Customs Undergoing body reassignment surgery

From here on out, I have a little trim work to install, then I need to focus on functionality. I've got less than 2 weeks left and although it runs great, I've never driven the car on the road yet. It doesn't have any seats in it and no quarter glass yet either, I'm really going to have to hustle. Should make it though.

Thanks for all the responses, really helps keep the motivation going. Probably won't have any updates until next weekend, but if all goes well then I should be able to hammer on it until it's done without stopping.[/QUOTE]

You can do it ! All the dirty fab work is behind you now, this is the easy stuff right ?

 

Very nice! I almost did a mint '67 Nova I had a couple years ago, but got an offer I couldn't refuse for it as-is.

I'm surprised I didn't see any reference here to these.....
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=380606

 

After seeing how great the formal roof line looks as a two door I would have to agree but I don't have the facility or ability to accomplish what he has done. I am having a difficult enough time getting the 2dr back on the road.

 

Sunday was a big day, brought the car over to my buddy Jason's shop to go over the mechanical stuff, he got the pushbutton shifter adjusted and working really nice, which was a huge deal, also got the parking brake working/adjusted and went over some other issues to make sure it'll be ready to go. I also had a chance to finish up my side trim.

I've got a lot of little stuff to finish up on Wednesday and Thursday, but as long as everything goes alright I feel pretty confident I'll have the car at the show on Friday. It's a good feeling. Here's a pic of it as it stands today.

 

pretty freaking cool..

 

Viva La two door post cars!!! That came out just too cool... I have to go with the majority and put in a strong "no" vote on the wheel and tire combo, but that can come later. A set of body colored Ramcharger steelies with small Mopar caps and black walls would be my choice, coupled with a hint of lowering... Nose down, of course. Just makes me pine for the one that got away - I thought this could look this cool!

 

Bravo .. you did an awesome job on the car , the factory should have built cars like this ,,

 

Amazing job, with bonus points for the chunks of wood and anvil subbing for $10,000 worth od sheetmetal forming machinery!

"Are you going to paint it in that off pinkish -tan colour ..."

That takes me right back to college in the '60's...a Geologist at Dickinson had a '61 Dodge wagon, a jaw-droppingly strange beast even when new, that had started life in some sort of reddish paint. Almost every replaceable panel had been replaced with junkyard parts in a bizarre profusion of different reds and pinks...it was always referred to by its given name: "The Placenta"

 

Congrats ! This has to be a world record for a 2 door conversion

 

Bad ass, keystones and all!

 

I am liking the grill. Any plans for that?

 

Hey Jon, how about some BIGGER Fins?

 

So I bought some '61 Imperial quarter panels from ARNIE this weekend at the fall Jefferson swap meet and even though it was raining today I managed to mock them up on the car. This picture is part mock-up and part photoshop, since I'm trying to figure out the transition area above the back bumper but below the fin. This is the best I've come up with so far.



This is the un-photoshopped version of the same picture, you can see I haven't cut out the driver's quarter yet so that fin sits way too high and I ended up sliding them both further forward to help with the transition area and to make room for the Imperial tail light.



I really like the look of the car with the fins on it, when I started this project what I actually wanted was a '61 but this car came along first. I am open to suggestions or photoshoppery of the fin area though as I haven't fully fleshed out how I'm going to do it.

 

NNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!! '62 s are way cooler because they didn't have the fins.... Like they finally refined and perfected the design.

 

I agree; please don't do this. It is so cool as is.

 

I kinda like it. Do you have another picture from the same angle without the fins? Maybe I can tweak them a bit on Photoshop.

 

Hey, don't use that green car in the background as a workbench...

I'll trade you for a better workbench.



AJ

 

Please don't do the fins! Its cool without them, N.N.

 

Just a picture without the fins? I'll try to take one tomorrow if that'll help to work off of. I appreciate the help, I can't quite get the picture in my head to match the picture on the screen, but it's getting closer.

I know there are going to be some people who aren't going to like this idea and I can respect that but I really don't like the '62 quarters, they're just too square and plain for me, and I've already got too many hours invested in this car to have it be just "meh" looking.

I'm also planning to eliminate the body line right above the rear wheel opening and switch to a set of '58 Fairlane 500 side trim but painted black on the inside instead of the gold inserts.

If I can get the picture out of my head and transferred into the metal, it's going to look great.

 

Man that is going to be kewl

 

When did that Merc (or maybe a Ford with a Merc rear window, can't tell) pop up in the background? What's going on with that one?

 

I like the fins. Taillghts, either the '61 Dodge round add-on lights (which still turn up NOS unusued fairly reasonable) or something like '63-4 Rivera in the panel below the deck lid. But the Dodge ones would be easy, the deck shape looks the same to me and I think all you'd have to do is drill some holes and bolt them on - and they'd look right for the car.

When it's done I would almost pay to hang out by it at a show all day and listen to guys argue if it's factory or not.


Also, I am now kicking myself for not cutting the quarters off a rotty '61 Imperial in the way way way back of a junkyard 4-5 years ago, even though I would have had to carry them through the damn jungle half a mile to the car. ... but I do have a pair of '60s here someplace... hmmm, what can I do with those....



By the way, that car in the background looks like a 52-54 Ford (Merc?), either hardtop or ragtop, with a '49-'50 Merc roof set on top of it.

 

I have a thing for 2dr post Mopars especially 61 Fury or Savoy's. I lost out on an original police car version a couple years back.

 

Yes, without the fins and from the same spot you took the previous pictures from. I can pull the fins off the other, non-photoshopped version and move them around on the original car for different effects. Got a feeling you might be able to pull it off if a balance can be achieved.

 

I agree on the fins. Do it!

 

Put the fins on it, and keep the wheels....

 

Looking good Jon! how about getting some exhaust tubing bent the correct size & shape, then splitting it for the transition? The Imperial lites will finish it nicely! Great hanging out with you at Jefferson, sorry I ran out of beer!Arnie

 

Sent from my iPhone using TJJ

 

The '61 Dodge lights aren't a bad idea at all, I might try that, I think I might know where some are. I have the Imperial tail lights too and I want to try those, I think the final shape and position of the fins are going to determine what the tail lights should be.

The goal is to make it look like it could have been factory, if it's obvious that they're tacked on then I didn't do my job right. But I'm just not satisfied with the stock stuff.

As soon as it stops raining I'm going to take a good clean picture, and I've got a higher res. one of the first pic I took too, I'll post them both up to work off of. I really do appreciate the help here, I'm not that great with photoshop and I really want to get the proportions dialed in before I do too much cutting.

I liked your first photoshop too, it actually convinced me to go round up a set of dog dish caps and the 15" steel Mopar wheels that take them for my '60 Fury which is also a 2 door post and it's black, I think it'll look just right.

Thanks for letting us drink all the beer! Exhaust tubing might be an option for the vertical piece from the top of the bumper to the base of the fin, or I might wire frame out the shape of it first and go from there. Once I get the final shape figured out then I'll figure out how the sheetmetal work needs to be done.


I appreciate all the feedback coming in, good or bad, so if you have anything to say, please do so. And for those who were wondering, the black car in the background is a '52 Ford business coupe with a '50 baby Lincoln roof section laying on top of it (same as a '49 Merc window). The '52 is a parts car for my '53 and I'm saving the roof section to put into my '53 which has a sunken rear window chop that leaks (I was in high school at the time).

 

I like the fins ...hey they are even the right color already!! Go for it!! OahuEli can make it right in photoshop....he gives me too many cool ideas lol!