Chevy 1949 - 1952 customs & mild customs galerie

The coupe body has been chopped 3 inches and the roof further altered to accept the custom installed smaller 1948 Oldsmobile rear window. The front fenders have been fitted with 1955 Chevrolet fender headlight caps and pots. Both the hood and trunk lid have been nosed and decked and the inner panels painted and detailed in the body colour. The original flush mounted steel fender skirts have been extended to meet and cover the full wheel openings.

Every piece of the stainless body side mouldings have been full restored and polished, appearing in new condition, you will also notice the custom installed chrome 1953 Plymouth chrome spears on the rear fenders above the tail lights as an added feature.

Professionally installed Mustang II front suspension with tubular "A" arms, power rack and pinion, with disc brakes, power brake booster and master cylinder with proportioning valve and 2" dropped spindles.

Rear suspension is a dual spring mounted 1977 Nova housing and center section.

The interior retains the original front and rear bench seats with Professionally sewn and installed rolled and pleated naugahyde covering in white & turquoise colours, the front seat also has a matching removeable center arm rest, storage compartment coffee cup holder. It is also equipped with matching lap seatbelts. There is no carpet in this vehicle which now has a matching contoured sewn white naughahyde replacement. The headliner is also correctly installed and fits perfectly. The door panels and rear window panels, are done in the same professional manner as the seats with matching coverings. The dash and window garnish mouldings are painted in the body colour. The dash crome and bezels are almost flawless, a complete set of white faced Haneline gauges. The glove box is fitted with a Pioneer single C.D. AM FM stereo. To top things off the original steering column it is equipped with a beautiful Juliano hand painted woodgrained steering wheel.

The exhaust is a custom dual system using stainless steel pipe, dual aluminized oval mufflers and full length dual stainless steel tail pipes.

The engine is a older rebuilt mild 355 Cu.In. V-8, Edlebrock intake and 4 barrel carb, full length tubular headers, aftermarket polished aluminum radiator and electric fan.

The transmission is a built 350 Turbo-Hydro with a minor shift kit and controlled by the column mounted shifter.

All the chrome plating and polishing on the car is professionally achieved.

It is fitted with 4 Vintique chrome reverse 15X7 rims with baby moon caps and Coker wide wall radial tires

 

I’m a firm believer that you’re a product of your environment. Growing up, learning, and deciphering the street-code is truly part of the hot rodding spirit. Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, I’ve had the opportunity to chop it up with a truly eclectic band of folks from all different walks of life. Be it old, young, rich, poor…arrogant or stuck up, I’ve met them all. In this game, it’s all about street smarts and the hot rodders have it, no doubt.






As a student to the street it becomes your teacher. Although, I doubt anyone truly becomes a Scholar of them. There’s always something new to learn, something new to develop. It’s almost never ending. It’s no wonder growing up, I found myself hanging out at local speed shops, elbow-deep in grease. It’s probably the reason I got into cars and hot rodding to begin with.



Hot rodding is more than just driving a fresh whip. It’s style, too. Unfortunately, there’s no book to refer to. You just suck it up, and spin the wheel; hope for the best. The great thing about hot rodding? It’s completely what you make of it. Los Angeles is rich with custom builders who don’t own a ton of the newest equipment, nor do they excel in any one trade. Most builds, albeit unseen or featured, come from the hands of builders in their own garages.

Two staples of Southern California are its top notch custom car scene and its abundance of sun-drenched females with golden hair. So what better way to showcase one of SoCal’s most recognizable custom Chevys, Ian Berky’s Minor Threat, than with quintessential SoCal Beauty Tara Studinger.

With several famous early 50′s Chevys produced in SoCal where the culture’s roots spawned, owner/builder Ian Berky has managed to redefine what was possible and raise the bar for any post-war era Chevys that follow. Even more impressive, this was Ian’s first crack at it! Imagine what any future builds may have in store…

The Chevy was a Christmas gift from Ian’s wife, proof that yes, there are still good ones out there to help fill the garage, not complain about whats in it. When she bought the car the roof had already been chopped, but Ian would soon learn the chop was a hack job and the work that lay ahead would have caused most to throw in the towel. Eventually coming to the realization the top just was not replaceable, Ian tracked down a few parts cars in Whittier and bought a complete ’49 Chevy top to replace the mangled iron on his ’51.

With no shortage of metal work on his hands to put a new twist on an old classic, Ian enrolled in a metal working class hosted by none other than custom car legend Gene Winfield. Not only would the knowledge prove vital on molding in the fenders, rounding the edges of the grill opening and fabricating a custom grille, but along the way he established a friendship with one of the culture’s originators. Since this was a radical build plan in the making, Ian made sure all the traditional modifications had been addressed; shaved handles, nosed front, decked rear, and frenched headlights before he would send the car half way across the country for some beauty tips.

