Slightly customized

DonC

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I saw another link to TV Batmobiles and thought I'd post about my 3 C Body based Bats. I've had a 35 year passion with Mopars and dont drive anything else..and a passion for wing cars. Some might find this interesting..some might find it sacrilegious. I fabricated my 1st two C body bats from sheet steel after learning the basics of the trade from Rod and Custom's Gene Winfield in Canoga Park, So Cal and Carl Green who worked for Daryll Starbird. Carl was building a replica steel bat for Jay Ohrberg of Hollywood cars and took me on to help out. I had no idea 1/2" EMT..electrical conduit could be used to form custom cars, vans and just about anything. Carl is the king of conduit customizing.
 
Be great to see some pics!:thumbsup:
 
Ohh I got pics :) Late 50's Imperial..this once was. Had a 392 Hemi, but car was stripped of its drivetrain and I bought it for a couple hundred bucks so I and friends got a 440 out of a 69 Imperial and installed that about 1986 . All sheet steel over a 1/2" conduit framework. All gas welded together.
BT2.jpg
 
Jay Ohrberg ended up buying it off me for 5 grand. Took him 2 years to pay for it. Big name in lights - no money and a whole lotta BS. I soon found out this was par for the course with Tv and movie car replicas, some owners who claim after you built the car...they say they built it. Gene Winfield and Dean Jeffries were livid about a Star Cars book that was published with cars in the book they fabricated that another well known customizer took credit for. This is jay towing it away-
BT1.jpg
 
Gene Winfield and Dean Jeffries were livid about a Star Cars book that was published with cars in the book they fabricated that another well known customizer took credit for.

No secret, Barris took a lot of credit for cars that they did.
 
Ohh I got pics :) Late 50's Imperial..this once was. Had a 392 Hemi, but car was stripped of its drivetrain and I bought it for a couple hundred bucks so I and friends got a 440 out of a 69 Imperial and installed that about 1986 . All sheet steel over a 1/2" conduit framework. All gas welded together.View attachment 300436
That's some incredible work. I'm impressed.
 
This is Carl Green's EMT framed Bat replica that was under construction in 86'....
steel9.jpg

steel8.jpg
 
This type of steel work still required a TON of bondo to smooth out....there still had to be a better way to make a bodyshell I thought..faster., I just hadnt learned it until later.
 
Had to shorten and flatten the firewall, kept the booster but put it behind the firewall
CB4.jpg
 
Got a fiberglass shell molded off the original tv car out of LA and remodded it to my own specs., placed it on the too short of a wheelbase floorpan for a trial fit, being a unibody there's no frame to stretch..so what do ya do? You move the leaf spring perch and the axle back 3". Simple. Pulled the 440, rebuilt it and of course..painted it Hemi orange.
CB3.jpg
 
Loved that tile/tele steering column but not the column shift, so cut that off and got a floor shifter outta a 68, lengthened the rod and went from there.
CB5.jpg
 
Started building the dash and gauges console...and naturally added a Tuff wheel.
CB6.jpg
 
Started making door jambs and the thousands of other little jobs to make it come together...
CB10.jpg
 
Fast forward to my finished 440 Bat, long and lean. The icing on the cake was when it was featured in Chrysler Power magazine. made my year!
440-flip.jpg
 
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