TECH WEEK: Chopping a 1947 Ford Sedan Coupe

Choptvan and I have combined efforts to finish a 1947 Ford Tudor Coupe (long door) that I have been working on and off for 10 years now. I have always envisioned this car being chopped but never thought I would do it. Everything I read in how-to books stated these turret top fords were almost impossible to get the chop done right. The turret top was just never my style but I feared in taking the first step. I also really hated the look of the small porthole quarter window some of them turn out having after being chopped.

The effort you see here was put forth to showcase some of Shannon’s (Choptvan) work and abilities. There is a lot of work being planned on this build and a separate build thread will be started. I decided to keep track of the work performed to show others that doing a chop on this kind of vehicle really is do-able and not out the reach of those reading these pages.

Shannon and I did a lot research on different chops for the Fat Fendered Fords and need to give credit to a lot of you on the HAMB for different ideas. Two people in particular made an unknown contribution, Mr.Musico and Packard8 on this board. We looked at some of the cuts they made on their 41’ Business Coupe and then added our own style. Shannon deserves all the credit and thanks for doing the cut on the 47 with just a little of my input.



Hope you all enjoy our submission for Tech Week March 2011.
　
　

1947 Ford Sedan Coupe Roof Chop
Pot-O-Gold Kustoms
Colorado Springs, Co
719-358-6981
March 2011 Tech Week Entry
By: Choptvan and 49Flatty​

Before attempting any cutting, bracing or measuring, you should make sure the rest of the body is in good enough shape to be chopped. The roof is a major structural point of the vehicle, once the roof is off; the rest of the body will just fold outwardly if not held together properly. Make sure the doors line up properly before starting or they might just be worse when you finish. With that said,

Let’s get this chop started by showing the subject in its formal self:









The inside shows where someone had cleaned off the inside and covered it in white paint









We started by sanding the outside of the vehicle of all paint and any surface rust for better tacking.





Take measurements in different areas and mark them with permanent marker for later reference. Here is a couple of measurements that we recorded.

Rear window 14" at the tallest point



The measurement between the body-line to top bottom of the rain gutter is 19" (Someone removed the rain gutter on this one before we got our hands on it)





Edge of Quarter Window to edge of deck lid opening 21.5"





The following measuring points are very important in order to maintain an even windshield opening. Create at "X" inside the windshield opening. Make a mark of where you are measuring from and to. Remember to not bend the tape measure in any way or it will give you and erroneous reading. We measured 48 ¾" corner to corner of window opening edge.







We also measured the height of the windshield opening at 17"

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Next, we measured and cut tubing to brace the inside of the body. If you want your chop to be come out right, do not skip this crucial step.















We also pulled out the rear window and added bracing to it to keep it from flexing and make it stay in the same shape. Note: We installed the bracing on the outside but in hindsight, installing the bracing on the inside of the window frame would have made future steps a little easier.



Next comes laying out the cut lines with tape. Since we wanted to make sure we still had a quarter windows when we finished the chop, we decided to best thing to do was to cut the windows out completely first and then reinstall it later to our liking. The arrows on the tape show which line of the tape to cut. Believe or not, that small step can make a huge difference when you are in the middle of making cuts.









We did not write how much we cut off the A pillars because to be honest, we had no idea how much we were going to cut off. Remember arrows point to which line to cut.





We used a couple of different tools to perform the following cuts. The ever popular and reliable Sawzall, an electric saw with a small metal blade (makes finer cuts and easier to control), a electric grinder with a cut off wheel attached to it.

Next, let the cutting begin.

We started with the quarter windows. Here you can see the process in action. The first picture shows where the electric grinder with cut off wheel was used to start the cuts and then the electric saw used to continue. The saw makes real fine line cuts which will be needed at a late time.











There is a lot of metal formed together at the top of the B Pillar. We cut straight through it and kept the curvature of the door opening with the quarter windows.

 

Once the quarters are out and you stop to look at what you have done while at the same time you wait for your heart rate to come down, go ahead of lob off the top of the doors.



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The next cut will be the back of the roof. I must note the before you make this cut, draw several vertical lines that you can use for reference at a later time. I added them after we started cutting it, but it worked ok. After the cuts are done, the roof will be real floppy. We used some clamps to hold it while we cut the A pillars. The Sawzall came in handy when cutting the A pillars as there is a lot of metal to go through.









This is where you end up after the last step:





The next cut is a very tedious one and you will the small electric saw for this one. We decided to cut it here to give us the best transition from deck lid to back window. There are two pieces of metal with very little room in between. The saw can only be inserted about ½" before the tip of it hits the next piece. Go slow and easy and you will get good results.







Here is roof in two pieces





Take a break, take a look at what you have accomplished and start thinking about how it is all going to go back together. You will need some help at this point to decide how much of the A pillar you are going to cut off. Have two people hold the roof at a point where you thing it will look the best to you. Once you are happy, mark it and measure out the same amount on both sides. Be careful, too much and you will be making a Bonneville Salt Flats racer. Once you decide, it is time to put the roof back on.

