Bill Hines' 1950 Ford

From Kustomrama

(Redirected from The Bat)

Jump to: navigation, search

At the Lynwood City Hall

George Barris mixing paint behind the Bat

Outside the Compton Drive-In

The Bat at Darryl Starbird's National Rod & Custom Car Hall of Fame in 2009. Photo by Les Stockton^[1]

Photo by Les Stockton

Featured on the cover of Rod & Custom March 1959 with the following title: "Those fins are still growing", The Bat is a legendary Shoebox kustom built by master fabricator Bill Hines. Bill Hines also known as the "Leadslinger" built the Ford in 1957 in Lincoln Park, Michigan before he moved to California. The top on the 1950 Ford was chopped 4 inches. The front was given a facelift by installing a 1951 Ford Meteor grille bar. The headlights were frenched with its stock rings used for a smoother look. Bill hand-formed the fins for the car, and installed a set of 1956 Ford taillights. The rear bumper had to be widened because of the fins, Bill also installed a Kaiser bumper guard. The body was nosed, decked and the deck lid corners were rounded. The door handles were removed for a smooth look. In order to make it low enough, Bill also reworked his own spindle supports up front and installed lowering blocks in the rear, the rear wheel wells were enlarged to get the car a lower profile. Dual spotlights were installed and a set of custom hubcaps made from Oldsmobile and Continental components.