight pipes and a split manifold. He would let you listen to it at the drop of a hat.-MIKE
Man I am convinced now.All I need now is for someone to make me a deal on some 4 dr. 57' qaurters and the rest will be history.Any offers in north Texas or southern Oklahoma on some qaurters?I only need about the last 2 feet ,I'll fab the rest.
Hey 00 and Rotten. The same dude that had the 54 also owned this piece. This is the same show, but1983. I think I was the only one there rooting out all the customs.Any history?-MIKE
Thanks for the photochop,I think it would look a bit better without all the chrome and 57' taillights.Besides I want to keep my swoopy Poncho bumper on the rear.I know under that chrome on 57' is an ugly seem,but that is where the welder and conduit will come in.I wish I could show everyone the picture im looking at in my head.Thanks again...
A little spin on 4t64rd photochop. I think it could look good, as has been said, keeping to the right lines of the 54.
Hey, HAMBERS, I was out of town when I get this e-mail from a buddy. "Hey, A guy on the HAMB wanted a photochop of a 54 Chevy with 57 fins on the back. So I glue this thing up only to find out that I can't get his e-mail cause I am but a lowly lurker. So, pony up buckaroo you gotta send it to him. 57 fin even with the top of the 54 fender bulge. Had to drop the bumper to make it look right. The 54 is on e-bay, I lowered it a couple of inches." I hope it isn't too late to help, but I need to do what I can for a HAMBER in need! I think this looks interesting enough for someone to saddle up and build.
Based on the photos and Photoshops here, it looks to me like doing this would be changing things for the sake of change... not for improvement. In other words, it's a lot of work to do without enough benefit, IMO. I'm not saying it would look bad; just that it wouldn't look any better than leaving it stock except for maybe some bubble lenses or something. This is how the custom cars got to where they were too far overboard at the end of the"glory days". You got extra points for modifications, so people did all the mods they could. If customizing was in the olympics, they'd get a gold medal... but their car wouldn't look any better.
The profile shop makes me think it needs more junk in the trunk.and confirms the fin MUST go straight back, not angle down or up like it is in the profile photoshop. This looks like a Right coast kind of custom to me so I think it needs to have the fins extended back another 8-10" and a shelf built between the umper and the body where the Continental kit spare wheel resides. No, I ain't kidding! Needs a Continental kit and longer 1/4's.
If you have a good side picture of your car and a side picture of a 57, I'll throw them together in photoshop for you to see what it looks like. I would think you might need something a lil sharper on the headlights to make it fit. Like some other people were saying the 54 is very round, whereas the 57 has sharp lines. I dunno it might look pretty cool. *edit, sorry, I just noticed it'd already been photoshopped for ya.
My opinion...it looks like ****. You have a combination of an acute angle, being the tip and shape of the '57 fin, and the large radius of the front of the rear quarter of the '53/'54. It doesn't work. Not to mention that the side profile looks even worse because the trunk is taller then the tailfins. The '53/'54 is much to bubbly and curvy to slap a set of sqared off '57 Chevy tailfins. The belair trim looks just as bad as the 210/150 trim on the fins as well. No matter what you do, this modification would be a tremendous waste of time, money and sheetmetal. Why change things just to change them? I'm sure you can come up with an original rearend treatment for a '53/'54 Chevy that looks better then this.
Im not one to brag either, (ok, just this once..) but I have a great eye for style and flowing lines from my cl***ic boat background, And I say dont do it. Its confusing... The 57 peices are long and straight, sharp angled... There isnt really a straight line on a 54 to go off of. (with the exeption of the line on the front fenders). The whole car is more round and bulbous, the 57's are lower and sleeker, and more "square" for lack of a better term. Think of the roof line and the hood on a 57 versus the 54...I think it would be trying to hard to make the car something its not... Just my opinion... -J.
i agree the *** of a 53-54 looks mint enough like joe said why change things just to change it a better customizer is one that can make simple look better and cleaner than radical
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