Hot Rods Inspiration vs Reality

Ever get inspired by an image/drawing/cartoon/model or even someone else’s build and then one day try to build something that embraces that idea? Sometimes it’s even a journey that goes through a few iterations.
I’d seen lots of 32 Tudors done the way I envisioned doing one, or at least close, but many were too tall (or too short), too colorful, too fancy, etc. for my taste. I’m very simple so my inspiration is often simple.

This drawing really speaks to me:



and this is what my reality (wip) is looking like:



I think I’m at least in the ballpark.

PS: I’m going to pound some rings on this winter.

 

No pun intended, but your sedan is more realistic!

I can be easy to fall in love with a rendering - loaded with artistic licence and all - but they are not normally easy or possible to replicate in real life. Spencer Murray was inspired by Robert Williams cartoon version of a 36 roadster custom (as was I!!!!) and he made a fair fist of creating it within the bounds of reality. Having said that, Williams was inspired by the real cars of Harry Westergard.

A HAMBer made a really good version of a Weesner drawing of a CC pickup (green.)

 

That's about as close as you are going to get unless you get one of those metal men who can finess the details in the drawing in so that unless you really know what you are looking at you don't know that they are there.

 

Your real car is better looking than the drawing. The windscreen rake and rear 3/4 look just a bit better to me.

 

I like the Real car better, I would call that a Job Well Done!!

 

The rear tyres are a bit undersized in the drawing. The real car is better proportioned.

 

Your car definitely looks better than the drawing. Better tire sizes, better fitment of the wheels to the body, the suspension and headlights just peeking out. I think you nailed it. You took an inspiration and made it better.

I like steelies without rings, so I think even the wheels look great.

Also, yours has door handles. I hate shaved handles.

 

Dang, your car looks right as is.

How about I send you a full sized rendering you can put on the garage wall, you send me the car?

Look at all the extra room you’ll have!

 

I’d drive it

 

Twice as nice !

 

In your imaginary car, what is the plan for suspension? I have a pretty good imagination, but the only thing I can come up with is an OT Mustang II to accomplish that look in a finished product. I like the beauty ring idea, but in my opinion, reversed chromies would be even better. Door handles and the spot mirror look right but shaved looks street roddy to me. If it were mine, I'd be happy with it just as it is.

 

One of my colleagues has a phrase, pure f-ing magic. When another engineer takes a leap in judgement to get to a conclusion, it's PFM. I believe the same suspension methodology is in use on the original rendering.

 

I like the real thing more too. Great job.

To your point I have always been inspired by this Roth catalog. I have built the rest of this T in my head over an over again.

 

Doesn't matter where you get inspiration from as long as you get it! And if your finished car is that good looking then I think you did real well on doing something with that inspiration.

 

It is hard to keep your focus on a scratch build from beginning to end. Seems like one change or variation in theme affects the next three mods and next thing you know your lost and thinking WTF. You sir did a hell of a job!

 

First of all,
" Less, is more "
In my humble opinion, the real car ( yours ) is spot on and doesn't need a thing.

That being said, you might want to simply tape the beauty rings to the wheels, to take a picture of them to see if that is really what you desire, sure save's a lot of frustration if you DON'T like the final result, after you pounded them in.

Your result's may vary !
By the way, your car is very "KICK ASS"

 

I like it, nice job, now stop using the word (whip) to describe an old car, that went out of style 10 yrs ago lol

 

WIP = Work in progress
WHIP = Hip hop slang for car

Spelling matters.

 

Well done and the kind of thing dreams are made of...........

Looking again at the pictures, I think the thing that stands out to me is that the artist had to/was able to highlight the reveal along the side of the vehicle as well as the reveal on the frame rail so that it stands out somewhat. I assume this was done in the picture just for detail purposes so people could see them. It would be difficult to make those stand out on a real vehicle. Not suggesting you change anything, just pointing out that the rendering has that slightly different coloring to accentuate those features.

 

Back when I was a teenager & first putting mine together, I got this issue of Rod Action in my mailbox. I wasn't trying to copy his version, but was amazed that his was similar to what I had envisioned. His being more of a street rod, and mine more of a hot rod, I think. Plus, I'm sure his budget was WAY more than my teenage finances could handle.

