Gary Wolcott has one outstanding custom in this 1951 Ford Victoria Hardtop, which he built entirely
himself. It is the culmination of 60+ years of honing his skills, one
car at a time. You see, Gary got his start back in the 1950’s while
growing up in Olean, New York. Though the frigid winters brought snow
that would sometimes drift up to the roofline of the house, Gary sought
refuge in a garage that had a big oil stove in it. It was at that time
he started tinkering with cars, and being the 1950’s custom cars were
the big thing for him. While he didn’t know what he was doing at the
onset, he soon enrolled in auto mechanics class in high school, which
taught him the basics. However, nobody taught him how to paint, weld or
fabricate....he just learned those skills by himself through doing it
over the years. While starting out he didn’t have a lot of know-how, the
best tools, or enough money, but he did have plenty of drive. So he
improvised a lot, and if a mistake was made Gary just tore everything up
and started over again.
His
first project was an ambitious and unusual one, especially for the
time. He took an old Volkswagen Beetle body, mounted it on the shortened
frame of a Ford truck, and bolted in an Oldsmobile engine up front. It
turned out pretty good, Gary drove it for a few years, then sold it for
more than he had put into it. This formula has stayed with him in the 55
or so years since, as Gary has usually had one finished creation that
he is driving, while working on another in his home garage. When the one
in the garage is finished, he sells the one he had been driving for a
profit to finance the next project, and upgrade his tools and equipment.
Obviously his level of expertise has also grown with each project,
which by now has been dozens of cool custom creations in those 60+
years.
His
latest is the 1951 Ford Victoria Hardtop you see pictured here. As
usual, Gary did all of the work himself in his garage. It is an amazing
custom car, and is even more striking in person.....where you can more
fully realize just how low the roofline is as you stand beside it.
The
low look is the culmination of many modifications, which also give it
sleek styling. The roof was chopped 4-inches, shortened 10 inches, and
the 3-piece rear window roof section was replaced with a coupe section
and glass. The rear deck was extended, and a 5-1/2 inch section was
removed out of the body to help give it that low profile. The front
fenders have been extended 3-1/2 inches, have ‘53 Mercury headlight
rings frenched into them, and the rear quarter panels were modified to
fit ‘56 Olds taillights with ‘52 Ford trim. A Mercury style grille
opening was fabricated, with a modified ‘54 Chevy front bumper over ride
used for the grille bar. Custom made flush mounted fender skirts were
added, the hood corners were rounded, and the antenna frenched. Once
Gary got everything laser straight, PPG light metallic pewter paint was
applied, accented by ‘55 Chevy 210 side trim, and a set of ‘53 Caddy
hubcaps with Diamond Back whitewall tires. The bumpers are ‘49 and ‘50
Ford units, with the rear utilizing a ‘55 Pontiac rear bumper over ride,
and the exhaust tips exit through the rear bumper.
Underneath
the stock frame was notched in the rear, and utilizes 4-bar suspension.
Up front the frame was Z’ed and uses an S-10 clip, with air ride
suspension at all four corners allowing the car to sit extremely low at
rest, yet be raised for safe driving. Gary has been using late model
drivetrains for many years now, so that he has the peace of mind that
while traveling long distances to some car shows he can always pull into
a dealership if repairs are needed. This car is powered by an LS-1
engine fitted with custom fabricated exhaust manifolds and Smithy glass
packs. A Lokar shifter is mated to the 4L60E overdrive automatic, giving
the car long legs on the highway.
Inside
you will find black leather and vinyl upholstery, and a custom
fiberglass headliner. Gary used 2002 Trans Am seats, and fabricated a
custom fiberglass console to go between them. The dash is a modified ‘55
Olds unit, now fitted with Auto Meter gauges, and the steering wheel is
a cut down ‘55 Chevy piece. The cabin is cooled by a Vintage Air
system, and filled with the sounds of music thanks to a Custom Autosound
radio.
The
project took 4 years to complete, working 4 days a week. Every panel on
the body has been modified, and the results are simply amazing. It
recently took an award at the Goodguys Spring Nationals in Kissimmee
during April of 2014, and that is certainly not the only time it has
received recognition at a car show....in the way of an award, or
admiring onlookers. Gary told us that this is probably his last
project....but he has said that before, too. Only time will tell if he
will craft another great automotive creation in that garage of his, but
we certainly do know that he is enjoying this one to its fullest! CN  |
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