Some of life's best opportunities arise when you're least prepared to seize them. Recognizing and acting on such chances separates those who achieve their dreams from those who are destined to merely daydream.
Kansas-based bodyman and custom car builder Jeff Myers was fortunate enough to realize that a stillborn shop project was an opportunity for him to build and own one of the most coveted of Cadillacs-a '57 Eldorado Seville. A customer had purchased the rust-free Cadillac off eBay and brought it to Jeff to build. Jeff was excited to be working on such a fine specimen, so he knew there was only one option when the customer lost interest.
"When you aren't looking for a new project and promise the wife no more and something like this comes along, what do you do?" Jeff asks. "Sell the RV, wipe out the savings, and talk the wife into reinvesting her retirement!"
With a stock dash this cool,...
With a stock dash this cool, the only thing Fat Lucky's had to do was add a custom pearl white pad highlighted with inserts made from vintage Fender amp material (also used on the kick panels and package tray). Jeff put some fresh color on the stock wheel; Dennis McPhail did the glove box striping.
If Jeff's answer sounds a little reckless, he backs it up with reasoning that will resonate with many car guys: "It's a rare car, and what are the odds of finding another? I felt it was time for me build a noteworthy kustom."
Tinkering with classic Cadillac styling is not for the faint of heart. "Since it's rare, I wanted to keep it simple and true to tradition," Jeff says. In other words, he wanted to refine the car's design, not reinvent it. The process started, naturally enough, at the top. "It had to be chopped," Jeff insists, adding that the Cad's 4-inch slice was the most difficult he's ever executed. Bair's Auto Glass trimmed the windshield ("the first curved glass they ever cut, and the last new windshield I could locate," Jeff says. "No pressure!"). Unlike many lesser customs, Jeff even put in the extra effort to make sure the quarter windows rolled down.
The lowered lid was visually exaggerated by extending the car's signature tail fins, though the balance of body mods was much more subtle. In addition to removing all the emblems and badges, Jeff created graceful lips over the front and rear bumpers, rounded the trunk corners, extended the body character lines from the doors into the quarter panels, added body lines on the tops of the fenders, and created small scoops in the cowl and front fenders. Mesh from a '58 Ford grille filled the cavity in the Cadillac's front bumper, while Jeff eliminated the stock body-mounted taillights in favor of frenched '59 Cadillac bullets in the bumper.
Nothing denotes Atomic Age...
Nothing denotes Atomic Age luxury like swiveling buckets! The '65 Riviera seats were mated to '70s-era Monte Carlo bases before Fat Lucky's stitched up all those rolls and pleats.
As a member of the Beatniks car club-whose members wear signature purple T-shirts-Jeff knew the car had to be painted a plum hue of some sort. He created a deep, classy tint using a custom blend of House of Kolor Wild Cherry over a Galaxie Gray base. Metalflake highlights were sprayed on the fender peaks, fins and roof before being expertly outlined by pinstriper Blaine Scott. Jeff gave a nod to '60s Bellflower style by painting the wheelwells pearl white, which also serves to accent the Buick Skylark wire wheels and 8.20x15 Coker whitewalls.
To further enhance the Seville's svelte profile, Jeff hunkered down the suspension using lowering blocks in the rear and Belltech coil springs designed for an '80s GM pickup in front. A '67 Cadillac master cylinder and brake booster provided extra whoa power, while a 472ci mill and TH400 transmission from the same '67 parts car supplied more-than-adequate torque and horsepower.
A custom this cool deserves a world-class cabin, which is exactly what Jeff got when he sent the Cad to Fat Lucky's in Austin, Texas. "I told him I wanted white, lots of rolls and pleats, four bucket seats, and a console; maybe something floating," Jeff said. The shop responded with intricately stitched Naugahyde on swiveling '65 Riviera front buckets and matching rear seats. The custom door and side panels were accented with pearl pick guard material, complete with guitar picks! Amenities include Vintage Air and a Kicker stereo system installed by Todd Brogan, but the cabin's crowning touches are the floating upper and lower consoles and armrests constructed of clear plastic rods. More than 50 lights give the plastic an incredible neon-like nighttime glow. "The only thing missing is a stripper pole," Jeff jokes.
Thanks to help from guys like Mike Cooper, Brian Current and Clay Melton, a scant five months elapsed between Jeff's first cut on the top and the custom Cad's 1,300-mile inaugural cruise to the 2008 Lonestar Round Up. He's been driving it-yes, driving-ever since, including a 3,600-mile jaunt to California for the annual West Coast Kustoms Cruisin' Nationals. It's apparent that Jeff not only knows when to seize an opportunity, but also how to follow it through. Now he's cruising Koolsville in one of the finest custom Cads we've ever seen. A fitting reward, indeed!
 Custom door panels feature...  Custom door panels feature inserts carved from pearl guitar pick guard material, plus clear plastic armrests that match the upper and lower center consoles. |  The cabin comes alive at night...  The cabin comes alive at night as more than 50 lights illuminate clear plastic rods on the armrests and upper and lower consoles. "The only thing missing is a stripper pole," Jeff jokes. |  Jeff worked many tasteful...  Jeff worked many tasteful details into the body, like front fender and cowl scoops accented with expanded metal and custom trim. |
 |  |  Casual observers may not notice...  Casual observers may not notice the graceful lips Jeff built around the front and rear bumpers. Clay Melton modified the rear bumpers to accept tunneled '59 Cad taillight lenses; Advanced Plating dipped them in chrome. |
 Jeff admits the '67-vintage...  Jeff admits the '67-vintage 472ci Cad mill isn't the prettiest, but it moves the big Seville down the road with ease. A rebuild and additional detailing are next on the agenda. | | |