{"id":17929,"date":"2011-11-06T17:28:26","date_gmt":"2011-11-07T00:28:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/?p=17929"},"modified":"2013-02-17T19:11:55","modified_gmt":"2013-02-18T02:11:55","slug":"custom-49-ford-shoebox","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/custom-49-ford-shoebox\/","title":{"rendered":"A Shoebox Deep in the Heart of Texas"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"mr_social_sharing_wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t<!-- Social Sharing Toolkit v2.2 --><span class=\"mr_social_sharing\"><a href=\"http:\/\/pinterest.com\/pin\/create\/button\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.myrideisme.com%2FBlog%2Fcustom-49-ford-shoebox%2F&amp;media=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.myrideisme.com%2FBlog%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2011%2F10%2F1949-ford-coupe-pictures1.jpg&amp;description=A+Shoebox+Deep+in+the+Heart+of+Texas\" class=\"pin-it-button\" count-layout=\"none\" rel=\"lightbox[17929]\"><img border=\"0\" src=\"\/\/assets.pinterest.com\/images\/PinExt.png\" title=\"Pin It\" \/><\/a><\/span><span class=\"mr_social_sharing\"><fb:share-button type=\"button_count\" href=\"https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/custom-49-ford-shoebox\/\"><\/fb:share-button><\/span><span class=\"mr_social_sharing\"><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/share\" class=\"twitter-share-button\" data-count=\"horizontal\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/custom-49-ford-shoebox\/\" data-via=\"myrideisme\" data-text=\"A Shoebox Deep in the Heart of Texas\"><\/a><\/span><span class=\"mr_social_sharing\"><div class=\"g-plusone\" data-size=\"medium\" data-annotation=\"none\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/custom-49-ford-shoebox\/\"><\/div><\/span><span class=\"mr_social_sharing\"><a class=\"mr_social_share_email\" href=\"mailto:?subject=A Shoebox Deep in the Heart of Texas&amp;body=https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/custom-49-ford-shoebox\/\" target=\"_blank\"><img src=\"https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/plugins\/social-sharing-toolkit\/images\/icons_small\/email.png\" class=\"nopin\" alt=\"Email\" title=\"Email\"\/><span class=\"mr_small_icon\">Email<\/span><\/a><\/a><\/span><span class=\"mr_social_sharing\"><a rel=\"nofollow\" class=\"linksalpha_button linksalpha_link\" href=\"\/\/www.linksalpha.com\/social\/mobile\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/custom-49-ford-shoebox\/\" data-text=\"A Shoebox Deep in the Heart of Texas\" data-desc=\"Wes Coleman's '49 Ford Shoebox America's fascination with aviation\u00a0during World War II would bring about a paradigm shift in automotive styling that would produce some of the most iconic designs in history. Bold styling cues\u00a0inspired\u00a0by fighter planes such as the P51 Mustang and P40 Warhawk\" data-image=\"http:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/10\/1949-ford-coupe-pictures1.jpg\" data-button=\"\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img src=\"\/\/www.linksalpha.com\/images\/social_share_button.png\" alt=\"Share\" class=\"linksalpha_image\" \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><script type=\"text\/javascript\" src=\"\/\/www.linksalpha.com\/scripts\/loader_iconbox.js?v=2.4\"><\/script><\/span><\/div><h3>Wes Coleman&#8217;s &#8217;49 Ford Shoebox<\/h3>\n<p>America&#8217;s fascination with aviation\u00a0during World War II would bring about a paradigm shift in automotive styling that would produce some of the most iconic designs in history. Bold styling cues\u00a0inspired\u00a0by fighter planes such as the P51 Mustang and P40 Warhawk quickly found their way onto design boards and eventually onto the assembly lines of Detroit.<\/p>\n<p>No where were these brazen new styling cues more evident than on the redesigned 1949 Ford. Known throughout the kustom kulture as the &#8220;shoebox&#8221; Ford, the 49 &#8211; 51&#8217;s were an instant favorite with early customizers and have remained arguably the most popular kustom since.<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"highslide\" onclick=\"return vz.expand(this)\" href=\"http:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/10\/1949-ford-coupe-pictures1.jpg\" rel=\"lightbox[17929]\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-17930\" style=\"margin: 4px; border: 2px solid black;\" title=\"Hot Rod Pinup Devon with Wes's killer 49 Ford Custom\" src=\"http:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/10\/1949-ford-coupe-pictures1.jpg\" border=\"2\" alt=\"49 Ford, 49 Ford Coupe, shoebox ford\" hspace=\"4\" vspace=\"4\" width=\"575\" height=\"321\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The popularity of the shoebox Ford would eventually reach Wes Coleman of Arlington, TX in 2003. Always a fan of classics and custom cars, a meeting with his now good friend and fellow Lucky 13 car club member, John Bumpus (&#8220;Bump&#8221;\u00a0to his friends), would solidify Wes&#8217;s next project &#8211; a\u00a0custom &#8217;49 Ford.