Eighteen months went by before the metal and bodywork was complete. Then Ian sent the rolling metal canvas to Premier Body & Paint in Arkansas City, Kansas. The plum color was mixed and shot by shop owner and Beatnik C.C. member Jeff Myers. If the name sounds familiar it’s because Jeff’s work has adorned some of the most award-winning customs of today. Look closely and you’ll catch a glimpse of the subtle, purple metal flake scallops running the length of the top of the front fenders. Then, you’ll truly recognize Jeff’s talent .

If you can take your eyes off Tara long enough… in the interior you’ll notice white and paint matched tuck and roll across the front bench and custom rear bucket seats. The theme carries across the headliner as well with purple piping trimming the seats and roofline.

Under the hood a SBC dressed with finned valve covers, finned breather and chrome alternator keep the engine as aesthetically pleasing as the shapely exterior. Performance enhancements such as an Edelbrock intake manifold and 4bbl carb dismiss any misconceptions that the 51 may be all show and no go. No shortcuts were taken with this build so why start in the engine bay?

Since Ian’s plans for the Chevy never called for long trips strapped to a trailer, the suspension was upgraded with a Mustang II kit up front and Gambino taildraggers for the rear. A shortened 9 inch Ford rearend offers additional reliability for cruises or road trips and the wide whites (at least what you can see of them) tuck nicely into the front fender wells and are completely hidden out back when the skirts are on and the Chevy’s laid out.

Since building the ’51, Ian’s had no shortage of requests from friends and new customers to apply his touch to their rides. After taking one look at Ian’s Chevy, can you blame them? I was fortunate enough to see Ian’s ‘51 first hand at Texas’ increasingly popular custom show the Lone Star Round Up back and April. It looked right at home next to several already famous customs from various Beatniks C.C. chapters; quite an accomplishment for a customizer that truly honed his skills during the build.

Ian hails from Burbank, a city most famous for its movie studio lots where some of today’s most popular young stars can often be spotted. However, there’s an older one running the streets of Burbank now, 60 years old to be exact, that’s sure to steal the spotlight from any of them without ever saying a word.
Photos by Trent Sherrill
Model Tara Studinger

http://www.myrideisme.com/Blog/1951-chevy-custom/

LOTS OF CUSTOM WORK, CAR WAS ORGI. A CONVERTIABLE, AND AND NOW HAS A CARSON STYLE TOP THAT WAS INSTALLED BACK IN THE 50'S, HEADLIGHTS WERE ALSO MODIFIED,GRILLE MODIFIED,BUMPERS MODIFIED,TAIL LIGHTS MODIFIED, CUSTOM SKIRTS, HOOD SHAVED, TRUNK LID SHAVED, SIDE TRIM SHAVED, DOOR HANDLES SHAVED, JUST ARE A FEW THINGS.
I AM POSTING THE MAGAZINE WRITE UP, FOR YOU TO READ TO GET THE FEEL OF HISTORY.
CAR WILL NEED ODDS AND IN'S, NOT ANYTHING MAJOR.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I KNOW IS AT AROUND 45-55 CAR GETS A SHIMMY LIKE A TIRE OUT OF BALANCE, OR MAYBE A IDLER ARM? JUST NOT SURE. MAYBE SOME FRESH PAINT. BUT STILL LOOKS GREAT AT 10 FOOT HAS HAD SOME TOUCH UP SPOT'S OVER THE YEARS PAINT IS 40 PLUS YEARS OLD, AND A TAIL PIPE HANGER WILL NEED REPLACED

This 1950 Chevy has laser straight lines under its “Driftwood” paint. Wonderful interior upgrades include vintage heat and air, power windows, custom fitted dash, billet aluminum gauge cluster, custom stereo with concealed speaker system including amp and subwoofer, Flaming River steering column with custom paint, beige ultra leather and wool cut pile carpet. You will love the look of the high end German top that is dark brown on top with tan underside which utilizes the factory convertible bows and motor with slightly modified bows in the rear for a smoother contour; the convertible top also comes with two padded covers. Under the hood you will find a 383 stroker engine with custom air cleaner and valve covers, Doc’s Blocks polished aluminum custom radiator, Edelbrock aluminum heads, intake manifold and four barrel carburetor; hi torque GM starter Drivetrain Factory X I-beam frame, Mustang II power rack and pinon custom power steering system, Tubular A-Arms for the front suspension, Mustang II front disc brakes, Ford rear drum brakes, GM 700R4 automatic transmission was rebuilt which includes a transmission cooler, you will also find a optima yellow top battery mounted in the trunk.


Accolades for this 1950 Chevrolet include Turtle Wax “Top Ten” award in 2008 and was the feature car for the 2009 Goodguys West Coast Nationals.

