Man...! I'm considering how to cut up my '50 Buick with the same roofline. I'll be keeping an eye on this one! The comment about the crown in the roof is a good one- I've eyeballed mine a few times and that's the conclusion I reached- The roof is too 'fat' above the windshield and when I chop it, some of that excess will have to come out. How that will happen, I've yet to figure out. But, I've got time...and now I can wait to see how you deal with it. Awesome work as always Amigo... ~Scotch~
nice job man i dig it alot...might i ask y u cut the top off right there? are u not gonna lean the trunk forward? one of the main reasons bill hines ended up chopping mine is b/c he said that 99% of the time the lines of that car wont flow right the way ppl are chopping them today
I thought long and hard about where the best place to cut the top was going to be. It's hard to find the spot on a Fleetline to cut that will have the least effect on other parts of the car. You know "if I cut it here, what will it do to this area?"...that sort of thing. I want to maintain the relationship between the top/ back window and decklid, so I am going to leave that area (tulip panel) alone for the most part. If you study the profile of a Fleetline, there's an area about a foot forward of the back window where the curvature of the top increases sharply to the end of the decklid. What my plan is... is to cut up the sides of the rear window to that point, and take out some of the curvature of the roof by laying the back window down. I want to leave a strip of sheetmetal in the center of the top where it's the flattest, and I'll just have to make a few pie-shaped filler pieces for the sail panel. Since the whole top is going to move forward because I'm not slanting the A-pillars, I think it will all fall together OK. The decklid is going to have to be sectioned, but if you study a Fleetline decklid you can see where there's a fairly flat spot that you can take some height out of it. I don't know how it will all go together just yet, but I think it will work out OK. I'll post some pics when I get it all done.
Hey, Study the tech posts metalshapes did of a shoebox he cut 2-3 years ago- Some great ideas contained therein on panel crown reduction! Swankey Devils C.C.
here is a good side view of it we took 4 inches out of it from the top of the drip rail to the top of the beltline is 11 inches thats at the b pillar
i seen an old boy section a 50 buick sedanette 7 inches and it all came out of the area below the windows didnt even cut out the centers of the doors or rear quarters its wild as hell lookin ill have to get some pics
Purplepearl50, did you lean the A-pillars back at all? The top is starting to go back on...so far everything is going as planned. I ended up taking 3" out of the front and 3.5" out of the back. I still have to do the work around the back window area, but I did get the A-pillars tacked together this afternoon. I used a small Porta-power to push out the top of the posts then tacked the inside. Then I used a come-along to pull the bottom of the posts in enough to get everything straight, then tacked the outside of the posts. I'm gonna sleep on it overnight before I start welding the rest of it, to make sure I still like it in the morning....but so far I think the amount I took out is going to be right on.
No problem Eric...I'm going to the Garland Swap Meet in the morning, but I'll be at the shop after that.
Dude, that thing is looking sweet man!! I really like your style. the mayors cousin is going to be stoked. Love Jimmy White P.s. Curtis says hi, and he is going to smoke you!!
Bass, That's some cool work and the finish ride will be way cool. Fastbasks are a great body style. I drive a '49 Caddy fastback. Cruiser
Dude , thats looking good. You better go ahead and get some of them fender crest made up cause I think your gonna need alot them after this car is through.
Yes and yes....When you sink the decklid, the rear of the roof comes down and rests on (or nearly rests on) the tops of the stock wheelwells. Since I had to raise the rear wheelwells, there is no room to drop the top down, or cut the tops of the quarterpanels and recurve the body in that area. If you'll take a look at most of the chopped Fleetlines that have sunken decklids, they usually sit a lot higher than this one in the rear. Not that there's anything wrong with sinking the decklid, it's just that there's more than one way to skin a cat. Besides, the Sam Barris Buick Sedanette was done in a very similar manner and I really like the way it looks. Even though it's a different body style, some of the same cuts he made would apply here.
Thanks Jimmy! As I may have told you, you are my inspiration when it comes to heavy duty floor construction. I still don't think I did it as well as you could have, but I can tell you there are lots of times when I stop and think, WWJWD? Tell Curtis that I have something in my pants for him to smoke, and I hope I'll see you guys at the drags in couple months. Brian
Why-oh-why didn't I ever learn how to weld! While I'm sure you've faced some frustration challenges, it looks, by the pictures, like your having a blast working that metal. You are creating, exacttly, what I envisioned for this old 51 I've been angling for. (Every detail) WOW! Do you have any sketches or pictures of the final "look" your shooting for, say color, side trim,front and rear detail, or do we have to wait and see?
Jigger, I did do a rendering of what the finished product should resemble for the owner, but I didn't get a scan of it before I gave it to him. Today I cut out the passenger side B-pillar, and cut and hung the pass. door. Then I rolled it outside to give it a once over before I finalize anything on the chop. I wanted to make sure that it's going to look good from all angles, and so far I think it does. I was thinking I might take another half inch or so out of it when I got up this morning, but after seeing it outside I don't think it needs it.
I really dig it. I know on the one me and mark chopped we both wish it was decrowned. I know its alot of work but it think 1 inch taken out above the roof would just really rock the party for me. Maybe chop it a bit more and then just raise the windows back up. Whatever is less work. All in all its bad ass and i can't wait till its all done.
I feel that taking crown out of the roof is not necessary on a traditional custom. Would the Hirohata Merc look better with some crown removed from it's roof? Study a profile pic of the Hirohata...it's got a lot of crown. Now, sure...if you're chopping a '40 Merc, then you should probably raise the windshield opening into the roof to give the appearance of less crown, but on most (if not all) '49-54 cars it is unnecessary. Anyway, on a similar subject....negative space is just important as positive space when chopping a top. If the side window openings get too short it can make the space (crown) above them seem too "thick" or "heavy." There's a fine line between keeping balance and proportion or creating a cartoon here. All of this is fairly subjective, of course...but that's how I feel about it.
The Jalopy Journal
