Sam Climo Ford at 2016 Autorama

 

CLIMO FORD at 2016 AUTORAMA

 

Sam Climo’s sectioned and chopped 1949 Ford was first finished in 1953. Thanks to Thom Metz this great survivor Custom is now being shown at the 2016 Detroit Autorama.




Some time ago we shared Thom Metz’s uncovering the Sam Climo 1949 Ford survivor Custom story on the Custom Car Chronicle.  In that article Thom mentioned that he was trying hard to convince the car owners to get the car all cleaned up andready to be shown at the 2016 Detroit Autorama Show. Well the family agreed, and the car was prepped in the last couple of weeks and can now be seen at the Autorama show. The car is displayed with a lot of memorabilia, including original trophies, show signs and other documentation the family has kept in storage all these years.



Thom Metz (left) and John Climo with the car getting it ready for the 2016 Detroit Autorama John is 5’6″ & the car is still setting on wheel dollies…
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The car was out of the garage for the first time in 30 years. The engine was updated to 12 V, the gastank was replaced and new wheel cylinders were  mounted. And then the car was ready to go. Thom actually drove in the car and mentioned that the original Goodyear Double Eagles tires mounted in the 1960’s still worked, although they had some serious flat spots, so long distance driving it not really an option. However Thom is now trying to convince the owners to backdate the car, including wheels, hubcaps and tires to how the car looked back in the early/mid 1950’s. Tom also mentioned that the when he was driving the car he had a lot better visibility than he expected. The car is sectioned 4 inches, and chopped 2.5 inches.

If you plan to visit the 2016 Detroit Autorama show, make sure you check out the Sam Climo 1949 Ford Sectioned and Chopped convertible with many 1951 Ford components added. Also be sure to check out the paint on the dash, which is the actual paint that was mixed by the Barris Kustom Shop in 1953.



The Climo family has alway kept everything connected with the car including a large amout of wonderful trophies the car won in its career. Most of the trophies are from around 1956.




The original show sign for the car from 1953.
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For the first time out in 30 years… the car looks so good.
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It is really amazing how good the car looks after all these years. Of course a “few” hours of cleaning and polishing were needed to get it to look this good.
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Ready to be picked up and taken to the 2016 Detroit Autorama. The car has such fantastic proportions with its 2.5 inch chop and 4 inch section.
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There is literally a foot difference in body height due to the 5″ channel, 4″ section, & the chopped top which doesn’t take in account for suspension… Look at what’s left of the engine compartment.
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Not much space is left in the trunk.
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Patiently waiting to be directed to the final location on set-up day.
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At the Detroit Autorama final location. The Cragar S/S and a set of wonderful Goodyear Double Eagles was mounted in the 1960’s, they are still on the car today.
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John Climo with Sam’s Ford, a table full of old mid1950’s trophies and boards full of historic items connected to the car.
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Update

News Flash – Thom Metz just let us know that John Climo won “Best Custom” Detroit Autorama Extreme selected by & awarded by Gene Windfield







This is how the car looked in 1955 at an Akron Ohio show.
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Special thanks to Thom Metz for sharing his info and photos with the Custom Car Chronicle.




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(this article is sponsored by)



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