So... How many old-school changes can you spot on this in-progress 1953 Victoria? More than you might imagine! And, it's to be chopped soon...the right way. Neat car, Olds motor, driven daily, pin striper-owned... Uploaded with ImageShack.us Uploaded with ImageShack.us Uploaded with ImageShack.us Uploaded with ImageShack.us Car was spotted at a little Texas car show this weekend, parked out in the lot with spectators. Neat, eh?
i see 7 so far ..fender mods,tail lights,shaved(handels emblems etc.),scoop,lowered,grill,headlight rings .....and there might be something going on with the chrome around the window but cant tell from pics and i didnt add the cont. tire kit so you may be counting that as another one.i also didnt include the hub caps or white walls ,,your post says changes that could mean a lot like paints gone,or the trim is missing!!
Well Eric, I'm not as old (!!!) as some on this forum and not being a big custom person I'll take a stab at some of what I see. Looks like a '53? Maybe a '52 but the square park lights are '53: 1- '55 Ford headlight bezels 2- shaved door handles, front hood & decklid ornaments - probably other stuff as well. 3- Plymouth (?) grille - not sure but I'm guessing MOPAR of some strain. 4 - Buick ('55? '56?) wheel covers 5 - '55-'57 TBird hood scoop 6 - modified 1/4 panel - made to kinda look like an air intake 7 - Are those Hudson or Packard taillights? Not sure but I know they ain't Henry's 8 - That continental kit on back - don't know if it was an option for '53. But those bumper guards on it look like '55-'56 wagon (flat tops to allow tailgate to open).
The grille is meteor, I do believe, and possible edsel wheel covers. t bird scoop, quarters scooped, frenched cont. kit, relocated tag. Nosed but not decked, weird! To chop these cars, and make them look right, it takes an act of god, and a lot of cutting in places that most don't need. I was thinking about how to make a chopped victoria look right, and came up with theory, but it'd be a beezy for sure.
i belive the tag is not relocated thats where it goes when the cont. kit is on a car because the tire would cover up the plate
from CustomCrestline "re: The grille is meteor, I do believe. . ." I think you're correct. Now I'm wondering if maybe the car itself is a '53 Meteor?
I came up with 10 total but possibly 12 . Will post if you really want to know . OK here is my list , taillights , cont. kit , rear bumper , quarters , grill , front bumper , hood scoup , hubcaps , door handles , headlight brows , all the name plated remover and hole welded , then I am not sure about the trunk lid but looks like a rear piece was added on ? I am not counting the www either . Jim
@losthope, nope, the tag rests on the wheel cover part of the kit, in its own frame, no re-location to the bumper was factory or dealer for these cars. Could be a meteor, but maybe not? The grills are bolt in custom swaps for our American fords. Alright, lets go from the top of the list, '55 ford headlight doors, antenna removed and filled, hood scoop, meteor grille, nosed, shaved, lowered, bumperettes removed from the front, frenched cont kit, '56 Packard tailights, quarters scooped, scripts removed, quarter trim deleted, and rounded deck lid corners! (ahahah). Super car though, I dig it, very nice example of a mid to late 50's custom, right around 1957-8
i dig it too. i dont think it's actually a merc though, cuz the decklid still has the ford crest. looks like that area is a work in progress too. cars like this, in the state it's in, are just imagination fodder for me. so many ways to picture it when it's complete. so many ways to go from here with paint, etc. it's exciting just to look at it and wonder.
That's Frank Palmer's '53 Ford. Sweet car. Frank is an infamous Texas pinstriper, painter, and custom car builder from the Dallas area.
@losthope Its cool mate, just don't let it happen again! ahah, nah I'm kidding, just was rushed for work, sometimes the internet doesn't project tone very well, I could have used better word choice. No malice meant. Regardless of whats done to it, what will be done with it, its a neat-o looking car! I can understand why a painter's car is in bare metal, they never have time to work on their car!
Yep, it's Frank Palmer's daily driver. He lives just a few miles from me and, though I'd seen the car on several occasions before, we'd never met. Fixed that situation this weekend and plan to get together in the future. Frank is my age and from New York, so we've got a lot in common as far as our custom car background is concerned. We both grew up with east coast styling and the siren song of the "little books" drawing us westward. (Here's what the '56 Packard Caribbean tail lights look like in their natural habitat.) While I got transplanted to California, style-wise, Frank has remained faithful to the New York/New Jersey custom trends of the late '50s, and it shows in his treatment of his Victoria. The contrast is stark, to say the least. The car will be getting a haircut soon, one of those "invisible" haircuts that don't show unless you're looking for it. One and a half to two inches, that's all. He outlined the cuts he'll make and the mods to the quarter windows to allow them to fit and operate like stock. Trust me, you'll never see the chop on this car when he's done...except that the car will look more svelte. A very talented man. BTW: Waldo is still missing. Look closer, guys...
well the only thing that I don't see already mentioned above is the custome single windshield wiper set up - ha ha j/k- but my eye isn't trained as well as most here. I would like my headlights to look like that - how is it done? - please tell me it's a bolt on
Oh, a one and a half inch chop will make the greenhouse area on these cars perfect, as well as get rid of some of the dead space above the c-pillar. Silly question, is that a coupe/mercury/lincoln deck lid? Could be the extended quarters throwing me, but it doesn't quite look right.
Ok I'll play- is that another front bumper being used as the rear bumper? The license plate light? I'm starting to drive myself crazy...
Well..... the windows are kinda dirty & a bit tough to see through but how's 'bout the steering wheel and/or gearshift knob? I sure hope nobody sez it's got a .... a.... small bl.... - no I can't say it.
Sorry Eric, I was over on the FordBarn most of this evening, receiving therapy from my support groupies. . . . Good to hear though, Olds is good... Olds is good.... I missed Olds - just saw "old" and figured 'oh no'! Damn new trifocals still can't see past corporate blue. So, how's about the steering wheel & shifter knob - stock? I really can't make 'em out in the pics. ron
that ford shoulda been parked on the display side of the fence instead of the spectator side. very nice packard too.
Maybe so, but I don't think Frank would take kindly to all the "rat rod" comments that would come from an uninformed public...and from the idiot gold-chainers which were in the majority at that particular show. I get the feeling that Frank has a definite "FTW" at***ude towards life and just does his own thing and doesn't give a rat's *** what other people think. Kinda like me...
there are rat rods and there are cars in the works. granted, not everybody can tell the difference, or even care to. i mean, if you stick a john deere grill on your car/truck/creation, then yeah its most likely a rat rod. but if it looks like it has a direction it most likely is a works in progress. just my opinion.
Well guys, if it's a Meteor as some have suggested, the sure way to tell is the dash will be a Merc, as that's how they came from the factory.
Anyone know how he got those bezels to fit so well..I have a 53 Customline and a set of 55 bezels, however the headlights / fenders don't follow the same size/shape? They fit well on the top but not so well on the bottom. I'd normally chop and weld but they are obviously cast material and without using a gal of epoxy or modifying the fender, I'm at a loss!
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