1949 Chevrolet Fleetline owned by Satan's Angels member Frank Livingston of San Leandro, California. Frank bought the car in 1952, while working for San Leandro's Begier Studebaker. One day, at work, bringing a car to Len's Paint Shop in Oakland, Frank spotted the painters' personal car, a mildly customized 1949 Chevrolet Fleetline sitting outside the shop. The car had been nosed and decked, and the stock taillights had been replaced by 1951 Pontiac units. It was lowered, fit with flipper hubcaps and painted Oldsmobile green. Frank liked the mild custom a lot, and he ended up buying it from the painter, a fellow named Phil.[1]


Shortly after buying Phil's Chevy, Frank restyled the car further. As he was working at the local Studebaker dealership at the time, he installed a set of 1953 Studebaker hubcaps on the car. Frank liked the Studebaker caps as they were different from anything else available at the time. A set of Appleton spotlights were also installed shortly after he had bought the car. Then he had the hood louvered. Frank recalls that the primered spots on the beautiful hood really upset his father who had co-signed for the auto loan on the car. After saving up a little more money, Frank had the headlights frenched. Then the door handles were shaved, and the doors pushbutton operated. The grille opening was modified to accept a slightly narrowed 1955 Plymouth grill bar. When they got to the taillights, they had to extend the fenders about 6 inches in order to accept a set of 1951 Frazer taillights. A 1951 Pontiac rear-bumper was installed to provide better protection for the taillights, and the exhaust was routed through the bumper. The lower part of the fender skirts were extended to create a more pleasing line. All of the original body work was done by Bernie Shanklin of Shanklin's Custom Shop in Hayward, California. By then, Frank had decided that he wanted to show the car at the 1955 National Roadster Show in Oakland, so it needed a show quality paint job as well. Frank had seen several cars around town that was painted by Mel Pinoli of Pinoli Paint Shop, so he went over to see him, and he agreed to paint the car in a luminous gold. This version made its public debut at the 1955 National Roadster Show in Oakland. Later on it also appeared in Car Craft June 1956.[1]


Frank redid the car in 1956. This time he brought it over to Bailon's Custom Shop of San Leandro, California. Bailon replaced the 1955 Plymouth center section with a center section from a 1956 Plymouth. He did also make a small grill insert for the new center section from round welding rods. Scoops were incorporated into the leading edge of the rear fenders. The rear fenders did also receive scoops that went from the front and back to the taillights. From the taillights, the scoops were carried over the rear deck lid area. The front fenders did also receive rolled scoops that trailed into the body. The front and rear scoops were fabricated from sheet metal with round rod serving as edges. The scoops over the frenched headlights were fit with 1953 Mercury rear fender trim teeth. The hubcaps on this version were changed to 1956 Buick covers with Oldsmobile flippers. Once the body modifications were completed, the car was given a two-tone Brazilian Gold and Tropic Tangerine Orange paint job by Mel Pinoli of Pinoli Paint Shop. Pinoli applied the Brazilian Gold base, paneling the car with Tropic Tangerine Orange paint. As Frank called his car the Caribbean, he gave the colors these exotic names to build on the Caribbean theme. Pinoli took a bold step when he paneled the car, taking the line of the panel across the middel of the roof.[2] When Pinoli painted a car for you, that was your color for a year, and he wouldn't paint any other car your color for one year. At the end of the year if you wanted to keep your color exclusively yours you had to pay him for another paint job whether you needed it or not.[1] The Caribbean version of the car received a very plush treatment of rolls and pleats in a diamond motif. The upholstery was done by Fremont Trim Shop. The Caribbean was shown at the 1957 National Roadster Show where it won the Colonite Wax Best Paint Award and the Custom Car d'Elegance award. This version of the car did also appear on the cover of Car Craft January 1958.


The panel paint on Frank's car was painted with printing dyes that Mel Pinoli had bought from California Ink. Mel had experimented with Translucent colors trying to achieve a Candy effect. His experimenting didn't go very well, so he tried the ink from California Ink on Frank's car. The ink paint that was used on Frank's car faded badly,[2] so Frank had Mel repaint the upper part that was candy orange a deep emerald green with lighter green scallops in 1958. This version was shown at the ninth annual National Roadster Show, held February 15-23, 1958. At the show, Frank came second in the Semi Custom Sedan class, behind Bill Wolfe’s 1951 Mercury.[3]The green and gold combination of the car never appeared in print.[1]


By 1959, Frank was married and he had gotten his first child. As he wanted something more comfortable for the baby to ride in, he traded the Chevrolet for a 1953 Oldsmobile hardtop and some cash with a guy in Oakland. Later on, he heard that the car had been wrecked in Vallejo, California. As he didn't want to see the car in a wrecked condition he never went over to check out the remains. Later on Frank regret that he never went to Vallejo to see if anything could have been salvaged from his old custom. In 2002, Frank completed a tribute build to the long lost custom named The Caribbean II.[1]


Site web original:
http://www.kustomrama.com/index.php?title=Frank_Livingston%27s_1949_Chevrolet