This 1953 Studebaker belonged to Ray Charbonneau, a close friend to Niel Emory.

When the car was hit in the front Valley Customs offered to do the repair work and do some custom styling at the same point.

One thing lends to another and before Ray knew it the whole car was very stylishly restyled.

The front sheet metal was removed and a new grille design was drawn and transfered into metal by reshaping the lower front fender corners below the headlights, the front of the hood needed also some reshaping and then the new grille had to be completely scratch-built. The new design incorporated the head and parking lights into the grille. The grille surround was shaped from stock bent to shape. Mounted from behind is the completely scratch built grille made out of 1/4" for the vertical grille bars and and 3/8" round rod for the surrounds.

Each bar was hand formed around a special jig so all the bars would be shaped the same and once chromed a perfect reflection would created.

The 3/8" was shaped to fit the grille surround made from stock, then the specially made bars where welded inside the frame at equal distance and all welds where grounded and sanded to perfection before everything was send out to the plater. The grille is one of the finest the Valley Custom Shop has ever produced.

The rear hood corners as well as the trunk corners where rounded and the door handles where removed and replaced with Ford glove box locks places in the tops of the doors with the push mechanism in the chrome side window trim. The subtile stylish custom was painted super glossy black.