The next step is an important one and makes for a better union and a much stronger point. I have seen where the A pillars are butted against each other and then just tacked and welded together. If the car were ever to be in a situation where it flipped over, the roof would completely break off at that point offering no protection what so ever. We have drilled holes the remaining portion of the A pillar still attached the body. The small piece you took off the A pillar will be used to make the union.









Placing the roof back on the car, you will notice the A pillars do not quite match. A short relief cut will need to be made to the bottom of the A pillars to be able to move them in to match the roof pillars.



You will notice the piece you installed in the step above actually serve as a guide and holder for the front part of the roof. This method works out quite well actually. Once it is even, screw in some drilling screws to hold in place temporarily.

 

The next step will require a lot of patience and some extra eyeballs. No measuring here. You will have to mock up the back of the roof in a way to hold it even. You will have to give it the proper amount of rake that appeals to you. Once you are happy with it, weld up a jig to hold in place. We used a piece of exhaust tubing and welded some adjustable uprights to fine tune the roof height.





We then laid the rear portion of the roof unto the back of the car. Note how it had to be leaned forward and down at an angle to match the roof. The rear portion slid under the front portion of the roof. As advised previously, having the bracing for the back window on the inside on the window would have made this step a little easier on us.




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The area above the deck lid is now about 3 inches forward and leaned inward. This portion will be addressed later.





The over all shape was looking good so we drilled some holes and added some Clecos. (These are indispensable for a job like this). The overall roof line was looking great, but as you can see the vertical lines were off. This means the back portion of the roof was "clocked" to much to the right.









With a little finesse and more "patience" we were able to move the roof to the proper position. The front part of the roof kept wiggling side to side so we tacked the edge of it to the exhaust tubing to help keep in place.



Here is shot of the inside show how well the two roofs meet together.



Once all the Clecos are in place, you can cut the tack off so the rear can be located at the proper position. By proper position, you want the decklid, the area above the deck lid and the rear window to make a nice swooping curve. Too high or too low, the lines will not flow. Once you are happy, add some more clecos on the bottom of the C pillars to hold it in place. As you can see from the cut tack, our roof actually went up about a ¼ inch.




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A quick glimpse of the chop taking shape



The deck lid piece is next. Since the angle will be different now, cut slits along the edge of deck lid opening. This will allow you to push down the lip to meet the correct angle.







Once at a better angle, tack them in place

 

We cut a piece of sheet metal wide enough to cover the open area created by sliding the roof forward and long enough to reach each side





We highlighted the areas the need to get formed. We used a buck Shannon had made previously for such a job. The key to this portion is to make sure the metal does not lift up as you are forming it. We drilled and installed Clecos along the way starting in the middle and worked our way out. You have to install the piece using the clecos, remove it, form it a little at a time, reinstall it with the clecos and check the fitment. This is very tedious and slow but well worth it. Might I suggest two cleco pliers and two people to install them; it cuts the time in half.








Here is the final shape





















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Think that was it? You are only 1/3 of the way done!!
Next is getting fitting all the panels and cutting off the excess.


Use the electric grinder with the cut off wheel and start a cut on top. Make a small "T" with another cut.





The previous cuts will allow you to see where the metal needs to cut from inside the vehicle. Finish cutting the bottom metal from "T" cut. Continue toward the front of the car and be careful not to cut through to the upper overlapping metal.

 

The reason for doing it this way you might ask. Overlapping the metal might seem like a good idea but eventually will get rust and moisture in between the two pieces of metal and it will rust. Not to mention all the mud that will be needed to fix the step.

As one person is using the electric saw from the top, the person inside the car, wearing gloves, face shield and safety goggles I might mention, is pulling the cut off portion away from the saw. This procedure leaves a small and perfectly matching line which can be tacked, welded and metal finished. The clamps help it hold the panels in place as the cut is being performed.











Once tacked in place, start on the other side.



Note the lines that were drawn on the roof prior to cutting it off are close to matching even if 6 inch piece was taken out.







Next is the crucial step that will make or break this chop; the quarter windows.

The pictures are of the left and the right, in various steps, but I felt this illustrated the steps better.

Take the one piece quarter window and cut it into two pieces. One will retain the original upper corner to match the factory corner on the door. The other will be used to make the rear corner of the quarter window.





There is a small piece of metal that is forms a "u" where the b pillar attached to the roof previously. This will need to be removed.






A pie cut will need to made to the B pillar that is still attached to the car in order to meet the lowered roof at the correct angle and then tacked in place.





You will need to lay the front portion of the quarter window on the car and estimate how much you will need to remove from the bottom in order to meet the car’s b pillar properly.



Window is starting to take shape but the front edge does not match the vertical angle. It is hitting in the back edge of the roof.





Mark and cut off the offending piece



Getting closer, just need to fine tune it now



Once you have in place, put in a couple of Clecos and on to the next step.

