Cool 53 Street Rod with "interesting" nose treatment

[clonelark]

I thought someone would have noticed the Mustang hood by now.

[64Avanti]

Oh my, better to say nothing!

[stude dude]

I see the front of a series 1 Jaguar XJ6. With a Chrysler 300 grille added...Ish!

Chris.

[Michidan]

I thought someone would have noticed the Mustang hood by now.

Is that a Mustang dash cluster too?
We've seen so many attempts - just what it is about these 53 coupes that invites so many customizers? The original design was hailed as attractive as any ever done. Is it the challenge of trying to make a near perfect look even better? Of course most (or all) will fall short. Look what they started with!
I appreciate the work it takes to fit and finish something like this together. But I think I'd start with an ugly car and work up. No where to go but down with a 53 Studebaker.
I don't think that's being unfair to say.

[Chris Pile]

I thought someone would have noticed the Mustang hood by now.

Good eye, Bob! I totally missed it.

[evilhawk]

For some reason I think this look "works". Granted its not as good looking as a stock 63, but it isnt ugly either. The hood needs to be trimmed down to match the front of the car and the painted bumpers need to be stripped down to chrome. Other than that I kinda like it.

[Deaf Mute]

When you wreck your '53 & there is a MOPAR grill and a 'stang hood in your scrap pile.. this is what you get.... for a small cash outlay. Not my cup of tea though!

[Steve T]

This car says "Viva Cuba!" to me...Some of the Studes/neo-Studes down there are really remarkable pieces of work. In photos I've seen a bulletnose two-door that seems to be a crossbreed of a '50 Stude and some European midsize from the sixties...and a bright red sedan, evidently a 1990s Euro (or Chinese?) full-size four-door, onto which has been expertly grafted the entire front clip of a '56-61 Hawk. The red four-door is downright handsome. Picture an 80%-scale Ford Crown Vic circa 1999 with Hawk front sheet metal. Shouldn't work, but it does...

Re this '53, I'd like to think Deaf Mute's hypothesis is correct: the original, gorgeous, nose got run into something and wrecked, and this Ford/Mopar nose job was the best option for keeping the car going. I'd drive it...to every SDC swap meet I could get to until finding the needed '53-55 or Hawk front clip...!

(Or. Hmmm. Wonder if one could make a late-40s Packard grille shell fit that Jaglike nose?)

S.

[Dick Steinkamp]

My Speedster Kustom had an earlier Chrysler grill...

[jclary]

My Speedster Kustom had an earlier Chrysler grill...

I think those Chrysler fronts look great...especially on the cars they came on. Apparently, lots of other folks like them too. I've seen them attached to C-cab Studebaker trucks, and all sorts of other vehicles. In fact, there are probably enough customs using that Chrysler grille, complete with the slanted dual headlights, to fill a book.

[Noxnabaker]

I've seen this one with Jaguar fenders & the rest before & I've also seen uglier customs - MUCH uglier even, but for sure this one needs to be finnished since the parts don't fit together good enough.
The only really good 53-based custom I ever saw is my pals who's been done sometime looong ago here in Sweden & it just had the bumpers welded to the body & the top of the light-frames extended a bit, not much but still... nice!

[johnod]

My Speedster Kustom had an earlier Chrysler grill...

Are the "coves" on that modified, or is it just a shadow?

[Dick Steinkamp]

Are the "coves" on that modified, or is it just a shadow?

They are modified...frenched.

[pbrown]

My Speedster Kustom had an earlier Chrysler grill...

Dick, I was trying to figure out why I feel good about yours...

I finally decided that yours looks like a 50's conversion, but the orange one has a very 60's look to the front end.

Nice job on yours, BTW. I take it that you no longer have it?

[Dick Steinkamp]

Dick, I was trying to figure out why I feel good about yours...

I finally decided that yours looks like a 50's conversion, but the orange one has a very 60's look to the front end.

Nice job on yours, BTW. I take it that you no longer have it?

I no longer have it and I didn't do the changes. It was modified in the late 50's, early 60's.