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Kev:

I LOVE that color. It's similar to my 1976 Firebird I did a few years ago, so I'm prejudiced.

Also, awesome progress. I presume we'll see this at the 3rd
Annual meet in Laughlin?

Craig

Kev,

The color looks like a very good match to my door jambs, which are original Bikini Blue paint. I also like how you blacked it out behind the grill. Gives it a nice "hungry" look.

It's good to see your perfectly prepared panels going together. Your metal work is phenomenal, and probably no shop would ever match that kind of detail at any price. I know my '54's sheet metal will never be that good. I don't have the money and certainly not the talent to do it myself. But I will try to match the paint well. Maybe someday we can get a photo of the Bikini sisters side by side.

Have fun!

Thanks Guy for the kind words. Time and patience is all it takes.

Minor progress tonight. Got the rest of the b - pillar trim installed, and also replace the bumperette cross bar replaced with a better piece i got in Salado a bit ago.

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Front bumper on. Amazing how camera angle can make 59 year old chrome look great!

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The car is looking good and camera angles can do wonders but if you are like me, the 59 year old chrome sitting next to bright new paint is going to gnaw on you. As soon as the bank account is flush again it will start to gnaw even more. I know I'm going thru that now but the lack of motivation or energy to pull any more pieces off is holding it in check for the moment. I'm starting to believe there's lots to like with the patina look Hank is going for.

Howard, I totally agree. Eventually the grill, and bumpers will need to get attended to. But you the know the price of getting chrome done in Calif is stupid money.

But I have bigger fish to fry with the car before I start pulling the chrome back off to send it out. Interior needs to get finished (headliner, sun visors, trim panels, windlace, and carpets) and also I still have to sort that wayward gearstart out as the lock up is still not functional.

Cheer up.At least the 54 Packards didn't have the defense chrome that was used in 52 and 53.Yours looks pretty good.By the way, that grill alone would be expensive anywhere.

Sadly......my grille is off of a '53 donor car, and was probably made early 53/late 52. So it has the thin chrome with the copper bleeding through on the parking lights housings and some of the obscured areas still have the yellowed clear lacquer on them. This for sure points to it being "war chrome".

Rear bumper installed, trun light installed and trunk weather stripping installed. Also got the rear driver's door weather strip installed. Afterwhich, the rear door was very.hard to close. Guess that Steele Rubber seal just needs to compress a little bit. Still amazed how different the color looks based on lighting.

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