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Talk about horrible looking customizations....


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That Chevelle , while positively disgusting , wouldn't be as offencinve to the eyes if the builder didn't get all totally 80's on it (i.e. , stock finish to the grille , headlights' bezels , and bumpers) . Still goofy as , but would be less of an 'abortion' if there was more brightwork to balance it .

Now , onto that gut-wrenching '57 four door hardtop : I literally regurgitated my dinner ! BBAAARRRRFFFFF !! Kim Jong un , indeed !

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The more I think of it, that Chevelle wouldn't be as bad if there was a bit less chop, maybe rake the windsheild and back window towards each other with nearly or still full height glass, a '70 front clip with some custom touches, a noticeable loss of altitude in the suspension with maybe slightly shorter and wider tires on the right rims (even if he bumped up to 17" rims), then paint it a considerably less obnoxious color (maybe black, gunmetal, dark blue, dark green, ect.), it would look better!

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The more I think of it, that Chevelle wouldn't be as bad if there was a bit less chop, maybe rake the windsheild and back window towards each other with nearly or still full height glass, a '70 front clip with some custom touches, a noticeable loss of altitude in the suspension with maybe slightly shorter and wider tires on the right rims (even if he bumped up to 17" rims), then paint it a considerably less obnoxious color (maybe black, gunmetal, dark blue, dark green, ect.), it would look better!

In other words, if it were a completely different car, it would look better. I agree! :D

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I don't know how he missed the giant hump in the middle of the roof, it looks like the start of a Vista Cruiser. Bill's model works because of how low it is, the low roof and the low ride height work together along with keeping the stock roof length. This looks like as much of not knowing how to do the job correctly as it was just a generally poor design choice.

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I don't know how he missed the giant hump in the middle of the roof, it looks like the start of a Vista Cruiser. Bill's model works because of how low it is, the low roof and the low ride height work together along with keeping the stock roof length. This looks like as much of not knowing how to do the job correctly as it was just a generally poor design choice.

I'm still trying to figure out what happened there, but I think it's partially the sunroof's fault.  Some of it is probably from the roof being open in those pics, some of it looks like the shape is to accomodate the mechanicals and roof section when open, and some might just be a really poorly thought out chop!

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In other words, if it were a completely different car, it would look better. I agree! :D

Well, starting the chop by consuming less alcohol than my 200 has in the last 24 hours (at least a gallons worth) would be a big help, then keep on keeping the body mods in a tasteful manner after that, maybe while keeping the beer on ice until done would further help.

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Although judging from the opinions of many people I talk to, the '70 Chevelle is the general favorite year for the car, I've always been more partial to the '71-'72, but this just looks terrible...so much work went into making something so ugly.

http://einstyn.com/einstyn-chopped.htm

Well, he did customize as he wanted it, and it is licensed,...

 

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Agree to disagree. I find more uncomfortable styling touches than successful ones.

Another case in point... the completely awkward tension between the curved cove molding vs. the "scoop" ahead of the rear wheels. Those two details have absolutely no connection, they don't work together at all. Just another bad "custom" touch that was either not thought through, or put into place by people who didn't know any better. Think how much cleaner and cohesive the design would have been if the whole rear fender skirt detail was eliminated. No chrome "grille" at the front, no body crease along the top... just a smooth, integrated skirt whose design would not have fought with the cove molding. That way, the curve of the cove molding would have gracefully mirrored the curve of the roofline along the tops of the side windows and resulted in a much cleaner and more successfully integrated design.

Again... this car is a collection of styling clichés, not a successful overall design.

And again... why this car has achieved some sort of icon status is beyond me.

I think I agree a lot with Harry on this one.

Which is why I don't build "custom" kits.

It's a lot easier to screw them up, & exceedingly more difficult to actually make them look better than how they came from the factory.

I hate to say it, but I've seen some really dumb looking custom built kits that someone spent countless hours on & think that it looks really nice.

Sorry, but not everyone can be a automobile designer, as evidenced by the short, fat Chevelle in question. ;)

 

Steve

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The roof is too long and the c pillar is way toooo fat. I thought it was built in the late 80's. All that painted chrome is saddening. At least he didn't paint it hot pink...

