I just so happened to pop the back window in today,just to make sure that everything still fit like it was supposed to (a little late now).I get paranoid about stuff like that and even though I had it braced,i do have that kind of luck.Here ya go.I think it flows quite nicely. Ben
thanks for posting this thread Ben, i'm up for chopping my '49 (diff car I know, but the same pricipals apply), and i suck all the knowledge i can out of threads like this! Cheers, Taff
When I chopped mine I had the same worry. It was always in the back of my mind, even though I braced the window frame just like you did. So, did I understand your post correctly? You did rotate the window frame (layed it down ) by rotating it on that screw in the beltline. But you only rotated a little bit to avoid the lower, rear, center of the window frame from raising too high. The lower, rear, center of the window is higher but it's not noticeable. Then when you filled in that gap behind the window, the filler pieces go uphill a little but it doesn't show? The chop came out great, the rear window is pretty challenging on that car IMHO.
Looks great! I hope you're not stopping there with the updates, we wanna keep watching til its in paint!
Yeah, keep us posted. I was very interested to see how you did the rear window. I'll be chopping a 54 this winter, and have access to a 49 ford window, but can't decide which way to go. Your's looks good in the pics, but everyone I've seen up close just looks wrong. Some guys try to bury the corners and it never looks right IMHO. The way you did it seems like the best solution, does the trim still fit the new contour well? Could you post a few more pics like straight from the back etc.?
Taff: Go for it!..Its really not that bad.Its alot of work but I really enjoyed myself.The key is to take your time.I think sometimes I just over think the hell out of stuff. roddinron: Don't put the shoebox window in keep the stocker.Yeah its a pain in the ass,bit I think its well worth it in the end.I really like the glass house effect that the wraparound window gives it. Ben
I put the Shoebox window in mine like TONY, I love it........ Everyone does it different, thats what makes it cool, "to do what you like"
Mikes 51:It sounds like you got it right.After I abandoned the first method the most difficult thing was locating just the right pivot point to put the damn screw.Then making sure that the other side was the same.Once I do the body work you will not even notice that it goes uphill.That is why I under lapped the filler metal instead of butting it against the beltline, so that it would help to keep it as flat as possible.Thanks for the compliments.It means alot coming from people who know what they are looking at. Ben
Well its been a while since I have been able to update this, but my laptop crashed and its where I keep all my pics.I 've been relly busy at work lately so I have not been able to work on it as much as I would like.I immediately started doing the bodywork on everything from the beltline up.I do this for a living and I know how daunting it can be to get all the metal work done and have a gazillion hours of mud work to do.So I will be taking it a panel at a time.The worst part of the bodywork on my roof believe it or not was not the chop,(that came out great).aparently at some point in time there was a freak anvil storm and my car was laeft outside.It took a while to get all the bodywork knocked out,but finally I got it all done and got it primed from the beltline up.After I got all that done I was a little burned out and I took a break for about a month.Whenever I start losing focus and I need to get my eye back on the prize.I get on here and I look at all of the pics and it makes me wanna drive my car bad enough to take my ass to the shop and get to work.After I got the bodywork done on the roof I went ahead and built the new package tray.I also stripped the trunk welded up everything except for the lock hole.I got the bodywork done and got it primed as well
great chop for your first one, keep up the work and just stay patient, i always want my stuff done yesterday but then i kick myself if i rush them.
Ben, I told ya I was gonna follow this thread. It's turning out real sweet. I was going to completely shave my trunk as well, but I think your idea of shaving all but the lock is a good one... ...(idea theft has just occurred).
looks like you are doin a great job. i like the rounded corners on the doors. first time i have seen this thread....i will be sure to check back in.
