Ferbz Posted April 11 Posted April 11 Fantastic build so far! I'm a big fan of the Inman Chrysler car and you're well your way to making a great inspired build 😉 The GTO rear window looks right at home, and modifying the hood to be more of a Windsor style was a must. Some years ago I also did an Inman inspired build. I closed up the rear window area using the AMT 50 Ford custom half top and the front hood was changed by grafting in the front portion of the Chezoom hood: 6
Jay Whittaker Posted April 14 Author Posted April 14 (edited) On 4/10/2025 at 9:44 PM, Ferbz said: Fantastic build so far! I'm a big fan of the Inman Chrysler car and you're well your way to making a great inspired build 😉 The GTO rear window looks right at home, and modifying the hood to be more of a Windsor style was a must. Some years ago I also did an Inman inspired build. I closed up the rear window area using the AMT 50 Ford custom half top and the front hood was changed by grafting in the front portion of the Chezoom hood: Oh WOW!! I’m LOVING that faded panel job! You definitely knocked it outta the park!! Thank you for the kind words! 🤠👍🏻 Edited April 14 by Jay Whittaker 2
Ragtop Man Posted April 14 Posted April 14 Jay, this is awesome so far! You found great solutions for the hood and backlight from common or discarded parts, I can see it coming together already! 1 1
Jay Whittaker Posted April 20 Author Posted April 20 OK, so I finished up the front suspension by acrylic-finishing the new upper a-arm pivot points, then attaching the tie rod. Threw her in the booth for some spray, then started my body putty rounds while it was drying… 4
Jay Whittaker Posted April 20 Author Posted April 20 Went ahead and prepped the wheels and tires to keep the progress going. The Kelsey-Hayes wires fit the kit 300 tires like they were from the same kit (they were sourced from the Moebius ‘55 300). Some black wash for the spokes, drilled and installed the valve stems, gave the whitewall inserts a shot of white primer, then put it all together and attached to the frame…. Got a couple rounds of putty done and the body in primer, and just couldn’t resist a mid-round photo shoot: 7 1
JollySipper Posted April 20 Posted April 20 That front-end treatment Really works! and those profile shots.......... 1 1
TarheelRick Posted April 20 Posted April 20 Coming along quite nicely. This particular Chrysler is so inspirational for customizing. I also have one in the works, just can't find the pictures right now. 1 1
Jay Whittaker Posted April 20 Author Posted April 20 Y’all have probably noticed by now, but in case you haven’t, I “bladed” the front and rear bumpers (don’t know if that’s an actual term or not, LOL) and turned the lower sections into roll pans, also giving a new home to the rear plate since I smoothed-out the recess in the trunk…. I had plans for ‘56 Packard taillights, but after mocking them up I decided against it as they required extending the already heavy rear fins way beyond anything even remotely reasonable. If the rear of the trunk deck had been recessed I probably could’ve made it work, and while I could shorten the deck lid, it was more than I really wanted to get into for a mild kustom. I do like the factory taillights, and given that I’m using the factory headlights anyhow, we can give a check mark to consistency. 3
JollySipper Posted April 21 Posted April 21 There was an aftermarket company in the '60s that made replacement 'kustom' taillights. They were made from red acetate or something similar, and usually featured a chrome bullet, or maybe a chrome starburst or something along those lines....... I've been looking for an example, but can't find one (of course....). Maybe @Ace-Garageguy knows what I'm talking about? Surely Les might know............ 2
Jay Whittaker Posted April 21 Author Posted April 21 2 hours ago, JollySipper said: There was an aftermarket company in the '60s that made replacement 'kustom' taillights. They were made from red acetate or something similar, and usually featured a chrome bullet, or maybe a chrome starburst or something along those lines....... I've been looking for an example, but can't find one (of course....). Maybe @Ace-Garageguy knows what I'm talking about? Surely Les might know............ I know which company you're referring to, and i got their name on the tip of my tongue but unfortunately its stuck there.... I can see their adds in the little pages, they had a '56 Chevy lens that was white with a red diamond in the center for one example.... Gene Winfield used to make taillight lenses out of red lucite as well... 1
Jay Whittaker Posted April 21 Author Posted April 21 (edited) Hey thanks for all the kind words folks!..... ….And the good fortunes keep coming!…. I needed to hog-out the crossmember under the engine for a proper fit, but luckily only minimally. I was going to use the kit trans, but it didn’t want to mate-up correctly. SO!… I hacked off the parking brake drum along with the very tail end of the 3D 727 trans and blended the two together at just the right length to mate up with the driveshaft with zero mods required….. And the BEST part?….. I did NOT have to cut the floor!! Edited April 21 by Jay Whittaker 5
stitchdup Posted April 21 Posted April 21 6 hours ago, JollySipper said: There was an aftermarket company in the '60s that made replacement 'kustom' taillights. They were made from red acetate or something similar, and usually featured a chrome bullet, or maybe a chrome starburst or something along those lines....... I've been looking for an example, but can't find one (of course....). Maybe @Ace-Garageguy knows what I'm talking about? Surely Les might know............ theres articles on custom rodder that might help. a quick scan suggests lee plastics but i believe a lot were custom made by the owners as vacuum formers were a lot more common then 3
Jay Whittaker Posted April 21 Author Posted April 21 Just wanted to give an extra THANK YOU to all folks posting the kind words and encouragement! At the rate we’re going here this may be done in a week or two…. 😲 2
Ferbz Posted April 22 Posted April 22 On 4/20/2025 at 8:06 AM, Jay Whittaker said: Went ahead and prepped the wheels and tires to keep the progress going. The Kelsey-Hayes wires fit the kit 300 tires like they were from the same kit (they were sourced from the Moebius ‘55 300). Some black wash for the spokes, drilled and installed the valve stems, gave the whitewall inserts a shot of white primer, then put it all together and attached to the frame…. Got a couple rounds of putty done and the body in primer, and just couldn’t resist a mid-round photo shoot: Looking really bitchin!! And the ride height is dialed in nicely 1 1
Belugawrx Posted April 22 Posted April 22 Love the stance you got going Jay...got any ideas on colours.? 2
Jay Whittaker Posted April 23 Author Posted April 23 4 hours ago, Belugawrx said: Love the stance you got going Jay...got any ideas on colours.? Thanks so much! At the moment I'm looking to go with a deep brandywine overall, with a champagne or gold inside the '57 DeSoto trim that'll be added, with a matching interior. I'm going to paint the long-ram 413 in its traditional factory turquoise for a sharp contrast while also allowing details to stand out. My second choice would be a mid-to-darker turquoise pearl or metallic (think late-model Toyota Camry) with a lighter blue-green for the insert (interior colors TBD on that one.....) Either way it goes, the spray is coming soon to a booth near me ;)...... 3
TopherMcGinnis Posted April 23 Posted April 23 Two very strong color plans. Looks like you need to build another one and use both paint combinations. 2
JollySipper Posted Sunday at 03:00 PM Posted Sunday at 03:00 PM I hope this project is going smoothly for you....... Seems like you're almost ready for some paint! 1 1
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