Chevy 1949 - 1952 customs & mild customs galerie

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

1949 Chevrolet Fleetline owned by Satan's Angels member Frank Livingston of San Leandro, California. Frank bought his fourth 1949 Chevrolet as a mild custom. The idea was to give the car a little tweaking and drive it "as is," until Frank's wife urged him to re-create his first 1949 Chevrolet Fleetline that he bough in 1952. Frank took her advice, borrowing the overall design from his first car as it appeared when it made its debuted at the 1955 National Roadster Show. Frank's tribute build, named the Caribbean II, featured a few subtle alterations such as the 1950 Oldsmobile one-piece windshield, flared rear fender skirts, flared rockers, and the rear fender scoops. Small Chrome teeth were installed in the scoops. As the original build, The caribbean II was fit with a slightly narrowed 1955 Plymouth grille bar. For a while, Frank swapped the Plymouth center section from a center section from an Australian 1956 Holden. The hood was shaved, extended and rolled with the fenders into the new grille opening. The front fenders were extended and the headlights frenched with 1954 Mercury chrome rings. The front bumper was slightly narrowed and the bolts were shaved and filled in. The rear fenders were extended as well, and reworked to accept a pair of 1951 Frazer taillights. The deck lid was shaved for ornamentation, and the splash pan was molded in before a 1951 Pontiac rear bumper with filled bolts was installed. A 1949 Chevrolet license plate bracket was mounted on the bumper. The side chrome strips were shaved along with the door handles, and the doors were pushbutton operated. Once the bodywork was done, the car was painted in House of Colors Pagan Gold. Diamond dust was added to the clear top coats. Paint and bodywork was done by Oz Welch of Lake Oroville, California. A pearl white and pearl Naugahyde roll and pleat interior was upholstered by Bob De Vine of Martinez, California. The trunk was finished in a similar design. Ivory mercedes carpeting bound with matching Naugahyde was used on the floors. A 1958 Chevrolet 6-cylinder engine was chosen as powerplant. The engine was hooked to a turbo 350 transmission and a 10 bolt GM rear end suspended on airbags with on-board compressor and air tank. A Mustang front suspension with power disc brakes and power steering was installed for a smooth and safe driving experience. The car was converted to a 12 volt system, and Frank installed a Sanyo stereo with both cassette and CD player. Inside, Frank installed a late model GM column topped with a Billet Specialities Classic wheel and floor shifter. The build was completed in 2002, and has been displayed at several shows including the Grand National Roadster Show. In 2007 pearl white scallops with yellow pinstriping were applied by Art Himsl of Concord, California.[3]













site web de référence: http://www.kustomrama.com/index.php?title=Frank_Livingston%27s_1949_Chevrolet,_Caribbean_II

"It was an incredible idea. Although it started out small, it was still incredible. It came to me about one day after the '52 Chevy sedan was delivered to my driveway from a field at Joe Casto's place in Oklahoma back in September of 1997. There it sat, treadless tires incredibly still holding air, with all that broken glass and rusty floorboards. I, and probably I alone, could see into this derelict vehicle's future. This was the car I would be driving to California."



Artist Dennis McPhail penned those words for the November 1998 issue of Custom Rodder, in a story titled "From Kansas to Kalifornia in a Kustom." The tale recounted how, in just nine months, Dennis and his friends transformed the former field car into a roadworthy mild custom that Dennis drove from his Wellington, Kansas, home to the West Coast Kustoms Memorial Day show in Paso Robles, California. That alone was a notable feat, but it's Dennis' last sentence that has proven prophetic. He's driven the Chevy to California no less than nine times, and piloted it to several other corners of the country while racking up an estimated 80,000 miles. Along the way it evolved from a simple cruiser into a chopped, painted, radical custom.



For the car's first incarnation, Dennis enlisted Ronnie Dick to help swap in a '64-vintage 230ci six cylinder, TH350 tranny, POSIES leaf springs, and Fatman dropped front uprights. New wiring and Mooneyes gauges helped ready the car for its maiden road trip, and Dennis got it looking sharp with assistance from his kustom mentor, Elden Titus, and friends Jeff Myers and Ed Allwine. They shaved the trim, molded on '53 Merc headlight rings, sank two antennae, and frenched in '49 Ford taillights with "windsplits" on the fenders. Dressed in white primer, the Chevy made it to Paso in 1998 with nary a hitch.



