Projects telstar: front end styling ideas. . .

nada

 

I thought I had a pic, I salvaged a grille from a s**** bucket in one of the junkyards and laid it out backwards, but if I do it's not on this computer. I haven't started the other one in months, so...

I did google up this, though, to give you an idea. http://oldcarandtruckpictures.com/Pontiac/1959_Pontiac_Bonneville_Conv_Fv.jpg

The mesh has little rectangle holes, maybe 3/4" wide and 1/8" tall going by memory. Unbolted from the surround it has about a 1-inch wide mounting lip, although you could probably use some of the surround to save some metalwork if you want to set it in (especially on the upper part).

http://rides.hotrod.com/ride/1167832/starchief-59/1959/pontiac/star-chief/photos/3.html

This one is a more nose on shot -

 

thanks,,,i could probably make something similar, , , i like it

 

Yeah, it wouldn't be hard to make more or less the same thing. I just remember laying that out on the ground and thinking it would make a great custom grille.. so I kept the pieces.

Edit: I knew I had a picture of that grille. In this ancient thread:

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=113499

 

Lookin amazing Jim! You're a freakin' mad scientist, there, fruitcake.

 

hey thanks there liverneck!!

 

I really really dig it!! i think the latest "bullet nose" idea is right on track to a hot lookin car!! keep it coming!

 

Yeah I like it, drop the canted quads and you will have a space age tucker

 

yeah, i think we're onto something here,,,,,just want to thank you guys for all the encouragement, advice, ideas, , , ,and big thanks to 'Mo for the inspiring sketch he did....

 

I liked it, i hated it, I wasn't sure, then I liked it again, then I really liked it, then I wasn't sure....now that bullet ruins it. I really liked the Merc grill with the bumperettes. Not a huge fan of the quads, but I liked it with the oval grill. Either way, keep it up!

 

lol, , , i hear ya,,,,been a bit of a rollercoaster ride for me as well,,,,i really feel it's headed in the right direction,,with some tweaking and fine tuning, i think it's gonna have the right "spaceage" look i'm after, , ,

 

I very rarely chime in with what I think someone "should" do with a build, but I just had to speak up....I REALLY like the bullet-nose turn of events.That car is gonna be insane, and I mean that in a Good way! Just my .02

 

another idea,,,,
canted 53 buicks, , , with the fan shield piece that squablow posted above, mounted in the middle (will fit in the hole perfectly),,,with maybe a chrome bullet in the center,,,split grille with mesh and drawer pulls and/or plastic rods,,rolled pan, possibly some wraparound bumperettes

 

come to the roundup, , ,

 

i think i could cut some of those down for bumperettes,,,,the 56's would work best,,,

 

hey jim ill add my 2 cents.. im glad you decided on the lincoln quads, they match the fins on the back.. not diggin the canted buicks. they look like canted buicks if you know what i mean. they just look turned in and welded. i understand the concept car theme of the center bullet but it kills the car. thats why it was a concept and not put on the cars. i like the idea of a tube grille surround with a 6 inch piece of polished copper running on the inside to french the draw pull grille. anyway just a few thoughts. your kikin ***, keep it up!!!

 

Hmmm.. I'm not sure how I feel about the buick lights... what if you flip them so the headlight is at the bottom? I've been sketching over on of the last round of pics for the last few minutes. It might work, flipping them would hide the "53 buick-ness"... I think. I think the lincoln's might still be a better look. I still think you need to cut up the hood a little to camouflage its previous life.

for the center bullet, how about a 50-51 bullet nose stude nose cone?

 

Jim, I just gotta say that I admire the fact that you take constructive criticism so well.
A lot of guys are very defensive about what they've done and very reluctant to hear anything other than what they want to hear, but you don't hesitate to jump on ideas and give them a try. That's cool.
You've put a lot of good designs together on this car and have then gone and tossed them aside to try something else out just to see.
I think the end-result will be much greater just because of your willingness to really play around with the possibilities.

 

No bullet, please.

 

I am with Nads, I like the Kaiser grille the best..no bullet. It would just look like a Studebaker that way.....

How about mocking up the kaiser grille with just the single headlights with the Plexi covers????

 

i second what the wise, and honarable cleatus said... great at***ude jim!!

 

I have one and a half 55 or 56 Olds grills that I would not mind letting go.Just takin up space in my garage right now

 

I had an idea today at work but could't find my scans till now. This is a scan from my 54 Dan Post ABC's Custom How. The cover and also one of the pages inside.

If you are going to use the Lincoln quads with the eyebrows. This might just work. OR possibly something like it.

 

wierd,,,,i was just thinking of something very similar to that,,,

 

For the love of god Jim...59 Caddy taillights, dummy spots, fake lakes pipes! You know the drill, get to it, get to it!

Your worse than a woman standing in front of a dressing room mirror!

 

i gotta make sure it doesn't make my *** look fat, , ,

 

If your ever in doubt, ask Lou Stoole. He'll shot ya straight!

 

Those really lend themselves to use with a full width grille - otherwise they just end abruptly at the bottom in a hard straight line.

Another vote for the Kaiser grille!!

 

Maybe the Kaiser style grille with the Lincoln quads, but fabbed with extra bars to make it wider and come around under the base of the headlights, or work with the shape of a bumper/bumperette choice. I'll admit to not being a fan of the center bullet, but the same shape plain worked into a grille divider works for me. I just lean towards a mesh grille because that gives you a more late '50s feel, a lot of cars were using mesh of some sort in 58-59-60.

Really whacked idea: 59 Olds quads, with the turn signal in the middle. Canted with a '55 DeSoto grille bar between. Or mesh with knobs/bullets/etc. Hoods around the lights, too. Something that's never been done but probably for good reason.

But you could go with a more mid-50s feel up front, too, and it would work just as well. The worst part is there's probably 50 different ways to do the nose of that car that will all be killer and work for you. And for every one of those ways there's going to be someone who hates it...

but all in all it could be worse, you could be trying to redo a 49-52 Chevy with stock hood and fenders and have it not look like *** (which is damned hard to do). Trust me, because I've been thinking on what to do to mine for a long time and I'm still not getting a good clear picture in my mind.