errr... should I say NOW it is vertically challenged?? Per request it's time for an update. Got some more work done and the car came out a little shorter... Got lots of pics and lots of stuff to talk about. Bear with me again. Okay, the Murray was just too tall. Now that the length is taken care of it's time for the height to get taken care of to bring it into proportion. LOTS of work and it's not done yet, but I'll do a "part I" for now. So let's start where we left off last time: the right length and the WRONG height... Before just going crazy and whacking the full 4 inches out of the roof I needed to make sure I was actually going to be able to SIT in this thing after the roof came down. Keep in mind that the body gets channeled 4 inches also. So, I needed to do some measuring. I ran some tape across the open span to create kind of a... say... headliner I guess. Then constructed a make-shift plywood seat that would give me an accurate seat height as well as head height. Things looked pretty tight. The Murray body is about 1-3/4 inches shorter than a standard Tudor or Briggs Fordor Model A sedan already. So a 6 or 8 inch chop is out from the start. So, to be "safe" I made an additional mark for a 3 inch chop. We'll start at 3 inches and then an additional inch will come out if possible. So here goes... chop chop! How's that for cutting it up!? Hold on.... more to come!
You've really done an ingenious piece of work with that thing. I'm particularly interested to see how you will resolve the wheel wells where they intersect the doors.
Now that the roof is off as well as the 3 inches time to start the fitting. A second person REALLY helped for this!! Fitting and marking, fitting and marking, fitting and... etc. etc. Then tacked things in place carefully while making sure things line up every time. Thanks to Tredboy for his help! Made things go smooth! We've got his to do next, so this was a good learning experience! Pics of the roof before fitting and tacking Looks MUCH better!!!!! Now onto to the welded pics... hold tight!
Okay, things tacked... Cutting the front half of the roof off was required since the front pillars are slanted. What better time to do it than before lining up before welding. With things seperated, here's the missalignment of the front pillars. A single pie cut from top to bottome as well as a relief cut at the base took care of the angle. I expected a LOT worse, but it too care of it. More pics to come in a minute... keep holding on!
Hopefully not taking up too much bandwidth. I know the pics are a little big... Oh yeah... I forgot to mention... after dropping the roof on and taking more head height measurements we found that things were going to be WAAAY tight. An additional inch was not going to happen. The car keeps only a 3 inch chop. I plan on driving this thing on trips and things. Comfort is important... at least to some degree... There was a width missalignment on the front half/pillars as well. There was a lot of play with the windshield frame, so taking an 1/8 inch out of the header wasn't going to be a big deal. Cutting the header in half also made fitting the pillars easier as well. Here's the fitment... The gap created by the slanted pillars entangled with the chop. Pillars tacked... The header split and supported while the pillars tacked... And that's where she sits for now. Next: - splice in the pieces for the 1/2 inch gap above the doors created from the slant window (will use the rear door headers I cut out for the donor slice) - finish the windshield header - fit and finish the door tops (they will also need a donor slice) - fit upper roof sides - re-fit rain gutters. - chop the windshield frame - sub-floor structure - and of course those wheel wells Thoughts and decisions on components: - Ordering blackwall Firestones this week so a mock-up can be done - next big purchase is the Winters quick change and early Ford bell conversion for pullout axles and 9" drum brakes (need to sell my Triumph first, anyone interested) - split the wishbones - 4" dropped Magnum (will drill it) and splindles - Wilson brakes (finned or Lincolns, not sure yet) Lots more work to do! I'll post another update after the roof is done. Thanks for checkin' it out... Scooter
This project just gets better and better! A while back I mentioned you might want to look around at some '50's era hoods for doner pieces for the old wheel well openings. Here are two shots of half a 49-52 Chevy hood.
I think the rear window looks fine. Without the additional inch cut it is still a pretty big window. Thanks for the pics!
Yeah, the section that I have marked up was for the four inch chop. Since I stayed with the three inches it won't get the one inch section below the window. I would have loved to go the extra inch, but I getting in and out and my big fat head was going to be close to the ceiling. My giant fro' will be flat against the ceiling... don't want no "Soul Glow" drippin' from the ceiling! (sorry! Watching "Coming to America" right now)
Hmm... the possibility is there if I can find the right panels. Making it myself would be a learning experience too... or it could be a disaster!! Thanks for the pics man!
Thanks guys! Hopefully another update at the end of next weekend or the following. Need to really take my time with the rest of the chop/splicing job. Sort of tedious stuff.
ive got a 49-54 chevy p/u hood if you need it for pieces let me know it looks killer one hell of a job main
Thanks tatts! If I end up going that route I will come check out that hood and the other projects hangin' around in the man cave.
"The Murray Kid" , hehe. Just caught that. Right on, don't think this car needs a radical chop. Looks good.
Where did you store the 35? I see the rifle is still hanging on the peg board. Nice job on the chop. Wish I was around to give a hand.-
HAHA!!!!! What's up man?!! The 35 is in storage with all the extra Model A parts. Man, it's expensive to have a storage unit here big enough for a car!! Bry... go here real fast and do an intro next to Jesse James so these guys don't eat you for lunch! http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=18
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