\u00a0\u00a0Soon after, Wes located an\u00a0original owner\u00a0&#8217;49 Ford Tudor Sedan with minimal rust that would serve as a canvas for\u00a0the project.<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"highslide\" onclick=\"return vz.expand(this)\" href=\"http:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/10\/1949-ford-coupe-pictures8.jpg\" rel=\"lightbox[17929]\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-17934\" style=\"margin: 4px; border: 2px solid black;\" title=\"Trent Sherrill showing his stuff with ths beautiful 49 Ford shot\" src=\"http:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/10\/1949-ford-coupe-pictures8.jpg\" border=\"2\" alt=\"Chopped 49 Ford, 1949 Ford Coupe, 49 ford\" hspace=\"4\" vspace=\"4\" width=\"575\" height=\"371\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Bump introduced Wes to renowned customizer and member of the legendary Beatniks Car Club, Frank Palmer, to layout a plan for\u00a0the shoebox. With a sketch in mind Palmer set-out to\u00a0work his magic on the body of the shoebox. He took a &#8220;little&#8221; off the top and chopped the roofline down. The front was nosed and the rear decked. Of course no custom can have door handles so they were shaved. However, it&#8217;s the minor details though that followed that showcase Palmer&#8217;s reputation as a legendary customizer and set Wes&#8217;s shoebox apart from the others.<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"highslide\" onclick=\"return vz.expand(this)\" href=\"http:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/10\/1949-ford-coupe-pictures4.jpg\" rel=\"lightbox[17929]\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-17937\" style=\"margin: 4px; border: 2px solid black;\" title=\"1949 Ford at the golden hour - Photo by Trent Sherrill\" src=\"http:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/10\/1949-ford-coupe-pictures4.jpg\" border=\"2\" alt=\"car photography, 49 ford, 49 ford custom\" hspace=\"4\" vspace=\"4\" width=\"575\" height=\"750\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The headlights were frenched in using 51 Ford headlight rings and the bumper was moved lower on the front end and pushed back\u00a0to fit more flush with the body. A variation to the standard frenched taillights added another subtle yet graceful accent to the rear of the &#8217;49. Bump&#8217;s suggested using gapped-out lenses so that they fit flush with the housing; and if you can take your eyes off of Devon long enough in the picture below I think you&#8217;ll agree with Bump&#8217;s suggestion.<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"highslide\" onclick=\"return vz.expand(this)\" href=\"http:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/10\/1949-ford-coupe-pictures2.jpg\" rel=\"lightbox[17929]\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-17936\" style=\"margin: 4px; border: 2px solid black;\" title=\"Hot Rod Pinup Devon with Wes's killer 49 Ford Shoebox\" src=\"http:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/10\/1949-ford-coupe-pictures2.jpg\" border=\"2\" alt=\"hot rod pinup, 1949 Ford Coupe, shoe box ford\" hspace=\"4\" vspace=\"4\" width=\"575\" height=\"339\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>With the bodywork complete Wes dropped his transformed &#8217;49 off at Everman Auto Body where Corbit whipped up a custom blend of PPG Majestic purple for the exterior. The same base color was\u00a0used for the dash but with a heavy spray of metalflake. Once the paint dried,\u00a0Frank Palmer exercised his talents once again and treated the\u00a0dash and decklid to an impressive dose of striping.<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"highslide\" onclick=\"return vz.expand(this)\" href=\"http:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/10\/1949-ford-coupe-pictures61.jpg\" rel=\"lightbox[17929]\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-17955\" style=\"margin: 4px; border: 2px solid black;\" title=\"Custom Interior and flaked dash of Wes's 1949 Ford\" src=\"http:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/10\/1949-ford-coupe-pictures61.jpg\" border=\"2\" alt=\"49 ford, 1949 ford coupe, 49 coupe\" hspace=\"4\" vspace=\"4\" width=\"575\" height=\"323\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Inside Wes&#8217;s 49, Gordon Burke handled interior duties by upgrading the\u00a0factory split bench and rear seats with white and purple tuck and roll. Then, front door panels and rear interior panels were wrapped in the same white naugahyde with purple paneling\u00a0and the trim pieces received the same purple treatment as the exterior.