WICKCAD – Bruce and Cheryl Conwell’s 1949 Cadillac
Good customs don’t fade away – they just get better with age.
Bruce and Cheryl Conwell’s ’49 Cadillac, “WICKCAD” is a great example. It was the Goodguys 2018 Custom of the Year (see a full feature in the July 2018 Gazette) but still makes routine appearances at events and on the road. It’s a testament to the style and quality demonstrated by builder Chris Carlson Hot Rods, which earned the GM Iron Builder of the Year finalist award at the 2021 Colorado Nationals.
The car’s full slate of custom mods includes a chopped top (2.5-inches in front, 5-inches in the rear), angled B-pillar, ’55 Cadillac bumpers, pancaked hood, ’46 Cadillac grille trim, ’56 Olds headlight rings, flush-fit taillights, extended rockers, and much more. It’s all bathed in a custom-mixed Martin Senour tri-stage red paint.
The beauty is more than skin deep, as there’s a Roadster Shop chassis underneath with RideTech Shockwaves and 18-inch Circle Racing wheels inside Diamondback wide whites. The LS3 engine is topped with Inglese eight-stack injection and backed by a 4L65E transmission.
The equally custom interior incorporates comfy modified 2016 Mustang seats that are heated, cooled, and stitched in leather by Walt Curry. Custom Dakota Digital instruments, a CON2R steering wheel, and an amazing one-piece headliner are also part of the mix.
“We built WICKCAD to cruise the highways, and that’s what we have been able to do since completion,” Bruce says. We can’t think of a better reward than that.
Photos by John Jackson & Mike Harrington
