I’m 15 years old. I’m also chopping my shoebox. Cutting is the easy part piecing it back together is the hard part. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I never paid that much attention to that car because I think the fins are goofy, but that roofline is pretty sweet. I wonder if, instead of adding the fins, you could accomplish the same thing with a clamshell with a second set of rear fenders to fill the gap to the trunk opening. Not sure I'm making sense, but it might make for nicer, small round fins. Might be an interesting way to end up with a nicely chopped coupe (words that I don't usually put together).
there used to be a guy on here with a red and silver chopped '51 coupe. think his name was geeman51 or something like that. nicest chop i've ever seen on a coupe. anybody have pictures?
You Bet. Think about it for a moment. The A post is slanted on most cars and the B post is vertical. When the Fixed length of the Roof comes down something has to move in order to get both posts back together. That is the common reason the B post gets leaned forward, as well as the top slid forwaard. To "not" do that the rook skin must be lengthened as well as the door top. The roof skin isn't a big deal gut the complexity of the door frame is more than most can do properly. To do that the easy way using a top off another door makes it Kids play with just one seam somewhere in the middle. Also a second roof skin will make streching the top a one seam job instead of a wide band and two seams. I also do Not lean the vertical post inboard to adjust for things getting narrower. I think it makes cars look like a Pin Head. Not good from my point of View. The Wizzard
I about read your explanation a good 10/15 times. Even had to Google "roof skin" but I get it know and sure am glad I do. This always was going around in my head why some guys approach a chop different ways. The easy way is not the best way, and the best way take more time. I appreciate the time you took out to explain it, I light bulb went off in my head around the 14th 15th time hahaha. Thanks Wizz! Sent from my SM-J727T1 using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Sorry for not being more clear. Sometimes what is ratteling around in my Head don't come off of my Fingers very well. The Wizzard
See now I think these cars look downright goofy sectioned. Chopped correctly, nothing tops 'em. Hacked up with a bad chop or bad proportions, nothing looks worse.
Here is a prime example of my comment in my prior post here. I guarantee you the owner and builder of this Car just Love's it. I'm sure many of those reading and looking at this Shoe Box like it. I see a car that looks like it belongs in Toon Town. What I see is a Car way over Chopped and no regards to good lines. The roof skin above the windshield opening is way to tall for the size of the glass. They did this big sweeping Radius on the Hood corners that doesn't work well with the corners of the grill right below it. With the Hood corners over done they then left the top corners of the door Factory radius, the only change is to fit the new angles. The Roof skin just drops off at the B post and has no Flow at all (looks just bent down) making the space from the back window to the front of the Deck lid seem to go on forever (yes I know some like that). The second photo of the car looks more like a Ute with an exaggerated quarter window that got damaged. I understand I'm way out on a limb here with my own point of view but working with dictated lines generally work better than trying something totally different and just plain missing all marks. I have several times before described some Kustom's as looking like being built in a narrow one Car garage with no windows and one dim light bulb. For my taste this one fits right there. So for a newcomer to Kustom work look at this car and each point I made and just think about it. I understand some are just tired of the standard Chop style from way back, that's okay. They shouldn't all be the same but think before going out in Left field. You have to be careful mixing to many new things together in one vehicle. The Wizzard
Sometimes less is more... I’ve been looking at pictures for years of shoebox fords.. looking for that perfect chop, especially for my 51 coupe.. to be honest for the past month or two I’ve been really digging the look of this coupe.. it’s one of a few that changed my mind about chopping mine... Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
The above car is a sweet looking shoebox. I didn't see the obituary of who died and anointed Pist-n-Broke the be-all, know-all authority in charge of how to chop customs. Probably not a harder car on the planet to chop than a shoebox coupe. Certainly not everyone cup of tea for sure. So while imparting here your vast knowledge of the proper way to chop tops, please post and further educate us with some pictures of these perfect customs you have either built or own. Thanks Sent from my SM-G955U using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Pipes; The day may come when I cut the roof on my Merc. Like you I've been keeping an eye out for that one job that blows me away. Haven't seen it yet so back when I found the H.A.M.B. I started a file folder for all the Chopped Merc's that showed up so I could go back and see what I didn't care for and the few items I really liked. Then I started combining them into a picture of a car that didn't exist at all. Ya know I still haven't come up with that perfect vision to work towards. I do know I like vertical B pillers and not to lean in the window section to bring it into the narrower width of the Roof. Yes it's more work but you don't end up with a Pin Head looking window section. Ya still gotta balance out the length of the Quarter window to door glass and I'm of the School of thinking that the Vent window needs to stay and work when it's all done. When it's all said and done just like all my other vehicles people will look and point and have there own ideas of what they do and don't like about it, I'm just fine with that. The Wizzard
MercDuceMan; There is no One way to do a job, just different ways. You want to see some of my work just do some search right here. I'm never going to please everyone with my way either. I don't believe I told anyone what you should do or not do just pointed out what I see in the photos that don't work for me. Din't mean to Offend ya. Yes I know how much work it takes no mater the outcome. The Wizzard
We all have different tastes and opinions. Owned this car for years, sold it two years ago this month. And still yet to see another coupe chopped like it. It was done many years ago with a gas welder, and no, I don't know who did it. I bought this car for the chop, had to do a lot of work to it otherwise.
Here's one that I cut a couple years ago. Three inches, straight down. No slanted posts, rear popout quarter windows full length at the bottom. It's still missing the windshield trim in this pic.
This coupe has "the look", IMHO. I'm with Piston/Broke about coupes looking better unchopped, BUT this coupe just has it.
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