Mighty Mighty Jet Engines of Chrome

The mid '50's saw the maturing of the "Jet Age", and a corresponding social iconography emphasizing jet-like features.  Jet aircraft were not only new and cool, they represented a kind of optimism and hope for the future.  In that brief time between post-war euphoria and the beginning of the space race/cold war, jets exemplified "progress" in a way that no other technology could.  The public was intrigued by the idea of coast-to-coast air travel in a matter of hours, of traveling in high speed luxury, and of course with the global security provided by America's mighty, unbeatable military.  Fins, bullet bumpers, chrome and aluminum became more and more prevalent in automotive styling.  Today, the cars from this era seem to bring on a strong sense of nostalgia... especially cars from the the "tri-five" years (55, 56, 57).  I submit that his is at least partially due to the strong jet-age characteristics of these cars, along with their relative simplicity and purity of design.

A curious styling feature unique to the '55 T-bird is how the front and rear bumper guards resemble  twin jet engines.  Without them the car looks cute but unremarkable, very much like a mid-60's Sunbeam Alpine/Tiger.  As I mentioned when talking about foglights, the front bumper guards have an insert that makes them look like jet engine intakes.  This is the same for both '55 and '56 T-birds, but the rear treatment is not.  On the 55, exhaust flows out the rear bumper guards though a set of ring inserts or "donuts" that resemble jet engine tailpipes.

On the '56, the exhaust simply flows out slots at the ends of the rear bumper.  Not near as cool.  The '55 rear "donuts" are rare and expensive, and I suspect that my car lost them in an accident before I was born... the same one that left a legacy of bondo around the trunk.  After the repair, the tail pipes were re-routed below the bumper like a conventional car, and the rear bumper guards were given front bullet inserts.  This extra pair of inserts were pretty corroded, so I used to make the mounts for the foglights.

Instead of paying $200 for new donuts, I decided to try using short 4" diameter stainless exhaust tips.  These are MUCH cheaper, and I was hopeful they would look OK.  I mocked them up today, and just had to laugh!  They certainly make a statement!

I used the re-chromed front bullets instead of the foglights

The exhaust tips stick out a little more than I expected, and they are certainly amusing.  Once I got past the giggles, I realized that the proportions aren't bad!  The good news is that the more the tips stick out, the less exhaust debris gets deposited on the bumpers.  Hopefully, this will make the chrome last longer.  I think I'll keep these for the time being.  After all, with this car I shouldn't be taking life too seriously!  The mega-exhaust tips are fun, and that's in character with the rest of the car.

Lest there be any doubt about my jet engine hypothesis, I mocked up the front and rear bumper guards as a single unit.  The result is remarkable.  Can't you just hear the engine whine?  The big tail pipe looks like a serious afterburner!

I visited Paint Guy yesterday.  There are a few additional snags, and I'm thinking that the car won't be ready until Friday.  It may be a while before I can install the bumpers and these cool bumper guards.

Well, that's OK.  I think I'm learning to be non-anxious yet present, to be subtly assertive, and to quietly persevere.
It's about time.  I've needed that most of my life.