1957 Pontiac Chieftain
Up next, we’ve got another cool light painting project! This beautiful automobile is a 1957 Pontiac Chieftain that Joannie and I light-painted in front of the fabulous Delta Diner in Mason, Wisconsin!
Here’s the view from the camera, taken prior to it getting dark enough to get started.
We did the photography for this amazing project the night after doing the same for Tracy’s cool 1941 Chevy AK pickup in Superior, Wisconsin. The link to check that cool project is below.
Light Painting a ’41 Chevy at the Twohy Mercantile Building in Superior, Wisconsin
Motorhead Madness in Duluth, Minnesota
This is another light-painting project that came about from this year’s Motorhead Madness, held annually in Duluth every March. It was there that I met Chuck. He and his wife, Jill, are the proud owners of this wonderful automobile.
Here’s how I saw it, as pretty as can be, at Motorhead Madness this past March.
This stunning purple and white Pontiac is a real show stopper. Amongst the awards it won that weekend was a “Photographer’s Choice Award” from us. Joannie selected the car from the photos that I sent back home of several vehicles that I loved at the show.
Even the trunk is in mint-condition on this little beauty!
The Story of “Elise”
Chuck was kind enough to share some of the backstory about this amazing car:
“We saw this 1957 Pontiac Chieftain at a car show in Grand Rapids back in 2016. I fell in love with the quality of the build, and my wife, Jill, was in love with the paint and body work, as well as the custom 2-tone leather and suede interior.
The interior is also nothing short of amazing!
We met the owner. His name was Jerry Gruwell. Jerry and I hit it off very well. After exchanging contact info, we stayed in touch for years. Every year at Back to the 50s, we would see Jerry and his beautiful 57 purple and white Chieftain in the same spot year after year. There were many conversations about the building process as we visited and had lunch together.”
Jerry’s Attention to Details
“One day, I noticed yet another awesome modification he made on his car. He was surprised I had pointed it out and said, “Of all the years I have had this built, nobody has ever noticed that before!” Then he joked, “When it’s time for me to let it go, I will give you a good deal on it. I know you will appreciate and care for it.”
I laughed, as I knew that a completed car of that caliber was not in the budget. My wife would joke with Jerry, “Are you taking care of my car?” He would smile and say, “I sure am, Blondy!”
Yep, the interior is amazing too!
Jerry had owned a ’57 Pontiac in the 60’s, which was a street racer. This ’57 he had owned since 1972. Little by little worked on it as he raised his family. He built it with his son, Dan. Once it was completed, he was featured in the “Line Chaser” magazine and “Street Rod Life” magazine.
Unfortunately, our buddy Jerry is no longer with us. His lovely wife, and our friend, Janet, gave us the 1st opportunity to buy the car from her. We felt honored and privileged. Jill and I made some financial adjustments and made it work. We named her “Elise” and are very happy to have her.”
The ’57 Chieftain’s Modifications
Got chrome?
- Nosed and Decked
- Shaved door handles
- Deleted Stars and Emblems
- Cream leather and purple suede upholstery
- Power Seats
- Power windows
- Dakota Digital gauges
- Vintage Air climate system
- 406 Pontiac V8 with 365 HP
- 200 R4 Overdrive Transmission
- Posi Rear End
- Fat Man Mustang II Front End
- Power Rack and Pinion Steering
- Power disc brakes
- AM/FM Stereo with 10-disc changer, amp, and two 12″ subs
Light Painting the 1957 Pontiac Chieftain
After considering several locations in northern Wisconsin, Chuck mentioned the Delta Diner as a possibility. That would be an amazing backdrop for their stunning car! The one big problem was that the owners have retired, and it’s up for sale and not open for business at this time. While it is still a great spot, not having the neon and interior lit up kinda takes away the “coolness” of the diner.
Chuck went to work and contacted the owners, Todd and Nina. Todd graciously agreed to stop by and turn on the lights for us that evening. He couldn’t stay, but would return in the morning to turn them off. I didn’t think anything of that until it got dark out. Man, those lights were way brighter than I thought they were!
Here’s the first version of the Chieftain in front of the Delta Diner (puddle lights off).
We really struggled to put light where we wanted it without it getting washed out by the diner’s lights. Consequently, we took a LOT of images and used several different light sources as well. We ended up taking a total of 322 images that night! In post-production, I only ended up needing 47 of them (better safe than sorry!). But it took a total of 94 unique layers to pull it off in post! “Elise” sure turned out pretty!
The link to the short “Build Video” on our YouTube channel is below:
Thank you!
A couple of thank yous are in order. To Chuck and Jill, a huge thank you for the opportunity to light-paint your stunning Pontiac! “Elise” is absolutely perfect, and we’re so happy that you’re taking Jerry’s handiwork, putting your own spin on it, and showing it off to the world!
Here’s Version 2 of the ’57 Pontiac with its puddle lights on.
To Todd and Nina: Thank you for taking time out of your evening to “light up” your amazing diner. If I have any complaint, it’s that we never got to eat there (especially after finding out that you were featured on Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives – one of our favorite shows)! – M&J