 

Time to make the length of the quarter window count.

Attempt #1



Attempt # 2 – getting closer



Attempt #3 – 3rd time is a charm. I think we got it.



Start making slices on the back corner and it will slowly start to make its own curve. Start in the middle and work in both directions. Once you have the shape you want, tack it in place


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Put in place and get the quarter window opening to flow smoothly all the way around. Hold it place with a couple of Clecos and tack in place. Here is the outcome







The same procedure you used on the two roof portions is used here. Cut a line between the two over lapping pieces and a fine line will come out that can be tacked and welded.







One you are happy with it, make a template of the window opening to use for the other side. This will assure both sides match



We could not resist mocking up the fenders and front clip to get a better idea of the overall look.













Next is completing the deck lid connector piece. After forming it to the contours, the same procedure applies that was performed the rest of the panels. Using the saw electric saw, cut the overlapping metal so a single line remains. Then tack along to hold everything in place






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Finish tacking the piece in all the way around







The last part the remains is relatively easy compared to the rest. The door tops and the extension you will need to make to connect the two. The problem with the 42-48 doors and possibly others is that top of the door is tapered. It is not the same thickness in the front that it is in the back. Thankfully, the sides of the back of door is about 2 ½ inches thick. This is where you realize that everything is just going to work out fine.



Measure along the top of the door piece you cut off earlier and find where exactly it measures 2 ½ inches across. Mark your line and make a straight cut right at that measure point.


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You will now have the rear upper part of the door on its own. You will need to figure out how much off the bottom you will need to cut to make the doors fit the car. Remember the piece you cut off the bottom is the same piece you will be using to connect the upper portion of the door.



You will to cut down the front of the door frame as well. This portion I found is a fitting type of job and a lot of patience is needed. A stationary belt sander does wonders to filing down the metal to make it fit perfectly. Remember to make some relief cuts at the bottom of the door posts to compensate for the new inward angle. We also used paint sticks taped the upper door portion to avoid going to high and having the doors hit the body.

Once you get the final fitting and filing on the door posts, we used a thick metal ruler and some C-clamps to hold everything together. This also allowed us to measure out the piece we needed to connect the two.





We found the piece was a little higher at top but the bottom contour fit perfectly. A quick little cut separated the metal and we were able to tap down the piece to meet the same level of the sides. Then it was tacked in place.





A quick grind off the top and the folded metal came apart.



The excess piece was lowered slightly down and tacked in place.



Re-measure the front window to make sure it is still square and rosette-weld the holes.










The end result:














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Thanks for taking the time to read this entire post. Hopefully it will give someone the courage to chop their stock height top and make it something unique.

 

Nice work, you have laid out the step by step process well, I liked the idea of having a 'splint' inside the A pillars.

Cheers

OB

 

Superb chop great thread thanks

 

Great job - well explained!

 

Thanks, we have a lot of plans for this one.

 

This is the first time I've heard one of these cars called a "long door" coupe. After 50+ years fooling around with hot rods for both business and hobby, have I missed the fact that Ford made two different coupes from '46 to '48?

 

nice chop hard to believe henry didnt do it that way to begin with.....

 

There is a business coupe which had much smaller doors, I almost want to say the four door front door is the same, but I have never verified it. This long door coupe shares the same door as the two door sedan I believe.

 

Very nice work guys.

 

Nice fabrication , but I don't think these Fords look right chopped. Just one man's opinion.

 

Great work !

 

Whether or not you're a fan of the '41-48 Fords being chopped, I believe this is the best step-by-step thread I've ever seen. So much good information and documentation that anyone could take these pictures and chop more or less to their taste.

And chops should ALL have sleeves in the pillars...I know very few do it that way, probably because it is kind of a PITA.

Thanks for sharing a great, easy to follow start to finish chop!

 

Really nice job guys,I love those cars chopped.SilentRic has one chopped with a hemi in it ,chop was done several years ago

 

Thank you gentlemen. Just goes to show that anyone can do it. I appreciate all the input.

 

The inserts in the " A " pillar actually assist in returning the strength to the cut areas. This is how new cars are repaired in the "A "s and "B "s. Actually makes it stronger than it came from the factory. Just be sure to prep everything correctly.

 

Great Tech ... thanks!

 

Awesome job! The profile looks spectacular. With that said I would have chopped the back window opening also, in my opinion it looks out of porportion. The opening is way taller than the rest of the window openings. I like the way the A pilars were reinforced, seems it would be allot stronger that way.

 

Interesting perspective. Might have something to do with the way I took the pictures. The window openings are within 1/2" of each other.

 

the back glass also looks to be curved an tempered. Did not want to mess that up at all.

 

Killer

 

thank you.

 

I own a LD '46 ford coupe (too) & found this to be a very well thought out, informative tech thread.

Although I'll keep my lid stock I dig the final look. Very nicely done.

PACO

 

Great chop, and a very well put together tech thread! Thanks for taking the time to post this!