It has been driven to Paso nearly every year since, too, with regular updates. By '99 it wore purple suede and '55 Olds headlights, and soon after Frank Palmer molded in a '53 Chevy grille surround and V'd a '55 Olds grille bar to fit. He also flared the lower edges of the rockers, cut scoops in the rear fenders, and extended the skirts to match the fender line.



Mechanical updates also continued. Dennis upgraded to a Fatman Mustang II IFS with ECI disc brakes, and had front and rear air springs installed. The 230 eventually gave way to a rebuilt 250ci six with a Clifford intake, 390-cfm Holley carb, HEI distributor, and custom headers. Coker wide whitewalls and '56 Buick hubcaps remained constants through the years.



Dennis had always drawn inspiration from classic Chevy customs like Larry Watson's Grapevine, Harry Bradley's LaJolla, and the Larry Ernst car. Like the latter two, his eventually had its lid cut. "The top chop was kind of a last-minute deal," Dennis says. "I really wasn't planning on doing it." Yet when Marcos Garcia and John Aiello at Lucky 7 Customs presented the idea, Dennis couldn't resist. He knew they could pull it off. "That's the perfect chop on a Chevy sedan," Dennis says. He's not bragging; he's just delighted with the result.



In fact, Dennis says everyone who performed bodywork on the car went the extra mile to make things fit and flow. "My talent was being able to communicate what I wanted," Dennis says. "Everything on that body was exactly what I wanted--whether I knew it or not."

That goes for the final bodywork and paint as well, expertly handled by Jeff Myers at Premier Body & Paint in Arkansas City, Kansas. Jeff custom-mixed the Sikkens purple pearl hue, and set the top off by covering the purple with House of Kolor silver mini 'flake followed by purple candy. With the body gleaming, Dennis finally had a full roll 'n' pleat interior stitched by Fat Lucky's in Austin, Texas.


Dennis made another run to Paso in the Chevy last year, when we took these photos. Surprisingly, he sold the car soon after. Dennis says it was a matter of the right money and the right person (fellow Beatnik club member George Garza) at the right time. A new custom project was beckoning, and after eight years and countless miles, Dennis had gone as far with the '52 as he'd wanted. "The vision I had for it was what it was when I sold it," Dennis says. "I think it was the perfect custom '52 Chevy." Still, he's a little wistful. "I learned a lot on that car, and made a lot of good friends with it. I think everybody I've known has helped me work on that car. Without [it], I wouldn't have been able to go to the places I did."

"I kinda feel naked without it," Dennis continues. "Now it's goin' places without me. But I'm glad [George] is using it instead of letting it sit in a garage."

Read more: http://www.customrodder.com/features/0603cr_1952_chevy_sedan/

Extremely clean 2 door Fleetline, well built. Paint is 8 out 10 with some rock chips here and there some some small flaking nothing larger than a dime in sizing. No rust or heavy bondo/filler besides where the shaving and frenching was done. Underside is super clean. Glass in driver door is cracked but functions fine, front vent windows cracked and windshield has some clouding just around the edges which is minor. Needs door seals and some weatherstripping. Drive shaft does rub the floor towards the rear of the tunnel when hitting large bumps but is rare (will need to be massaged). Tires will rub the tops of the inner wheel wells if you hammer down on the car. The notch needs to be covered, I left it open because I was going to bag it. These are the only items to be addressed at your discretion. No heat, A/C, wipers.



ENGINE/TRANS -

Completely rebuilt 1979 Chevrolet Camaro Small block Chevrolet 350 engine with mild cam, HEI distributor, new waterpump, new fuel pump, new alternator, new high torque mini starter, Edelbrock intake, Edelbrock carb, Edelbrock finned aluminum valve covers, matching styled air cleaner & completely rebuilt TH350 transmission, engine and trans are matching pair from 1979 Camaro. 



REAREND -

1970 Chevrolet Nova, 3.30 gear, chrome diff cover, all parts in the rear axle are rebuilt, center section, wheel cylinders, brake shoes, drums, hardware and all lines & hoses from front to back.



