Welcome to the last installment of Keith Tardel's chop on the ol' 1939 Mercury convertible. Part I was all about the A pillars coming down a full 3 inches and massaging the posts to line back up. In Part II, Keith tackled the tricky top bows, not o... <BR><BR>To read the rest of this blog entry from The Jalopy Journal, click here.
A task deserved for the great ones! This is awesome! The look is perfect! Is the car going to be painted entirely or just the parts that were modified? I want to see the whole thing finished. - Fernando
Wow looks great! The only question I have is when the top folds down - now that it's lowered - will the top bows lay behind the seat still?
Do you have to lower the whole folding top mechanism into the car and/or widen the top? Please tell us!
Looks like s lot of work for a subtle upgrade. I hope people appreciate how much goes into chopping a folding top.
The answer is yes. That's why this was such a difficult task- Getting a chopped convertible top to still fold up correctly, remaining functional and yet look good when it's up. Like Keith said, there's a reason guys in the 40s and 50s just welded up a fixed Carson top... It was easier!!!
done it the puurdy way, can't even imagine how hard it is to do a chop job on an operating top of this size 'n' shape! hats off, well done! i will follow..
I find the most successful customs are the ones the 'general public' just assumes is the way it came stock. Great, tasteful modifications make the car look like it was actually born in that killer that way.
nuthin sexier than a tight top.. and then will go down easy in the back seat without a struggle .. we can assume that that each side is the same height well done job and well done teaser story thanks very much please complete this with a follow up pictorial..
very nice Jay! My head hurts just considering the geometry involved in making that happen. Keith, my hat is off to you my friend…Well done!
Beautiful craftsmanship. I though that car was perfect before, but Keith and Jay have found a way to improve on perfection. One question, will the new top fold down easier then the stock top?
amen to that. impressing the 5% that will notice what has been done is tough. i think your accomplishing that. looks killer...........
Jay - Can't hardly wait ... Your Merc is gonna be even more "Bitchin'-er-er" Keith - Nice work ... Well done!
Ya, great job, to be able to drive around in a cool chopped sled and put the top up or down as you wish! How nice is that! very important in the bay area weather. I hope I can see it in person someday at local show or maybe even on the road!
Really cool and a very complex looking job. I think a video showing the top bows moving up and down would be good to show the complexity of the movement. I'd love to see how the shorter bows actually make it back to their original stowage spot in the down position. It's really bringing out my inner engineering geek. Also, nice shot with the Bishop/Tardel Roadster in the background. I've read and re-read parts of that book so many times I feel like I know that car even though I've never actually seen it.