So happy to report some exciting progress on the project:
- The left side acquired a set of bay doors, welded in to match the right. 8 doors!
- The body mounts are in and perfect. chassis
- The temporary body brace is out.
- The old steel body is bolted to the custom chassis.
- A fresh steel floor and wheel wells are underway.
And after hunting for the perfect motor, we found it, and are picking it up on Monday!
Every step left to do is additive and it feels great. Lots more soon, stay tuned.
PRESS RELEASE
OAKLAND, CA (December 20, 2012) - Street-legal sculpture. Connecting a piece of 1960's Americana with the contemporary "customize everything" subculture.
"Love, Inertia and the Pursuit of the Perfect Stance" is the latest project from Bay Area Sculptor Shawn HibmaCronan, focusing on the pursuit of a dream and our nation's long romance with automobiles. Live now on KICKSTARTER. Shawn HibmaCronan combines a passion for vintage automobiles and an artist’s all-inclusive approach to create a fully street-legal sculpture to go beyond the gallery walls. ART FOR EVERYONE.
CREATIVE SPARK - The work aims to connect this surviving artifact of idealistic Americana with the elements and gestures of a contemporary "customize everything" subculture. Over the past 3 years he has been meticulously transforming a 1963 Ford Falcon Deluxe Club Wagon into a mobile work of art.
As an artist, HibmaCronan is not only fascinated with the material qualities, craft, and signals of the subculture, but furthermore the resulting attitude or "stance" that those gestures communicate. This vehicular tour-de-force, is a tangible method of exploring and existing within that resulting visual language. The goal is to insert this work into every possible context. From car advertisements to gallery shows, from traditional hot rod shops to concept-rich art schools, the beaches of California to the galleries of NYC, and along the back roads of this great nation.
GREATER THAN THE SUM OF ITS PARTS - The Falcon Deluxe Club Wagon was a rarer, limited edition version of the early Econoline E100 work vehicles, that was marketed towards families. It came with all the extras, like fancy chrome trim, a plush interior, seating for 8 passengers, 17 ashtrays, and plenty of windows. It was designed to be the ultimate "go out and see America" adventure mobile: small on the outside, huge on the inside. This project maintains the intent and function of the vintage 60's design while combining it with the technology of modern vehicles and visual language manifested in today’s custom cars.
Working around the original "unibody," a tube steel substructure was designed and fabricated to allow the fitment of a custom independent front and rear "lowrider" air ride suspension. Far better than the original components, air ride makes it possible for the vehicle to lift, lean, and lower to the ground. Every component was chosen carefully, sourcing parts that would maintain the original floor height, a critical and well-worth-the-challenge detail to enhance the interior experience and comfort of passengers.
Kickstarter campaign is live until the December 29, 2012. The funding goal is $15,000.
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/shawnhibmacronan/love-inertia-and-the-pursuit-of-the-perfect-stance
For more information and images, contact Shawn HibmaCronan / shawn@cronan.com / 510.367.5480