Re-creating the "Yellow Pearl"

The shop has an opportunity to re-create the "Yellow Pearl"! **** Gonzales(Long Beach Cut Outs) has given the ok to start working. The original was burnt in a garage fire after he sold it to a friend long ago, so we are starting fresh with a real solid arizona car.


This car comes with a lot of history. Hopefully we can live up to the task, I will keep updating as I am allowed to.
He will be changing some things up, like the drivetrain, but for the most part the car will be identical.

I know there's a lot of custom guys on here, so this thread's for you.

 

Cool Deal! I love those Loewy-bodied Studes, and that one is kick-***. It will be interesting watching one become a custom instead of a salt-racer. Good luck.

 

Yeah, it shouldn't be too difficult, it's more trying to keep the cl***ic custom it once was and finding a happy medium to adding a few minor updates.

 

First car that popped into my head upon reading this was that hideous yellow monstrosity made from a 48 Stude. More than happy to see that I'm wrong. That car is nice! I hope to see lots of update pics on it.

Please say he's not going SBC/700r4 on this one.

 

No sbc as of yet. He wants a 426 hemi crate. Tight squeeze!

 

*****en!

IMO, a fuller traditionally dressed SBC would go in the car like ****er on bread... a crate 426 would be too much motor, visualy speaking... and would not complete the theme...

Three-two's... polsihed manifold, polished Vette valve covers... yellow engine bay, white motor, chrome's rams horns, pullies, brackets... Joe Hunt Magneto converted to electronic... man, that would look nice!

What did the car have originally?

Sam.

 

the hemi would be a pretty tight squeeze,i think.why not a '49-'54 Cadillac? one of the easiest swaps ever,since Studebaker stole their engine design from Cadillac.

 

Pimp ride It is a cl***ic I love when you guys recreate this cars of the past.

Josh

 

The owner originally wanted a new vette motor, now its a hemi. He wants reliability and power while maintaining the "coolness factor". I myself would toss in a smaller motor, but it's his car. I'm sure it will change a few more times as it gets closer.

 

Love it!
Good luck with it, it's a great looking car!

 

I have been pawing through my collection of little car magazines for a feature on this car. I seem to recollect that it was a Rod & Custom cover car in 1958 or 1959. Alas, that one is not in my collection.

I did find a feature in Custom Cars, May 1958. Photos by George Barris, but pre-Watson paint. By fall of 1959 it was shown in a few partial shots in black & white in Custom Cars wearing its more famous livery.

I never noticed that the rear fender line was raised and peaked.

Original engine was a Cadillac (331, I believe). My choice for engine would be a Stude 289 in later Avanti tune.

Anyway, here 'tis. And a pic of the CC cover, in case you want to find a copy for yourself.

 

Andy Southard had some terrific slides of that car!

 

I only have two little books in my collection, this is one of them.
ROD & Custom Dec 1959 4 page spread

 

Please keep us posted with pics of progress...
love old studes!~

 

Just wanted to update a little:
Progress was coming slow on this until the ch***is was completed, but now things are finally coming along. The ch***is was done for us by Art Morrison at the request of the owner. Little pricey for my tastes but they do nice work. We ground smooth the welds and are pre-***embling now while we wait for the body to get back from the sandblaster. We already got back the doors, fenders and qtr panels, and boy, the front fenders looked good before but once blasted pretty f'd up.



Gotta say it's kind of a nice change to work on something clean for once. The motor has changed AGAIN from the hemi to a sbc. Although the car will look identical on the outside he definitely wants a new driveline, so an ls6 is looking good right now, which will certainly be much better all around, plus trying to squeeze a 426 in that engine bay was going to really ****.
I will keep everyone updated as progress continues, I had gotton some pm's on this but didn't have anything to update.

 

Just found this post and im glad i did... you got any other history about the original car or other pics? seems most of them from this post have vanished somewhere...

Dig your website BTW... imma sendya a PM about some chrome i need done.

 

Yeah, the owner has all the history on the car and is supposed to be compiling it all for me so I can get it all scanned in. Once I do I will post it all. Thanks.

 

Update:
The body came back from the sand blaster. Its a little rough, but much better than most. Some patchwork is definitely needed, but all-in-all reallt solid car. Just tossing a few pics up. For those waiting for the history aspect, I'm still waiting for all the info from **** Gonzales.

 

SO whats going on with this car?

 

Got the body on the new ch***is. Modified the floor, and firewall. Started on the bodymods. The motor is at the machine shop right now.

 

more pics!


FONZI

 

DO you have any more pictures of it? The only ones Ive seen on here are the ones from when it was started in our shop and then pulled over to your work area. Not much being shown since then.
What are Rich's plans for it when it is done? Driving? Trailer? SHows?

 

The only thing that was done in your shop was the dis***embly, I have more pictures I just need to find them and scan them in.

Rich plans on driving the car, and doing some shows.
We have done a ton to the car already, still tons more to go.

I have been pretty busy with the 51 lincoln I am working on. Should be done by the spring.

 

WOW- touchy dis***embly is the first step in starting a build gr***hopper....

 

I don't get it. Thats all I am going to say!!!!

 

I never heard of the "Yellow Pearl",but I like it. I'm doing a stude myself.
Mine'll be a bit different. I haven't had much time to work on it this winter though. Garage isn't heated. I do what I can when I can.
Here's a pic from earlier this summer.

 

Your stude looks real good. I love the look of that body style chopped.
If I could only convince my customer to chop his.

 

that wont happen- he is still stuck in 1965

 

Wow! Thanks for the interest in the project Lenny(er, I mean Dana)! As for our customer being stuck in '65, I guess thats his business, hence why he is the customer and its his car and his money. So as long as he's paying for it, he can be stuck wherever he wants. Customer is always right, right?

As for pics, I have been lax on posting them and I will try to get some on soon.