INTERIOR -

Complete interior has been redone with vinyl seats with leopard print inserts, fur covered door panels, kick panels, rear panels, package tray. Headliner done in 3" angel hair. Brand new OEM replacement carpet. Heater delete, Custom dash knobs and rare chrome glove box door, heavily pin striped dash throughout. Gene Winfield autographed dashboard, Gennie 36" swan shifter with reverse lockout.



SUSPENSION/STEERING/BRAKES -

Chassis Engineering bolt-in Mustang II crossmember(fully adjustable), Flaming River manual rack and pinion, tubular upper & lower control arms, disc front brakes. Piggybacked dual master cylinder under the floor Wilwood brake proportioning valve and Wilwood residual rear brake valves. All new brake hardware, lines, hoses, shoes, calipers, rotors. Custom built transmission crossmember with new trans mount. Speedway hotrod style brake switch. Custom built driveshaft up to 400hp if ever needed.

REAR SUSPENSION -

Gambino C-notch, brand new 150psi air shocks, 3" blocks, reconditioned leaf springs.



BODY/EXTERIOR -

Shaved door handles, shaved trunk with electric popper, frenched antenna in fender, Fulton visor, peep mirror, rechromed front/rear bumpers & grille, heavily accented pinstriping on hood and trunk. Steel rear skirts.



EXHAUST -

New from manifolds back 2" mandrel bent with 30" Smithy's mufflers and pencil tip exhaust tips.



ACCESSORIES/ADDITIONAL INFO -

Aluminum radiator, reconditioned wheels, Coker G78-15 Bias ply wide whitewalls with Coker's 5 year extended road hazard warranty (transferable), Sony Bluetooth built in am/fm/cd/mp3/aux/usb radio w/remote (3) Dual 150w 6x9's (one behind dash, two in rear package tray) Oldsmobile hubcaps with Gene Winfield bullets.

1951 Chevrolet Club Coupe originally restyled by Bailon's Custom Shop for Satan's Angels member Jerry Sahagon of Hayward, California. Jerry worked hand in hand with Bailon customizing his Chevy. The unique grille consisted of two 1954 Buick bumpers and bullets, round center bars and seven 1953 Mercury teeths were placed in the upper grille cavity. The scooped headlights were frenched using 1954 Mercury headlight rims. Small air-scoops, featuring five 1953 Mercury trim teeth, were crafted onto the rear fenders. 1956 DeSoto taillights were grafted onto the extended rear fenders. The rear bumper was taken from a 1953 Oldsmobile. Jerry's car was lowered six inches both rear and aft. The car was decked and shaved for handles, but the side trim and hood molding were kept stock. The Chevy rolled on wide white walls with Oldsmobile Fiesta hubcaps. Once the body was completed, the car was painted in Bailon's own mixture of "Candy Apple". Jerry's car was actually the first car ever to be painted Candy Apple red. About five months and $500 later, Jerry's Club Coupe was finished.[1]


Jerry's Chevrolet was later restyled by Joe Ortiz. The Bailon restyled front was placed onto a second car and modified to accept a pair of canted quad headlights.[2] The top on the second car, also a 1951 Chevrolet, was chopped 6 inches and fit with a one-piece windshield. This time the side trim and hood molding were shaved. Dual spotlights, lakes pipes and special made hub caps were added. A hand formed scoop was grafted on to the hood, custom taillights were tunneled on the quarter panels and the rear of the car was modified to accept a custom made bumper. The rear wheel openings were reshaped, and two peaks were molded on to the deck lid. Jerry's Chevrolet was later shown at the 1960 National Roadster Show. By then it featured a pleated and tufted Naugahyde and velvet interior stitched by Jerry himself. The car had also received a Pearl White and Chicano Purple scallop paint job by Joe Ortiz.



lien de référence: http://www.kustomrama.com/index.php?title=Jerry_Sahagon's_1951_Chevrolet

Magazine Features

Car Craft July 1957
Trend Book 133 Custom Cars 1957 Annual
Custom Cars January 1958
Car Craft April 1958
Custom Cars February 1960
Trend Book 197 Custom Cars 1961 Annual

Sam Barris, Gil Ayala, Harry Westergard, and Donn Lowe? Probably the only valid argument one could pose to not justify that last name into the “legends of customs” list would be nothing more than a generation gap—because when it comes to style, vision, quality, and hands-down raw talent, Donn’s the cream of the crop and at the top of any qualifying list of traditional custom car builders … then, now, and even those yet to come.

