So at this point, i was in up to my neck.
I contacted my buddy Ian Berky at Ian Berky Kustoms for the kustom treatment. I had him french the headlights, shave the doors, fill the hood, mold the rear gravel pan, make me a new tail pan and create some kustom tail lights. All i knew is that i wanted 54 merc lenses. i handed them to him and said call me when it's done.
Ian did all of the photo documentation from this point so you can go check it out on the HAMB
Once i got it back from IBK, it needed a TON of body work. I called another guy i had done business with in the past and he took it over. Norm and the crew at Vintage Metal repaired both rear lower quarters, reskinned the doors, took care of all the rust repair and blocked the car out super smooth. Norm takes over right about This Page
Monday, April 15, 2013
The Kliche Koupe, Part 3 - The Bondo Chronicles: It just keeps getting better
At this point, I had a pretty sick and sinking feeling down in my gut. I just knew that if I kept going there would be much more glory to behold. so armed with my trusty angle grinder and material remover discs, i went to town.
Behold. It ges better, I just can't bear to relive it.
Behold. It ges better, I just can't bear to relive it.
The Kliche Koupe, Part 2 - The Bondo Chronicles
So at this point, I've got a driver with a fresh interior. i was otherwise happy with it. Why? Because i had a car i could just drive. My wife, however, had a bone to pick. The right front fender was starting to chalk up a little. I'd go out and hit it with a little rubbing compound or polish and it would gloss out a little, but ultimately it would fade back. It REALLY bugged my wife out and she kept nagging me to 'Fix it'. Now she really doesn't get what goes into a fix like that, and if i'm gonna do that fender, i might as well do the whole car so it matches, and there was this little rust split on the tail pan that needed a fix anyway so i might as well fix that and do some kustom work while i'm at it... And now begins - The Bondo Chronicles.
I figgered, i'd just knock it out, block it out and reshoot it in semi gloss. it was the most expensive bit of bodywork ever.
I decided to chip at it to see how bad it was. i shoulda just left it alone.
I've never seen such horrors.
Daddy needs a new Hot Rod
I have hit the wall.
After the Kliche Koupe thrash of 2010, i was pretty much burned out over fixing up old cars, but i had a neat little 54 ford that had potential; then the engine blew up. Having to thrash to get that done for LB Motorama in 2011 kinda killed my joy because it still needed more work than i was really willing to put into it. I traded that for a nifty little 28 RPU that is posted a little back in this blog. I hated it. It helped me to reaffirm what i like and don't like in my cars, so I sold it. I bought a 49 Fleetline 2 door that i could do exactly the way i wanted it, until i realized i simply do not have the time or energy for a big project. so i sold it. Then I found a really cool 48 plymouth kustom that just needed 'a little bit of work'. Really, it wasn't that much work. Problem was that i simply didn't have the mental energy to piddle with it. So I sold it.
So what then?
Now, my wife is a peach. she actually digs old cars, and not only does she not mind me playing with them, she encourages me to make them nice so she can be proud to roll down the strip in them. i'm a blessed man. She also, like me, has pretty solid opinions on what she likes and doesn't. She actually picked out our 52 coupe and our 48 plymouth so we see 'pretty' eye to eye on most car stuff. This trip to craigslist however was not so agreeable. everything I liked she had reservations about. The ones she did like, i had reservations about.
I kept showing her stuff just to test her waters and see where she was and just for giggles I showed her this 57 and she told me to call the guy. I got him to send me more pics and she told me to go get it. So i did.
Its a nice driver. The paint is a few years old and is not close to perfect, but i can live with it. The interior is brand new, so are the tires, gas tank, lots of the chrome, etc. its got a late model 350 and a 4 speed. It gets up and goes, and cruises the freeway no problem. Really, it don't need a whole bunch.
This car is a great bit of exercise for me. I can see EVERY little thing that's wrong with it, but I'm deciding to be OK with it. I'm not going to spend a bunch more money on it for a long time. This will probably be the last car for me for quite a while. I really just don't have the time, money or energy to play with cars right now, but i'm more than thrilled to get out for a drive! Cosmetically, my wife is pushing me to get the rear window stainless polished and installed and i need to have 2 emblems replaced, but none of that is really NECESSARY. Mechanically it needs a front end rebuild and could use some blocks out back. That's all easy stuff that doesn't create any stress like painting a car gloss black.
in all honesty, my last 4 rides really burned me out on cars. that's partially why i bought this one. i don't HAVE to work on it. its as done as it needs to be for what it is: a driver. i can just drive it without having to think about it.
In all honesty, this is one of the nicest, most solid old cars I've ever owned and probably the best money spent for dollar value. I'm happy.
After the Kliche Koupe thrash of 2010, i was pretty much burned out over fixing up old cars, but i had a neat little 54 ford that had potential; then the engine blew up. Having to thrash to get that done for LB Motorama in 2011 kinda killed my joy because it still needed more work than i was really willing to put into it. I traded that for a nifty little 28 RPU that is posted a little back in this blog. I hated it. It helped me to reaffirm what i like and don't like in my cars, so I sold it. I bought a 49 Fleetline 2 door that i could do exactly the way i wanted it, until i realized i simply do not have the time or energy for a big project. so i sold it. Then I found a really cool 48 plymouth kustom that just needed 'a little bit of work'. Really, it wasn't that much work. Problem was that i simply didn't have the mental energy to piddle with it. So I sold it.
So what then?
Now, my wife is a peach. she actually digs old cars, and not only does she not mind me playing with them, she encourages me to make them nice so she can be proud to roll down the strip in them. i'm a blessed man. She also, like me, has pretty solid opinions on what she likes and doesn't. She actually picked out our 52 coupe and our 48 plymouth so we see 'pretty' eye to eye on most car stuff. This trip to craigslist however was not so agreeable. everything I liked she had reservations about. The ones she did like, i had reservations about.
I kept showing her stuff just to test her waters and see where she was and just for giggles I showed her this 57 and she told me to call the guy. I got him to send me more pics and she told me to go get it. So i did.
Its a nice driver. The paint is a few years old and is not close to perfect, but i can live with it. The interior is brand new, so are the tires, gas tank, lots of the chrome, etc. its got a late model 350 and a 4 speed. It gets up and goes, and cruises the freeway no problem. Really, it don't need a whole bunch.
This car is a great bit of exercise for me. I can see EVERY little thing that's wrong with it, but I'm deciding to be OK with it. I'm not going to spend a bunch more money on it for a long time. This will probably be the last car for me for quite a while. I really just don't have the time, money or energy to play with cars right now, but i'm more than thrilled to get out for a drive! Cosmetically, my wife is pushing me to get the rear window stainless polished and installed and i need to have 2 emblems replaced, but none of that is really NECESSARY. Mechanically it needs a front end rebuild and could use some blocks out back. That's all easy stuff that doesn't create any stress like painting a car gloss black.
in all honesty, my last 4 rides really burned me out on cars. that's partially why i bought this one. i don't HAVE to work on it. its as done as it needs to be for what it is: a driver. i can just drive it without having to think about it.
In all honesty, this is one of the nicest, most solid old cars I've ever owned and probably the best money spent for dollar value. I'm happy.
3rd Annual Rod & Kustom BBQ
Saturday June 1, 2013 10AM-4PM 4234 W. 147th Street, Lawndale, CA 90260. FREE FREE FREE. This show benefits Hands of Hope Mission Ethiopia. 100% of everything goes directly to the cause. email hotrodfellowship@hotmail.com for application
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