BODY, A fool chops at home. Step-by-step photos.

[OGNC]

This thing is going to be really cool when you get it all finished up! Wanna do a 42 pickup next... J/K

[daign]

One of the best posts in a while. Awesome Cleatus. Love how you attacked it all yourself. One of the most involving chops I've seen.

Great job. Did you get any pictures of it at Paso? I've yet to see it complete...

-Dane

[manyolcars]

That is Great. About how much time did this take? The roof, chop, windshield, etc-

[cleatus]

Here's a shot of the car at Paso Robles. I just barely got the car running in time to make it, but Paso was my goal for the last year or more, so I was a maniac during the last few months trying to get it driveable (thanks go to elPolacko for helping me solve my brake problems).

[Elrod]

Oh man!!! That green car is this??? SHIT! Congratulations!!!!

[cleatus]

Manyolkars, it is hard to calculate how much time it took me to chop, I would work on it for a while and then when I was unsure of the next step, or just burnt out, I would work on some other part of the car for a while. I can say this car took up a most of my free time over the past 4-1/2 years. Thanks to my wife for her understanding and support!

Another shot from Paso. Eventually it will have a hood - I just have not got that far yet, since the hood will need to be widdened and modified to match the 37 Caddy grill I swapped into the front (that was a whole 'nuther huge ordeal changing all the front sheet metal to make that work).

[Hellfish]

that car is awesome! and you're an amatuer? you must have natural abilities! I hope my 48 turns out half as good.

[DrJ]

That's a beautiful top line.
Great work!
Especially moving the windshield up into the turret.

I'd like to see a detail of where the "A" pillar door-window frame stops and the roof frame addition starts and how the door glass fits regarding a weatherstrip and what the glass "stops" against, or whether the glass still goes up into what was the door-window frame channel (which would require opening the window before opening or closing the doors)
Or does it not have door glass?

[cleatus]

No side glass yet Doc, but I am beginning working on that now - have put a lot of thought into it all as I went tho' and I think it will work out fine.

It will still have wing windows and the new door frames I am making will stay up while the glass rolls up and down inside them. I will make them so they just clear underneath the roof when sutting the doors and come to touch a rubber gasket that will just barely hang down from inside what was once the tops of the doors.

The 1/4 glass will slide into a channel and have a curved leading with a frame around it to match the one for the doors - sorta like the Metranga car - but a little different.

Here's the only photo I have on hand of the area you are requesting:

[burndup]

OH, HELL YEAH!

Badass.
Liar, that CAN'T be your first chop!

[DrJ]

That's areally nice resolution to that door pillar.
I was just trying to visualize your stainless? window frames and the frames on a first generation Datsun 240Z came to mind (because I have the frames and door glass in my "collection I guess) You might want to check one out to see what kind and how big of an inner flange/lip they used on hte body and the shape of the rubber weather strip, just for an idea, design inspiration. Also, about any Corvette since '68. A lot of cars had frameless door glass in the 70's. Most of them the rubber was huge and ugly but worth looking at to see how or even how not to do it.
I'm sure your sollution will be as tastful as the rest of the car so far...
I gotta see it some time!!!

[DrJ]

What are those door mirrors???!!!

[CURIOUS RASH]

<font color="green">I saw a guy this weekend that did a hardtop conversion on a similar beast.

Although yours is WAY more refined.

He solved the window deal with Electronics.

Not TRAD I know but it was some cool engineering.
when you worked the door handle, the window rolled down enough to clear and then a solenoid popped the door open.

Just a thought.

NICE WORK! </font>

[rickyracer1962]

how much did you take out of the roof? looks good. post more photos!

[CharlieLed]

NICE JOB! Thanks for taking the time to post your photos....

[Curt Six]

Awesome post...and one of the nicest kustoms I've seen. It's especially nice because it isn't one I've seen done quite like that before.

Do you have any detail or in-progress shots from when you welded the patch in place over the rear window to contour the original roofline into the new back window surround? I noticed in one shot you had a strip of sheet metal in place...did you cut out more of the original roof? When adding metal across the width of the roof like that (or on the front like you did) is it best to work from one side to the other, or is it best to do a little on each side and work toward the center? I'm not familiar enough with the way metal behaves under that kind of heat, but I'm going to have to do some similar work on my chop and I'm terrified of warping the metal.

Thanks again for the great post.
Curt

[DrJ]

The first factory stainless door window frames like what you're describing were on the 41-42 Cadillac Fleetwood 60 Special that a "rookie" Bill Mitchel designed. They called it the convertible look.
Thought you might like to look at the history of the breed; http://www.car-nection.com/yann/dbas_txt/Phocad42.htm

[NoSurf]

Nice.

Someday someone's gonna say "I chopped it like the Cleatus Chevy" and they will reply "Oh, yeah, cool."

[bdrake]

You did good, looks nice.

[cleatus]

Oh yeah....I guess it would be good to say how much it was cut: 4" in front / 5" in back.

Doc: those mirrors are something I found at a swap which appear to be old aftermarket items that have "AECO - Hollywood" cast into the base. I have not seen another pair exactly like them.

Rash: I client/friend of mine is building a 49 Merc that will use the electronic partial roll down before opening the doors feature (from a BMW). He is even doing curved side glass in it (cut from a Yukon windshield I think) to match the curve of the door. Definitely not a traditional styled car, but it will be very cool when he is done with it. But that all seemed way too complicated for my more basic building skills, so I am using the low-tech approach.