While maybe not quite the household name as the aforementioned (yet), Donn Lowe’s credentials truly speak for themselves. Most recently, many of you may recall, we featured his work resplendent on the “Futurama Forty”, recipient of America’s Kustom D’Elegance at the 2011 Long Beach Motorama. And when we got word that Donn not only was about to debut another one-of-a-kind creation at the most recent Cruisin’ Nationals in Santa Maria, but a “personal” car of his own, there was no thinking twice about shuttling ace lens man Tim Sutton up to capture it on film—sight unseen. Without question, the only thing we were disappointed with was the fact that, unlike his previous efforts, we didn’t get to see his ’50 Bel Air in person. So, as will have to be the case with the majority of you, our esteemed readers, we’ll have to settle with the best printed reproduction can offer.

According to its current curator and re-creator, the hardtop Chevy is, or should we say “was”, a one-owner gem prior to it changing hands. Having wanted to build a ’49-52 custom of his own for quite some time, upon learning of the Bel Air’s availability through his friend, Al Pierish (a little eavesdropping at car shows never hurts), Donn wasted little time getting in touch with the original owner’s son to make a deal happen. Within days, he and his wife, Jeanie, drove down the coast from Oregon City to Coos Bay, paper was exchanged, and just as quickly the Chevy (under its own power, no less) was headed to Lowe Customs. This was back around 2006, however; the following transformation wouldn’t come together in such a timely manner—but what custom does … especially one not getting billed for all the countless hours of labor?!

Donn says it was a couple of years before he actually got started on the ’50; four years from first slice to final polish. In our book, that’s no back-burner build. He also noted the Bel Air is his 73rd top chop—that’s right, 73 lids lowered over his career. And even with that many over the beltline slices under his belt, not to mention the minimal amount of material removed (a couple inches, max), it’s still what he considers the project’s most challenging aspect, obviously the pillar-less model option having much to do with that (i.e. massive stainless reworking and a tricky three-piece backlite). Donn furthered his reassessment of the build, claiming that in retrospect, he would have sectioned the Chevy as well. Don’t think we need to question that, regardless of how impressed we are with the hardtop in full lower profile.

Now, when we use the term “traditional” in regards to Donn’s custom, well, it goes deeper than the gold-accented creamy white exterior skin. While the old Blue Flame inline 216 has given way to a slightly newer ’62 283 V-8, the powerplant is still considered vintage to some degree; the original IFS is still intact, albeit now outfitted with Fatman Fabrications dropped spindles and cut coils; and each factory 15x5 wheel retains drum brake mounting (the rears a bit newer by way of a Ford 9-inch, however). So basically, minimal modernist modifications, as it were.

OK, let’s get back to the body where Donn and Lowe Customs’ Eric Johnson undoubtedly spent the majority of their time and effort. Beyond the chop, here’s a summary of what it took to achieve the final product: filled hood, ’53 Chevy grille surround with custom grille, frenched headlights, ’52 Ford front fender flares, tapered quarter-panels, wedge-sectioned decklid, inverted ’51 Frazer taillights, ’50 Olds one-piece windshield (and same-year rear bumper), front/rear splash pans molded in, handmade side trim, and scratch-built (smooth) rockers. The Bel Air’s main coloring, PPG Vanilla Shake, was applied by Gene Delco, while Donn teamed up with Mitch Kim (Oregon City) for the accenting scallops and striping. For the interior, Jim Allmer (Longview, Washington) carried out the hardtop’s early/elegant vibe perfectly by outfitting its innards with cream-colored, biscuit-tufted vinyl complemented with similarly templated black Cadillac material inserts.


About the only thing we’re wondering at this point is whether or not Donn’s got anything special planned for his stellar 75th chop? Only time will tell.


Read more: http://www.rodandcustommagazine.com/featuredvehicles/1301rc_1950_chevrolet_bel_air