 

Edited by dshue76
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The more I think of it, that Chevelle wouldn't be as bad if there was a bit less chop, maybe rake the windsheild and back window towards each other with nearly or still full height glass, a '70 front clip with some custom touches, a noticeable loss of altitude in the suspension with maybe slightly shorter and wider tires on the right rims (even if he bumped up to 17" rims), then paint it a considerably less obnoxious color (maybe black, gunmetal, dark blue, dark green, ect.), it would look better!

I was thinking the same thing. The work done might not be all in vain. A few well-chosen finishing touches could go a long way. Get the thing closer to the ground, select a tasteful low-key (dark) color, and cover the top in padded vinyl (think Carson top here). And of course put wheels that are suitable for a kustom. That is what it wants to be wearing that chop.

Edited by lysleder
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I was thinking the same thing. The work done might not be all in vain. A few well-chosen finishing touches could go a long way. Get the thing closer to the ground, select a tasteful low-key (dark) color, and cover the top in padded vinyl (think Carson top here). And of course put wheels that are suitable for a kustom. That is what it wants to be wearing that chop.

The problem here is that the top is so out of whack that  if there was further work done to it, that could potentially be overshadowed by that chop, and there's no way any kind of top could fix that short of turning it into a convertable and replacing the windshield frame with something stock.  That's why I suggested that if things were done differently in the chopping process, it would look better, I'd leave off that sun roof too, it does the car no favors.

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I realize that different people have different styling opinions, but I honestly don't understand how anyone could envision this and decide it was a good idea. Still, I suppose the whole "beauty is in the eye of" thing must apply. From a styling perspective, I think slamming the car into the ground and putting bigger wheels on would even out the chop some...it'd still look stupid, but might work better.

But, one of strangest things to me is, it seems to have been built to be a driver...maybe not a DD, but something that's going to spend some time on the road...Vintage Air, power windows/locks, idiot buzzers, etc. However, EVERY chopped roof car I've personally spent time driving or riding in (admittedly, that's only 4) don't really lend themselves to comfortable driving. They're [supposed to be] about style, and usually I find that the chop makes it hard to drive, especially over distance...visibility goes out the window (ha! sorta pun), and I always find it hard to find a comfortable riding position. Usually the seats are buried into the floor so your head isn't crammed against the top, so the 'ol "side windows arm rest" becomes too awkward and your legs are crammed somewhere, and if the seats aren't buried into the floor then you're spending the entire time turtling your neck to keep your head from cramming against the top and the limited visibility you have to start with is even worse, and/or you have to have the whole "ghetto lean" thing going to be able to sit, which I just don't find comfortable. And, not to forget, the powered sun roof means that the headliner is probably 3-5" thicker than stock, so that would even further cramp the interior. 

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Some of what you said reminds me of my Sister's Challenger, which is stock other than Z Rated all season tires that replaced the stock summer rubber.  The top is low enough that it is difficult for Dad or myself to get into, the visibility kinda sucks,, the window line is high enough to not easily hang your arm out, and the sunroof takes away the head room.  Sadly, her '06 Charger that she had wasn't much better, but didn't have the thickly bolstered seats or sunroof, which at least helped.

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I just spent some time trying to re-locate a classifieds ad I saw last week for a '28 or so Chevrolet hot rod, but couldn't find it again...picture this: '28 Chevy in hot pink with a molded-on later model pickup bed. It's a 3-wheeler, so the nose tapers to the stock radiator, with no front axle or wheels visible. The molded-in tailgate area has a pinstriped religious message.

Just...wow.

 

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Builder of bent banana '80s-riffic Chevelle:

"I have dreamt of having a yellow chopped Chevelle since I bought my first car back in 1988, which was a Chevelle."

He's living the dream, man, the dream!!!!

 

 

Looks a little more like a horrific nightmare to me! :P

 

Steve

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Yes, beauty is subjective. Here are some photos from magazines showing real customs. I have no comment but just show these for their entertainment value.

59CustomCarGlass.jpg

cars09_62.jpg

CustomCars_11_59.jpg

CustomCraft11-12_60.jpg

RandC_06_56.jpg

My main question is, how did these hideous monsters make it into a magazine?

How hard up were these mags for material?

Or were the magazines owned by Barnum & Bailey?

 

Steve

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