Some guys have a knack for visualizing a car before it's done. Most of us, however, require a little assistance. My artistic medium is Adobe Photoshop, a computer program that lets me digitally alter a photo of a car and apply almost any custom treatment, with realistic, non-distorted modifications. That way you can see your car in finished, custom form before any big money is spent.
Our theme for this month's Stylines is the Big Three --Ford, Chrysler and GM -- and I've restyled one example from each. The great thing about Photoshop is that it's pretty easy to add, delete, and change things throughout the process, so I can offer several versions of the same car, or tweak things until I achieve what the owner wants. That's why we've decided to put Stylines online this month (in addition to having it in print), so we can show you the "before" images of each car, plus some alternate versions of a couple. Feel free to e-mail me at rspaulding@eagleict.com and let me know what you think.
'53 CHEVY
The '53-54 Chevy has always been popular with customizers. This '53 gets styling cues that create a more aggressive, forward-motion feel. I want this car to appear as though it's speeding down the highway, even when it's standing still.To get things rolling I've chopped the top, taken a bit out of the crown, arched the B-pillar, and inserted one-piece door glass. It looks better already, but I can't stop there. Next it's nosed, decked, and devoid of all emblems and handles. The stone guards and rocker moldings are gone, while an extra spear on the rear quarters visually lengthens the car and creates an aggressive feel. The front and rear bumpers are smoothed, inverted, and drastically modified to clean things up. I like a little chrome, so the window trim and chrome headlight bezels stay on, as does the stock grille. The taillights are angled forward, continuing the leaning B-pillar theme.
For color, I'm going with a yellow gold pearl with a pewter 'flake roof. This ride wll need some serious underpinnings to back up the aggressive look. How 'bout an injected big block and an Art Morrison chassis sitting on a slight rake, with Colorado Custom Lazear wheels showing off big Baer brakes? Yeah!
'64 T-Bird
When you hear the term "T-Roadster," the last thing that comes to mind is a Thunderbird, right? Well, here's my spin on a T-Roadster. The '64 'Bird may not be as popular as its "Bullet" 'Bird predecessor, but it still has great lines for a '60s custom project.
I wanted this 'Bird to have a '60s feel with some contemporary spins. I also wanted to try something that I'd never seen done to one of these cars. To start off, our cruiser is now a two seater with a custom flip-up speedster deck lid for storage. The windshield is chopped and leaned back for a custom, sporty, sleek profile, while the body is shaved and smoothed with custom fender skirts molded into the rear quarters. On the front end I've added a custom slim bumper with a rolled pan; out back is a rolled pan with exhaust ports molded in.
You'd almost have to go with air springs to get this 'Bird in the weeds. Then coat it with a russet candy paint and accent it with Astro Supremes, skinny whites, and scallops to retain that '60s flavor, and you've got a one-of-a-kind T-Roadster.
Our more affordable (realistic?) alternate version keeps its stock roofline and gets turquoise pearl paint with a silver scallop and heavy metalflake top. It's got almost as much impact for a fraction of the price.
'51 Plymouth
It's a little more than a hint when the editor sends you photos of his personal driver. Luckily, Damon's '51 Suburban is a pretty cool project. Yeah, I know what you're thinking -- Chevy makes Suburbans! Well, Plymouth used the name for its station wagons, but you Mopar guys already knew that, right?
Damon has several ideas for customizing his wagon to achieve a classic rod vibe with just a hint of modern flavor. Step one is using nostalgic colors -- a pale yellow and off-white. From the beltline down the body is shaved clean, the rear fenders are molded to the body, and door corners are radiused. The only trim is the front fender spear, which is extended to match the front fender line. Out back we've ditched the bulky stock taillights for custom horizontal lights mounted between the tailgate and the tucked rear bumper.
The wing windows and sliding rear glass stay put, but the windshield gets V-butted. The hood is filled and shaved, the headlights frenched, and the "mouth" is cleaner thanks to shaved bumper guards and grille teeth. Moving the parking lights from the grille surround into the now-floating grille bar cleans up the front end further. As a finishing touch I've dropped the 'Burban down and set it up with American Racing's Hopster wheels. Can you say "Hemi?"
Our alternate version gets all the same mods, but wears baby blue paint and retains the wide whites and DeSoto hubcaps the car currently has. It would be easy to have two sets of wheels and tires to change the car's look on a whim, but I'm still figuring out how to change colors back and forth...