better? photos

[godheadcustoms]

Well I think I have finally figured out this photo thing, so here's a better pic

I still need to finish the bumpers so I can take them to the chrome shop, and a few other things before I shoot the flames on it. They will be similar to these, but less complex



DB, I used to live in Orange County, but now I'm in Santa Maria, about 200 miles up the coast

 

[michael_cini]

nice stance, how did you get it that low? what size tires? it's gonna be sharp when you're done.

best,

michael

 

[LaGrasta]

First, explain the removal of the signals as this is something I'm interested in doing. I know it has to be perfect or the chrome will look shotty. Second, are you running door solnoids?

 

[Anonymous]

I just wanted to say nice ride and I want to see photos when the paint is finished.

 

[Anonymous]

door solenoids look good on a car like that but not on a mustang for some reason...to me anyways

 

[godheadcustoms]

The bumpers actually have alot of work in them. I narrowed them by about 3", welded the brackets to the back so there are no bolts showing, moved them closer to the body by 2-3" (I cut pockets in the body to allow the bumpers to be flush with the body sides), cut out the front licence plate recess, and shaved the turn signals. Almost, still have one to do. The real important thing is to be able to weld VERY well, so when you grind everything down it's very close to flawless. Then you have to clean and flux the bare metal so you can lead in any imperfections. If you don't have it absolutely flat (block sand the lead til perfect), it will show up WAY worse than a wave or ripple in painted bodywork. Looks great when done right, but time consuming. Ever go to a car show and see bad chrome or wavy bodywork, it really kills an otherwise nice car, but I'm really critical about that type of thing

 

[godheadcustoms]

I'm running 17x7 with 225.45.17's in the front and 17x8 with 245.45.17's in the rear. They did not come that way naturally; the front wheelwells have been raised 1" and reshaped to a more circular shape, the backs were raised 3" and also reshaped. IIRC, I have 4"fr. and 4.5"rear backspacing, the fronts cleared OK, but I still didn't like the shape very much, plus I wanted them to match the rears. The other post shows a closeup of the rear fender in bare metal, all handmade. I have ALOT of time into this car, probavly about 500-600 hours just in the body work between the fins, fenders, down to bare metal, shaving everything, polishing the hinges for the powdercoaters , etc. But this is my shop truck/business card...

I just wish someone would pay me to work on my own cars

 

[LaGrasta]

I really like your Kustom. I'm getting mine more in that direction everyday. I'd like to hook up some time and see your work first hand. Let me know if your ever down this way.

In the pic, I hadn't noticed the fins and wells until you mentioned them.
Right now, I'm trying to focus on an alternative bumper altogether. I thought that would change up the look and maybe proivide less work filling in signal holes and such. Any suggestions?

Here is one I was considering (for the front), but I'd have to fab up some sort of roll pan. As far as the back is concerned, I love the Falcon rear bumper on the round body. The way it outlines the tail lights, etc.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayI ... RK:MEWA:IT

 

[godheadcustoms]

Hey LaGrasta
That camaro bumper could be cool, but probably quite a bit of fitting to get it to really fit well. Other ideas: hit the junkyards with a tape measure and poke around. The pick-a-part in Ontario is pretty good with old iron, or there is always Memory Lane out in Sun Valley (?). The only problem with a small blade bumper is going to be the big, gaping wound to fill in where the O.E. bumper was. Like you said it'll need a roll pan, and sometimes those can look a little hokey if they're not really well integrated. Alot of pro shops mess up on this area, not sure why?
I'll be down to So Cal on Friday and Sat, going down to pick up another corvair (Wife's new daily driver, selling her '98 Explorer). Actually I'm still down there at least once a month usually. E-mail me with your phone # and I'll give you a shout when I'm down.