I am building a 48 Plymouth coupe. I am really stuck between chop or no chop. Its been my dream to own a chopped coupe but I dont want to get in over my head with the project. I love the way the Plymouth coupes look but to see one with a smooth flowing chop gets my blood flowing. I have searched high and low and cant find very many pictures of chopped 46-48 ply coupes. I want to go with red satin paint and white upholstery. Somebody please shoot me in the right way with info on how to get started and even pictures of a build. I will post a picture of my car. Photoshop if you can. Im new so forgive if I have over looked an old thread about this same subject. Thanks! Rick
Here are a couple of photoshops that were done for me on here. Stock, Lowered with Skirts, Lowered with Skirts and Mild Chop
That's actually a fairly easy car to chop by the looks of it. If you can't find anything on chopping a 48 plymouth, there are plenty of chop threads here on other models. Read as many as you can, much of what you'll learn will apply to yours as well, and study your car carefully, decide how you want it to look, use chalk or something and mark off what you think needs cut to make it happen. Ultimately though, you just gotta plunge in and start choppin'. Be honest with yourself about your skill level, and your dedication, and remember, mistakes can be fixed, so don't throw any pieces away. Good luck That ^ one looks great!
It's a 41 I think and not a 48 but the it has the look. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=515752&page=3[/B] Third page of BadBob's motorama thread. Those cars look great chopped if you don't overchop them.
Looks like a 46-48 to me. 41s had a different front grill and ridges on the fenders. Try; www.allcars central.com and also google 'fotki'. You can spend hours there.
It's not an easy chop. Some friends and I chopped a friend's 48 Plymouth Coupe 4" up front, 5" out back over at my shop. The A-pillars lined up perfectly and required no splicing, stretching, or anything. The B-pillars being slanted are easy to relocate, but it takes a little massaging to get the door gap right, no big deal. The rear window area is hard because of the complex curves. I laid the rear window forward at the top, but the bottom remained in the stock spot. It lined up really well. I sliced the roof front to back above the rear window to take the crown out of the roof and get it to match the rear window shape. But shaping the panels behind the quarter glass/roof/rear window is a little bit of a chore. Also, the factory leaded seam runs up from the tops of the rear fenders and to the roof line, so keep that in mind. Also, the body reveal on the window surrounds is a pain to work with, it takes patience. Oh and we eliminated the rain gutter and will be running round rod as a new drip rail. The car isn't done yet, but it's making progress. All in all, not as easy as a Shoebox Ford or 49-54 Chevy, but not too hard if you make the right cuts and plan ahead. Here's some pics... Virgin Steel... A-Pillar after cut & dropping top back down, it only needed to be cleaned up before welded. B-Pillar After being moved back to match lower side & door. Just tacked in. You can see the lines of the bottom & top, and how the metal needs to be trimmed & added to get things lined up. Low B-pillar was now wider than the top since they taper up. I spliced them, pinched them, and welded them up. A-Pillar close up. Close fit. Just made it even on both sides and welded it up. It only required a little bit of grinding on the winshield lip to get them to match perfectly. Driver's Side before the B-Pillars were addressed. Driver's Side Angle Rear Window laid down on top. The big gaping hole is what needed to be filled and caused the most frustration... How it sits now. We tacked the gaping hole up with steel, but it came out rough, so I smeared filler all over it to pull a flexible shape pattern and make a new section on the english wheel. We haven't pulled the pattern yet, since there are 1000 other things the car needs mechanically before finishing the metalwork. HAMBer "RustyChrome" (his car) looking back, and HAMBer "sponge" scoping the new profile...
i struggled with the 'chop or not to chop question too'. i think if the overall look of the car can be IMPROVED by chopping it, it's a good idea. it think your car lends itself well to a chop. you can go mild, start at 2-3 inches and lay it down. just make sure you know what you want before you start. i spent a year researching and planning my first chop.
Also, here's some pics I saved of other 46-48's while contemplating how to attack the roof chop on the '48...
Even though it's photoshopped, this is the best proportioned Club Coupe chop I've seen. If you could bring it off in metal, it would be an awesome car. The Club Coupe, which is what you have, is very awkward in stock form and therefor presents a difficult task to chop. The Business Coupe, on the other hand, is graceful in stock form and is far easier to chop successfully. I have never seen a Club Coupe chop that I've liked. Most have either been cut too hard, while others have failed to address the awkward factor and have come out lower, but still awkward. I may be old fashioned, but I'd rather see a car with a stock top than a car with a top chop that looks "squished". That's why my '48 Business Coupe still has a stock roof. You have certainly picked a tough body style for your first chop effort...if you decide to go through with it. My suggestion: don't. Not until you've got a few easy chops under your belt.'' Just my $.02
Agreed with Missy'sdad. THAT is a very sherp car! Some look over chopped. I think it's the cars big ass. "Does this chop make my ass look big?"
Thanks for the pictures. I guess if I never start I wont chop. Will you keep me updated with picture of the build. I have a long time friend that has been chopping cars for years. He wants me to leave it alone but will help if I need it. Like many say here on the hamb "it's only metal". Thanks for your reply! Rick
Thanks... I did that photoshop image some time ago. These cares can look very good chopped. But its not an easy chop to do, and get right. Paul Bragg also did one a long time ago. Unfortunately the car was never finished most likely was scrapped.... Click the photo below to see a few more.
Piece of Cake, you should be able to knock it out in 20 mins tops. If you can't then you suck and should sell it.
I am almost done with mine. 4" up front, 6" in the back. Do a search for "47 plymouth chop" and look at Los Punk Rod Daves thread. Very helpful. If your up in the air about it you might as well save yourself a lot of time and work and leave it. Rethink it again later.
these cars do look great with a chop .. a picture of mine still1/2 done .. 4 DOORS ARE COOL ...CHOPPED ....
Most chops of the club coupes seem to shrink the rear quarter window. The photoshopped picture still has the quarter window full size and that helps it look right. Otherwise, the roof looks too wide and is out of proportion. If you have to think about it that hard, save yourself a lot of work, get it cruising, and then re-think the chop if its still on your mind. You said yourself your buddy that has done a lot of chops recommends you leave it alone, take his advice, at least until you drive it and know you want to invest the time to chop it. Might be only metal, but once cut, its a lot of work to undo. Gene
If you can find a pic of Eric Maaske's (RIP friend) '47, I think it is one of the nicest late 40's Plymouth's I've seen.
Wow! This car has great lines! It started out as a Business Coupe which has a very different top shape than the Club Coupe. The Business coupe's got no back seat, smaller quarter windows, flat rear glass, longer deck lid and less "hump" in the top...a pretty car even unchopped. This chop is particularly nice, in my opinion, because it retains the sexy drip rails and stock "B" pillar angle...and because it's not over-chopped. The Club Coupe has huge quarter windows, huge curved rear glass, short deck lid and a big hump in the roof over the heads of the rear seat passengers. Looks okay stock, but would require real talent to make it look good when chopped. Good luck!
I think the coupe is a great looking car! Its different, not that many killer examples, and a great platform for a custom. They are cheap enough, and buried everywhere just waiting to be cleaned up. Wait , what am I talking about - sell it. Sell it cheap, dont tell anybody how cool they are!!!
Saw this one at the HAMB drags 3 or 4 years ago....... Another (from carnut.com)......... Another........ I prefer not chopped........
The Jalopy Journal