Great Chop! Glad it shows how much work it has to be done. . . sometimes, youngins' just dont realize how much planning and cleaning up it takes to come up as nice as yours ! ! ! congrats. Now lets see some flakes or flames on it!
updaterino. Well I have come to the realization that the most annoying part of a chop is in the small details.They are also the most important things to me in what determines a good job and a bad job.I am working on the interior garnish moldings .The front wind shield was pretty easy I cut each side in half at the center of the vertical part.I then screwed the top section in place and set the bottom sction in place and marked where they overlapped then cut them off test fitted and trimmed them until I could screw them in and tacked them together.I pulled them out and final welded them, stripped them and put a little putty on them and they finished out real nice.Now, for the real pain in the ass.The rear window garnish moldings.I started by digging out the old window tracks and cutting them off so they would fit in the new window openings and screing them in place.I then cut the front vertical post section and I held it up to the opening and kid of guesstimated where the rear curved section first got totally flat to the bottom and cut it off.Then I moved to the top part of the curve.I just went a couple of inches above where the curve ended and cut it off.I then took the bottom piece and screwed it in place using the original screw hole and clips to hold it in it's original position.Then I put the top section in place and I had to make a new hole in the body so I could use the original screw hole in the molding .I marked where the to pieces overlapped and cut it to fit and tacked it in place.Now for the curved rear section I made 10 or 15 relief cuts from the inside to the outside and bent it a little at a time until I got it to fit the hole just right.Then I tacked it in place one cut at a time whil it was still screwed in the car so I knew it would not lose the shape.once I had the curve where I wanted it I had to cut the bottom to length and tack it together as well.In order to get the curvature of the top just right I had to cut some relief cuts along the top edge and bend it a little.It took me quite a bit of mud work to get this thing just right but it came out nice in the end.
Alot of people advised to do a shoebox rear glass or 49 to 52 chev but I like the wrap around cause with the chop its kind of a pain in the ass to change lanes in Phoenix traffic ducking down to see out the windows anyways... I need to change out my rear window runbber and break out the bodywork right there cause its kinda humped.Nice chop it is similar to wht was done on my fity4.. Next is 4 link and coil overs to get it lower in the rear. I am also moving my axle back a few inches since it sits so far forward and then some skirts. This is actually my daughters car she's 14.. I need to get it ready for her then i can get back on my fity2 ford pickem up....
Yeah its definetly my first one,But Ive been building it in my head since I was about twelve yrs old.Work stalled on the car for a while cause life got in the way.I had another kid,work got super busy,couple deaths in the family,all that kind of crap.I brought the car home so I could work on it whenever I wanted to and although the progress is slow,its still progress.I have gotten a fair amount done since the last update so I'll stretch this one out into a couple posts.I cut the lower rear half of the right quarter off cause it was rusted out. Once I got that off I found that the inner panel had a little rust and the lower part of the wheel tub had a rust hole. The inner panel was a piece of cake I just cut a piece of 18ga and put a flange on the bottom to match the factory shape.I popped a few holes in the edge of the stock body and plug welded it in.The wheel tub took a bit more blacksmithing work because it was rounded.I could have just put a flat piece in there but I wanted it to look the way it did pre rust.I dunno why,I just did.I cut a piece of 18ga out the shape I needed and tacked it in on the only flat area there was and just used the heat from welding and a hammer to shape it to fit. seamsealed and undercoated it when I was all done cause I won't be able to get to it once I put the outer back on.I bought the new outer panel from EMS and it didnt fit that well but Im a bodyman so I just made it work.I cant really bitch,I mean,I'm just thankful that someone actually makes some replacement parts for this thing.i went ahead and stripped the right quarter and across the body below the trunklid.There were several small rust holes in the rear panel so I cleaned all the old seam sealer and other crud of the back side of it and welded up all the holes.It seems like it takes forever sometimes to make any real progress on this thing because I dont just strip, cut, weld,and grind, then move on to something else.I finish each part of the job by doing all the bodywork and getting it ready to prime before moving on.I see alot of guys on here that do that and I always wonder if the cars ever get finished, because its really overwhelming to get done with all that metal work and feel this great sense of accomplishment only to face the realization the now the real work begins.Anyway I got the rear body and from the center of the right wheelwell back all done and ready for primer.I dont have any pics of this because its been a while since that got done.I'll post another update tommorrow. Thanks for hanging on this far. Ben