The wagons and wagonesque models had no dip. That would be a viable donor if one wanted to edit that feature out.
Yep. But both are customs. Can’t build a hot rod without “customizing” it. but, for me, a custom really isn’t meant to improve something the factory built, but an attempt to build something the factory didn’t.
The one pic from the rear should show the passenger side clock bezel "bump" on the dash if this was a '55 with '57 quarters, you can see through the windshield. And keep in mind, the rear wheel openings are not '55 either, so it's not just '57 style fins added on. For those reasons, I think this is a '57 with (what started as) '55 front fenders on it. Neat old pictures for sure.
I like customs and the car has a familiar feel to me. Wondering if is in one of my little books but can’t look right now since I’m in Indy instead of home.
55 and 56 front clips will interchange with each other but the cowl on a 57 is way different. would be a lot of work to mate a 55 clip to a 57 cowl, I would suspect it is a 55 with 57 wagon quarters grafted on. a lot less fab work. I have a feeling it is an A Brothers/ Bailon inspired home build. It has that homebuilt clunky kind of feel to it. I love customs but we have to admit they all weren't flawlessly executed. lol Larry
As a Mopar guy, I don't know that much about tri-five Chevvies. I do like it though it looks to be unfinished in the photos. It has 1957 Fury hubcaps on it which are not that easy to find today.
I'd bet a coffee those are MI plates, and early 60s at that. Might help target the thing. Style? Well I don't like sushi either. There was a time around Motown when restraint was a sin. If some was good then too much was perfect. If I had to predict something I'd say it might have had some elements sacrificed on the altar of Wattufaq. The backgrounds don't look active enough to be a A-Bros picture. 'Rama this weekend, some of you stray beatniks might get some urban legend info opened up and get closer.
Hey Mark, isn’t that a similar treatment to your car? Astoria? You have so many I forget the names. But just a question, the kinda rear end pic looks like a gap between the trunk and the rest of it, and from the picture, I didn’t see lights in the fins, is the gap I’m seeing for lights? Anyways, hope you track down the origin of it.
yeah, It isn't the Astorian. I am sure of that. I may have to get a pile of old magazines out and start digging
really hard to say, maybe some sort of wrap around tail light that goes into the trunk lid and into the quarters... sure is sliced up back there....
I did a little work on cleaning these up for you. Moriarity, I believe you are correwct on the tail light situation. This is what it looks like to me. From these photos, I am seeing a bent(?) side pipe, and definitely a 55 front clip (not the trim holes on front edge of hood). I highlighted (in lt blue) the dash outline and the rear light situation .It appears to have louvers behing the rear wheel openings as well. hope these help!
cool, thanks man. it looks also like the hood is pancaked. I don't see a gap along the fender there. I wonder if this could have been a Bill Hines car, he was in Michigan back then and that lower grille work looks kinda like some of his stuff....
Bill Hines early days were Detroit until he relocated to Barris shop. It could be the work an unknown builder at the time (such as Dick Dean) or an amateur builder mimicking the early Detroit style (A Bros, etc.) Agree on it being a Michigan plate as their plates had "Water Wonderland" which ran across the entire plate bottom through 1964. It's a cold climate for sure, trees are bare and their looks to be a bit of snow on the ground. The car is an odd duck but fascinating. Hope more info comes forward.
That area is so blurry/damaged that it is really hard to tell, but likely is. I feel like I have seen that rear fin to trunk treatment before, but I can't recall...
They will bolt on (At least they did on our stock car) but the bottom of the front fenders are different where they meet the rockers. 56 has a smooth roll under whereas the 55 is more squared off and has a small outward bead on the lower edge.
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