<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"highslide\" onclick=\"return vz.expand(this)\" href=\"http:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/10\/1949-ford-coupe-pictures5.jpg\" rel=\"lightbox[17929]\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-17939\" style=\"margin: 4px; border: 2px solid black;\" title=\"Flat Paint in PPG Purple for Wes's 1949 Custom Shoe Box\" src=\"http:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/10\/1949-ford-coupe-pictures5.jpg\" border=\"2\" alt=\"chopped 49 ford, 1949 ford custom, Ford 49\" hspace=\"4\" vspace=\"4\" width=\"575\" height=\"223\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The rear of Wes&#8217;s &#8217;49 is brought to pavement via an Air Ride Technologies kit installed by Wes and his good friends Tanner Leaser and Jack Brewer. The group\u00a0cut a 6&#8243; notch and installed a triangulated 4-link with Air Ride&#8217;s &#8220;Shockwave&#8221; bag\/shock combo. The modified rear was completely paneled in and then Wes dropped in\u00a0a &#8217;65\u00a0Mustang tank.\u00a0\u00a0Drop spindles\u00a0lower the\u00a0front and the lowered front bumper enhances the shoebox&#8217;s stance. The lowered suspension leaves no gaps in the wheel wells which are filled with BFG 670-15 wide whites on chrome O.E.s with paint matched centers and chrome spider caps.<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"highslide\" onclick=\"return vz.expand(this)\" href=\"http:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/10\/1949-ford-coupe-pictures7.jpg\" rel=\"lightbox[17929]\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-17961\" style=\"margin: 4px; border: 2px solid black;\" title=\"Custom Ford Flathead modified with Offy head and Offy intake\" src=\"http:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/10\/1949-ford-coupe-pictures7.jpg\" border=\"2\" alt=\"49 ford flathead, offy flathead, 1949 ford shoe box\" hspace=\"4\" vspace=\"4\" width=\"575\" height=\"399\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Keeping it original under the hood Wes retained the 239 Flathead V-8 although far from stock. An Offy aluminum intake with dual 2-bbls rests atop aluminum Offy heads, and\u00a0a camshaft from Clay Smith adds additional kick. An automatic C4 tranny and 8&#8243; Ford rearend\u00a0transfer the power to the wheels.<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"highslide\" onclick=\"return vz.expand(this)\" href=\"http:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/10\/1949-ford-coupe-pictures9.jpg\" rel=\"lightbox[17929]\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-17965\" style=\"margin: 4px; border: 2px solid black;\" title=\"Wes showing of a custom longboard from his shop\" src=\"http:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/10\/1949-ford-coupe-pictures9.jpg\" border=\"2\" alt=\"49 Ford, custom longboard\" hspace=\"4\" vspace=\"4\" width=\"575\" height=\"400\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Wes\u00a0finances his\u00a0love of custom cars through his first and long time passion of downhill longboarding. As the owner of <a rel=\"nofollow\" title=\"Custom longboards and longboarding gear\" href=\"http:\/\/www.bombsquadlongboarding.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">Bombsquad Longboarding<\/a>, Wes&#8217;s dedication to the sport has allowed him to escape the cubicle prisons of corporate America. It took nearly 4 and 1\/2 years to build the shoebox you see in the photos here, and to quote Wes, &#8220;Lots of blood, sweat , and beers, and a bunch of late nights&#8221; went into the build. And when something is built not bought, it makes it that much harder to turn loose of; something Wes is quick to point out he has no plans of ever doing. He is also quick to thank everyone who helped along the way, his dad, Frank Palmer, Bump and Crash as well as the rest of the members of the Lucky 13 Car Club, Jack Brewer, Tanner Leaser and of course his wife for allowing him to pursue the things he loves.<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"highslide\" onclick=\"return vz.expand(this)\" href=\"http:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/Wes-Coleman-49-ford-picutes-10-.jpg\" rel=\"lightbox[17929]\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-18022\" style=\"margin: 4px; border: 2px solid black;\" title=\"1949 Ford Coupe before the custom transformation\" src=\"http:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/Wes-Coleman-49-ford-picutes-10--575x431.jpg\" border=\"2\" alt=\"original 1949 Ford, 1949 ford coupe\" hspace=\"4\" vspace=\"4\" width=\"575\" height=\"431\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/Wes-Coleman-49-ford-picutes-10--575x431.jpg 575w, https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/Wes-Coleman-49-ford-picutes-10--150x112.