Bill Hines' 1950 Ford














1950 Ford owned and restyled by Bill Hines of Lincoln Park, Michigan. Known as "The Lil Bat", it was featured on the cover of Rod & Custom March 1959 with the following title: "Those fins are still growing."
Contents
Started in Ecorse in 1956
Bill started restyling the car in his Ecorse, Michigan shop in 1956.[3] He moved to a new shop on Dix Highway in Lincoln Park, Michigan in 1957 where he continued working on it. Bil chopped the top 4 inches before he gave the front a facelift. A 1951 Ford Meteor grille bar was installed and the headlights were frenched with its stock rings used for a smoother look.
"Those fins are still growing"
Bill hand-formed the fins for the car and installed a set of 1956 Ford taillights. The rear bumper, which was dressed up with a Kaiser bumper guard, had to be widened because of the fins. The body was nosed and decked, and the deck lid corners were rounded. The door handles were removed for a smooth look, and in order to make it low enough, Bill also reworked his own spindle supports up front and installed lowering blocks in the rear. The rear wheel wells were enlarged to give the car a lower profile. Dual spotlights and a set of custom hubcaps made from Oldsmobile and Continental components wrapped up the first iteration of the build.
Completed in California
After completing the build, the Bat made its debut at the 1958 Detroit Autorama. After driving the car to California, Bill applied white-edged gold scallops on the car at Barris Kustoms.
Sold
Later in 1958, Bill returned to Michigan with the Bat. He stayed there for a short time before he decided to move permanently to California. The warm California weather was calling Bill, and in October of 1960, he decided to close up his Michigan shop and move back to California. In 2020 Teddy Zgrzemski told Sondre Kvipt of Kustomrama that Bill had just built Jerry Yatch's 1959 Chevrolet Impala custom and sold The Bat before leaving. After selling The Bat, Bill bought a 1954 Buick. "The Buick was a stock car. All he did was paint it a white pearl just before he left for California."[4]
Bubble Top
The new owner of The Bat had Bill perform a bunch of new customizing to the body. The front and rear ends were heavily modified, and the chopped top was cut off, as the new owner wanted to fit the Bat with a bubble top.[3]
Abandoned in the wilds of Michigan
The third iteration of the build was never completed, and the unfinished project was parked outside in the wilds of Michigan. The remains of the Bat were shown in Custom Rodder January 1995. At the time the car was still parked outside, and it was in a sad shape.[5]
Sold to Bob Fryz
In May of 2011, the remains of The Bat was advertised for sale on Craigslist. The car was located in Monroe, Michigan, and it was advertised without an asking price. When the car was advertised for sale, an unchopped top had been welded on to the car. The ad was brought to Teddy Zgrzemski's shop on one of his Thursday night hangouts. The ad was passed around and there was a good deal of discussion about whether or not it was the real thing, but Ted could confirm that it was. Bob Fryz of Dearborn, Michigan, one of the attendees called on the ad as soon as he saw it. He jumped into his daily driver, drove over to see it, and bought it. The guy that sold the car on Craigslist was a flipper, and he hadn't owned the car for long. He had bought it from an old guy that had it for years. The unrestored version of the car made its debut at the Billetproof Michigan show May 21, 2011 in Ypsilanti, Michigan.[2]
Chopped at the Detroit Autorama
In February of 2020, Gene Winfield and a crew of fabricators chopped the top on the car in front of an audience at the 68th annual Detroit Autorama.[6]
Magazine Features
Rod & Custom March 1959
Custom Cars September 1959
Custom Rodder January 1960
Trend Book 197 Custom Cars 1961 Annual
Rod & Custom August 1990
Custom Rodder January 1995
References
Sources
Rod & Custom March 1959
Rik Hovig Custom Car Photo Archive
Barris Kustoms Of The 1950s
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.
- Help us keep Kustomrama and history alive. For as little as 1 USD a month you can become a monthly supporter. Click here to learn more.
- Subscribe to our free newsletter and receive regular updates and stories from Kustomrama.
- Do you know someone who would enjoy this article? Click here to forward it.
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 Bill Hines' 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.