Frank Poli's 1950 Ford

From Kustomrama
Jump to: navigation, search
Photo by George Barris
Photo by Gene Winfield
Photo by Gene Winfield
Photo by Gene Winfield

1950 Ford Tudor restyled by Gene Winfield of Winfield's Custom Shop in the late fifties for Frank Poli. Frank's car was nosed and decked and the door handles were shaved off. The hood was peaked and louvered and the hood lip was extended and sculpted into the fenders. Gene and his crew frenched the headlights on the car using 1954 Mercury rings and bezels.[1] The sleek shoebox featured a fully reformed grille opening made from molded round tube with a semi-floating 1951 Ford Meteor grille bar, similar to the one on Bill Hines' 1950 Ford The Bat. The body was re-trimmed with curved chrome trim from a mid 1950s Buick that cleverly lead the eye down to the scooped 1951 Mercury fenders skirts featuring two chrome teeth.[2] The side trim also helped protecting the body's sides from getting damaged by adjacent doors. The front bumper was shaved to achieve a cleaner appearance and the exhaust was routed through a GM license guard on the rear bumper. The taillights treatment on the car was rather unique and was shown in the-how-to part of Rod & Custom June 1958. Looking like 1956 - 1957 Chevrolet Corvette taillights, they were actually 1957 Chevrolet hood bezels with small red taillights mounted deep inside.[1] Once the bodywork was done, Gene painted the car candy red. Dodge Lancer hubcaps and dummy spots wrapped up the syle. All the window frames were chromed as well. Inside, the car received a complete new interior in Naugahyde, contrasting in red and white tuck & roll. Even the pedals were pleated inside Poli's Ford. According to the June 1958 edition of Rod & Custom, Frank seldom drove the car in fear of damaging the car in the fender-bashing traffic.[3]


Magazine Features

Rod & Custom June 1958
Trend Book 189 Custom Cars 1960 Annual
Rod & Custom September 1960


References




 

Did you enjoy this article?

Kustomrama is an encyclopedia dedicated to preserve, share and protect traditional hot rod and custom car history from all over the world.




Can you help us make this article better?

Please get in touch with us at mail@kustomrama.com if you have additional information or photos to share about Frank Poli's 1950 Ford.


This article was made possible by:

SunTec Auto Glass - Auto Glass Services on Vintage and Classic Cars
Finding a replacement windshield, back or side glass can be a difficult task when restoring your vintage or custom classic car. It doesn't have to be though now with auto glass specialist companies like www.suntecautoglass.com. They can source OEM or OEM-equivalent glass for older makes/models; which will ensure a proper fit every time. Check them out for more details!

Do you want to see your company here? Click here for more info about how you can advertise your business on Kustomrama.


Personal tools
Help us
facebook