 

https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/reality-from-art.1204324/

https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/hamb-period-hotrods-customs-and-the-art.1163996/

It's a great subject...many times the 2D Art comes after the Real deal is fabbed but many times they inspire a fabrication or are essentially a blueprint for it...

Both Ryan and myself have ventured into this Subject with ongoing Threads...

Arts a tough sell many times but whether you have time for it or not it's without a doubt part of the big picture...

@RockyMtnWay, like you I think whether before as a a guide or after as part of the provenance it still looks nice on the wall whether in the garage or on the living room wall...

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If you can't draw, find an artist that can put your dreams on paper. Makes the build go along a bit smoother. Bob

 

https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum...ack-build-the-chris-piscitelli-sketch.780228/

https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/the-friday-art-show.1271002/page-2#post-14569741

...nowadays technology which is often poo pooed can bring Inspiration without paper...above based on Bob's vision this highlights a blueprint of sorts as he's still fabbing his dream...

Being Digital doesn't mean it can't be on a wall either...it can be anywhere you want...

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The original target/inspiration was actually a pic of a fendered Tudor (like the one below), but my wife really doesn’t like ‘dresses’ on hot rods. Says they make em look too much like a street rod. Not sure I’m on the same page, but I do know that ‘happy wife = happy life’.

Inspiration somewhere along the line: edit….probably the reason for the Pontiac roof insert…


Where I got to before the hammer came down:



Sold off the bumpers already, but hanging onto the fenders/boards/wheels/lights just in case. They have been known to change their minds every now and again.

ps: think I posted the garage pic before, so sorry for the duplicate (I didn’t take many pics with her skirt on).

 

Ha..found it! Pic of the original inspiration below.
Never met Bob, but his car (or at least the image in my head) stuck with me for years.
Probably didn’t realize how much it affected me until I started building a sedan.
Dam near perfect chop (in my opinion) and with the halibrand wheels….wowza!
Becks Tudor spread in the Rodders Journal was probably the icing on the cake, but Bobs car probably started it all.



I gotta stop looking at these old pics, or torpedoes be damned, I’m gonna put the fenders on this winter.

 

So as you can see, from what was probably the original inspiration (filed in my useless brain for almost 37 years), to buying the redo project in 2018 and then the HAMB reinforcing the concept (you guys did a thread about bob in 2019), to me almost getting there in the spring of 2021, then the stripped down version concept finalized by Christmas 2021, to how she sits today (ready for an interior). It’s been a journey.
And yes, I should have started a build thread in 2018 and you guys could have helped steer along the way. Probably would have saved me some time.

 

Inspiration vs reality. Don`t I know it. The pic is of what I thought when I saw it when I was 10 years old was a 36 Ford Roadster. No, it`s a Duesenberg owned by Clark Gable. My version is gonna be a 33 Plymouth (ex coupe) poor man`s version of a Duesenberg convertible. View attachment 5868374 Bump

 

The answer is an unequivocal yes.

Inspiration can come in many forms. There may be a particular car that you love as a whole, but more often than not, I see particular pieces or elements of a car that really stick with me, even when I don't care for the rest of the package.

Maybe I'll see a certain color that strikes me, or a use of side trim, or an interior pattern... whatever. Often I'll carry those elements into a new build to the point that I'm not trying to build a clone of whatever car inspired me, but instead put my own spin on the ingredients taken from different things.

I find that taking this position has made attending shows much more enjoyable, because you can find inspiration and great ideas in completely off-topic cars or in cars that you otherwise don't like. Obviously our focus here on the HAMB is narrow, but every car has an engine, every car has paint, every car has interior. There's a lot of tremendous workmanship out there, that's inspiring too.

 

Some people can take a photo as inspiration and do it up 100%.. To those, I respect the drive and focus. My main issue when building is my tastes change and changes are made to suit the vehicle as when building the vehicle may sway your ideas that look good on paper but suck in real life.

You did a great job capturing the sketch to reality... Two thumbs up!


Myself, I don't like coloring inside the lines... My Crayons are dull...

 

Ya done good...real good......we both grew up through that Streetrod era and although I was influenced by the new stuff like clips and discs I still leaned to the Hamb era. Back then, even today, that vintage focus is there and some of the populace get hooked by it...glad I did...