50 fleetline chop

do any one have an idea how to start a chop on the fleetline, i heard it was tough, but im gonna hopefully give it a shot.

 

First of all, you get out your masking tape and your sawzall..

Sorry, couldn't resist.....

 

you gotta figure what yo are going to do with the trunk first. I like the look of the stock trunk, but just lower the whole thing with the chop.

I bet if you searched here you could find a few pics of Fleetline chops in progress.

 

photoshop....tape....stand back and look take pics... look alot of back and forth looking

 

do a search, there have been a couple that have been covered here that ended real nice

 

There are a few differnet ways to go about about chopping a fleetline. Brad Masterson does it by chopping the top and lowering the whole trunk section into the body. I believe Rod and Custom magazine did an article on him and his chop a year or so back. I chopped my 1949 fastback Cadi which is a little similar 5 inch's by removing the dog leg in the rear window. Split the rear of the roof in a pie cut and lowering the lid. Wasn't too bad at all and it kept a killer roof line.

 

Well, did you?

 

Brian Bass is the master. check him out.

 

agreed...Brian Bass did an awesome job on one of these. Do a member search and search his posts.

 

The problem isn't starting it - cut the top off. The problem is finishing it so it doesn't look like shit. Research, research, research, and when you think you have a handle on it, research some more.

 

I say chop the suspension ,put that bitch in the weeds , the fleetline body looks great the way it is....just my .02

 

Forget the chop! Channel it!

 

check out bass kustoms, he's done a couple of killer fleetlines

 

if you have never done one do research before you do it! i think they look fine the way they look, just get it really low!!!!!!! but if you do chop it, it will look killer!!!!!!

 

Check this page out. I am currently preparing a 1949 Plymouth P-17 Fastback for the same process.

http://www.rodandcustommagazine.com/techarticles/0903rc_1950_chevy_chopped_top/photo_01.html

 

Bass is the master.check his posts.......pinup with a gun was right....channel it

this link will take you to an album on my profile where you will find pictures of our 51 Fleetline including the chop..........our 51 fleetline with a 6 inch channel......our 51 fleetline with suicide doors........our 51 fleetline with an S-10 front clip


http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/album.php?albumid=1403


we are more like baiters than masters. We spent a lot of time planning it, and it was afterwards, very anti climatic. Our's is more of a newer type custom ( wrong kind of tail lights ) but the operation seems to be the same

john


without being a smart ass, we used poster board with the window shape. we taped the poster board in place and left it there for a few weeks. Then we moved it and went through the same procedure. We were looking for a non-gangster looking chaop and ended up with a 2 3/4 inch chop at the windsheild. here is a pic of the poster board mockup

 

the best way is to clam shell the trunk area.. IN the post by resqd37Zep is really good pics of how to get it started.
Here's one done.... resting until it can go to media blast

 

here's few more pics..

 

Great looking chop!

 

im in the middle of doing my 49 right now i took the technique that bass used for roof his way keeps all the lines real nice but i didnt cut my trunk at all i layed my trunk down to the roof ill add a few pics i need to take some tomorrow at shop

 

I'm starting my chop on my 50 fleetline tomorrow, er I mean today. I'll leave some pics to show how it goes. It's gonna be interesting!