The word is out in Northern California--Greg Westbury builds a pretty mean car. Known for maniacal attention to detail and top-shelf fabrication skills, the "G-Man" has amassed quite a following around his home in Concord, California. Greg recently began building complete cars and motorcycles after earning a rep as a chassis fabrication specialist; he's equally at home crafting a part for a car or the whole darn thing.
It's not uncommon for Greg to do something more than once in his pursuit to get it perfect. It is unusual, however, for him or anybody else to build an entire custom car twice. Not twice as in two versions of the same ride, but redoing a finished custom into another completely different version.
Fourteen years ago, Greg built a wild '49 Cadillac for his dad, Bob Westbury. He even got it on the cover of Custom Rodder's Summer '91 issue (remember when we were quarterly?). Back then, the Cad wore a chopped, lift-off steel top, divided windshield, and modified original grille. It had fat Mickey Thompson rubber, wheelie bars, and silver paint with hot-pink scallops on the nose. Yeah, you know the look--pure early '90s.
Like so many other things in life, the Cad began to lose some appeal as years passed. Bob concluded that cosmetic surgery was in order and, naturally, he tapped Greg for the job. Both men felt big changes were in order; Greg ultimately settled for a Weight Watcher's approach, instituting a slimming program that was nothing short of life changing.
The end result is that nearly every body part has been extensively remodified. The front fenders now slope to meet E-class Mercedes headlights, and the once-massive hood is more svelte after a severe pie cut and nose job that lays the front back two inches. It forms the top of a reshaped cavity showcasing a new single-blade custom grille that sits above a '56 Chevy front bumper. Further back, the hood extends over the former cowl area, guiding air up and over a new one-piece windshield. The decklid is sectioned and tipped forward to echo the front sheetmetal, with a license plate fit flush to the extensively reworked '56 Chevy bumper. Cadillac taillights from a '91 DeVille cap off the reshaped rear fenders.
Greg gets credit for the metalwork, but kudos go to Mickey Galloway from nearby Brentwood, California, for the fantastic final bodywork that makes the AutoEuropa-applied PPG paint look so mirror-straight and deep. The lift-off top now wears black fabric to match the body, and features an updated rear window as well.
Keeping things in the family, the big Cad employs a '79 Seville front clip expertly grafted to the original frame by Greg. Hand-fabricated ladder bars and Carrera coilovers position the Currie rearend, while Wilwood binders update stopping power front and rear. Further undercarriage inspection reveals a custom stainless fuel tank Greg built to appease the thirsty Chevy Rat motor. A few mild modifications (RV cam, Edelbrock carb and intake, MSD ignition, Flowmaster mufflers) make the 454 more than lusty enough for the big bruiser. A warmed-over GM 700-R4 transmission transmits ponies to the rear rubber.
A new suit calls for new shoes, and Foose wheels with BFGoodrich rubber fit the performance luxury theme perfectly. Sized at 18x7 and 20x9.5, they provide a slight rake while filling the reshaped wheel arches in style.
Inside, the lucky driver and his passengers are treated to comforts that hold true to Cadilliac's image of luxury. Credit Sid Chavers and Bob Devine for the gray cloth cloaking the Honda seats and the German square-weave carpeting underfoot. Bob exercises control through a Budnik steering wheel atop a GM column, and everyone's ears are comforted by sounds from an extensive Alpine stereo system.
The Westbury Cad Attack was pretty slick in its primary incarnation; the second version is a complete knockout. The low, mean look whispers luxury and performance in a manner that's just plain bad. It also exhibits one of Greg's most admirable trademarks: a marriage of old and new that's the ultimate in cool.
Model: Malisia Petropoulos
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