Rendering artist Abimelec Arellano recently used his talents to create a digital 3D drawing of a 1958 Cadillac hearse, which will serve as inspiration for him as he attempts to restore the exact same vehicle in real life.
Back in the day, hot rodders and car builders would have to either rely on hand-drawn sketches or their imagination when trying to conceptualize a new car or truck, but not anymore. Thanks to computers and advanced 3D rendering programs, it’s not very hard for an artist like Arellano to fire up their computer and create a highly realistic recreation of the vehicle they conjured up in their head. This gives Arellano a bit of a head start in his mission to restore his battered old Cadillac hearse, because thanks to his highly detailed rendering, he now knows exactly what he wants his car to look like when it’s finished.
“The goal will be to have a car ready for a cruise or a 1,000 mile roadtrip at any time, so we’re dropping in a Chevy 5.3 (original engine is long gone, anyways) fixing up the interior, doing suspension and paint,” Arellano added. “I’ve included some renderings of how I picture the final stage could look. Might change things on the way but it’s a start!”
Arellano’s 1958 Cadillac Hearse, which was originally bodied by Superior Coaches, looks set to receive a deep coat of metallic black paint, chrome bumpers and trim, chrome dished wheels, lowered suspension and some very appropriate whitewall tires. He seems to have made the right decision with regard to the powertrain, as well, as engines like the Vortec 5300 V8 are known for their decent mix of power and reliability.
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Comments
Rode around in one of these way back in the early 70’s. Used to get some funny looks when we’d pile out of the back, at the local DQ. The good ole days.
Very Kewl! Many hearses done into hot rods and customs for years but this one is so subtle nobody will even know it’s me on that last ryd.
I guess we should mark our calendars for 5 years from today and see if this project is done… riight?
This caddy looks it’s from a dream nothing like it strange but cool to look at this car needs to be in the movies