Technical ANY PICS OF A 1955 FORD CUSTOMLINE CHOP IN PROGRESS?

Just wondering how complex of a chop it is on this car?

The wife is going crazy on her 55 build. I am flattered that she thinks I have the skills. I, on the other hand am skeptical of my abilities.

I would think the hardtop would be much easier, but I have a post car to contend with. Pics of finished cars are appreciated.

 

as you know, not a common project to find - a couple of years ago looked at a chopped '56 Ford. but, in lower passenger side corner there was a 3" crack in windshield. Seller did not do chop so, not knowing what been done to do the chop walked away. how to deal front/rear glass should be the top priority.

 

Agreed. The glass always terrifies me. Next to that is the stainless around the glass.

 

I'd leave it alone. Not all cars need to be chopped. Like a HAMBer said in a post recently "don't F--- with something that doesn't need it".

 

You can always do a 'factory' chop... by using a '56 Hardtop front glass. They're 2" lower than the sedans, that just leaves the rear glass to deal with.

Or go whole hog, and use a complete '56 hardtop roof but retaining the posts. That would get them talking at shows...

 

It would depend on how you want to chop it. You could pull the back of the top forward and build a filler panel, kind of like how a 55 Chevy is between a hardtop and sedan. Or you leave the location of where the rear glass meets and then extend the top. I would look into the hardtop glass height as it was mentioned before. A 55 hardtop is almost completely different than a 56 hardtop. You might also check the height of a 55 Crown Vic windshield. I am not as versed on a Ford as a Chevy but from pictures it looks like the Crown might be a little lower than the other tops.

 

I’m not totally onboard with the chop. It is a ton of work. We will see.

 

This would be an ambitious project no matter what method you select. The glass fitness issues are significant in themselves. If your car was a Victoria, you could consider a 56 Victoria donor to get the entire greenhouse including side glasses, and swap it for yours. As stated by others in here, the 56 roofline is lower than the 55, giving it somewhat of a factory chop look. Your Customline's posts and side glass dimensions may be an issue depending on what you do. Don't forget - if you decide to graft on a different roof, a 55 or 56 Merc Montclair two door hardtop is low like the 56 Ford, and the same.
If it was me, I'd find a donor car with good glass and trim, and do the swap. A friend of mine is building a 55 Merc Montclair "Crown Victoria" using 56 Crown donor greenhouse components - looks super nice so far, think I'm going to do the same thing over the coming winter.
Good luck with whatever you decide to do - would be cool done.

 

1956 hardtop roofline is lower than '55 post. (Not just Crown Vic, all hardtops). It is about 4" difference I believe. The 2 inch difference is '55 vs '56 hardtop. Sedans are higher still.
So...get a '56 hardtop windshield and cut the posts to fit and go from there.
I think a post car would be easier than a hardtop to chop, but it might involve cutting the roof into pieces and welding back together.
It would be a lot of work. A LOT.
Only you can decide if it is worth it. Maybe request a photoshop to decide if you like the look?

 

No.....and no....

 

A Google search found these two.
If you look close you will notice the tan one has the windshield cut in half (seam is visible in the middle). No idea what is up with that?
I agree with the above post that a whole different roof might be better?

 

Yeah, those are all I could come up with as well.

 

I helped chop a 53 Merc....it was never finished...looked like Godzilla stepped on it....some cars shouldn’t be chopped and this is one of them...sorry

 

I hear ya. That's why I am asking.

 

A friend chopped a 48 Chevy coupe. Even after applying at least 50 # of mud it still looked like shit. Can't imagine how the owner felt about it.

 

you would defiantly have to cut the top into pieces for chopping. How many pieces depends on how you want the glass to lay and fit. The windshield might have posts vertical enough to avoid having to cut the front section into two, but the back would have to be cut into 2 vertically and then a section in the middle would have to be added stretch the top to keep side glass proportions in check. When restoring Taboo, for the hell of it, I taped off the top for a 1 1/2" chop, so I could use hardtop glass and it would have involved cutting the top into about 4-5 pieces and filling the gaps. Also laid out a 2" section at one point too.

 

My 2 cents.
After 54 most of the cars became harder to chop. Curved front glass as well as curved back glass that you really couldn't lay forward to meet the lower roof.
On ones that I have seen chopped the rear glass is usually moved forward and goes up into the lowered roof more. That takes some of the "Hump" out of the rear of the roof like you see in those two pics that were posted. It also gives you a bigger "Catwalk" area between the rear edge of the trunk lid and the rear glass.
Another thing that works on some these era cars is to turn the rear window upside down allowing it to lean forward.
And of course there is the cutting of the front glass. But as has been posted you can get around that by using Hardtop front glass. If it's your first chop I would try to enlist the help of some one that has done chops before. There is a lot more to them then most of the incomplete u-tube videos show.
Good luck and keep us posted.
JMHO
Torchie

 

You might want to PM @Officer_Bimbeau He is thinking about chopping a 55 Sedan and has been collecting pics to mull it over before whacking anything.

 

My friend Russ just finished his Royal Crown. He would be a grate guy to get first hand info from. I'm pretty sure he did not quarter the roof. Some how he's able to make this stuff easy. Pays to know what your doing.

 

What I have gathered is I should have held out for a 56 Crown Vic. I’m not chopping this car. I’ll just work with what I have. Lesson learned.

 

I did one in 1996 before cell phone cameras. Was the biggest mistake I ever made. Ended up turning it into a roadster. I will never do it again, big mistake

 

It is a twenty first century idea that all cars must be chopped. EVERY pic I've ever seen of a chopped '55 Ford post car looks bad. You are correct to be hesitant.

 

The car looks great with what you’ve done..a perfect mild Kustom!

 

Have no regrets.
What could be sweeter?
https://kustomrama.com/wiki/Jerry_Koller's_1955_Ford

 

I have that car on my background. It’s one of my favorites.

 

A couple I saw a few years back in Japan.

 

^^^ Makes my point. Stock is better than the three above.

 

Look at the car in the picture just of above the last three. Stock looks way better then chopped cars.

 

I agree, leave it alone. Buy your wife a big driving hat that needs the headroom.