Lets ruin a perfectly good stock 61 bonnieville lower and mildly restyle it

That looks good, my thought was to turn the reverse lights in the bumper into brake lights but they'd be awful small and would probably get the owner rearended.

 

Kind of what I was thinking, especially with the the Safari lights. Hiding it in the valance behind the drivers tail light could work, Or...


What about relocating the filler behind the license plate like the first gen Rivs.

 

I like that concept, but I'm having a hard time with that gigantic cove where the lights used to be. That void needs something: maybe extending the edge of the decklid down some would help (that shouldn't be too much work should it, Alex? Ha Ha!) and still keep things nice and simple. Plus it'll help that "lift-over height" (as Tom McCahill used to call it) when the owner wants to haul a couple lawn mowers in the trunk...

 

Looks good Alex! These era Ponchos look so great lowered and cleaned up...of course, owing a 64, I might be biased. I like the look of the 59 tail lights, but I am not hating the look of the 61 wagon tail lights in the ends of the fins. Maybe extend the fins like you plan and do some one off cast acrylic lenses like Matt Townsend does in the ends? If the car was going to be in some sort of pearl white base, you could maybe do the acrylic lenses in clear or frosted with a white bucket behind and red bulbs off to the side of the bucket so the lenses blend with the lights off then glow red when the lights are on, kinda like Harry Bradley did with his La Jolla Chevy way back when....

 

I just had a brain flash or fart, depending on if it would work- how about putting some bright lights under/in the bumper and have them project onto the smoothed area where the tail-lights are now. Angle them so they would not bleed over to the other side when blinking. The top edge of the trunk looks like it would "contain" the light, keeping it from bleeding over to the top of the trunk. Getting them bright enough may be an issue, but I have never seen it done. Might suck, might blow, might be my one and only legitimate contribution to the car world.

 

If the taillights were removed from the cove the only thing I can think of to clean up that area is panel painting it. It's just SCREAMING for something creative, and its kind of a focal point being blank. It's so absent of something that the eye goes right to it.

 

Okay, going a bit outside the box here, but what if you made a lens or lenses that work like modern Exit signs where you mill a shape (EXIT, STOP, PONCHO) and shine the light up into it. The lenses could be segmented so you don't get crossover from one section to the other. It's a pretty simple LED circuit. You could really have some fun with it.

 

I love this car. I saw it at Midnight Mass in 2010 at the Placer County Fairgrounds. I told myself 'If this guy came up to me and offered to trade his Bonneville for my 59 Impala, I would say yes.'

 

Pretty similar to "67 Lincoln Continental.

 

Love the side trim redo. that is one clean ride and have to agree with Ryan, almost hate to see it panel painted it looks for clean now. stance is great.

 

I guess I wouldn't be a good custom stylist. I really like the ass end with it shaved and keeping the stock lights.

However, I'll find myself thinking, "Wow, that was a good idea." after it's completed.

 

'61 Buick lights might look good.

 

^^ I was thinking about those Buick lights too. I think they'd be a good choice.

 

Ooh they look good, if that cove could be angled a bit to mimic the angle of the front grille which would give the trunk lid over hang and the lights tucked up close to the lid lip...or somethin'

 

That car looks rad now!

 

thanxs for the kind words and suport
thats what its all about hot rods and kustom cars

yes we are going to do some kind of tail light treatment

yes mini white flake with panels

thanxs

thanxs ...

 

Here's an average photochop of the '61 buick light but with a little of the metal surround/lid cut back (I also couldn't find a good angle for both so chopped off the other side) I did extend the deck lid and down a tad.

 

"Gas door is killing me sloowly"ha ha ha!Starting to love '59,'60,'61 customs.Thanks for posting.

 

Nice photo-shop, zep058.

For an even more custom appearance, the lights could be widened a section (or possibly even more.)

 

XX2. Love these taillights.

 

thanxs thids thred helped us win the gas door battle

thanxs

 

Man, I dig that. Least amount of tail light possible looks best.

 

I would love to see some 63-64 style caddy fins on this bad boy, but the car looks great the way it sits!

 

Been awful quiet Alex! Got any updates?

 

we will soon
this is a car we do on the side and it will stay a driver threw out the build were shaving the gas door thanxs to this thred

 

zep058, those 61 Buick lights look good on there. always liked those tail-lights.

the white color of the Bonnie will reflect alot of that tail-light right under the trunk lid lip especially at night.

 

To me those fins are crying out for the taillights to be in the ends of them. Cadillac of some sort might do the trick.

 

What size white walls are those? They are just the look I want for my 63

 

Did I see a picture of this car in someone's ever coverage? Six '59 Cadillac taillights?

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I second that !


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