Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Sunday, August 14, 2011
What if: Custom bodied roadster.
This car showed up on the HAMB recently with a call the figure out what it is, or was for that matter. I like my hot rodding history as much as the next guy, but this this doesn't really seem to ring too many bells as far as gettin recognized as anything too noteworthy. One gentleman mentioned that it could have been built in the 50's or early 60's when the idea of European sports cars was starting to really take hold, but the budget of most forced some back yard builds, loosely based on sleek euro proportions. Whatever the case, this example is a bit on the wonky side. Nothing really seems to line up, and with the addition of some 70's turbine wheels, and a later model small block, it looks like a kit car gone ...kit car.
Alas! Some see junk... some see potential. I'll play for the latter team today. I think the low and long proportions lend themselves to an indy car inspired rod, complete with knock off wires, white letter Pirellis, & hood straps. The front and rear fenders would both need some work, both by bobbing, and a bit of massaging to get the shapes to flow better. I've shorted up the distance from cowl to grille, which still leaves it about a half mile long, and added a hood. Power comes from a "function driven" flatty. In otherwords, the dress up stuff would be to a minimum, though if it's finned for performance? Hell yeah. I've lobbed off the roof, which looks unnecessary, and strightened out the belt line. Some might argue that the dipping belt is race car-ish, though in this case, given how sectioned the car is already, keeping it hurts the speed of the body side. Windshield is angled back, and flat. Lastly that humpback of Notre Dame deck lid needs some reshaping. It has no flow with the rest of the car and aids in the broken look of it.
Easy job? Not so much. But potential is potential, and if people didn't believe that, the hot rodding/custom thing would have died a long time ago.
The car in question: Yikes.
My thoughts:
Original thread: HERE
Alas! Some see junk... some see potential. I'll play for the latter team today. I think the low and long proportions lend themselves to an indy car inspired rod, complete with knock off wires, white letter Pirellis, & hood straps. The front and rear fenders would both need some work, both by bobbing, and a bit of massaging to get the shapes to flow better. I've shorted up the distance from cowl to grille, which still leaves it about a half mile long, and added a hood. Power comes from a "function driven" flatty. In otherwords, the dress up stuff would be to a minimum, though if it's finned for performance? Hell yeah. I've lobbed off the roof, which looks unnecessary, and strightened out the belt line. Some might argue that the dipping belt is race car-ish, though in this case, given how sectioned the car is already, keeping it hurts the speed of the body side. Windshield is angled back, and flat. Lastly that humpback of Notre Dame deck lid needs some reshaping. It has no flow with the rest of the car and aids in the broken look of it.
Easy job? Not so much. But potential is potential, and if people didn't believe that, the hot rodding/custom thing would have died a long time ago.
The car in question: Yikes.
My thoughts:
Original thread: HERE
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Woodward is gettin closer...
Took a quick ride over to Woodward Ave last night, and it was swamped. We're a week out from what some people say is the largest rolling car show in the world. Expect full coverage starting mid week!
Friday, August 12, 2011
My GLH meets Terra Firma once again... this time a much closer relationsip.
Now, I know this is a stark departure from the normal stuff that I post about here, but my love of cars, especially odd ones runs the gamut. This is my daily, when I'm not driving my 54. It's an 86 Dodge Omni. That's right.... the lowly econo-box of the 1980's. While not one of the 500 numbered S cars, it is a turbo GLH (short for "Goes Like Hell" as coined by Carrol Shelby). I bought the car in 05, and have been fighting it ever since. Between having to rebuild the motor, blowing 2 trans', temporarily losing the car to a shady mechanic who disappeared along with everything he was working on, and weathering the harsh streets of downtown Detroit street parking for 2 years, the car and I share a special relationship. I wont bore ya with all the details, but after rebuilding the suspension, and having some steelies widened for it, it's back on the road after a 8 month hiatus. It's grimey, beat up, it rattles and shakes, and it wakes up my entire subdivision when i fire it up.
I love it. My wife, (and probably my neighbors) hate it. It's my ridiculous little monster.
When I bought it in '05:
As it sits today:
I love it. My wife, (and probably my neighbors) hate it. It's my ridiculous little monster.
When I bought it in '05:
As it sits today:
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Friday, August 5, 2011
Barn Find Friday: 57 Bug
Here's a bit of an odd ball. Off the road for almost 40 years, rag top, oval window, and a pretty cool history!
Monday, August 1, 2011
Steve's 72 Vette: Part 1
Been super busy with the day job as of late, so here's some stuff from a few months back. Steve is building up his fathers old 72 vette, and he's goin for gold. It wasn't in the cards to have the car done by Autorama this past Febuary, but I assume it'll be done soon. The color is a pearl Lambo yellow that screams in the sunlight. (I'll get some pics of the actual car soon). It's bagged, subtly smoothed over, and running some monsterous Americans. Here's a rendering that I did for him to kick off the build, and some sketchwork of his ideas for some of the details
Some rough sketchwork around the interior:
Some rough sketchwork around the interior:
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