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/Wes-Coleman-49-ford-picutes-10--300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/Wes-Coleman-49-ford-picutes-10-.jpg 604w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 575px) 100vw, 575px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>On a personal note, it was great to be involved in getting one of the most popular customs from my hometown the national recognition it certainly deserves. This shoebox\u00a0becomes an instant\u00a0centerpiece at any show I&#8217;ve ever seen it and Wes always takes the time to entertain questions or comments about his car.\u00a0 The picture above is Wes&#8217;s 49 shoebox before the customization began. The finished product is a testament to patience, perseverance and the benefits of good friends.<\/p>\n<p>Photos by <a href=\"http:\/\/www.classynevertrashy.com\/\">Trent Sherrill<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Model: Devon Harris<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"mr_social_sharing_wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t<!-- Social Sharing Toolkit v2.2 --><span class=\"mr_social_sharing\"><a href=\"http:\/\/pinterest.com\/pin\/create\/button\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.myrideisme.com%2FBlog%2Fcustom-49-ford-shoebox%2F&amp;media=&amp;description=A+Shoebox+Deep+in+the+Heart+of+Texas\" class=\"pin-it-button\" count-layout=\"none\"><img border=\"0\" src=\"\/\/assets.pinterest.com\/images\/PinExt.png\" title=\"Pin It\" \/><\/a><\/span><span class=\"mr_social_sharing\"><fb:share-button type=\"button_count\" href=\"https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/custom-49-ford-shoebox\/\"><\/fb:share-button><\/span><span class=\"mr_social_sharing\"><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/share\" class=\"twitter-share-button\" data-count=\"horizontal\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/custom-49-ford-shoebox\/\" data-via=\"myrideisme\" data-text=\"A Shoebox Deep in the Heart of Texas\"><\/a><\/span><span class=\"mr_social_sharing\"><div class=\"g-plusone\" data-size=\"medium\" data-annotation=\"none\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/custom-49-ford-shoebox\/\"><\/div><\/span><span class=\"mr_social_sharing\"><a class=\"mr_social_share_email\" href=\"mailto:?subject=A Shoebox Deep in the Heart of Texas&amp;body=https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/custom-49-ford-shoebox\/\" target=\"_blank\"><img src=\"https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/plugins\/social-sharing-toolkit\/images\/icons_small\/email.png\" class=\"nopin\" alt=\"Email\" title=\"Email\"\/><span class=\"mr_small_icon\">Email<\/span><\/a><\/a><\/span><span class=\"mr_social_sharing\"><a rel=\"nofollow\" class=\"linksalpha_button linksalpha_link\" href=\"\/\/www.linksalpha.com\/social\/mobile\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/custom-49-ford-shoebox\/\" data-text=\"A Shoebox Deep in the Heart of Texas\" data-desc=\"Wes Coleman's '49 Ford Shoebox America's fascination with aviation\u00a0during World War II would bring about a paradigm shift in automotive styling that would produce some of the most iconic designs in history. Bold styling cues\u00a0inspired\u00a0by fighter planes such as the P51 Mustang and P40 Warhawk\" data-image=\"\" data-button=\"\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img src=\"\/\/www.linksalpha.com\/images\/social_share_button.png\" alt=\"Share\" class=\"linksalpha_image\" \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><script type=\"text\/javascript\" src=\"\/\/www.linksalpha.com\/scripts\/loader_iconbox.js?v=2.4\"><\/script><\/span><\/div><p>Email Wes Coleman&#8217;s &#8217;49 Ford Shoebox America&#8217;s fascination with aviation\u00a0during World War II would bring about a paradigm shift in automotive styling that would produce some of the most iconic designs in history. Bold styling cues\u00a0inspired\u00a0by fighter planes such as the P51 Mustang and P40 Warhawk quickly found their way onto design boards and eventually [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":34,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0},"categories":[384,1816],"tags":[1631,2520,2524,1263,1616,1585],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17929"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/34"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17929"}],"version-history":[{"count":59,"href":"https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17929\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22389,"href":"https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17929\/revisions\/22389"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17929"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17929"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17929"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}